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Al Qaeda, Iraq and the War on Terror

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The Bush Administration is changing its tune on Al Qaeda.  Last year, it was "on the run."  Now, it's back in business.  What's happening in Northwest Pakistan?  What does it mean for the future of the war on terror?  Plus, Prime Minister Tony Blair will pull move than 2000 British troops out of Iraq.  On Reporter's Notebook, does video gaming make for better surgeons?

Making News

Britain Plans Troop Reduction in Iraq ()

British Prime Minister Tony Blair told Parliament today he'll pull 1600 troops out of southern Iraq in the next few months, and reduce the force to 5,000 by the end of this summer.  Vice President Cheney calls this evidence that "in parts of Iraq... things are going pretty well."  Secretary of State Rice says, "The coalition remains intact."  Richard Norton-Taylor is Security Affairs Editor for The Guardian in London.

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Main Topic

A Resurgent Al Qaeda ()

Late last year, President Bush declared that Osama bin Laden's "Al Qaeda is on the run," but US and British intelligence now say it's back in business.  Last month, former US Intelligence Director John Negroponte told Congress that both Al Qaeda and the Taliban have critical sanctuaries in Northwest Pakistan.  Britain's MI-5 has said there's a Pakistani connection between the London subway bombings and threats against airliners bound for the US. This week, the New York Times reported that Al Qaeda leaders have reconstituted their terrorist training camps in Northwest Pakistan. Pakistan calls the assessment "absurd."  Has Iraq has blinded the Bush Administration to Al Qaeda's resurgence. What's next for the war on terror? We talk with Pakistan's Ambassador to the US and a Pakistani journalist who tell very different stories, and a converted Muslim who worked for a charity that has since been linked to Al Qaeda.

Guests:

Reporter's Notebook

Study Finds Video Gaming Improves Surgical Skills ()

No less an authority than the American Medical Association's Archives of Surgery has published a study called "The Impact of Video Games on Training Surgeons in the 21st Century."  The findings could be a relief to parents who think their kids are wasting their time.  Dr. Paul Lynch, a physician at the Texas Tech International Pain Institute in Lubbock, is co-author of the study.

Guests:
  • Paul Lynch: Co-author of video game-surgery study

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