afghanistan on this edition. >> we're exploring new issues new week. >> welcome to san jose state university and this edition of equal time. i'm your host bob ruckers. we've had two groups of afghan journalism professionals visiting. we've asked the latest group of professionals to prepare a report on their impressions on the cultural difference that is they have found here. >> i have noticed technology in the classrooms here at the university. it's much different in afghanistan. >> there is a teleconference. technology tools are very helpful. >> have all my textbooks on there, so i don't have to carry textbooks in my bag. ed i think -- and i think it's easier. >> laptops, smart boards and monitors in the classroom but at afghanistan university the students don't have access to advance technology like the united states. >> the smart boards make it easy for teachers to teach. they clan touch something rather than try to explain it and show everything. it's a very streamline, very efficient form of learning. >> if you get a professor that's technology based, it makes it a lot easier

afghanistan who have joined us today. i am very honored to be the honorary co-chair of the u.s. afghan women's council along with laura bush. mrs. bush has been the real inspiration and driving force behind the council from the very beginning. and the council represents a commitment, a public-private partnership to try to support the women of afghanistan in the transition we are undergoing. we can point to a lot of progress some of it mentioned by president pedroya. but we're well aware this is a serious turning point for all of the people of afghanistan. but in particular, for the hard fought gains that women and girls have been able to enjoy. and what we can do as americans to support the courageous women and men to build the afghanistan they imagined. she and i talked about what she might do next, the word "rest" never entered her vocabulary. we talked more about once again, i'm following her wherever she goes and am proud to be the honorary founding chair. the institute is co-sponsoring today's events. it's following up on the national action plan adopted in the first term

strategic necessity the women represent to a better prosperous, peaceful, stable afghanistan is realized. and both of you, i know, have a great deal to say on this subject. >> well, even as our troops drawdown, start to drawdown, there's still many, many groups on the ground in afghanistan. it gives us a chance now, all americans, really, the chance to support those groups, to find the groups. the doctor is here, opus prize winner to promote her schools and women all over afghanistan. leslie schweitzer, fundraiser for university of afghanistan. i think maybe we may get some questions out of afghanistan from american university. you can give directly to the american university of afghanistan to make sure girls have scholarships there. so i think as our troops leave, it's very, very important that we continue to support all the programs that were built over the last 10 years in afghanistan, including many that came from this very council, the u.s. afghan women's council, and to work with our own congressmen and women to make sure afghanistan stays in the forefront, that people do pay atten

afghanistan, it is very helpful. it is very enlightening. the most important transition is the security transition. the security of taking responsibility. he also i indicated the capability is better than taught, especially the stuff can of the army. provinces where they are taking place, people are not particularly worried about the transition being carried out by afghan forces. but what people are. the most and people with their biggest challenges is not some insecurity and uncertainty, will happen to the country? will happen to us? when you go and ask people -- it was a, you international partners or of leadership on what we are transitioning, too. taliban? where do we compromise? we have to reach these agreements as a nation, and with our allies. it goes to the other side of the table, to talk to the paula bond. that is the key for reconciliation. another issue impacting the ability of the afghan security forces is the insider attack. sometimes, people are disappointed, and say, how could this happen? how could they turn the guns against us, when we trained them? this is an

considered i'm peter lavelle as afghanistan prepares for a presidential election many in the political and media mainstream speak of the country's first democratic transition this may or may not be true what is less talked about is the dire security situation on the ground whether karzai is angling to succeed him self the powerful presence of the taliban and whether the u.s. will ever actually leave afghanistan. to crimes like the upcoming election in afghanistan i'm joined by john glaser in washington he's a contributing editor at antiwar dot com and a columnist for the washington times community section also in washington we have michael kugel and he is an associate at the woodrow wilson international center for scholars and in philadelphia we crossed england in he is a political commentator and a writer or gentlemen cross-talk rosen a fact that means you can jump in anytime you want john the reason if i go to you first and watching with the reason i want to do this program is number one always make the american people and western publics remember what we did in afghanistan that's always

