Taliban and Afghan peace process

Abstract

2021 is the year of the American and their allies troops withdrawal from Afghanistan after a 20-year stay. They are leaving the country under the Taliban control which was established impetuously and met with almost no serious resistance. It has happened all but a year after the launching of the inter-Afghan negotiations in Doha between Kabul and Taliban teams opened on September 12, 2020 which became a milestone in attaining the political settlement. Taliban perceives itself as a victor over both foreign contingent and the Ashraf Ghani’s regime which has come to the end immediately in the wake of NATO troops pullout. This fact is a point of concern for many Afghans and representatives of the international community that the new masters of the country will create a government system without taking into account interests of the other parts of the Afghan conflict. At the same time many experts agree that international community and the majority of Afghans can only recognize the legitimacy of Taliban if it refuses to monopolize power. If the Taliban leaders admit this approach, then in the near future they will have to negotiate with opponents in order to create an inclusive government, focusing on the political and diplomatic aspects of their activities. Over the past few years, Taliban has gained experience in such work, promoting itself at the international arena as a political force willing to achieve a peaceful solution. In this article we will look at the participation of Taliban political wing in the peace process since the start of the Doha negotiations and at the very first stage of their de facto power in Afghanistan in order to characterize Taliban representatives as negotiators and diplomats.