Featured Guests

Lawrence Korb
Policy Analyst
Terrorism retaliation and response, National security organization, policy, and process; U.S. foreign policy, arms control, and defense budget; NATO; conventional arms trade; military budget, ballistic missile defense.
Center for American Progress
Malou Innocent
Foreign Policy Analyst
Situation in Afghanistan is a NATO undertaking that must succeed, War on Terror needs to be focused on Afghanistan and U.S. engagement in Iraq has diverted resources away from Afghanistan/Pakistan
Cato Institute
Reese Erlich
Professional,Author
Iraq, Iran, investigative reporting, journalism; children of war
The Iran Agenda: The Real Story of U.S. Policy and the Middle East Crisis
Stephen Kinzer
Foreign policy, Iraq, Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan, war in Iraq, Middle East, SSS
Stephen Kinzer
Stephen Zunes
Senior Analyst
Israeli-Palestinian conflict: US policy, peace process, arms control, human rights and international law, Palestinian perceptions and views of the Israeli peace movement, Palestinian Christian community, the roots of the extremist Islamic groups, domestic roots of U.S. policy as based on strategic concerns, good overview of the history of the conflict and, in particular, a history of the peace process and the U.S. role; U.S. policy towards practically anywhere in the Middle East as well as Islamic movements, military/strategic issues, terrorism and human rights. In terms of countries, I could talk about the Gulf (including Iran, Iraq and the Arab sheikdoms), Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, Morocco and Western Sahara. In considering the war on terror: Yemen, Georgia, Iran, Iraq, Somalia.
Stephen Zunes

Remind us again why this is a “Good War”

U.S. Support for War in Afghanistan Wanes
Issue Area:


Remind us again why this is a “Good War”

September 11, 2009 marked the 8 year anniversary of the US War Against Terror. Our first response to invade Afghanistan and oust the Taliban was seen as a major success, but eight years later the war rages with no end in sight while it quickly loses political and public support. The Obama administration and military commanders need to present a more persuasive case to a skeptical public. The newly appointed head of NATO and US forces, General Stanly A. McChrystal, released an internal report acknowledging that turning the war around would in fact, be difficult. This begs the question, why are we boosting the war effort?

General McChrystal has submitted an official report asking for more American combat troops because he believes that the US and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) need to adopt a counterinsurgency warfare strategy that focuses on making Afghan citizens feel safer. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi has stated that should President Obama fulfill that request he would encounter opposition. Despite American presence and the hope to make Afghanistan a democratic country the recent Afghan election is still not determined. The election is between Hamid Karzai and Adbullah Abdullah. A partial recount was called for September 8 in which it was found that Karzai’s total vote was under 50% forcing a second election. The original August 20 election endured Taliban attacks, fraud, ballot box stuffing and fake polling places.

At the beginning of the year there were 32,000 US troops in Afghanistan; now there are 62,000. It is expected that there will be 68,000 US troops in Afghanistan by the end of the year. America’s European allies are unlikely to commit more troops to Afghanistan without visible progress. Representative Earl Pomeroy stated, “They have a relatively short period of time to show that we’re on a path that’s going to demonstrate positive results.”

Have we accomplished anything in Afghanistan? What are we protecting Afghan citizens from exactly? Is this war worth the money, time and lives that are being invested? Will there be a draft if the US Army can’t raise 240,000 troops? Will there ever be a fair democratic election in Afghanistan? Can the US simply bring US troops home? Will US allies continue to commit more combat troops?