Ashley Jackson

I’d now like to open the Q&A portion of our discussion. We have a lot of great Qs that have come via DM over the past few days! I’ll post the Qs & link to the As in this thread. #AFGPanel 18/n

1st Q is for @Afghan_Policy: What do you see as a workable dispute resolution mechanism for the peace talks? Some have suggested the possibility of a third party mediator. Do you think that would work? Who could effectively play that role? #AFGPanel 19/n

2nd Q is for @a_a_jackson: What role does #Afghanistan's Independent Directorate of Local Governance (IDLG) play in terms of either improving or worsening local governance? #AFGPanel 20/n

3rd Q is for @JarrettBlanc: In #Afghanistan there’s a new trend initiated by @FForotan where Afghans speak about their red lines for the return of the #Taliban. What do you think are the USG red lines regarding the TB & a peace settlement? #AFGPanel 21/n

4th Q is for @a_a_jackson: What evidence is there that the intractable problems characterizing the Afghan central govt will not be replicated at the local level? In the absence of a reliable census or economic surveys, how do you effectively decentralize power? #AFGPanel 22/n

5th Q is for @JarrettBlanc: How do you see #Iran's possible role as a spoiler in the peace process, should tensions continue to mount between it and Washington? Is there anything #Afghanistan can do to mitigate this situation? #AFGPanel 23/n

6th Q is for @Afghan_Policy: Suppose 5k prisoners are released but later the US-#Taliban agreement is broken—how does the agreement address this risk? 5k fighters could intensify the war & leave the govt with reduced bargaining power. #AFGPanel 24/n

7th Q is for @a_a_jackson: When the #ANDSF are successful in recapturing areas from the #Taliban, what kind of reception is the govt of #Afghanistan getting in those areas? #AFGPanel 25/n