Publication

This note looks at the political system in Afghanistan in the wake of the 2010 parliamentary elections and the moves towards reintegration and a negotiated settlement with the Taliban. The author has suggested that an increasingly insecure Hamid Karzai has resorted to traditional patronage methods to ensure his survival, which may undermine progress towards a more transparent and less corrupt political system. At the same time the Afghan government, like the Obama administration, has made some personnel changes that can be interpreted as paving the way for accelerated moves to negotiate a settlement with the Taliban. The main question appears to be how soon the White House and the Pentagon decide that it is time for talks.