Economist GMAT Reading Comprehension Challenge #17

Work on GMAT verbal while reading Economist articles. Yep – that’s what we’re doing here. For instructions head over to the Economist GMAT Reading Comprehension Challenge home.

Article: Talking to Taliban

Link: https://www.economist.com/leaders/2019/02/02/a-deal-to-end-the-insurgency-in-afghanistan-would-be-wonderful

After more than 17 years…because things have got better.

• The longest running US war, raging for over 17 years, the war in Afghanistan against the Taliban, still claiming thousands of lives each year, has reached a stalemate.

The news that America…an American creation.

• The US and the Taliban are making headway in peace negotiations and have agreed on the framework for a deal.

The goals of drawing…pace of America’s withdrawal.

• The goals of the peace talks are worthy but turning the basic principles of the agreed upon framework into an actionable plan is going to be challenging.

Another worry…their presence achieves.

• The Taliban could be making false promises to speed up the withdrawal of American troops making the assumption that if the Taliban breaks those promises after the withdrawal the Americans will likely not return to enforce them.

Before America toppled…live in government-controlled areas.

• The Taliban regime was regressive, violent, and repressive so any containment provides an enormous benefit to the ⅔ of the country that live in the non-Taliban part of the country controlled by the Afghan government.

There are benefits for America…sucked back in.

• An American pullout without a peace deal would cause chaos resulting at best in a surge in fighting and at worst in a complete destabilization of the region with the potential result that the US would be sucked back in.

With a force of 140,000…yet more conflict.

• Rather than accepting a “fig leaf” to cover their retreat, American troops should stay until the Taliban show that they are sincere about taking up politics and laying down arms.

Main Idea

Securing a durable peace deal that provides the highest level of certainty possible that the Taliban take up politics and lay down arms should be a necessary condition for US troop withdrawal.

Primary Purpose

To outline the importance of securing a durable peace deal with the Taliban as a prerequisite for troop withdrawal.