Afghan talks start despite multiple unresolved issues

Significance

The Taliban agreed to talk to Kabul's delegation only reluctantly, under US pressure. The Kabul authorities were scarcely any keener. The insurgents' negotiating strategy appears cohesive and disciplined, whereas their interlocutors reflect the turmoil within an Afghan governing coalition riven by President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani's differences with Abdullah Abdullah, both a rival and a coalition partner.

Impacts

• Ghani's control over the delegation undermines and delegitimises Abdullah as a coalition partner.
• Concomitantly, Ghani's domination of negotiations will mean he is held responsible if they stall or collapse.
• The Taliban's choice of delegation chief suggests Pakistan's behind-the-scenes influence is waning.