Six NATO troops, including 3 Americans, were killed today, making it the deadliest day for the expanding international force in two months. A U.S. military spokesman said, the Americans died during a patrol in southern Afghanistan.

As the U.S. troop surge continues in Afghanistan, the top American commander says he believes the larger force is turning the tide against the Taliban. However, Afghanistan is also becoming increasingly deadly. Today’s losses brought the number of U.S. troops killed there so far this year to at least 10, an average of almost one service member each day.

For more about the situation in Afghanistan, Anthony Cordesman with the Center for Strategic and International Studies, joins Daljit Dhaliwal. Cordesman discusses the reasons why we are seeing more casualties and what to expect going forward. He also talks about how the troop surge has made an impact.

Al-Qaeda has claimed responsibility for the failed Christmas Day bombing, and Yemeni security forces raided an al-Qaeda hideout today.

And last week, U.S.-supported missile strikes may have killed American-born imam Anwar al-Awlaki, who purportedly has links to Abdulmutallab, as well as to accused Ft. Hood shooter, Nidal Hasan.

For more, Martin Savidge speaks with Anthony Cordesman, military analyst at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.

Should the U.S. take additional steps to expand the war against al-Qaeda in Yemen?

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Anthony Cordesman of the Center for Strategic and International Studies discusses President Obama’s decision and what a shift in warfare tactics will look like.

Al Jazeera English’s James Bays examines the U.S. decision to send more troops to Afghanistan.

Cordesman explains how foreign fighters are playing a role in the conflict and the obstacles blocking success for the Pakistani military.

Al Jazeera English’s Kamal Hyder reports from South Waziristan on the Pakistani army’s claims of progress against the Taliban — only one month after the offensive began.

On Thursday, the United States, along with the other permanent members of the United Nations Security Council and Germany, will meet with Iranian officials in Switzerland hoping to convince Iran to come clean about its nuclear ambitions.

They may be fighting an uphill battle. On Wednesday, Iranian President Mamhoud Ahmadinejad said that it’s the West that needs to change its ways.

Israel will be following the progress of the negotiations closely. There has been talk that the Israelis will take military action against Iran, if the talks don’t succeed.

Anthony Cordesman of the Center for Strategic and International Studies joins Martin Savidge to discuss whether an Israeli air strike against Iran’s facilities would even be effective. Read his opinion piece in The Wall Street Journal.

If the talks in Switzerland fail, would Israel be justified in attacking Iran’s nuclear facilities?

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President Barack Obama said this weekend that he is studying his strategic options in Afghanistan before deciding whether to send additional American troops there.

Anthony Cordesman of the Center for Strategic and International Studies joins Daljit Dhaliwal to discuss U.S. options in Afghanistan and the current situation.

Hundreds of Marines, along with Afghan troops, went into battle under the cover of darkness to take back control of the town of Dahaneh in Helmand Province, a key base for Taliban fighters.

Anthony Cordesman of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, who worked on an advisory board to General Stanley McChrystal in Afghanistan, joins Martin Savidge to discuss the offensive and the next phase of the war in Afghanistan.

The war is weighing heavily on the British public, as a new poll revealed on Tuesday. The survey was commissioned by The Independent newspaper and found that 58 percent think the war is unwinnable, and 52 percent want British forces withdrawn immediately.

Anthony Cordesman of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, who worked on an advisory board to General Stanley McChrystal in Afghanistan, joins Martin Savidge to discuss if “victory” is possible for NATO forces.

Next week, the Obama administration is putting Israel front and center, sending three high-ranking officials there — Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, National Security Advisor Jim Jones and special envoy George Mitchell.

Iran and its nuclear program are expected to be high on the agenda. This week, U.S. and Israeli officials aborted a test of a planned missile-defense shield for Israel.

Anthony Cordesman of the Center for Strategic and International Studies joins Martin Savidge to discuss the possibility that Israel might attack Iranian nuclear sites and how Iran and the U.S. would react to an Israeli attack on Iran.

On the eve of a critical meeting in Washington on Wednesday with Barack Obama, the Pakistani government’s ceasefire with the Taliban seemed to be coming to an end as well. After days of fighting between Pakistani troops and Taliban militants in the Buner region, fighting spilled over into the neighboring Swat Valley, as the Taliban declared an end to a three-month-old ceasefire there. Thousands of residents have already fled the violence.

Anthony Cordesman, a former Defense Department official, joins Martin Savidge to discuss the Pakistani government’s efforts and how the Taliban is likely to respond to the new offensive.

Read more from Worldfocus editorial consultant and blogger Peter Eisner: Who’s got the power in Pakistan?

Anthony Cordesman, an expert on the Middle East, terrorism and defense policy at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, speaks with Martin Savidge about the implications of today’s launch and how it might relate to the use of a nuclear weapon.

Anthony Cordesman, an expert on the Middle East, terrorism and defense policy at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, joins Martin Savidge to discuss Israel’s consideration of a “phase three” in its war against Hamas and the smuggling of weapons into Gaza from Egypt. 

Israeli Consul General Asaf Shariv speaks with Martin Savidge about the extent of Israel’s intentions in this ground offensive.

Anthony Cordesman of the Center for Strategic and International Studies continues the conversation with a description of the situation in Gaza. Cordesman gives his evaluation of Israel’s strategy and considers the possibilities for avoiding prolonged military occupation of the region.

Hamas fighers provoked this Israeli offensive by firing rockets and mortars into Israeli border towns in recent weeks.

So far, more than than 300 people have been killed and 1,400 wounded in this Gaza war, making it Israel’s deadliest campaign against Palestinians in decades.

The Bush administration renewed its call for Hamas to stop its rocket attacks on Israel. The Gaza offensive may make the Middle East an even greater priority for the incoming Obama administration.

For more on the violence in Gaza, listen to Worldfocus interviews with experts on the ground in Gaza and surrounding regions.

Anthony Cordesman of the Center for Strategic and International Studies speaks with Martin Savidge about the military situation on the ground, including the potential for Hamas to re-arm itself and for the war to escalate.

Israel’s ambassador to the United States, Sallai Meridor, joins Martin Savidge to discuss Israel’s military objectives going forward, the effectiveness of Israel’s attacks and prospects for a new truce.

Edward Kaufman, a senior research associate at the Center for International Development and Conflict Management at the University of Maryland, speaks with Martin Savidge about the role the U.S. can and should play in the Gaza conflict.