>> now, tamim ansary, author of games without rules, the often interrupted history of afghanistan, and atta arghandiwal, the untold afghan story. they discuss the past, sprint future of their country. this event was hosted by the commonwealth club of california. >> good afternoon, and welcome to today's meeting of the commonwealth club of california. i'm robert rosenthal, secondtive director of the center for investigative reporting. i'll be the chair today. we welcome our listening and internet audiences and invite everybody to visit us online at www.commonwealthclub.org. now it's my pleasure to introduce our distinguished speakers. tamim ansary born in kabul. he left for the u.s. in 1964. he is the writer, lecturer, teacher, and director of the san francisco writers workshop and has written several books, including "a game without rules. the often undertold history of afghanistan." he'll sign this book after the program. atta arghandiwal was a prom meant nil tear officer and leader. after high school. atta served in the afghan air force. when the political situation changed in t

peter lavelle as afghanistan prepares for a presidential election many in the political and media mainstream speak of the country's first democratic transition this may or may not be true what is less talked about is the dire security situation on the ground whether karzai is angling to succeed him self the powerful presence of the taliban and whether the u.s. will ever actually leave afghanistan. to cross like the upcoming election in afghanistan i'm joined by john glaser in washington he's a contributing editor at antiwar dot com and a columnist for the washington times community section also in washington we have michael kugel and he is an associate at the woodrow wilson international center for scholars and in philadelphia we crossed england in he is a political commentator and a writer or gentlemen cross-talk rules and a fact that means you can jump in anytime you want john the reason if i go to you first in washington the reason i want to do this program is number one always make the american people and western publics remember what we did in afghanistan that's always a top

congressional agenda with chris cillizza. a report on the total cost of the wars of barack and afghanistan and their impact on the budget with linda of the harvard school of budget. that is here on c-span. next, a discussion on both the obama and bush administration's handling of the war on afghanistan. -- lists include from the cato institute this is one hour and a half. on may 21, 2000 thousand to the american democrats and republicans -- which pledged to dance the creation of a broadbased gender sensitive and fully represented government in afghanistan. those goals were in keeping with the december 2001 bond agreement. the united states and international community have helped -- pledged to promote lasting peace, respectability for human rights in the country. nearly 11 years later amid a labor -- amid a daily parade of reports citing human-rights violations and rampant parity in large-scale corruption, afghanistan continues to face serious obstacles. what went wrong? typically here is one of two responses. the first is that president george w. bush squandered america's quick and easy vi

are 66,000 u.s. troops in afghanistan. the leaders also said that president obama agreed to place detainees under the afghan government. again, waiting for afghan president hamid karzai. georgetown university is also where the u.s. women's council is located. again, waiting here at georgetown university, we're live tonight waiting for hamid karzai. he met with president obama and they spoke at a press conference earlier today. we're going to bring you that press conference again tonight you can watch it here at 8:00 p.m. eastern here on c-span. the two leaders have agreed to speed up slightly the move afghan forces into the lead in that country. the u.s. troops shifting to a support role, currently 66,000 troop u.s. troops in afghanistan. we're going to bring you inaugural information and coverage but back to president karzai, the president of afghanistan preparing to speak. [applause] >> good evening, everyone. welcome to our distished guests from all around the world, especially afghanistan, our faculty, students, colleagues and friends. the u.s. afghan women's council at george

afghanistan and iran. panelists discussed the regional interests of the u.s., russia, and pakistan. nice cold clear day in washington and is probably the same in geneva. i hope if there is news from there, you will let us know. there is a connection between what is going on in geneva and what is happening here. if there is a nuclear agreement or improvement in relations between the u.s. and iran, it is going to have an impact on iran's role in the region. we are focused on the eastern neighbors, specifically afghanistan, pakistan, and india. iran is considered a middle eastern country but is historically as strong if not stronger with its eastern neighbors. and south asia. iran will be a pivotal player as it has been all along in afghanistan, especially next year as the u.s. and nato began to withdraw some if not all of their forces. they have recommendations for u.s. policy. helping role afghanistan manage water resources which is a key issue for iran as a downstream neighbor. to othercontribute .egional problems it would have enormous benefit not just for iran, but afghanistan, pakista

. >> the inspector general overseeing reconstruction efforts in afghanistan said the u.s. risks losing billions of dollars without proper oversight of the projects. those remarks same at the same time that president karzai. this is 50 mens. >> thank you very much. and thank you very much for everyone showing up this afternoon. they were very generous comments and i am honored to be here today at the stimson center, an institution named for and inspired by a man who helped to guide the nation through some of the most difficult challenges that we have ever faced. and an organization that i remember calling upon for guidance and assistance on many occasions, particularly when i was working for sam, who i had the pleasure to work with for about 17 years. i remember at the old offices, north of dupont circle, many a day talking to barry and mike and a team of experts on proliferation issues, loose nukes, chemical and biological warfare issues. so it's a great institution and it's an honor to come back here. this is only the second time i've been to your new office and it's fantastic. little

