pledged not to interfere in the politics in afghanistan and pledged to support afghanistan's process. they began to turn to other avenues to protect their interest in it and i think we saw the unraveling between the states, between the nations and between people. so, what does that tell us looking forward? i agree with the keynote speaker and the panelists that there are enormous achievements and especially heading towards an election that is going to be respected. but looking beyond that democracy isn't just about one day of elections that they years in between. it's not just about 1 liter. it's about the team of leaders and if we look at the countries around the world that have transitioned successfully from the conflict in from the difficult regime to better governance that this has opened the lette liver by a group of l. i had the pleasure to introduce some of them around the world and it is about a great man, sometimes a great woman, but it's always been about a team of people that work together across geographic boundaries or ethnic or religious boundaries, so one of the key qu

of afghanistan. he spoke last week on the topic of u.s. policy in afghanistan after the 2014 troop withdrawal. specials fro for the world organization for resource development and education also discussed the report on further civil society engagement. this is hosted by the center for strategic and international studies. >> program on crisis, conflict and cooperation here at csis. thank you all for coming out today. we will be talking about a topic that is discussed less and less in washington, unfortunately. we will talk about afghanistan today. you might have seen this one of the gallup came out with a poll that shows the majority of americans now think that the war in afghanistan was not worth it, and it's not a vital national security interest. and they would like us to leave completely and immediately. i recently published a report which we look out for the next 10 years and speculated about what u.s. policy makers parties would be over the next 10 years, and among our conclusions was that afgha

effort in afghanistan. a recent gallup old says that for the first time in the nearly 15-year-old war, more americans think 2001 invasion was a mistake, and to get -- then think it was the right action. says the duties and afghanistan are far from complete. he says president obama has not disclosed is true plans for afghanistan, and has turned his focus elsewhere. critical ofbeen president obama possible as commander-in-chief, saying that a president must better communicate with the troops and the public that obama has. has announced he will not seek a 12th term in congress. he cited gridlock on capitol hill. during his 21 years in congress, mckeon has been an advocate for increased spending for the pentagon. at a recent armed services committee meeting, the budget pressures have hamstrung the military. forcing leaders to cut strength, readiness, and capabilities when they can least afford it. please join me in welcoming to the national press club chairman buck mckeon. [applause] >> thank you very much. tha

. >> first let me say that afghanistan today in 2014 is very different from the afghanistan of '01 or '02. they have come with a lot of progress and a lot of hope along the way that has turned into uncertainty and worry about the future partly because of the fact that the u.s. and afghanistan relations are right now sort of in a cold war state. i think people want certainty, what the road looks like because they wouldn't want to lose the gains of the last 12 years and they think the international community has invested heavily in afghanistan. the afghans are also paid a very dear price. after paying the price for the last 35 years, and this country has been destroyed several times over. this is a time where they feel they have a historic opportunity to rebuild afghanistan, it's institutions and give its people hope. we're at a crossroads where we need to make the right decisions in order to go on the right path. >> if you and i were to go back home and talk to the women on whose behalf you're working, what would they tell us about how they feel the country is doing? >> well, as ambass

effort in afghanistan. a recent gallup poll says that for the first time in the nearly 13-year-old war, more americans think the 2001 invasion was a mistake than think it was the right actionment but mckeon says the united states' duties in afghanistan are far from complete. he says president obama has not disclosed his true plans for afghanistan and has turned his focus elsewhere. he's also been critical of president obama's role as commander in chief, saying that a president must better communicate with the troops and the public than obama has. chairman mckeon, a california republican, has announced he will not speak -- seek a 12th term in congress. he's cited in part grid with lock on capitol hill. during his 21 years in congress, mckeon has been an advocate for increased spending for the pentagon. at a recent armed services committee meeting, mckeon said defense department budget pressures have hamstrung the military, forcing leaders to cut end strength, readiness and capabilities when they can least af

afghanistan cannot be compared to the year 2000 afghanistan. it's a different country and environment. a lot of progress has been made, but at the same time, this is a very fragile time for afghanistan. you know, we're in transition. anything can happen. if the troops leave abbruply like the soviets left, civil war can start all over again, but if it's done in a gradual way, then we'll have a chance. and afghan women are afraid of what is going to happen in the future. we have no idea what is going to happen. the security agreement has not been signed yet. everyone wants it sign. the soldiers who -- who fight this war against the taliban want it signed, so as soon as that is signed, we'll know what the plans are, so living in this uncertainty is becoming very scary for all of us. >> and finally marvin winebomb. >> well, what we're looking at here is of course so many uncertainties here. i'm just picking up from where the ambassador was speaking. what is different really today is there are stakeholders. if one goes back to the '90s, really the c

