Annulled talks with Taliban should spur Washington to rethink its foreign policy

LAST WEEK, Washington halted the peace talks with the Taliban and canceled a planned meeting with the organization at Camp David, Maryland. Niu Song, a researcher in Middle East studies at Shanghai International Studies University, explained the issue in an article published in Beijing News on Wednesday:

Washington's about turn has dashed the hopes of all stakeholders who expected to see the restoration of peace in Afghanistan. But given that the US president believes his "maximum pressure" tactics is an "art of the deal" and the two sides were close to reaching some sort of an agreement, they may return to the talks.

In fact, the firing of hawkish US National Security Advisor John Bolton, who strongly opposed Washington making peace with the Taliban, on Wednesday may pave the way for future talks.