U.S. speeds up direct talks with Taliban ... The administration has accelerated direct talks with the Taliban, initiated several months ago, that U.S. officials say they hope will enable President Obama to report progress toward a settlement of the Afghanistan war when he announces troop withdrawals in July. – Washington Post

Dominant Social Theme: The US has opened talks with the Taliban because those who populate the Pentagon truly believe that great, sad land has been tortured enough. US policy is all about bringing peace and prosperity to riven lands and Afghanistan deserves the same chance as Vietnam.

Free-Market Analysis: In fact, armies that are winning wars don't negotiate, do they? This fact alone must put a different face on American claims that the Taliban is being defeated in the field by the American and NATO "surge" of forces in various Afghan military hotspots. No, it does seem the US and NATO are losing, and the situation is actually unraveling fairly quickly from what we can tell with the Taliban attacking in force – 400 hundred at a time – in various contested parts of Afghanistan.