Context
Influential former US Secretary of State, Henry Kissinger said on Tuesday that the United States must negotiate with Afghanistan neighbors before any progress can be made with the Taliban.
Kissinger in a panel discussion at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars told audience that “I have no [objection] in principle of negotiating with the Taliban, but for the purpose of ending the war, it’s the wrong sequence of events. The first negotiation in my view ought to be with surrounding countries.” He also urged the US to reach an agreement before it pulls out it troops from the country. Kissinger also suggested that troops should be pulled out at the end of the process, and not the beginning, so as to maintain influence in the region.
