Despite being sidelined by the United States and Afghanistan in secret negotiations with the Taliban, Pakistan eventually will be included in any formal talks on ending the Afghan war. In response to the United States’ efforts to exclude Pakistan, Islamabad will court the support of Russia and China in its position on the Afghan conflict. Ambiguity in the Afghanistan agendaThere are several things that might give Trump pause in withdrawing from Afghanistan. Though Islamabad is arguably the most important foreign actor in Afghanistan, Washington has butted heads with it on several occasions. The United States has begrudgingly accepted this fact as a constraint in how far it can push Islamabad away.

Source: Manila Times January 23, 2017 16:29 UTC