The Taliban's refusal to join talks hosted by the Quadrilateral Coordination Group in May 2016 (Al Jazeera, Reuters) and the appointment of the hard-line Mawlawi Haibatullah Akhundzada to replace Mullah Akhtar Mohammed Mansour have raised doubts about the future of the Afghan peace process (CNN, Newsweek). _{Recommended Questions: Before 18 October 2016, will the US announce that it is opening a consulate or embassy in Iran? Before 1 July 2016, will South Korea announce that the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile defense system will be deployed on the Korean Peninsula? Will Bahrain, Qatar, or the UAE return an ambassador to Iran before 18 October 2016?} This question was closed as a "no" with an end date of 28 February 2017. See our FAQ to learn about how we resolve questions and how scores are calculated.

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