Commentary
Sarah Chayes
{
"authors": [
"Sarah Chayes"
],
"type": "legacyinthemedia",
"centerAffiliationAll": "dc",
"centers": [
"Carnegie Endowment for International Peace"
],
"collections": [],
"englishNewsletterAll": "ctw",
"nonEnglishNewsletterAll": "",
"primaryCenter": "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace",
"programAffiliation": "SAP",
"programs": [
"South Asia"
],
"projects": [],
"regions": [
"South Asia",
"Afghanistan"
],
"topics": [
"Security",
"Foreign Policy"
]
}
Source: Getty
In The Media
On-Again, Off-Again Talks with the Taliban
The prospects for a peace agreement between Hamid Karzai’s government and the Afghan Taliban are undermined by the Pakistani military’s influence over the Taliban and the exclusion of groups not allied with Karzai or the Taliban.
By Sarah Chayes
Published on Jun 24, 2013
Source: KCRW Los Angeles
Speaking on KCRW Los Angeles, Carnegie's Sarah Chayes explained that efforts to end America's 12-year war in Afghanistan are on shakier ground than ever. President Obama called talks between the Taliban and Afghanistan's government "an important first step in reconciliation," but Chayes explained that any progress was undermined when the Taliban opened an office in Qatar called the "Political Office of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan," the name they used when they ruled Afghanistany. President Karzai has said he would not attend after the Taliban started behaving like a former government with plans to return to power. Chayes discussed whether the Taliban running out the clock, taking advantage of President Obama's announced plan to withdraw troops by 2015. She also addressed how the conflicting agendas of Pakistan and India are adding to the diplomatic confusion.
About the Author
Sarah Chayes
Former Senior Fellow, Democracy, Conflict, and Governance Program
Sarah Chayes is internationally recognized for her innovative thinking on corruption and its implications. Her work explores how severe corruption can help prompt such crises as terrorism, revolutions and their violent aftermaths, and environmental degradation.
- China Financial Markets test
Recent Work
Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.
More Work from Carnegie China
- Malaysia’s Year as ASEAN Chair: Managing DisorderCommentary
Malaysia’s chairmanship sought to fend off short-term challenges while laying the groundwork for minimizing ASEAN’s longer-term exposure to external stresses.
Elina Noor
- When It Comes to Superpower Geopolitics, Malaysia Is Staunchly NonpartisanCommentary
For Malaysia, the conjunction that works is “and” not “or” when it comes to the United States and China.
Elina Noor
- Neither Comrade nor Ally: Decoding Vietnam’s First Army Drill with ChinaCommentary
In July 2025, Vietnam and China held their first joint army drill, a modest but symbolic move reflecting Hanoi’s strategic hedging amid U.S.–China rivalry.
Nguyễn Khắc Giang
- China’s Mediation Offer in the Thailand-Cambodia Border Dispute Sheds Light on Beijing’s Security Role in Southeast AsiaCommentary
The Thai-Cambodian conflict highlights the limits to China's peacemaker ambition and the significance of this role on Southeast Asia’s balance of power.
Pongphisoot (Paul) Busbarat
- China Is Determined to Hold Firm Against Trump’s PressureCommentary
Beijing believes that Washington is overestimating its own leverage and its ability to handle the trade war’s impacts.
Rick Waters, Sheena Chestnut Greitens
