October 1, 2009
Obama mulls over Afghanistan strategy with advisers

Military officials are investigating the reported deaths of at least six civilians, all members of the same family, in an airstrike in Afghanistan. As U.S. forces try to contain the Taliban, civilian casualties have infuriated many ordinary Afghans. The issue was addressed on Thursday by the U.S. commander in Afghanistan, General Stanley McChrystal, who said “We must protect the Afghan people from all threats — from the enemy and from our own actions.”

McChrystal has also recommended up to 40,000 additional troops for Afghanistan. That recommendation is being considered by U.S. President Barack Obama, who held a three-hour meeting Wednesday night on Afghanistan with key members of his national security team, some of whom are divided on the troop issue.

Alex Their, the director of the Future of Afghanistan Project at the United States Institute of Peace, joins Martin Savidge to discuss the administration’s options.

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5 comments

#5

10/06/2009 :: 04:45:29 PM
Valerie Young-Williams Says:

Winning hearts and minds, infrastructure, can military become like the Peace Corps and actually make friends and help people of Afghanistan? You get what you give, do unto others, true science and true religion agree. We are all one family.

#4

10/03/2009 :: 09:35:12 PM
sosan Says:

i have had alot of experience of what has happened to my home afghanistan. some people don’t understand how others feel when there home place is ruined. its like the whole world comes up to you and says “i have come here to take over the U.S”. thats how people feel in afghanistan. there is one part that confuses me and may confuse you to. the military went to afghanistan to take over a small part of land and for some gas. people that even live in america and are muslims, the non-muslim people come and start being mean to them. we think that friday is a special day to us. well it is. there’s nothing wrong with that. it’s just like you go to the church on sundays. thats a special day to you to. people (non-muslims) know that we thi9nk friday is a good day but they just forget that and start to go into a masjid, tear it down, and take the muslims to jail. i surely garrente that this in world wide history has never happened at a church on a sunday while billions of people are praying to their god. there is a drug store in a small village and there are many drunk people there. then the police come and put up a camera that is faced right on a pole next to the masjid. they could have been spying on the drugatics but they are to busy spying on muslims through cameras.

asalamualakum to all muslims and i hope you like my opinion of my speech.

thank you all my brothers and sisters for reading and taking your time to read and listen to my opinion

asalamualakum

#3

10/03/2009 :: 09:16:16 PM
Ahmad Says:

For thirty years we’ve been at war. the whole world was watching, nobody was helping when legitimate government came along. the U.S attacked us to get our natural gas. I hope I educated you enough. next time get your facts together. this is to #2 Benny Chua.

#2

10/02/2009 :: 12:16:09 AM
Benny Chua Says:

Why are Muslims living in Develop Countries are more peaceful and do not have those fanatic terrorist ideologies? The answers are simple…These Muslims that can eat three meals a day and with their children going to school, proper jobs and have medical attentions and comforts in life with good apartment of course are happier than those Muslims that lives in the slum areas or in the mountains.

Those Muslims that have almost nothing automatically embraces the radical ideology of terrorist Muslims.

I say that War is not the answer to contain Afghanistan. I would develop 1/3 of Afghanistan first and make it fortified to become self reliant. Bring the citizens down from the mountain regions to join the development…then after they accoplished the development then the US & Nato troops can completely bomb the whole mountainous areas where the Talibans stays.

#1

10/02/2009 :: 12:15:56 AM
Kam VanHereweghe Says:

Well– Afghanistan— hmmm, the best the USA can do is leave some kind of infrastructure behind that may send the tree leaning towards some form of “productivity” in terms of stability. e.g. Hospitals, Schools, Universities, Training in Trades, on and on…. as for the “let’s bring all Afghanistanian peoples together before we do this”– well, well, actually– it’ll never happen. There are just to many disjointed roads of “power/despots” in the country and all with very focussed self-interest. So, me thinx use reverse psychology— put “good things” in place and maybe curiosity of the peoples won’t kill the cat but rather see them slowly move towards the “alien” infrastructure to give it a try and perhaps to see smiles on former enemies faces. Wasn’t one of America’s greatest General’s/Heroes applauded for the infrastructure put in Japan? Not more soldiers— infrastructure. Having presidents/politicians put in place there is like having a computer with no platform (No Mac/Microsoft/Linux)– a weird empty box just waiting for the junk pile as Afghanistan will be if the horse somehow get’s behind the cart. I hope the new president’s team is smart enough this time around to see that and perhaps has looked at a few reels of Russia trying to “conquer” the country merely through military power/presense.

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