Taliban not the Enemy: Biden - Taliban Confirm Office in Qatar

[gambit]

Chill out...Just because Biden had a 'senior' moment along with his natural brutishness in speech, that does not mean the next administration will not declare otherwise.

 

[idune]

Secret US, Taliban talks reach turning point​

By Reuters
Published: December 19, 2011



Secret US, Taliban talks reach turning point – The Express Tribune

==========

So, was Pakistan involved in the talks this time?

The alleged 'progress' in the talks would explain the statement by Biden at this point in time ...

Its more of US propaganda than any real "turning point". Some Taliban leadership denied such "turning point" saying there was not even any meaningful discussion started.

The whole US strategy is to create a false sense of breakthrough so core stakeholders, Pakistan who boycotted Bonn conference and Taliban who really matters, feel they have been left out of end game of Afghanistan. But in reality US is grasping for a way out and a way to stick around beyond 2014.

 

[AgNoStiC MuSliM]

Chill out...Just because Biden had a 'senior' moment along with his natural brutishness in speech, that does not mean the next administration will not declare otherwise.

Absolutely - the question, from a domestic US political standpoint, is whether Obama can deliver a 'negotiated peace in Afghanistan' that does not look like complete capitulation, before the next elections.

All it would really need is for the Taliban to agree to limit certain statements on their end, that could inflame domestic public opinion against Obama, till after the US presidential election.

If so, Obama can go into the elections claiming he ended both Bush wars.

 

[Abu Zolfiqar]

gambit.....the White House & State Dept. are best off by being on the same page as the guys over at DoD/Pentagon/Langley


the war in Afghanistan (not so much Iraq) has managed to make the gap between these (seemingly opposing) sides ever so pronounced.

 

[lem34]

Who said our military leadership has no sense of 'strategy' and functions on blind 'ghairat' alone .... (though there have been examples of that in the past ..)


One particular comment by the DG ISPR (Athar Abbas) from an interview a few years ago has always stuck with me - in response to a question about certain Pakistani policy initiatives at that time failing, he responded:

"States never run out of options ..."

Confidence? Flexibility in analyzing and implementing policies?

I personally think Kayani is under rated I said on another thread that having read obama's books I thought they had a similar approach to strategy, play a waiting game and let the enemy make mistakes and then ram home the advantage. For the first time in a long time I believe that pakistan have the upper hand

 

[Secur]

Chill out...Just because Biden had a 'senior' moment along with his natural brutishness in speech, that does not mean the next administration will not declare otherwise.

Wouldn't he be reprimanded by Obama ?

 

[lem34]

Chill out...Just because Biden had a 'senior' moment along with his natural brutishness in speech, that does not mean the next administration will not declare otherwise.

No doubt that will be AIPAC approved regime? Do you reckon Paul has a chance?? Back on topic maybe americans are coming around to the taleban way of life?

 

[AgNoStiC MuSliM]

Its more of US propaganda than any real "turning point". Some Taliban leadership denied such "turning point" saying there was not even any meaningful discussion started.

The whole US strategy is to create a false sense of breakthrough so core stakeholders, Pakistan who boycotted Bonn conference and Taliban who really matters, feel they have been left out of end game of Afghanistan. But in reality US is grasping for a way out and a way to stick around beyond 2014.

I agree - given the past failures of much trumpeted 'talks', it is best to wait for some concrete development.

 

[gambit]

Wouldn't he be reprimanded by Obama ?

Biden has a history of shooting off his mouth with comments that can quickly be (mis)construed by the public. In this latest gaff, TECHNICALLY speaking, Biden is quite correct, not 100%, but just enough that the White House can spin enough to cover for this idiocy in speech. Biden is not stupid but neither is he an intellectual powerhouse. Personally, I doubt that he is as smart as Obama or even B43, or at best his intellect is comparable to B43, but certainly is far less than B41. Biden's gaffs are to the point where Obama will only just rolled his eyes and regret the day he picked this brute for VP.

