AfPak File: Should Afghanistan Establish An Interim Government?

Ever since the launch of the current Afghan reconciliation process, there has been talk about the idea of establishing an Afghan interim government that oversees the peace process.

The Taliban has signified its support for the idea, as have some other key players. President Ashraf Ghani and his supporters have staunchly opposed the idea, viewing it as a threat to their power.

The latest edition of The AfPak File drills down on the idea of an interim government. Is it viable? Could it help deliver some much-needed momentum to a sputtering peace process? How would it impact the current government? And what is Washington’s view?

These questions and more are addressed by Torek Farhadi, a former Afghan government adviser; Masuda Sultan, an Afghan-American entrepreneur and human rights activist; Malali Bashir, senior editor with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s Afghan Service, Radio Azadi; and Michael Kugelman, Asia Program deputy director and senior associate for South Asia at the Wilson Center.

Muhammad Tahir, Washington DC media manager for RFE/RL, moderates the discussion.

This podcast originally appeared on RFE/RL.