hello and welcome to sophie and co i'm sophie shevardnadze afghanistan has been a black hole swallowing people and the resources of anyone brave enough to step in after years and years of battles for soviets and the americans still end is still locked in strife is of ganesan hopeless there is one person who definitely doesn't think so. to be born in the afghanistan defeat. could be a harder lot for a person as a baby she was left to die and not to have to suffer or her life but she survived and advanced and believes in the future of her homeland follows you koofi wants more than just to improve two thirds of women in afghanistan she wants to be the first woman president in the history of her life. and our guest today fousek koofi an afghan politician running for president in two thousand and fourteen so great to have you on our show today first of all let me just say that i admire your courage to do what you are doing in afghanistan i'm aware of the situation with women's rights in afghanistan is far from being perfect it's almost a curse to be born a woman there but still th

representative bill young, who died last week, followed by a discussion on the future of afghanistan. later, using drone strikes and u.s. foreign policy. last week, the house took up a build to name the v.a. medical center in florida after the late representative will young, who died recently at the age of 82. it should be on the floor came from both democrats and republicans. this is about 40 minutes. >> to a purpose does that gentlewoman from florida wish to be recognize? >> i ask for immediate consideration. 384he house resolution resolve that the house here is a offound sorrow the death of honorable bill c.w. young, that a committee of the speakers of the house, together with such members of the senate, attend the funeral. resolved that the sergeant at arms of the house be authorized and directed to take such steps as may be necessary for carrying out the provisions of these resolutions and be paid out of applicable accounts of the house. resolved that the clerk communicate these resolutions to the senate and transmit a copy thereof to the family of the deceased. resolved that when the

actually leave afghanistan. to crimes like the upcoming election in afghanistan i'm joined by john glaser in washington he's a contributing editor at antiwar dot com and a columnist for the washington times community section also in washington we have michael kugel and he is an associate at the woodrow wilson international center for scholars and in philadelphia we crossed england in he is a political commentator and a writer or gentlemen crossed titles in effect that means you can jump in anytime you want john the reason if i go to you first in washington the reason i want to do this program is number one always make the american people and western publics remember what we did in afghanistan that's always a top priority for me and number two looking at the headlines democratic transition this is the first democratic transition in afghanistan and i'll give my opinion about that later but don't you think that the that's the wrong focus here is that actually nothing very good has happened in afghanistan the last twelve years and that's something western media and political elites don

almost over, but the transition to the next phase in the u.s.-afghanistan relationship involves a difficult diplomatic dance. the united states negotiated a deal called "the bilateral security accord" which would keep most troops in the country when nato's 75,000 leave next year. the deal hit a signnag. afghan president karzai presented a new last-minute set of demands. on this edition of "inside story" we will discuss america's future in afghanistan. first, this background: >> afghan president hamid karzai again refused to sign the bilateral security agreement on monday. instead, adding more items to a growing list of demands. it was during a last-minute meeting with u.s. national security advisor susan rice that karzi insisted the u.s. would need to start peace talks with the taliban and release 17 after gangs from guantanamo bay before the bilateral security agreement got his signature. over. >> if the agreement isn't signed promptly, what i said to the president is we would have no choice. we would be compelled by necessity, not by our preference, to have to begin to plan for

holds clear and progress and prosperity but the standards of our region and afghanistan. now will afghanistan, 10 years from now be a very prosperous country? will they have resolved all the difficulties? will afghanistan be a super power? no. but afghanistan will be a country that will be moving forward. education will grow better. thousands of students will graduate in our own universities. thousands more will come from studies abroad who are now studying abroad. the democracy and institutions that democracy requires will grow, there will be more elections. there will be more institutional reform. there will be a better government but afghanistan will continue to face problems, there may be violence and there might be other challenges as we move forward but the speed of progress will move and will not stop. will afghanistan remember the united states as a country that helped or a country that did not help? definitely afghanistan will remember the united states as a country that helped. definitely afghanistan will remember that it was the u.s. assistance that brought so much to a

upon thousands of soldiers who returned from iraq and afghanistan who needed extra help with posttraumatic stress disorder. he was very kind to those of us who are concerned about breast cancer and women in the u.s. military who may have experienced breast cancer. and working with me at session, in fact, the last two sections, to provide -- >> gentlelady. >> and he worked with them in last two sessions, mr. speaker, and providing extra funding for ptsd, a center that is in houston, texas, but also dealing with additional research for triple negative breast cancer that might have an impact not only in the military population of women but also with women around the nation. bill is like that. always extending, always sharing. he have a social place in my heart because my mother is from st. petersburg florida, but i was that he should have a special place in the hearts of all americans because if you ever want to see exemplified a grant and stately gentleman who had nothing in his heart but the love and respect and admiration for this nation, it was our dear friends, the honorabl

