At first it seemed that anything was possible

　　The exact circumstances of that meeting are still debated among historians. But the irony is lost on few who, today, President Karzai wants to return to the room with the Taliban in Shah Wali Kot bearded. After 10 years of steadily increasing conflict and the prospect of a major U.S. withdrawal in late 2014, Karzai knows that his political future - and perhaps of his country - could depend on a negotiated settlement. The question is whether there is enough time to do it.
The headlines of the last decade in Afghanistan have been written in blood - nearly 17,000 civilians and 2. 750 foreign soldiers dead, countless suicide bombings and, in recent years shows the guerrillas, as the recent 20-hour assault on the U.S. embassy. But if war has dominated the news, the major failures have been political.
At first it seemed that anything was possible. As the Taliban fled in late 2001, journalists had stories of women shed their burqas happy, comets, banned under the Taliban regime, fluttered in the air. Then came more important gestures: the promises of money, development and democracy. That mood of hope peaked in 2004 with the presidential elections in the first place. 70% of voters and collected Karzai a majority of 55%, with the support of all ethnic groups. Designer Tom Ford hailed him as "the world's smartest man" of his coat and wool hat flowing.