Epstein Secrets

imitations, its borderless online conversations are offsetting the region's political, religious, social, and cultural balkanization. The people of West Asia and North Africa are talking among themselves, even if their governments remain remote. That is a source of hope, if not yet of the systematic and

ing neighbors for help. EFTA_R1_02031577 EFTA02690686 3 America's secret contacts with the Taliban have made progress partly because President Hamid Karzai wants them to succeed and, perhaps more important, because India, Pakistan, Russia and China are also supporting the outreach process — with silent

ave made progress partly because President Hamid Karzai wants them to succeed and, perhaps more importan

ans themselves. But here again, the goal was to make Iran's `enemies' uncomfortable, not to destabilise its neighbour.° 62 As it is better known in West Asia, with Hezbollah. See for example Augustus Richard Norton, Hezbollah. A Short Story. Princeton University Press, 2007, pp.72 and 110. 63 Mir H Sadat

ressure on the Northern Alliance during the Bonn Conference. They made sure that their Tajik, Uzbek and Hazara allies would accept the leadership of Hamid Karzai, with whom they did not want to share power at first. On this issue again, the US and Iran were having the same vision: a more centralised Afghanist

supremacists. In fact, as Afghan trade is now very dependent on Iran, to close the Iran- Afghanistan border would be enough to put great pressure on Karzai68. By talking to the neo- Taliban, the Iranians are doing no more than what the Americans, the Pakistanis, and even the Russians69 are already doing,

ghbors for help. HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_030157 --- PAGE BREAK --- 3 America's secret contacts with the Taliban have made progress partly because President Hamid Karzai wants them to succeed and, perhaps more important, because India, Pakistan, Russia and China are also supporting the outreach process - with silent a

have made progress partly because President Hamid Karzai wants them to succeed and, perhaps more important

limitations, its borderless online conversations are offsetting the region's political, religious, social, and cultural balkanization. The people of West Asia and North Africa are talking among themselves, even if their governments remain remote. That is a source of hope, if not yet of the systematic and co