In this TIME essay, Elliot Ackerman argues that lasting peace in Afghanistan will require more than a negotiated agreement. It will require all sides to imagine a future beyond decades of continuous war.

Peace as an Act of Imagination

Drawing on his service in Iraq and Afghanistan, Ackerman contrasts the two conflicts. Many Iraqis could remember a time before war, while generations of Afghans had known little else. For them, peace was not a return to a familiar condition, but an entirely new possibility.

Reimagining Former Enemies

A durable agreement would require the Afghan government to accept the Taliban as a legitimate political force, the Taliban to recognize the government and constitution in Kabul, and the United States to trust that Afghanistan would not again become a safe haven for international terrorism.

The Danger of a Political Peace

Ackerman warns that election-year incentives could produce a rushed agreement designed for immediate political benefit rather than long-term stability. He compares this risk with the U.S. withdrawal from Iraq and the later return of American forces after the rise of the Islamic State.

Building an Enduring Settlement

The essay concludes that restraint, diplomacy, and political imagination are essential. After twenty years of hardened divisions, every party must envision relationships and institutions that have never before existed.

Read the Original Essay

Read “We'll Need Bold Imaginations to Make a Lasting Peace in Afghanistan” at TIME →