USA has openly accepted its defeat & humiliation in front of the world

USPA NEWS - *By Syed Zaid Hamid*

Should I be excited ? I dont think so..

I was there in in Afghanistan as an insurgent in 1988 when a similar agreement was signed at Geneva too. Almost identical terms & at least one party is still the same. USSR has been replaced by USA.
#AfghanPeaceProcess

USA has openly accepted its defeat & humiliation in front of the world & added their name in that famous hall of shame where they share the wall with Soviets & the British empire before them....! But beyond that, not much is going to change in Afg.

#Afghanistan

Geneva accord of 1988 was signed between Pakistan & Kabul regime with US & USSR acting as guarantors.
The real party to the war, Afghan Mujahideen were left out & betrayed in the process & hence rejected the agreement though they allowed the Soviets to withdraw anyways.

So, the real inter-afghan war began AFTER the Geneva accord was completed ie: Soviets withdrew & Mujahideen then had a free hand to deal with the puppet Kabul regime of Dr. Najeeb.
That war which started after the Soviets withdrew NEVER stopped till this day, 32 years later..

This time, the US has signed 2 separate agreements. One with Kabul regime. Other with Taliban. But there are NO third party external guarantors of any of the agreement. So, who will be the enforcer? Pakistan is totally out of the responsibility loop officially. It is interesting to note that, while signing the agreement, Taliban still declared themselves as the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, adding that US does not recognize them as such...(cute).. So, they still consider themselves as the only legit rulers of Afghanistan. Important! So, basically what US has done now is that it has given legitimacy to two powers in Afghanistan..(seeds of a civil war) One agreement signed in the background with Kabul regime, accepting it as the legit Govt. Other with Taliban, who consider themselves as legit Govt. Soviets had to leave Afghanistan anyways. They had ran out of time. Their empire was crashing behind their backs. So, while Soviets were withdrawing, Mujahideen were attacking them at will as well. Fighting continued while the Soviet withdrawal was ongoing. US do not want this.. So, basically, this agreement says that Taliban will not attack US for next year or so while US drags its feet to reduce the troops level. I find this condition next to impossible to achieve. There are too many players within Afg who want this deal to break. ie. Kabul regime. As far as US is concerned, their empire is not crashing behind them as Soviets were facing. So, US can afford to drag its feet, extend the stay in Afg for longer periods & continue to buy time in "peace deals" & "ceasefires" while figuring out ways to create permanent bases. US is NOT leaving Afghanistan anytime sooner. They do NOT want to leave. This deal is a deception to buy time only. Ashraf Ghani & Tajiks as well as Hazaras also know that if US withdraws, they will be eaten for breakfast by Taliban. So, they are too many wild cards at play here Remember, the Vietnam war kept dragging for years after years because the US Presidents didn't want to appear weak during election years or too early in the Presidency....even though McNamara knew way back in 1965 that the war was unwinnable. This is election year of Trump!! Personally, I feel that this deal is a non-starter. I sense betrayal from the Americans. I sense treachery within the vested interests in Kabul & Uzbek/Hazara/Tajik groups whose survival is at stake. I see another round of civil war. Taliban too have very sharp eyes & ears!!

Islamabad must never become complacent. This should be of serious concern that Pakistan was used but kept out of the formal agreement when Kabul & Taliban were in the loop. We will be lucky if the war in Afg can end in another 10 years, with or without US in the region.