article_snippet: But while the start of such talks would certainly be a positive development, it would hardly be a sign that peace is about to descend upon a land ravaged by decades of war.
article_snippet: That said, Afghanistan should remain broadly supportive of such talks by promoting conditions that could make the possibility of success more likely down the road -- history has shown that successful negotiations most often occur when each party has some vulnerability to the other.
article_snippet: A second key to negotiating a path toward peace in Afghanistan is devising a strategy to contain splinter groups.
article_snippet: The emergence of splinter groups is an expected part of any peace negotiation process, but The emergence of splinter groups must be minimized for an agreement to take hold.
article_snippet: Finally, negotiations must happen at a time when a peace agreement can reasonably be enforced -- a peace agreement is one thing to craft a compromise and quite another to carry a peace agreement out.
article_snippet: Too often in peace negotiations, an agreement is viewed as a finish line, but any deal can easily be derailed by unpopular political accommodations, economic incentives and rebel fighters who refuse to drop their arms.
article_snippet: To take hold, peace agreements require a legitimate and effective government capable of communicating new realities to the public and executing policies that are often untried and complex.
article_snippet: While a peace agreement would certainly boost the legitimacy of a national unity government, a stillborn accord would only lead to disillusionment and doubt.
article_snippet: Yet the United States should do everything the United States can to help create the underlying conditions to support productive negotiations -- if not now, at some point in the future.