one person who definitely doesn't think so. to be born in the afghanistan. plot could be a harder lot for a person as a baby she was left to die in the sun not to have to suffer or her life but she survived and advanced and believes in the future of her homeland fawzia koofi wants more than just to improve the stories of women in afghanistan she wants to be the first woman president in the history of her life. and our guest today if koofi an afghan politician running for president in two thousand and fourteen how is it so great to have you on our show today first of all let me just say that i admire your courage to do what you are doing in afghanistan i'm aware of the situation with women's rights in afghanistan is far from being perfect it's almost a curse to be born a woman there but still these seem to be optimistic about changes to the lives of afghan women what what goes through how exactly have things changed for women in your country since two thousand and one. it's a pleasure for me to be in your show thank you so much for what you have say. while i think for the woman's l

. there's no question that lasting prosperity in afghanistan will take root only when women have as loud a voice as men, not only on election day, but every day. it's essential, it's the prerequisite to the future stability of afghanistan. but make no mistake, it's not enough. it's not sufficient, and won't do the job alone. that's why the united states firmly supports and will continue to support an afghan-led peace and reconciliation effort as the surest way to end the violence and bring lasting stability to afghanistan in the region. peace is possible possible if it respects the historic achievements that afghanistan has made over the past decade. all of those things i listed and talked about. including and above all the protection of the rights of all afghans, both men and women. as part of the outcome of any process, the taliban and other armed opposition groups have to end the violence, break ties with al qaeda, accept afghanistan's constitution, including the provisions on women's rights. those are the standards which will lead us in this effort. there can be no compromise on these

presence in afghanistan and the security of that country, hamid karzai having lunch with president obama this hour. the two leaders hold a news conference in the next hour. president karzai's visit will help determine how many u.s. troops will remain in afghanistan after the drawdown in 2014. chris lawrence joins us. the white house floated the idea of a zero option, if you like, leaving no troops behind in afghanistan. what's the pentagon think of that and a lot of these people say that really complaint hean'. >> i would say at this point everything is probably still on the table, but you're right, that number zero definitely raise some had eyebrows inside the pentagon. in fact during a press conference yesterday, leon panetta said the stronger position that we take about staying committed and staying in afghanistan, you know, that's how we're going to ultimately get a political reconciliation. in other words, he felt that signaling that the u.s. may pull out all of its troops would weaken the negotiating position about those negotiations with the taliban ever got started again. now, th

campaign. the core policy for the united states and afghanistan -- is a core policy, i mean, what is the primary purpose for the united states military in afghanistan? core policy in afghanistan as stated by senior generals, secretaries of state, secretaries of defense, both presidents -- i have gone through and read the unclassified testimony to both the house armed services, senate armed services, from 2002 all the way up to the present. when commanding general's, under secretaries of defense, whomever, were asked by senators or congressmen, what are we doing in afghanistan? why are we there? the answer is always the destruction of al qaeda. period. period. the destruction of al qaeda. this is a very, very limited core policy aim. since 2002, the united states has sought to use a maximalist operational method called armed nationbuilding which is the same as counterinsurgency. to achieve this limited core policy aim. i ask myself why. i think it is because of this rocksolid belief that war can always be made to work. you see why this narrative is so important and so dangerous? th

i'm serious when i tell you that i think of roya and the women like her that i met in afghanistan. every time i hear the amazing numbers that illustrate how far this country has come since 2001 and that underscore what secretary clinton was saying a few minutes ago about how critical our choices are with respect to the future. in 2001 by then, there were only 900,000 afghan children in school. and all of them were boys. today, nearly 8 million students were in school and more than a third of them are girls. think about what that means for the future. in 2001, maternal mortality was 1600 per 100,000 births. today, it's down by 80%. in 2001, life expectancy for the average afghan was 42 years. today, it's 62 years. and rising. in 2001, 9% of afghans had access to basic health care. today, 60% of afghans live within an hour of basic health services. in 2001, there was only one television station and it was owned by the government. today there are 75 stations. and only two -- and all of those but two are privately owned. and in 2001, there were virtually no cell phones in the country.

