To the Point
The Islamic State and America's War on Terror
The US reportedly is mobilizing a coalition of allies for possible military action in Syria, raising uncomfortable questions. The target is not the Assad dictatorship, which the US opposes, but the extremist Islamic State—Assad’s mortal enemy. Which side is America on?
By Warren Olney • • 51m ListenThe US reportedly is mobilizing a coalition of allies for possible military action in Syria, raising uncomfortable questions. The target is not the Assad dictatorship, which the US opposes, but the extremist Islamic State—Assad’s mortal enemy. Which side is America on? And the developing coalition includes Saudi Arabia and Qatar—countries accused of supporting the Islamic State and other extremist groups. Are they reliable allies in the latest fight against terror? We’ll update confusion and contradiction.
Also, one of Afghanistan's presidential candidates withdraws from a supervised audit of election results, and Burger King and the flap over Canadian taxes.
Banner Image: Smoke rises during what activists said was an air raid by warplanes operated by forces of Syria's President Bashar Al-Assad around al-Tabqa military base at a government-controlled airport that is surrounded by militants, west of Raqqa city, August 21, 2014. REUTERS/Stringer
In this episode
3 storiesAfghan Recount Audit
Despite US and UN efforts, Afghanistan may not have a unity government in time for next week’s scheduled presidential inauguration. One of two run-off candidates, Abdullah Abdullah, has withdrawn from a UN-supervised audit of election results. Nathan Hodge with the Wall Street Journal joins us from Kabul.
Read the story6 minThe Return of the Jihadi and Rethinking Our Failed War on Terror
“The US has begun to mobilize a broad coalition of allies behind potential American military action in Syria.” That’s according to today’s New York Times, which reports that the intended target is the ultra-extremist Islamic State, which now holds much of Iraq and an entire province in Syria.
Read the story36 minBurger King to Buy Canadian Coffee Chain Tim Hortons
Burger King, based in Miami, has announced a merger with Tom Horton’s doughnuts and coffee chain, based in Canada. It’s worth $11.4 billion—with Warren Buffett of Berkshire Hathaway providing $3 billion as part of the deal. Is it really all about avoiding American taxes?
Read the story8 min