 

[lofty]

WOW what hypocrites

 

[Abu Zolfiqar]

"We didn't invade Afghanistan. We did not send US military personnel into Afghanistan because the Taliban were in power. They had been in power. We went into Afghanistan because al-Qaida had launched an attack against the US from Afghanistan," he said

Taliban is not the US's enemy: Biden - The Times of India

they invaded Afghanistan because Al Qaeda had a presence there (as they did in other countries). It is indeed unfortunate that Mullah Omar --being extremely headstrong that he is - did not expel these individuals early on....however they did fight alongside the foreign fighters (many that became al qaeda or pro AQ loyalists) so it was difficult to just abandon them and say get out. As many of the taleban (if not all) are ethnic Pakhtuns, hospitality --even to enemies - is part of their code of conduct. It always has been this way and still is, to a good degree, even today.

9/11 was a curse not just for America and the thousands of innocent people who were killed on that tragic day....it was a curse for Middle East and South/Central Asia region as well. The invasion of Afghanistan was a knee-jerk move on US/NATO's part. The naiivety shown earlier on (despite the fall of the taleb regime) has manifested itself today.


today, it will be countries immediately affected by ongoing developments in Afghanistan --namely Pakistan & Iran -- which will be left, inevitably, to clean up the shards of glass and deal with whatever happens there in a post-NATO Afghanistan environment.

Nobody wants to see more bloodshed or violence. Pakistan of all countries has an interest for peace in Afghanistan. If that entails the Americans heeding to our long-given advice --not to alienate Pakhtuns and to integrate moderate talebs into political life -- then it is a success for Pakistan and will be a success for NATO --as they are pushing for a dignified exit strategy.

 

[gambit]

they invaded Afghanistan because Al Qaeda had a presence there (as they did in other countries). It is indeed unfortunate that Mullah Omar --being extremely headstrong that he is - did not expel these individuals early on....

He was Osama's brother-in-law.

The invasion of Afghanistan was a knee-jerk move on US/NATO's part.

That is absurd. If you believe that the Taliban should have expel al-Qaeda out of Afghanistan, then you should have reasoned out that such action could not have come unless the US have been negotiating with the Taliban for years, more like a decade, to try to get that action done. So there is no 'knee-jerk' reaction about it.

 

[Desert Fox]

Guess what??? al-ciada is also a friend of NATO:

Libyan rebel commander admits his fighters have al-Qaeda links - Telegraph

Libyan War: The Truth -- US Supporting al Qaeda Insurgents Against the Will of the Libyan People


Why is the United States Helping Al Qaeda in Libya? | UNCOVERAGE.net

More links below:
Libya: the West and al-Qaeda on the same side - Telegraph

» U.S. Government Backs Libyan Al-Qaeda While Hyping Terror Attacks Inside U.S. Alex Jones' Infowars: There's a war on for your mind!

Al Qaida commander backs Libyan rebels in message

Truth Revealed: Al Qaeda Part Of Libyan Rebels, U.S. Helping Fighters Who Killed Americans In Iraq! at Pat Dollard

 

[Abu Zolfiqar]

Its more of US propaganda than any real "turning point". Some Taliban leadership denied such "turning point" saying there was not even any meaningful discussion started.

The whole US strategy is to create a false sense of breakthrough so core stakeholders, Pakistan who boycotted Bonn conference and Taliban who really matters, feel they have been left out of end game of Afghanistan. But in reality US is grasping for a way out and a way to stick around beyond 2014.

the taleban insurgency hasn't really fizzled out; their mentality is that ''you have the watch, we have the time''

they have been able to engage in pitched battles even in Kabul fortress, and have managed to adopt to NATO tactics on the ground. . .many of their attacks against ISAF have become more audacious and bold

with that in mind, why would they want to admit or acknowledge any ''peace talks'' with NATO when they feel that they have some kind of upper hand here? This is an insurgency, not a conventional war. These guys can fight for several days and then blend in with the civilian population quite easily.

they continually state that there will be no negotiations or concessions as long as there are foreign boots on Afghan soil...it could be a bluff though, as I am fairly confident that such talks (including indirect and direct ones with medium and high level taleb officials in 3rd-party countries) have been going on for some time now.


if Biden is suddenly confident, he should further clarify his and his governments position on this matter --in the interests of no further confusions of their audience and the international audience.

 

[lem34]

No guys Bidens right here a taleban praying on an american flag taleban have allways secretly been american freinds

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVC96AlNgM8&feature=player_embedded