Torek Farhadi, a former senior economic advisor to former Afghan President Hamid Karzai, was interviewed on PBS NewsHour Aug. 17, giving a positive reading on expectations for Afghanistan. “And we arrive in some ways at the best of all solutions available,” he said. “If we had put all the options next to each other, we arrived at the best one.... The Taliban have come in. They have occupied Kabul. They have established peace. Not a bullet has been fired in Kabul. And now they’re even ready to talk to each other, to others, in order to establish a government. They haven’t been in a hurry to establish their government. It looks like Qatar and all the countries that have mediated are encouraging them to talk to other people. And two of the leaders, Hamid Karzai and Dr. Abdullah [Abdullah Abdullah, the head of the High Council for National Reconciliation, which was leading negotiations with the Taliban in Doha under U.S. sponsorship], which was expected to lead the intra-Afghan peace talks with the Taliban, issued a small video message, saying they are in touch with Taliban. So the conversation is going. The tone is positive. There is mutual respect. I don’t expect Mr. Karzai or Mr. Abdullah to be part of the Taliban government, but they will be respected elders. And, someday, they might even be part of a council or, as we call it, shura.”
Farhadi strongly encouraged the U.S. to engage with the Taliban: “The Taliban are de facto in Kabul. They are occupying the presidential palace. They gave the press conference from there. Their tone was very, very conciliatory. They sent messages to foreign embassies saying, we will ensure your security. Russia, China, Turkey, and Pakistan will keep their embassies open, as well as Iran. These are the regional players. It’s important, the regional players. And the United States has said, we will stay in touch with the Taliban after August 31.…
“And my view is that the United States is in a better position if it recognizes the Taliban, so that the aid it provides in any case to Afghanistan goes without problems of sanctions, etcetera, that the UN provides aid, that the UN is financed by the United States.... And if the United States doesn’t engage with the Taliban, we are manufacturing a non-state actor. Then, dealing with a non-state actor is always problematic, and we will blame ourselves if something happens in that territory, because we created a non-state actor.”
