Much of Afghan President Hamid Karzai's activities in Washington this week will center on his efforts to secure American support, both diplomatic and financial, for his new peace plan -- and specifically, the controversial issue of negotiating with the Taliban.
The Afghan government and its foreign backers differentiate between reconciliation and reintegration. The former concept involves negotiating a political settlement with senior Taliban leaders who are willing to break with al-Qaida. By contrast, reintegration entails inducing lower-level Taliban fighters -- who might have become Taliban fighters for non-ideological reasons, such as financial incentives -- to stop fighting and return to civilian life. ...