The NATO coalition formally turned over authority to the Afghan government today, as the US and the Taliban announced that direct talks will begin next week. Today's transfer of authority has been long anticipated. Talks with the Taliban are a surprise. Peter Tomsen, who was US special envoy and ambassador to Afghanistan from 1989 until 1992, is author of The Wars in Afghanistan: Messianic Terrorism, Tribal Conflicts, and the Failures of Great Powers.
KCRW