iran's role in the region. we are focused on the eastern neighbors, specifically afghanistan, pakistan, and india. iran is considered a middle eastern country but is historically as strong if not stronger with its eastern neighbors. afghanistan and south asia. iran will be a pivotal player as it has been all along in afghanistan, especially next year as the u.s. and nato began to withdraw some if not all of their forces. they have recommendations for u.s. policy. a bigger role helping afghanistan manage water resources which is a key issue for iran as a downstream neighbor. they can contribute to other regional problems. it would have enormous benefit not just for iran, but afghanistan, pakistan, india. part of this report is an expert on iran and south asia. she has worked as a journalist, media and political analyst and has written in english and persian. she is a frequent contributor. i have known her for five years now and have been impressed by the depth of her knowledge and passion. she is a senior geographer for the corps of engineers. she studied the watershed and its

administration took the position that u.s. troops in afghanistan would do no peace keeping, and neither would anybody else. they allowed a small peacekeeping force to go into kabul because the afghans insisted on it. they refused the pleas both from karzai and from the u.n. to expand that peacekeeping force to the rest of the country, and they took the position that u.s. troops in the rest of the country would not do peacekeeping. the result was we turned security throughout a society of 70 million to the afghans, a society that had no army and no police force. so i think it's not remarkable that things deteriorated, that the taliban was able to reconstitute itself, to recruit, to refinance, to reorganize and to begin to project power to get pakistani sanctuaries back into afghanistan, and the united states responded in dribs and drabs over the years. we tend to say that this is the longest war we've ever fought. if you look at the major wars, it's also the least costly. in terms, certainly, in terms of military manpower, the level of casualties in afghanistan is not only smaller than i

transition. unfortunately, corruption in afghanistan places our aid programs at constant risk of waste, fraud, abuse, and despite years of rule of law training, the afghan government has few workable safeguards in place to prevent the misuse of u.s. aid money. widespread corruption threatens the presidential and the provincial elections that are set for next april. free and fair elections are essential to establishing a stable government. a repeat of the widespread election fraud that we saw in 2009 would undermine afghan's faith in their government, setting back the country. corruption hinders afghanistan's economy. the mining sector could tap the posits of industrial metals by attracting foreign investment, but that will not happen with the corruption in afghanistan. on the security front, pakistan's military and security service continues to complicate matters by supporting the taliban. they are a double dealer. they undermine our primary objective of bringing afghanistan under the troll of a democratically elected government. iran continues to support the taliban and using the bank

openly declaring their sympathy with taliban fighting western forces in neighboring afghanistan. as the crowd cheered, two men performed a patriotic song threatening to turn the whole of india into mumbai. others chanted whoever is a friend of india is a traitor and waved black and white striped flags. a former chief of the isi intelligence service told the crowd it would be our privilege to take part in this war. he founded the l.e.t., which india blames for the rampage on mumbai, in the 1990 hospira. he has denied involvement in any of the attacks. he abandon them after india accuse them of being behind the attack on the indian parliament in 2001. his charity enjoys popular support for its humanitarian work. >> he has not emerged as a global player and terrorism. in iraq, they are now fighting in syria. it is a huge challenge, not only to us, but the entire civilized world, and i think we need to put some pressure on the people of the other countries. know what it means to the peace of the entire world. >> thank you very much. thank you. >> a terrorist attack by the united nations, an

neighbors, specifically afghanistan, pakistan and india. while iran is often considered a middle eastern country, in fact, it's historically its cultural ties are as strong if not stronger with its eastern neighbors, with afghanistan and south asia. and, of course, iran will be a pivotal player as it has been all along in afghanistan, especially next year as the united states and nato began to withdraw all its, some if not all of their forces. we are launching a new issue brief this year that have some recommendations for u.s. policy. including a bigger role helping afghanistan manage its water resources, which is a key issue for iran as a downstream neighbor. and the united states can contribute to resolving other regional problems such as energy shortages, ethnic conflict, and drug trafficking. this would have enormous benefit not just for iran but for afghanistan, pakistan, india. indeed, the united states indirectly because of the drug trafficking. the principle author of this report is my good friend, fatemeh aman, is an expert on iran and south asia. she's worked as a journalist, m

argue for immunity for u.s. troops in afghanistan in a way that afghan sovereignty will not be compromised, in a way that afghan law will not be compromised, in a way that the provisions that we arrive at through talks will give the united states the satisfaction of what it seeks and will also provide the afghan people the benefits that they are seeking through this partnership and the subsequent agreement. >> do you have any sense of how many troops you would be willing -- >> that's not for us to decide. it's issue for the united states. numbers are not going to make a difference to the situation in afghanistan. it's the broader relationship that will make a difference to afghanistan and beyond in the region. the specifics of numbers are issues the military will decide and afghanistan will have no particular concern when we are talking of numbers and how they're deployed. afghan press? english speaking press? >> i am correspondent for araianna division, kabul, afghanistan. i prefer to ask my question to my own language. [ speaking foreign language ] >> translator: what kind of

