President-elect Barack Obama's incoming administration is considering a regional strategy to the war in Afghanistan that could include talks with Iran, the Washington Post reported Tuesday. The newspaper, citing unnamed Obama national security advisers, also said the incoming officials support talks between the Afghan government of Hamid Karzai and "reconcilable" members of the Taliban.
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The newspaper reported that several Obama advisors and senior military strategists share the opinion that the administration of George W. Bush "has been hampered by ideological and diplomatic constraints and an unrealistic commitment to the goal of building a modern democracy" in Afghanistan.
A more realistic goal would be to help build a stable Afghanistan that rejects Islamist extremism and does not threaten U.S. interests, the officials told the Post. None of the Obama advisers or the military strategists would speak openly, "citing sensitivities surrounding the presidential transition and the war itself," the Post said.