People who think that Obama’s “moderate Taliban” idea is asinine: Indian officials…
In an apparent message to the US, which has expressed willingness to hold talks with ‘moderate’ militia, India has cautioned against treating any section of Taliban as ‘good’… it would be unwise to negotiate with Taliban and leave people to the mercy of the militant outfit.
President Barack Obama’s proposal to reach out to moderate Taliban will fail to end the Afghan insurgency as it is inflexible Taliban leaders who are orchestrating the war, not moderates, analysts said… “Obama’s comment resemble a dream more than reality,” said Waheed Mozhdah, an analyst who has written a book on the Taliban [and] was an official in both the Taliban and the Karzai governments… “‘Moderate Taliban’ is like ‘moderate killer’. Is there such a thing?,” asked writer and analyst Qaseem Akhgar.
… and the Taliban themselves:
Afghanistan’s Taliban on Tuesday turned down as illogical U.S. President Barack Obama’s bid to reach out to moderate elements of the insurgents, saying the exit of foreign troops was the only solution for ending the war… “This does not require any response or reaction for this is illogical,” Qari Mohammad Yousuf, a purported spokesman for the insurgent group, told Reuters.
People who think that Obama’s proposal has the air of magical sophistication about it: the UN’s envoy to Afghanistan:
The U.N. special envoy to Afghanistan, Kai Eide, became the latest to call for talks… “But it is important to talk to the people who count… You need to be ambitious and include all the Taliban movement.” His remarks follow much more guarded comments by President Barack Obama who said in an interview with the New York Times that Washington might… “[reach] out to people that we would consider to be Islamic fundamentalists, but who were willing to work with us.”
“People that we would consider to be Islamic fundamentalists” is a really elegant relativist touch. Usually if you’ve got people who consider themselves to be Islamic fundamentalists and who we consider to be Islamic fundamentalists, you’d just straightforwardly call them Islamic fundamentalists. But I like Obama’s phrasing better. So much more nuanced!
In fairness McKiernan was running a similar argument back in November, which the Taliban also rejected out of hand. But back then the Taliban were weaker. You could argue to local villagers that NATO was the safe bet. Since then the Taliban have gotten within reach of the capitals of Afghanistan and Pakistan and have created their own mini-state in the Swat valley. You can’t roll with “bet on NATO” when NATO is paying Taliban warlords protection money.
The Taliban have even used the last few months to partially rebrand themselves into a liberation movement, the better to head off any Awakening-style diplomacy.
What made sense in November doesn’t necessarily make sense now. You’d think the President would be nimble enough to give up on election-time proposals and adjust to the new realities.
Of course in November universal health care also seemed kind of reasonable from a certain liberal perspective. Now the Democrats have thrown trillions of dollars into a toxic sinkhole. Congress is broke. Treasury is broke. The Fed is monetizing debt and tanking the dollar. But Obama hasn’t exactly been quick to acknowledge those new realities either. Which is weird, coming as he does from a reality-based community.
References:
* Obama Ponders Outreach to Elements of Taliban [NYT]
* There are no good Taliban, India cautions US [PTI]
* Obama’s call on moderate Taliban useless: analysts [Reuters]
* Taliban say Obama’s call on moderates "illogical" [Reuters]
* Talking to the Taliban and the last man standing [Reuters]
* Top General: Reconcile with ‘Lower Case t’ Taliban [Danger Room]
* Taliban repeats: We are not negotiating [Jihad Watch]
* Encircling Kabul, Taliban Gaining Ground [Farah]
* Taliban may take over Karachi: Police report [Times Of India]
* Taliban and Pakistan officials agree permanent ceasefire in Swat valley [Guardian]
* NATO paying the Taliban for safe passage [FP Passport]
* Taliban Backs Off Maximum Craziness [Danger Room]
Previously:
* Badass Aussie Soldier Sets New Benchmark For Mind-Blowing Badassness
* Obama Ignores Top Government Military Expert On Key National Security Question. Again.
* Hey Gals, Check This Out – Jihadists Raping Boys And Girls To Create Suicide Bomber Armies
