Peace in Afghanistan remains hostage to an on-again, off-again dialogue among more than half a dozen stakeholders. Almost every year since 2013, a renewed push for dialog has raised hopes, only to falter with little to show for it. Optimism is back in business these days. Recent rounds of intense diplomacy by the new US envoy for Afghan reconciliation, Zalmay Khalilzad, coupled with support from Pakistan and the two Middle Eastern powers, is leading many observers to believe that this time will be different.

There are two notable changes this time around. One, the US seems to have realized that there is no way around talking directly to the Taliban. Previously, such direct interactions caused uproar in Kabul because the Taliban wouldn’t sit down face to face with a “puppet” regime. Years later, Kabul government has limited qualms, as more of their geography descends into the Taliban’s brutal control.

Mr. Khalilzad’s frenzied diplomacy seems focused on making US an honest broker between the two power claimants. His hand is strengthened by the influential status of his boss, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Having made some progress on intractable issues like North Korea denuclearization and Iran’s regional designs, Pompeo enjoys a special rapport with Donald Trump. This is in contrast to his predecessor, Rex Tillerson, who felt undermined by and didn’t quite speak for the mercurial president.

While the Taliban have set some tough preconditions to talk about talks, it isn’t clear what the US is aiming for at this stage. News reports, however, suggest that the US wants a peace deal in place before Afghan presidential elections are held next year – so that Taliban are part of electoral process. Another reported proposal is to make Taliban representatives part of an interim setup while contents for a broader settlement are chalked out. The Ghani regime is reportedly not in favor of either of those proposals.

It is critical for Pakistan, which shares with Afghanistan a long border and bonds of culture as well as bitter-sweet memories of the past, to have a seat the table. The country has suffered directly from the civil war that ensued in the aftermath of the Soviet withdrawal in 1989, as well as from the instability that befell this region post-9/11. Thirty years later, another superpower is on the verge of withdrawal, albeit it’ll most likely be a managed one this time if the US objectives on their national security are kept in the context.

With the help of its Middle Eastern allies, American push is expected to intensify for a peace settlement in 2019, well in time before the 2020 re-election cycle goes into full swing for President Trump. It is unclear how regional interests of China and Russia, who have also recently hosted their version of Afghan peace talks, can be accommodated. Pakistan stands out as the only regional player with a say in all such fora.

Arguably, the odds of agreeing on a roadmap towards peace and then keeping everyone honest to stick to that roadmap will improve if multiple peace platforms can be synergized towards a regional solution under one umbrella. But that will require an understanding on part of all non-Afghan parties to stop treating Afghanistan as a backwater for their regional designs and to focus instead on its development through lasting peace.