Politics in Afghanistan has been totally a mess. No new norms can endure here. The history of politics here shows a very disappointing record. Any struggle aimed at breaking the obsolete traditions in political arena has been subject to failure. Afghan politics is based on tribalism, ethnicism and patrimonialism. No overriding political culture has prevailed over the numerous atypical patterns of politics.
The nation hoped and the world expected the new pro-democracy government, supported by international community, could set up a fresh streamline for political approaches and practices in Afghanistan. However, it has acknowledged the letdown to operationalize a modern, coherent and rational model of politics and policy making.
Political decisions, political principles and policy making processes remain too weak to run democraticmechanisms and models in Afghanistan. Having fought a war of ten years, President Karzai and his supporters remain bewildered. His practices have demonstrated his saying that "we don't know yet who we are fighting against".
The myth of insuperable Taliban is coming true. They were ousted of power a decade ago, stayed in fugitive mode for ten years and are now coming out of hibernation to occupy their ornamented positions in form of a political opposition, not terrorists who bombed the country, killed citizens and sabotaged human values.
They are welcomed to enjoy a share in power and act as if they were never terrorists. The nation is not surprised with political offers and full impunity made to Taliban leaders because the president had sincerely announced he could not distinguish the line between the enemy and the friend.
Resources were spent, lives were taken, the reconstruction process lingered and opportunities were lostbut, now, Afghanistan is undergoing the same vicious cycle, return of Taliban. Denying his government's isolation from peace talks made with the Taliban, president Karzai saidAfghanistan will have the final say. But he had no other choice than to accept Taliban political mission in Qatar. Yes, he recognized it.
This is an official recognition of Taliban as a political opposition and not bombers, killers, and assassins. It will automatically refute the decade-long struggle to defeat extremism, radicalism and terrorism. In addition, it will explicitly legitimize Taliban'sfight against the government and the nation, ending the hope for an ultimate triumph overreligious extremism, fanaticism and violence.
This will, of course, annoy young men and women who bravely fought for freedom, democracy, human rights and justice. It will ultimately support the myth of unconquerable Taliban.Nonetheless, we can still join hands together to defeat terrorism, violence and the evil.