participate in one of the peace making processes. Whereas, the military group are against the political group and think that the only way to progress is through fighting. Another senior Taliban leader told us that lot of military commanders believe that ‘a there is no difference between the Afghan government and members of the Taliban Political A different Taliban leader took a more balanced view, Commission.’ recognising that there were differences of opinion among military commanders – some think that the Political Commission misrepresent the Taliban and distract it from fighting, while others recognize the virtue of the Political Commission in developing good relation[s] with the international ‘very community.’ The Taliban doctrine of obedience to the leader has more practical implications in that it has been a key factor in protecting the movement from fragmentation. The Taliban Movement was unique among major Afghan forces in that it survived two decades without experiencing any significant split. Furthermore there is a recognisable command chain stretching from the Pakistan-based leadership to each district of Afghanistan. The movement's cohesiveness both defines the way it makes war and suggests how it could make peace. The fact that the Taliban have a cohesive national structure means that it is meaningful to talk of a national level military campaign, with coherent objectives and a strategy, on a scale which represents a credible threat to the Afghan state. The fact that there is an empowered leadership means that potentially, should that leadership decide to shift to a strategy that places more emphasis on peace talks, it could credibly represent the whole of the movement and, with due efforts to maintain the confidence of the military, even move towards a ceasefire. In short, the Taliban leadership could make good on a peace agreement.
participate in one of the peace making processes. Whereas, the military group are against the political group and think that the only way to progress is through fighting. Another senior Taliban leader told us that ‘a lot of military commanders believe that there is no difference between the Afghan government and members of the Taliban Political Commission.’ A different Taliban leader took a more balanced view, recognising that there were differences of opinion among military commanders – some think that the Political Commission misrepresent the Taliban and distract it from fighting, while others recognize the virtue of the Political Commission in developing ‘very good relation[s] with the international community.’ The Taliban doctrine of obedience to the leader has more practical implications in that it has been a key factor in protecting the movement from fragmentation. The Taliban Movement was unique among major Afghan forces in that it survived two decades without experiencing any significant split. Furthermore there is a recognisable command chain stretching from the Pakistan-based leadership to each district of Afghanistan. The movement's cohesiveness both defines the way it makes war and suggests how it could make peace. The fact that the Taliban have a cohesive national structure means that it is meaningful to talk of a national level military campaign, with coherent objectives and a strategy, on a scale which represents a credible threat to the Afghan state. The fact that there is an empowered leadership means that potentially, should that leadership decide to shift to a strategy that places more emphasis on peace talks, it could credibly represent the whole of the movement and, with due efforts to maintain the confidence of the military, even move towards a ceasefire. In short, the Taliban leadership could make good on a peace agreement.
Farrell_Semple_Making_Peace_with_the_Taliban.docx