U.S. Negotiating with the Taliban?

By: Michelle Levi
Topics: Washington Unplugged

Patrick Cronin, a senior advisor at the Center for New American Security, said on "Washington Unplugged" Thursday that United States officials first toyed with the idea of negotiating with the Taliban in Afghanistan early on in the Obama administration, though they did not act.

He said that early debate over possible negotiations – as part of an effort to combat al Qaeda – came during a "point of weakness" for the United States. Things have changed since then, he argued.

"Now that we have committed to a new Afghan policy, if not strategy," Cronin said, "...we are in a relatively strong position to at least talk about the tactic of reaching out to at least some members of the Taliban." Cronin said the administration can now differentiate between rank and file and Taliban leadership.

CBS News National Security consultant Juan Zarate said it is difficult to look envision a successful U.S. exit strategy in Afghanistan without some involvement by members of the Taliban.

"One thing for the American public to keep in mind is that the Taliban is not one homogenous group," Zarate said. "I think this discussion comes at a time when we are trying to find out with the long term solution in Afghanistan is."

Zarate explained that the counterinsurgency strategy set forward in Afghanistan by Generals Petraeus and McChrystal "relies on finding local allies which may be peeling off Taliban members."

"That is why you are seeing more discussion of dealing with the Taliban," he added.

Moderator Sharyl Attkisson asked Cronin and Zarate about the American public's perception of the Taliban as the enemy of the United States.

"Not everyone in the Taliban has been working with al Qaeda," Cronin argued. Watch the full interview above.

"Washington Unplugged" appears live on CBSNews.com each weekday at 12:30 p.m. ET. Click here to check out previous episodes.