One reason why progress in the reconciliation processes has been slower than anticipated is that Western governments have not pressed Karzai to engage in genuine peace negotiations with Taliban leaders until coalition forces have had the opportunity to reverse the deteriorating situation on the battlefield. US policymakers in particular wanted to take advantage of the ongoing surge in NATO combat forces in Afghanistan – which reached 150,000 in August, of which some two-thirds were American – to shake Taliban commanders’ conviction that they were winning the war.
而和谈进程比预想中缓慢的一个原因，则是在联军终于有机会将战局扭转之前，西方国家一直没有迫使卡尔扎伊认真地与塔利班领导人展开和谈。尤其是美国的政策制定者还想利用北约当前的军事行动（今年8月增兵到15万人，其中约2/3是美军）来动摇塔利班领导人，打消他们自认为赢得了战争的信念。