The current political crisis in Afghanistan is actually an important step towards a realistic peaceful solution: a political “unsettlement”. Afghan political crises emerge periodically and will continue to, especially on the path to peace. Afghan peace is not about hugging it out and exchanging guns for flowers. What all this highlights is that an Afghan peace process is less about negotiating peace than negotiating power. Afghan peace efforts are being compressed into a high-speed timeline, especially with the US-Taliban deal signed and US/NATO drawdown underway.