Afghanistan Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah lays out clear parameters for future negotiations with Taliban

Afghanistan’s Chief Executive Officer Abdullah Abdullah, along with President Ashraf Ghani, is part of the country’s new leadership that was elected in 2014 in that nation’s first democratic transition of power. Yesterday, Foreign Policy at Brookings hosted Dr. Abdullah to discuss Afghanistan’s security challenges, its strategic partnership with the United States, and the future of Afghanistan following the departure of international forces. Introducing Dr. Abdullah, Senior Fellow Michael O’Hanlon called him the man who “more than anyone else made sure that first transfer of power in the history of the young Afghan democracy was peaceful and successful.”

In his remarks, Dr. Abdullah commented on a wide range of matters, including the unity government of which he is a part; his and President Ghani’s visit to Washington this week and the importance of the U.S.-Afghan relationship; continued progress on improving life for millions of Afghans, including women and children; and to national and regional security issues. Watch in the video below as he discusses what he terms “the main challenge in Afghanistan,” which is security against terrorism. In particular, Dr. Abdullah outlines the “parameters that we have set for ourselves in terms of negotiations” with the Taliban:

Bruce Riedel, senior fellow and director of the Intelligence Project at Brookings, engaged Dr. Abdullah in a Q&A session and moderated audience member questions.

Get more information about the event, including full video, here.