The Heat: Afghanistan peace talks

The Heat

The Independent Election Commission announced this week that Afghan President Ashraf Ghani will remain in office for another five years.

The commission says Ghani defeated his former deputy and main rival Abdullah Abdullah in the September election. Abdullah Abdullah called the results a coup against democracy and is vowing to form his own government.

The election turmoil comes at a critical time for negotiations with the Afghan Taliban. The United States recently announced a possible breakthrough in peace talks, with the start of a seven-day reduction in violence. The U.S. has been negotiating for over a year now in an effort to end the 18-year-war, America’s longest conflict.

To discuss:

  • Omar Samad served as the Afghan Ambassador to France and Canada and is a nonresident senior fellow with the Atlantic Council’s South Asia Center.
  • Ahmad Shah Mohibi is the founder and president of the non-profit organization, Rise to Peace.
  • Saeed Khan is a lecturer in the Department of Near East and Asian Studies at Wayne State University.
  • Jack Midgley served in Afghanistan as a U.S. Army civilian adviser and is the Principal of Midgley and Company.

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