Between Fire and Water: A Hazarah Perspective on Reconciliation and Negotiations with the Taliban

The paper portrays a Hazarah perspective on questions regarding reconciliation and negotiations with armed groups in Afghanistan.

The paper explores:

• the Hazarah perception that reconciliation with the Taliban is impossible and immoral
• ethno-sectarian tensions underlying the issue of reconciliation
• the view that ‘reconciliation’ is a political game employed to consolidate Pashtun power
• the plausibility of reconciliation, and its incompatibility with democratic principles
• the issue of assurances and guarantees