8am: Amir Khan Muttaqi, the Taliban’s foreign minister, recently voiced his opposition to “intra-Afghan” negotiations, stating that the group has no desire to repeat what he called a “bitter experience.” Yet, in the same breath, he affirmed that “Afghanistan is the shared home of all Afghans.” If that is true, why can Afghans not engage in dialogue about the future of their collective home? The answer, it seems, lies in the Taliban’s rigid and insular ideological framework, which leaves little room for concepts like mutual understanding or peaceful resolution—unless the opposing party possesses superior military and political power. The Afghan opposition groups abroad, who continue to call for intra-Afghan dialogue, have thus far failed to even reach political consensus among themselves, let alone take meaningful action or pose a serious political-military challenge to the regime in Kabul. Click here to read more (external link).