Is Trump-Taliban reset possible to counter China's Afghanistan influence?
How — or whether — President-elect Donald Trump will diplomatically engage with the Taliban remains to be seen.
When President-elect Donald Trump begins his second term on Jan. 20, he will likely come in with a policy toward Kabul that differs from the outgoing administration's, especially given his strong criticism of the US' withdrawal from Afghanistan and the loss of Bagram Air Base.
Following Trump's electoral victory, Qahar Balkhi, the spokesperson for the Taliban-run Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Kabul, called for a new chapter of “mutual engagement” between the two countries, expressing hope that the incoming administration in Washington would adopt “realistic” policies toward Afghanistan.
Released on social media just hours after Trump’s win was announced, this statement from Kabul conveys the Taliban’s fervent desire to establish some diplomatic engagement with Washington. Balkhi praised the Doha Accord — a peace agreement between the United States and the Taliban signed under Trump’s watch in February 2020 — and said that the deal had ended the “20-year occupation of Afghanistan."
The Doha Accord
