Why Negotiate With the Taliban?

Military progress is being made in Afghanistan. There's no reason to alienate moderate Pashtuns.

Updated March 16, 2010 11:16 p.m. ET

Do America and its allies seek enduring stability in Afghanistan or a temporary resolution of the conflict? The current pressure for an Afghan government-led "reconciliation" process with the Taliban is much more likely to lead to the latter.

While such reconciliation talks may provide a "decent interval" for the withdrawal of international forces, they are unlikely to achieve the long-term strategic objective of denying sanctuary to violent Islamist groups. At worst, this approach could result in...

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