World Affairs Board - View Single Post

S-2 · 03-26-2008, 19:12 PM

From the Globe and Mail-

Talking To The Taliban-Globe & Mail

Forty-two video recordings in six parts of Taliban fighters in Kandahar.

"I personally believe that negotiations are inevitable," said Thomas Johnson, director of the culture and conflict studies program at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, Calif., and a leading expert on the Pashtun tribal areas.

"The problem of course is finding people willing to negotiate," Mr. Johnson said. "Pashtuns generally will not negotiate when they sense they are winning. Hence, you see that the Taliban are ‘willing' to negotiate, but only after international forces leave the country."

EDIT: I like Graeme Smith. He was, IIRC, the Moscow correspondent for the G&M when Canadian forces first deployed into Kandahar in the spring of 2006 and subsequently took on much of G&M's coverage of the Canadians down south. Both Christine Lamb of the London Times and Graeme Smith did some superb early writing on this area.

03-26-2008, 19:12 PM	#28 (permalink)
S-2 *Military Professional* Join Date: 09-11-06 Location: Portland, Oregon Posts: 2,552 Country:	Say Hello To Your Enemy From the Globe and Mail- Talking To The Taliban-Globe & Mail Forty-two video recordings in six parts of Taliban fighters in Kandahar. "I personally believe that negotiations are inevitable," said Thomas Johnson, director of the culture and conflict studies program at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, Calif., and a leading expert on the Pashtun tribal areas. "The problem of course is finding people willing to negotiate," Mr. Johnson said. "Pashtuns generally will not negotiate when they sense they are winning. Hence, you see that the Taliban are ‘willing' to negotiate, but only after international forces leave the country." EDIT: I like Graeme Smith. He was, IIRC, the Moscow correspondent for the G&M when Canadian forces first deployed into Kandahar in the spring of 2006 and subsequently took on much of G&M's coverage of the Canadians down south. Both Christine Lamb of the London Times and Graeme Smith did some superb early writing on this area. __________________ "This aggression will not stand, man!" Jeff Lebowski Last edited by S-2 : 03-26-2008 at 21:19 PM.