News Roundup - Hour 2
http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2010-07-02/news-roundup-hour-2
Vice President Joe Biden talks with Gen. David Petraeus, before dinner at the General's home at U.S. Central Command in Tampa, Fla., June 29
Official White House photo by David Lienemann via Flickr
General Petraeus takes over in Afghanistan. Russia denies charges of spying in the U.S. And new estimates of al Qaeda strength. A panel of journalists joins Diane for analysis of the week's top international news stories.
Guests
Susan Glasser
executive editor, Foreign Policy.
Warren Strobel
senior correspondent for foreign affairs, McClatchy Washington bureau.
Michele Kelemen
diplomatic correspondent, NPR.
Comments
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Question: What would the consequences be relative to Iran and Pakistan of an American withdrawal from Afghanistan?
Today as I listened to my NPR station reading the Declaration of Independence, I was struck by the commitment of our forefathers to commit not only their lives but their wealth to the creation of our nation. We still have young men and women willing to die for freedom around the world, but we do not have business men on Wall Street or Main Street willing to commit their wealth to strenghtening the jobs and lives of Americans. Most large corporations and banking institutions seem more concerned with increasing their personal wealth than creating a healthy, viable economy by investing in the American entrepreneur and worker.
Perhaps instead of focusing our willingess to fight for freedom, we should also focus on commiting our personal wealth to creating a vibrant and healthy economy instead of relying on the government to do so.
Judy Freeman
KERA - Dallas Texas
I served in N Aghanistan for over a year (returning OCT 09) Kunduz has always been the hottest province in the area. High Pashtun population and more recently Chechnian jihadists. While on the whole N Afghanistan is one of the most pro-American areas in the country, there are always pockets of anti- Western sentiment.
Warren's statement that General McChrystal was fired because he disagreed with policy is a complete misrepresentation of the facts. General McChrystal was fired because he at best allowed and at worst fostered an environment of dissention and disrespect within his command. We live in an age where people are fired for complaining about their jobs on Facebook, much less in the national press. If the VP of manufacturing at AT&T said in the presence of a reporter that he dreaded opening an email from the VP of sales--a professional with whom he must work every day--he'd be fired. And if he was also seen to be joking with his subordinates about the VP of the company being referred to as "bite me," he'd be summarily fired. When RETIRED generals criticized President Bush's policies, conservatives went ballistic about the lack of appropriate military behavior. We need our press, especially, to get clear about the FACTS and not fall prey to the political spin--especially since the mission in Afghanistan is about winning hearts and minds and standing up effective CIVILIAN leadership.
If I was the President I would tell Pakistan to give up on the idea that they need to worry about Indian influence in Afghanistan. India has no recent historical connection to Afghanistan and no cultural, racial, or religious connections there.
Their only logic is the "enemy of my enemy is my friend" cliche. This concept has to be discounted in international relations if a reasonable relation of tensions is going to be achieved.
The niobium and lithium deposits in Afghanistan are going to require outside organizations to mine and process them. The Pakistanis have an opportunity here or they can watch the Chinese do it. But they have to ditch the Taliban (both flavors) before that can happen.
How can the American public have any faith in the American Media and what they 'report' in light of the fact that they have been known to purposefully distort, and down right lie about issues that are now going on in Israel ?
The American Media buffer the truth in order to 'protect' US real interest in the Middle East, if I want the real truth, I need to get it from reliable sources on the internet.
I was very surprised to hear one of your female guests was from the bucolic, New Jersey Town of Montclair.
"Montclair is Every where" a Face Book Group, loomed large in my mind as I listened.
As is NPR's Ombudsman, I too am from Montclair!. I wonder how our "Leafy Suburb" fit's into the the world matrix. . . . .