Putting words into action

Part of the challenge for the international community will be finding the right balance between illustrating political and military resolve while reaching out to Taliban soldiers in a transparent and accountable manner.

A monitoring mechanism is needed to ensure that millions of dollars are not siphoned off to cronies and other well-connected power brokers. Signs of corruption will further entrench a distrust of the Afghan government whose reputation has already been marred by fraudulent elections.

The United States and NATO will also have to provide security for Taliban defectors. Given NATO's and the Afghan National Army's limited territorial control over Afghan land, protecting defectors will be challenging, especially once troops start leaving next year.

Clearly though, the international community is intent upon reaching out to the Taliban. Earlier this week, a United Nations Security Council committee agreed to lift sanctions on five senior Taliban officials.

The delisting, the first since the blacklist was established more than 10 years ago, should be seen as a confidence building measure to create some political momentum toward peace talks, said Felbab-Brown.

But, she warned, the list should not be updated and reviewed " simply because we now feel obligated to negotiate. It is once again signaling weakness."

The London conference galvanized the world's powers and the Afghan government to recommit politically and financially but whether their pledges translate into results remains to be seen.

"The key is what happens between these (international) conferences," said Korski. "We're going to have to see whether Karzai means any of the things that he said. He has often said things, promised many things and hasn't delivered so we're going to have to see."