On Tuesday March 9, 2021, the Afghan Institute for Strategic Studies (AISS) held an online roundtable discussion on “Feasibility of Transition from NATO-led Mission to UN-led Mission in Afghanistan". Omar Samad, former Afghan Diplomat, Senior Fellow at Atlantic Council in the US; Syed Akbaruddin, former India’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations; Dr. Hu Shisheng, Director, Institute for South Asian Studies at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations; and Dr. Timo Antero Kivimäki, Professor of International Relations at the University of Bath in United Kingdome, were the speakers of the program. The event was moderated by Tamim Asey, Executive Chairman of IWPS and Former Deputy Minister of Defense.

Omar Samad said that we are trying to adjust to the idea of demilitarizing the Afghan Peace Talks. What the United States is saying is that we are gradually shifting from NATO backed forces to softer and political relationship with Afghanistan. According to Samad, in this peace negotiations, we have to apply our lessons learned from the passage of time; we cannot repeat the 2001 conference mistakes, because 2001 was a different time. This peace talk should have an Afghan ownership, and Afghans should endorse any type of external military or financial or political interventions, he said.

Syed Akbaruddin said that peace making is difficult in the best of times; let alone Afghanistan that has suffered decades of continuous turmoil. In the case of Afghanistan, ultimately it will be the Taliban and the Afghan government to work this deal out together. He said, 2001 and the Bonn Conference was a conference of the victors; there were no two parties in that. But the situation is very different and multifaceted today. There is a military conflict, the society, and the government involved, along with regional powers. He added that in the beginning, substantial work has to be done to bring all the moving parts together before any successful deal to happen.

Dr. Timo Antero Kivimäki said, 70 to 80% of countries have done better off after UN intervention; while 2/3 of countries have done worse off after US and NATO interventions. UN seems to be quite successful in facilitating difficult situations. Because UN has handed the ownership of the deal to the parties in conflict. He added that, much less military power is needed if an endogenous consensus is reached first. UN has failed only in 4 out of 36 countries in peace keeping missions.

Dr. Hu Shisheng said, China is very glad to see the UN to play a major role in the Afghanistan Peace Dialogues. Because UN is a more legitimate platform. He added that lasting peace in Afghanistan depends on major consensus of the major parties on domestic issues; while the other aspect depends on the regional general consensus about regional issues. UN should be given enough power to put sanctions on any internal or external violating parties in this peace talk.

You can watch full video of the roundtable discussion in the link below.

https://www.facebook.com/AISSAfghanistan/videos/1123603534772339