The Afghan media outlet Tolo News has published a letter from US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to Afghan President Ashraf Ghani that lays out a new proposed peace plan for Afghanistan.
It is highly ambitious in scope. It calls for the Afghan state and the Taliban to agree on guiding principles for peace; for the broader region—including US rivals China, Iran, and Russia—to build a consensus for peace; for a three-month reduction in violence agreement; and for a conference in Turkey next month that finalizes peace arrangements.
How viable is this plan, and what does it mean for Afghanistan and the region?
The latest episode of The AfPak File focuses on these questions and more.
Joining the discussion are Torek Farhadi, a former Afghan government adviser; Mustafa Sarwar, a journalist and editor with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s Azadi Radio; Belquis Ahmadi, senior program manager for Afghanistan at the US Institute of Peace; and Michael Kugelman, Asia Program deputy director and senior Associate for South Asia at the Wilson Center.
Muhammad Tahir, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s media manager in Washington DC, moderates the debate.
