Afghanistan Peace Talks: Fears and Hopes
Afghanistan University in collaboration with the Hariva Institute of Higher Education (Herat) conducted a webinar entitled “Afghanistan Peace Talks: Fears and Hopes on May 30, 2021.
In this webinar, Dr. Sharif Hozoori, Professor and Vice Chancellor of the University of Afghanistan, Dr. Aparna Shrivastava, Professor and Dean of the Faculty of Humanities of Noida International University, Mr. Hamidullah Hakimi, Professor and Vice Chancellor of the Heriwa Institute of Higher Education spoke respectively.
At first, by choosing the “inside-out” approach and an emphasis on internal factors, Dr. Hozoori pointed to the fears of negotiations and said that turning war into a lucrative trade was a key factor in slowing the speed of negotiations.
Then he emphasized on the importance of culture and the cultural differences between the two sides of the negotiation (Afghan government and Taliban) as obstacles to negotiations. He continued by saying that “the differences in the stages of socialization, differences in the social background and differences in the culture of the Taliban and the Afghan government impact on their behavior on the negotiating table and increasing the gap further. According to him, the distance between these two cultures will sabotage the outcome of the negotiations.
Dr. Aparna Srivastava emphasized India’s role and position in the peace talks. He stated that India will always remain in the valley next to Afghanistan, but from the division of power to the maximum. He expressed concern for the Taliban.
Mr. Hamidullah Hakimi, pointed to the three levels of analysis, individual, regional and global and considered all three levels important in Afghan peace talks. Among the three, he focused on the individual-internal level and said, “the current generation of Afghanistan has changed therefore they will not accept the totalitarian and authoritarian government.
In the end, the session ended with questions and answers