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.