How to Leave Afghanistan? The Answer According to Ahmed Rashid - Negotiate with Taliban

A interesting article by Ahmed Rashid has been posted on The New York Review of Books website on how to end the war in Afghanistan.  Rashid is the author of a few books about the Afghan conflict to include Taliban and Descent into Chaos.

In his article Rashid addresses the impact of the recent parliamentary elections, the rise of influence of the non-Pashtun ethnic groups, and the growing wealth and independence of the north of Afghanistan from the central government.  He also presents the challenges to resolving the war citing problems associated with an un-trained Afghan army and police force, lack of government presence in some provinces (especially at the district level), the drug trade, a corrupt central government, the influence of Pakistan and Iran, and negotiations with the Taliban.  He concludes his article amplifying the last point - how to conduct negotiations for an end to the Afghan conflict with ten recommendations.  Read the article at "The Way Out of Afghanistan", The New York Review of Books, December 16, 2010.