Will negotiations with the Taliban hurt or help Afghan women?

Talks with the Taliban might be the Obama administration's newest strategy in its ongoing war in Afghanistan, as more and more grow weary with increasingly expensive and futile military strategies. No U.S. officials have yet met with any Taliban, and U.S. special envoy Richard Holbrooke maintains that talks are "not an alternative to the military campaign." But Afghan President Hamid Karzai is already taking the first steps. He said earlier this week at a Munich press conference that he'd create a council to oversee the process, a goal of his second term. He recently visited Saudi Arabia to ask for help in brokering the talks, which would require conditions on the Taliban to "renounce violence, sever ties with al-Qaeda and respect the constitution."

These developments have ignited a new round of debate among and around Afghan women. Some worry talks will signal a green light for the Taliban to reimpose its brutal restrictions on Afghan women once again, which included forbidding women from working outside the home, attending school, using cosmetics, laughing out loud, riding a bike, dressing without a full burka, being photographed, and more. Others argue Afghan women have come fairly far since the Taliban's fall and it'd be impossible to regress. Besides, they say, conditions of the talks would allow no "rollbacks." Still others say many of these restrictions haven't disappeared much under Karzai's rule, especially outside Kabul, as many members of the Afghan government--some recognized warlords--are just as misogynistic as the Taliban. In talks, the U.S. should pressure Karzai to push for more rights for women.

Surely, however, our continued military presence in Afghanistan hurts Afghan women. It has further destabilized the country and continues to ignite the ire of most Afghan men, including Taliban, which leads to increased violence and inequities for women. (This explains why many Afghan women call for immediate withdrawal and an investment in humanitarian and economic aid, including former Afghan parliamentarian Malalai Joya, who recently penned this book.) Talks with the enemy--however brutal and horrific the Taliban's actions have been--might be the best way to get U.S. troops out as quickly and safely as possible, leaving little possibility for a vacuum of power that allows for rollbacks.

Afghan women must be included in the decisions to engage in talks, however, if the U.S. and the Karzai governments truly intend to preserve the few strides they've made and allow Afghan women to secure more. -Jean