The Importance of Ensuring Inclusion in Afghanistan's Peace Process

The Afghanistan civil conflict is at an important turning point. Intra-Afghan peace talks began in Qatar on September 12, 2020 and the United States has a vested interest in ensuring that an agreement between the Afghan government and the Taliban is reached and upheld. Past negotiations and a growing body of research reveal that supporting an inclusive peace process is necessary to achieving this. To that end, the U.S. must support the establishment of an independent third-party mediator, the public dissemination of the contents of the talks, and mechanisms for broad-based participation in the process.