Publication

This Peace Brief reviews findings from 122 interviews with Afghan leaders in political, military, economic and social arenas about the conflict and the issues that a peace process must address. The author finds that Afghans across different groups see the United States as a key party to the conflict whose direct participation in a peace process is crucial to its success, and therefore question the effectiveness of US emphasis on an 'Afghan-led' reconciliation strategy. It is also emphasized that the intra-Afghan peace process should be oriented toward broad inclusion of noncombatants while balancing the secrecy required to make progress.