Here is a link to a "Whitepaper" released July 12, 1999 by the Afghanistan Foundation, basically, a conservative US lobbying group:
http://www.afghanistanfoundation.org/Docs/Whitepaper.htm
(Apologies to LBO-talk if this has been posted before)
Pay particular attention to the series of "policy options" for dealing with the Taliban. The whitepaper basically comes down on the side of creating "moderate, pragmatic" Talibans (boy, what an oxymoron) through applying external pressure - it does not seek their overthrow. Basically the policy being applied now.
Here is how they describe themselves:
"The Afghanistan Foundation was established by its Chairman, former Congressman Don Ritter (R-PA, 1979-1993) in October 1996 to help bring peace and prosperity to Afghanistan. It is motivated by the belief that the United States has an historical and moral obligation to assist the people of Afghanistan in bringing peace to their country given the pivotal role that they played in defeating the Soviet Army and ending the Cold War. The Foundation promotes dialogue among Afghans, publicizes developments in Afghanistan, and tries to foster cooperation and understanding among those concerned with Afghanistan's future. Since its inception less than two years ago, the Foundation has held educational and policymaking forums as well as "roundtables" in the U.S. Congress. It has testified at Congressional hearings promoted dialogue among U.S. government and international organizations. It has tried to find common ground among key players in the region, including the Taliban, the Northern Alliance and key representatives from Pakistan, Central Asian nations and Russia."
"The Foundation is honored to have as its National Honorary Co-Chairman two former White House National Security Advisors, Dr. Zbigniew Brzezinski, and General Brent Scowcroft. Also closely advising and working with the Foundation are Dr. Zalmay Khalilzad, RAND Corp.; Dr. Tom Gouttierre, Director of the Center for Afghanistan Studies, University of Nebraska, Omaha; Dr. Fredrick Starr, former President of Oberlin College and now Chairman of the Central Asia Institute, School for Advanced International Studies (SAIS), Johns Hopkins University; and Dr. Barnett Rubin, Council on Foreign Relations."
"In addition to the above listed individuals, the Foundation's Congressional Advisory Board serves as a channel of contact between the Foundation and senior Members of Congress, many of whom were members of the Congressional Task Force on Afghanistan during the 1980s and early 1990s. Others on the Board are active on human rights or have strong Afghan-American constituents. These include, but not limited to: Congressman Dana Rohrabacher, Congressman David Dreier, Congressman John Porter, Congressman Ed Royce, Congressman Gary Ackerman, Congressman Chris Smith, Congressman Tom Davis, and former Congressman Charles Wilson. Additional interested Congressmen continue to join the Congressional Advisory Board as the Foundation grows. "
"The Foundation's Diplomatic and International Boards also engage a cross-section of leadership. Members include former Afghan and American Ambassadors, ex-State Department and senior diplomatic officials, intellectuals, business leaders, artists, scholars, educators, and private citizens. These individuals share information, ideas and perspectives with the Foundation by providing political, historical, ethnic, religious, cultural, intellectual, and international perspectives to the Chairman, the Board of Directors, the Executive Director, and others working with the Foundation."
I bet you these guys know a lot about the history of Washington's fomenting international "Islamic" terrorism: (note that Ritter is the Chair of this group)
Dr. Zalmay Khalilzad. Dr. Khalilzad currently serves as the Program Director for Strategy, Doctrine, and Force Structure at the RAND Corporation's Project Air Force. He has served as the Director of Policy Planning in the Office of the Secretary of Defense in the Bush administration, where he helped shape U.S. post war defense strategy. He actively shaped U.S. policy in Afghanistan as a special advisor to the Undersecretary of State for Policy and a member of the State Department Policy Planning Staff during the Reagan administration.
Dr. Daniel Byman. Dr. Byman is a policy analyst with the RAND Corporation, where he assesses global and Middle East military and strategic developments. Previously, he served as a political analyst on the Middle East for the U.S. government.
Dr. Elie D. Krakowski. Dr. Krakowski currently serves as President of EDK Consulting, a global political and security risk management firm. As a former Special Assistant to the U.S. Secretary of Defense during the Reagan administration, Dr. Krakowski was responsible for the development and implementation of policy on regional conflicts and international terrorism.
The Honorable Don Ritter. Dr. Ritter serves as the Chairman of the Afghanistan Foundation. As a member of Congress (R-PA, 1979-1993), he founded the Congressional Task Force on Afghanistan. He was also the ranking House Member on the Congressional Helsinki Commission, which he applied toward the Soviet involvement in neighboring Afghanistan.