Brookings Institution
Senior fellow at the Brookings Institution; author of Shooting Up: Counterinsurgency and the War on Drugs and Aspiration and Ambivalence: Strategies and Realities of Counterinsurgency and State-building in Afghanistan; former Adjunct Professor in Security Studies at Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service
Preliminary Results Reveal an Afghan President - But Will He Be Accepted? Preliminary results from Afghanistan’s runoff presidential election were released today. Some 1900 polling paces have been audited after charges of widespread ballot stuffing and audio tapes purporting to show election officials engaging in voter fraud. The Independent Election Commission says President Karzai’s hand-picked candidate, Ashraf Ghani is the winner with 56% of the vote, but the opposition, led by Abdullah Abdullah, says it won’t accept that outcome.
On-Again, Off-Again Talks with the Taliban Efforts to end America's 12-year war in Afghanistan are on shakier ground than ever. When the US arranged talks in Qatar between the Taliban and Afghanistan's current government, President Obama called it "an important first step in reconciliation." Then the Taliban opened an office in Qatar called, "The Political Office of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan," the name they used when they ruled the country. President Karzai said he would not attend after the Taliban started behaving like a former government with plans to return to power. Are the Taliban running out the clock, taking advantage of President Obama's announced plan to withdraw troops by 2015? How much are the conflicting agendas of Pakistan and India adding to the diplomatic confusion? We hear a variety of opinions.
The Drug War Moves to Central America As the drug war continues, the Obama Administration has tried to emphasize prevention and treatment here in the US, to reduce the demand that fuels so much deadly violence south of the border. In the meantime, Mexico's outright warfare against drug cartels has caused the drug dealers to move further South into Central America, where the homicide rate now leads the world. What is the US doing to stop the demand for heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine? Why are Central American leaders calling for legalization?
The Drug War Moves to Central America Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says the war on drugs "has not worked." But Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano is going full steam ahead. This week, she travelled from Mexico to Central America, tracking the progress of drug cartels, which have shifted their operations. The UN says Central America's now the main route for drugs bound for the US, and that region has become the murder capital of the world. Some Latin American leaders want the US to decriminalize drug use. Is that a cry of desperation? We hear from President Obama's drug czar and others.
Is the War on Drugs a Failure? Is It Time to Legalize? The global "War on Drugs" began 50 years ago at the United Nations. Richard Nixon made it US policy 10 years later. Since then it has "failed to cut drug usage, but has filled our jails, cost millions in taxpayer dollars, fuelled organized crime and caused thousands of deaths." That's according to the Global Commission on Drug Policy , which includes former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, three former South American presidents, former Secretary of State George Shultz, ex-Federal Reserve Chair Paul Volcker, and British entrepreneur Richard Branson. We look at possible new strategies and their political viability in Washington.
Illegal Drugs: Public Health and Public Safety The global "War on Drugs" began in 50 years ago at the United Nations. Richard Nixon made it US policy 10 years later. Since then it has "failed to cut drug usage, but has filled our jails, cost millions in taxpayer dollars, fuelled organized crime and caused thousands of deaths." That's according to the Global Commission on Drug Policy , which includes former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, three former South American presidents, former Secretary of State George Shultz, ex-Federal Reserve Chair Paul Volcker, and British entrepreneur Richard Branson. The Obama Administration says legalization would not take the money away from violent drug cartels and that drug use might increase more than ever. In any case, the panel has focused global attention on a crisis that's not going away. Does the political will exist to make any changes in strategy?
Hundred-Foot Drug Smuggling Sub Found in Ecuador In Ecuador, drug enforcement officials have seized the latest drug-smuggling vessel. The 100-foot-long diesel-electric powered submarine was caught in an Ecuadorian jungle waterway, bound for the Pacific Ocean. It's the first known, fully operational sub deployed by drug runners looking to smuggle tons of cocaine out of Latin America. We hear more from Dane Schiller, who's written about the seizure for the Houston Chronicle , and from Vanda Felbab-Brown, Professor of Security Studies at Georgetown University.
Hundred-Foot Drug Smuggling Sub Found in Ecuador In Ecuador, drug enforcement officials have seized the latest drug-smuggling vessel. The 100-foot-long diesel-electric powered submarine was caught in an Ecuadorian jungle waterway, bound for the Pacific Ocean. It's the first known, fully operational sub deployed by drug runners looking to smuggle tons of cocaine out of Latin America. We hear more from Dane Schiller, who's written about the seizure for the Houston Chronicle , and from Vanda Felbab-Brown, Professor of Security Studies at Georgetown University.
Time to Negotiate Peace with the Taliban in Afghanistan? Even the generals concede they can't win a military victory against the Taliban with just 18 months left until US combat forces begin to withdraw. Their best hope is to persuade low-ranking fighters to switch sides and then to negotiate with Taliban leaders who renounce violence and agree to share power. But that won't happen, they say, unless the insurgency can be weakened first, and that won't be easy. They've have become so strong that UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has warned the Security Council that a "deteriorating” situation could become "irreversible.” We talk with NATO's second-ranking commander and others about military realities, the Karzai government, the Taliban and al Qaeda. What about Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and the influence of this year's mid-term elections in the US?
Venezuela spirals into economic and political chaos Venezuela, a country whose potential for prosperity is unmatched, finds itself on the verge of civil war. What sustains the repressive government? With time running out, guest host León Krauze looks at what the international community can do to pull the country from the edge of collapse.
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?
Janesville and the American Dream Janesville, Wisconsin is the hometown of Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan. But he couldn’t prevent the closing of the General Motors factory after 100 years. On this Memorial Day rebroadcast of To the Point, we hear what’s happened to what once was a model of American middle-class unity.
Human Rights in the era of Donald Trump President Trump’s UN Ambassador, Nikki Haley, said today the US might pull out of the United Nations’ Human Rights Council. Serious violators of human rights are members of the Council itself–and a US resignation could make things worse. Later on today’s show, now that he’s into his second term, comedian turned US Senator Al Franken is telling jokes again.