The collapse of peace talks between the United States and the Taliban this month marked yet another setback in efforts to end the war in Afghanistan that has persisted for nearly 18 years.
U.S. President Donald Trump had secretly invited Taliban leaders to Camp David for a peace conference but canceled the event when an attack by the group in Kabul killed 12 people, including a U.S. soldier. He later said negotiations with the Taliban were effectively dead.
This week on First Person, we look back at the early months of America’s involvement in Afghanistan after the 9/11 attacks in a conversation with former diplomat James Dobbins. President George W. Bush sent Dobbins to Afghanistan as a special envoy in 2001. He returned to the region as special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan in 2013. Dobbins is now a senior fellow at the Rand Corp.