country for u.s. policyatr including a bigger role to help afghanistan's manage water resources which is acontri key issue for our brand as aal downstream neighbor is the united states has other regional problems withous benefi energy shortages a and drug trafficking this has to turntana this benefit for iran, pakistan, india and into the united statesinc indirectly because of the o drug trafficking.my goo frien the principal author of thise's report is an expert in southystd asia and has worked as anshe's t currtly presids written widely in english to a person isn't a frequent-based pitcher to james publications is with the virginia-based companye kn yearializing to analyze foreign media.essed by the i have known her five years.for have always been impressedeaker by the depth of her knowledge and passion. next we have a new speakerngnee here who is the senior research geographer the u.s.e b army corps of engineers whenre she began a study that you will hear more about end with that basic an end she served in afghanistan as a senior adviser on watershed sut management to the commanding a

afghanistan i'm aware of the situation with women's rights in afghanistan is far from being perfect it's almost a curse to be born a woman there but still these seem to be optimistic about changes to the lives of afghan women well what goes through how exactly have things changed for women in your country since two thousand and one. it's a pleasure for me to be in your show thank you so much for what you have saved. i think for the woman's life i can see her colorful picture like there are some green zones which talks about progress women have hard both in terms of politics social life compared to the taliban government or the taliban which was actually a nightmare for woman in afghanistan i was living under the situation myself as a woman in kabul i know what does that mean there is a woman and the taliban but comparing to that time. i think a lot has changed especially women participation in politics right now in the parliament of understand we have sixty nine women parliamentarian out of two hundred number of parliament parliamentarians woman can go to school they go to universities t

relations committee lexan afghanistan where officials are working to finalize a long-term security agreement before the end of the year. this is a little less than two hours. >> come to order. let me thank our witnesses for being here. in july in this committee meant to assess the transition in afghanistan. you had been on the job will lead to months of the time. in looking over the transcripts of that hearing was struck about how the issues remained virtually the same five months later. i look forward to hearing what both of you believe we should expect in the coming months as well as your perspective on some broader issues i have with respect to the state department and usaid planning for a postal facebook.com/booktv presents. clearly this is a critical time in the transition process. president karzai has, in my view, and wisely decided to gamble with the lives of millions of citizens with a delay in signing the bilateral security in agreement, testing your patience and threatening the progress made by so many afghans in partnership with the international community since 2001. an

mentioned we should be in the four corners of the afghanistan post-2014. it is not only to provide the right level to abies and assessed but also to support the u.s. government enter agency. -- inter agency. i understand what the requirements are for an embassy perspective. not ask you to answer this question as to president karzai's response about support and we should consider what his reaction will be to the continuation of support moving forward. i would make that comment. let me turn to sequestration. "about the troops that will rotate into that theater now and beyond? >> from my perspective, i have been told that sequestration will not affect the resources we have available to our men and women on the ground inside afghanistan and i believe that. my greatest concern is that it will impact the retinas of the units at home preparing to deploy to have to get a stand. one of the great success stories over the last 10 years has been the quality of training and equipping of our men and women in uniform. is no comparison to what training was earlier in my career as a result of the s

the afghan government and addressing the afghan national development strategy and the afghanistan compact in 2,005 2,006. and what i found is that there is a very high level of mistrust at the highest levels of the afghan government in the water issues and in particular, there was a proposal to put in the contact something about afghanistan signing agreements with its neighbors which is actually required under the international law to get the project and levels of suspicion was so high that i was removed from the document. so i just want to emphasize the fact security, confidence building are likely to be necessary before we can move on to implement these ideas where there are good technical solutions that may be waiting that where the suspicions are extremely high and the stakes are very hi. >> if i can add one thing in afghanistan i'm sure you saw this. the different ministries play their cards close and hold them close to their chest the ministry of water and culture irrigation livestock, moral rehabilitation and development all have different interests and water and there need

afghanistan, we sort of pact that the one home. we allow that country to fester instead of making sure that the taliban did not rear its ugly head. we cannot afford to do that anymore. feel thatt people they are tired. they are all tied. we have responsibilities as the leading power and as a responsibility to ourselves. it is one of those moments in our life in everybody's life. we have to be vigilant. we need to work to make sure that the people who would do us harm prevented from doing it and that the people like jordan, work with, that we them so it is a two-way street. it protects them and keeps them working with us and also protects us. if 100 billion people showed up in the u.s. in the next three or four months. it would be a devastating problem for us to keep up with. that is basically what is happening in jordan and the camps along the border. it is all they can do to keep up with water and sanitary issues. they have built a camp in literally the middle of nowhere the whole 10,000 people. they're trying to create a small town on the border. it is filled up in four days. you hav

