Say what you will about negotiation with terrorists, but it appears that diplomacy is finally yielding a breakthrough in the War on Terror.

The News

According to a CNN report, on September 24-27, the final days of Ramadan, King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia held talks with 11 Taliban delegates, two Afghan government officials, a representative of former mujahadeen commander and U.S. foe Gulbadin Hekmatyar, and three others.

The purpose of these talks was to come to some sort of negotiation about how best to end the current conflict in Afghanistan.  Both parties agreed that continued violence would not yield peace any time soon. Rather, the Taliban admitted that they cannot match the U.S. led coalition.

During the meetings the Taliban emphasized the fact that they have severed ties with al Qaeda.

How does this change the game?

These are only the first of many scheduled talks between Saudi Arabia and the Taliban. The information that is already being revealed from these meetings seems to suggest that Iran is playing the role of instigator.

Several Afghan sources familiar with Iranian activities in Afghanistan have said Iranian officials and diplomats who are investing in business and building education facilities are lobbying politicians in Kabul. Coalition commanders regularly accuse Iran of arming the Taliban, and Western diplomats privately suggest that Iran is working against U.S. interests in Afghanistan, making it harder to bring peace. (CNN)

If what the Taliban say about al Qaeda is true, and if these talks are any indication that an Arab coalition may be forming that will help the US achieve its military goals, then it is clear that a confrontation with Iran is inevitable.

The Key to Ending the War on Terror

Al Qaeda, the embodiment of Radical Islam, is the door.  What lies beyond the door is a fruitful alliegiance between the West and the Middle East.  The door is currently locked.  The lock is a unified Arab Coalition.  The key is Iran.

By defining Iran as the key, we are faced with a dilemma.  We can either approach Iran as an enemy that needs to be forced out of the way, or we can approach Iran as a future-friend who has yet to understand how cooperation would be to their advantage.

In my opinion, diplomacy is the only choice.  If we continue acting from the belief that Iran is an “axis of evil” and destined to be a force of destruction in the Middle East, then we close ourselves off from any possibility of a unified Arab Coalition.  Likewise, we also close ourselves into an inevitable conflict with Iran.

Without cooperation from Iran,  peace in Afghanistan will take that much longer.  And the longer it takes to achieve peace, the longer it takes to bring our troops home.