Afghan Peace Negotiations: Over the Years

Peace endeavors to bring the US-Afghan War to an end were made in different parts of the world at an enormous level, involving all major powers, Afghan neighbors and states engaged in combat and noncombat operations in Afghanistan. Despite these efforts by the Afghans themselves and by the international community, the peace negotiations did not yield the desired outcome, and the war came to an end only after the US withdrawal and overthrow of the Kabul regime by the Afghan Taliban. Why did the peace negotiations not remain fruitful, and why did the war linger on for two decades until the pull-out? This chapter is an attempt to ascertain and elaborate on major factors that played a part in the failure of large-scale peace efforts. Several factors responsible for the failure of peace negotiations are identifiable, such as ideological divides, the presence of foreign forces, the absence of trust, and the multiplicity of actors and spoilers.