the united states. numbers are not going to make a difference to the situation in afghanistan. it's the broader relationship that will make a difference to afghanistan and beyond in the region. the specifics of numbers are issues that the military will decide and afghanistan will have no particular concern. when we're talking of numbers and how they are calculated. afghan interests. >>. >> translator: the government of afghanistan i would like to ask the question in my own language. mr. president, combative mission united states after 2014, how this mission will be, how will it be resembling, resembling the same mission as it was during 11 years? or is there a difference? different kind of mission. those who are in pakistan, particularly the safe havens that are in pakistan, what kind of policy will you have. thank you. >> the mission will be fundamentally different. just to repeat. our main reason, should we have troops in afghanistan post 2014 at the invitation of the afghan government will be to make sure that we are training, assisting and afghan security forces who have now tak

s hello from the campus of sj san jos estate university. afghanistan's media was once through free teach, and the in fa infamous taliban regime, much of that has eroded. >> for all parts of the country, when americans think of afghanistan, what comes to mind? it depends on who you ask. americans might think of war or terrorism. but what does an afghan think of his own country. >> i remember that when i was a school student, we didn't have chairs if our classes, and we were sitting on the grounds and taking notes, listening to our teachers. >> this is a are professor, one of three professors who arrived in the fall to study modern journalism methods in san jos estate. >> objectivity and free speech are concepts americans may take for granted, but in afghanistan, those are relatively new. the taliban enforced both people of speech and freedom of the press. >> he was teaching at haraat university when the taliban arrived. >> you have to put taliban on your head and i don't believe this. >> rather than follow the apprentice regulations in stated by the taliban, he left the university o

afghanistan u.s. troops have been in the country since two thousand and one so when will they leave for good a report on that meeting and just ahead. and taking to the streets to hold president obama accountable protesters march here in d.c. trying to push the president into posing guantanamo bay the facility in cuba where the u.s. holds enemy combatants that they claim are on trial we'll take you to the discussion . and farmers versus monsanto a group of farmers are trying to reinstate a class action lawsuit against the biotech giant what they're fighting about and why the issue may affect what's on your dinner table coming up. it's friday january eleventh four pm in washington d.c. . and you're watching r.t. right well it's the moment we've all been waiting for for over a decade just hours ago president obama met with his afghan counterpart to discuss a twenty fourteen drawdown of american troops now in front of the camera both president obama and president karzai have presented a united front and say that they agree on the future goals for afghanistan here's one of the more surpr

sacrificed for the promise of a safe and secure afghanistan. but i actually come back to the time when i met a remarkable woman who is changing afghanistan. roya is chief executive of a software development firm called citadel. and the local authorities did absolutely everything they could to stop her dead in her tracks. they even pressured her family to close her company, but she like a lot of the women sitting here and like so many women across afghanistan absolutely refused to be in-tim gated. the first time she competed for an afghan government proper correc project, she went up against six businesses led by men and she won. and it's a good thing because she's invested almostshe went u businesses led by men and she won. and it's a good thing because she's invested almost all of her profits to provide internet access to 35,000 girls. and she's just getting started. today she has plans to help five times as many girls across afghanistan. now i'm sure you'll hear this in the discussion in a little while. it is hard enough to start your own business anywhere else in the world. but to sta

hosseini who talked about his travels around afghanistan and relief work he has been doing with the united nations high commissioner for refugees. this is about our. [applause] >> thank you all. this beautiful synagogue is such an extraordinary setting and to see all of you here, really acclaim this amazing book. this is a work of fiction but so resonant for any of us who imagine or have spent time in afghanistan. even though some like your first two novels this is less afghan centric, more global in its perspective. i am wondering still how central the complex history of afghanistan is to your writing, to your narrative, or -- >> guest: it has always been afghanistan of the last 30 some odd years has always been a kind of background character in my novels. features very prominently in the first and especially my second book. it is in the background in this novel as well, not quite as prominently. part of that is as i wrote the novel, i saw the characters's struggles playing out on a more personal intimate level, more of a human drama, not necessarily playing out on the political ar

