Professor of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University
Assistant Professor of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University and author of Deterrence - From Cold War to Long War: Lessons from Six Decades of RAND Research
PROFILE
Austin Long
Guest
FROM Austin Long
Which Way, L.A.?
In Afghanistan, More War or Reconciliation? Congress is likely to give the President $33 billion more to support his "surge" in Afghanistan. But a prime Republican supporter, Richard Lugar of Indiana, says the mission lacks " clarity " or "a clear definition of success." Democrat John Kerry is suggesting analogies to the war in Vietnam. The President of the Council on Foreign Relations, Richard Haass, says "continued or increased involvement" in Afghanistan is not worth America's " investment of blood and treasure ."
To the Point
Reconciliation and the Taliban: Is Obama Revising Afghanistan Plan? Congress is likely to give the President $33 billion more to support his " surge " in Afghanistan. But a prime Republican supporter, Richard Lugar of Indiana, says the mission lacks "clarity" or " a clear definition of success ." Democrat John Kerry is suggesting analogies to the war in Vietnam. The President of the Council on Foreign Relations, Richard Haass, says "continued or increased involvement" in Afghanistan is not worth America's " investment of blood and treasure ." General David Patraeus is still committed to full-fledged counterinsurgency, but is under increased pressure to deliver, even before the end of this year. Should the US cut back sooner rather than later? Is it time to deal with the Taliban? We get a progress report on America's longest war.
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To the Point
Terrorism and tweets, hate speech and murder Just days before an election, Britain is coping with a rash of deadly terrorism, and Prime Minister Theresa May is on the defensive. And again today, President Trump has tweeted criticism of the Mayor of London. Later, a double murder in Portland, Oregon has revealed the ugly past of a supposedly “progressive” city. One immediate question: is “hate speech” protected by the First Amendment?
To the Point
The longest US war: Will Trump send more troops to Afghanistan? The Trump White House is divided over the Pentagon's request for more troops in Afghanistan—where the US has been fighting for the past 16 years. Is there a formula -- either for "victory" or a political settlement? Is there an end in sight for America's longest war?
To the Point
Who's to blame for the opioid crisis? Some of the lawyers who took on Big Tobacco are now going after Big Pharma. It’s all about the deadly epidemic of opioid use. Are the drug companies to blame? What about the users? Later, on today’s Talking Point: making sense of Britain’s upset election.
To the Point
What happens when America retreats from the world? Is President Trump taking his "America First" agenda to extremes, withdrawing the country from the international stage on trade and climate change, distancing America from its traditional allies across the Atlantic and even threatening to physically isolate the country through the building of a wall along its southern border? León Krauze guest hosts.