guns of war. ending the conflict in afghanistan and combatting gun violence here at home. two big topics as president obama prepares to hold a news conference minutes from now live from the white house. good day. i am andrea mitchell live in washington where we are awaiting hamid karzai and president obama who will be addressing reporters in the east room following their meetings on the pace of the u.s. troop withdrawals. one big disagreement? the white house suggestion this week of a zero option, a withdrawal of all u.s. troops after 2014 leaving no residual force at all, but, first, the big domestic issue here at home. what to do about gun violence. the white house is pushing back hard on suggestions that they do not believe they can win a ban on assault weapons, and are focussing on other options. in fact, a senior administration official tells me within the hour that an assault weapons ban and background checks are both going to be in the final set of proposals that go to the president despite all reports to the controversy. the nra president who met with vice president biden

the 27th of september in washington, and the pullout of troops from afghanistan could dominate the agenda. the prime minister is visiting the united states from thursday, september 26th to monday, september 30. the prime minister will meet president obama on september 27th at the white house in washington, d.c. i, which has invested billions of dollars in afghanistan since the taliban was ousted from power, fears that the taliban will come back to power when the united states withdraws its troops at the end of 2014. arch rivals india and pakistan have long waged a power difference in afghanistan. many see this struggle intensifying after the withdrawal of most international forces by the end of next year. world leaders are also likely to discuss regulations with regard to issuing visas to skilled, nonimmigrant workers, which is a cause of concern in new delhi. >> we are trying to flag the fact that some aspects of the proposed immigration reform would adversely impact visas for highly skilled nonimmigrant workers. >> india has protested against a u.s. law from 2010 that has doubled

was characteristic of afghan society in the distant past, in my day in afghanistan, and it's still there all over the country. so the negotiation of the old afghanistan and the culture of the outside world is very deeply mixed up with what is going to happen going forward. i'll just up there. -- just stop there up on. >> thank you very much. i'm not a historian, not analytical as tamim is, but i'm just so fortunate to be here in a position to be able to speak on behalf of the afghan people. and the reason i really took and embark on this journey was to write "lost decency" is for the afghan people. for millions of people who have had nothing to do with the decisions that put them in the misery we are talking about today. submission is indeed that and that is what i again i wrote the book to start part of this dialogue to talk about the decency of human beings, and the loss of decency, and that was very important to me. so in that regard, i want to apologize to you that when i speak to groups, when i sounded judgmental, because when i talk about the social aspects of life and people

] >> tonight on c-span, a look at u.s. afghanistan relations. the first, president obama and afghan president karzai speak at a joint news conference from the white house. all of by president karzai's remarks at georgetown university. >> now, today's news conference with president obama and afghan president hamid karzai. as talks continue about the us mission in afghanistan after 2014. president karzai also met today with defense secretary leon panetta and secretary of state hillary clinton. as is about 40 minutes -- this is about 40 minutes. >> it is my pleasure to welcome president karzai back to the white house as well as his delegation. we last saw each other during the nato summit in chicago, a city that reflects the friendship between our peoples, including many afghan-americans and the karzai family. mr. president, welcome. we meet at a critical moment. the 33,000 additional forces i ordered to afghanistan have served with honor, they have completed their mission, and returned home this past fall. the transition is well underway, and soon nearly 90% of afghans will live in ar

i'll be the chair for today's prom called afghanistan. we also welcome our listening and internet audiences and invite everyone to visit us online at www.commonwealth club.org. and now it's my pleasure to introduce our speakers. tamim was born in kabul where father was a professor and his mother taught the first school for girls. he is the writer, lecturer, teacher and director of the san francisco writer's work shop. , in, in... block -- he has written the game without rowells. ... he will also sign the book after the program. i think today's program will be very interesting. you may hear differing perspectives and a lot about the history of afghanistan. if you read these two books, which are both wonderful, you will the context and the history of afghanistan. if you read the other you will see a character that comes to life during the history that will talk. be will start off. [applause] >> thank you all for being here. thank you to the commonwealth club. let me check the time so i don't go over. i am sure all of you are interested in what is going on in afghanistan right now, w

discussion on the future of afghanistan as the u.s. prepares to withdraw the remainder of its troops by the end of next year. moderated by cbs news this is hosted by the foreign policy initiative and it is just under our. welcome everybody. you have had a long morning already. if anyone still cares, i'm assuming that's why you are here and you are going to pay full attention to what these gentlemen have to say to beat it struck me when i was doing my research and preparation for today that what is interesting about the panel that you have in front of you is that afghanistan is well represented and each of these individuals have a good knowledge of the situation on the ground and everyone has a depth of reporting in the region but you also have individuals who are very familiar specialists in all of the issues that are at stake. seth jones worked with the special operations command. he is a very close view on the military strategy, counterterrorism we also have a specialist on asia for years and particularly india he can bring in the perspective because as we had a conversation earlier i