effort in afghanistan. gallup poll says that for the first time in the nearly more americans, think the 2001 invasion was a think it was, than think it was the right action. the unitedsays states' duties in afghanistan are far from complete. obama has notent disclosed his true plan for focusedtan and has elsewhere. he's also been critical of president obama's role as in chief, saying that a president must better communicate with the troops and obama has.than chairman mckeon, a california has announced he will not seek a 12th term in congress. he cited in part, gridlock on capitol hill. in congress, years mckeon has been an advocate for increased spending for the pentagon. at a recent armed services saidttee meeting, mckeon defense department budget pressures have ham strung the to cuty, forcing leaders strength, readiness and can least when they afford it. please join me in welcoming to the national press club chairman become mckeon. [applause] >> thank you very much. thank you for having me, thank you for

troops in afghanistan to train and assist afghan forces. instead, plans now begin to withdraw all 34,000 american forces from afghanistan. but the biggest challenge will be removing the millions of tons of u.s. military gear, all in a tight ten month time frame. general dempsey warns, al qaeda is still alive and active here. and worries about leaving that job undone. >> so we need to have an ability to have a credible, stable, reliable partner in afghanistan against al qaeda for the foreseeable future. >> now, general dempsey would clearly like to leave a small residual american force here in afghanistan. but there is a growing sentiment among u.s. military officials here in afghanistan and at the pentagon that now may be the best time for the u.s. to pick up and get out. brian? >> jim miklaszewski from bagram air base in afghanistan for us tonight. jim, thanks. >>> now we turn to this stunning news today about the obesity epidemic in america. it just broke late in the day, and the news is this. researchers say there's evidence of a dramati

so much blood was shed in afghanistan, american bloodshed in afghanistan, this has been a very difficult war in the united states and many in afghanistan as well. we're talking about the will of the united states of america, the people of the united states political will to do something there. but i guess the real question is, does the ultimates want t to -- does the united states want to see the afghanistan go back to what it was like before 9/11? >> in the last couple of months with the islamic state, and there's no u.s. troops in iraq to speak of now, that is weighing heavily on the minds of the folks in the obama administration. you may say that the great strategic blunder of the bush administration is putting the troops into iraq. you might say the great strategic blunder of the obama administration is to pull the troops out of iraq. >> elliot ackerman, no easy answers. thanks for joining us. >> thank you. >> now to egypt where our three al jazeera colleagues are being detained. they made their first appearance in cairo courtroom. peter greste, baher mohamed, mohamed fahmy pled not

troops in afghanistan to train and assist afghan forces. instead, plans now begin to withdraw all 34,000 american forces from afghanistan. but the biggest challenge will be removing the millions of tons of u.s. military gear, all in a tight ten month time frame. general dempsey warns, al qaeda is still alive and active here. and worries about leaving that job undone. >> so we need to have an ability to have a credible, stable reliable partner in afghanistan against al qaeda for the foreseeable future. >> now, general dempsey would clearly like to leave a small residual american force here in afghanistan. but there is a growing sentiment among u.s. military officials here in afghanistan and at the pentagon that now may be the best time for the u.s. to pick up and get out. brian? >> jim miklaszewski from bagram air base in afghanistan for us tonight. jim, thanks. now we turn to this stunning news today about the obesity epidemic in america. it just broke late in the day, and the news is this. researchers say there's evidence of a dramatic dro

effort in afghanistan. a recent gallup old says that for the first time in the nearly 15-year-old war, more americans think 2001 invasion was a mistake, and to get -- then think it was the right action. but mckeon says the duties and afghanistan are far from complete. he says president obama has not isclosed is true plans for afghanistan, and has turned his focus elsewhere. he has also been critical of president obama possible as commander-in-chief, saying that a president must better communicate with the troops and the public that obama has. chairman mckeon has announced he will not seek a 12th term in congress. he cited gridlock on capitol hill. during his 21 years in congress, mckeon has been an advocate for increased spending for the pentagon. at a recent armed services committee meeting, the budget pressures have hamstrung the ilitary. forcing leaders to cut strength, readiness, and capabilities when they can least afford it. please join me in welcoming to the national press club chairman buck mckeon.

troops in afghanistan by the end of the year. that's because afghan president hamid karzai refused to sign a security agreement covering thousands of u.s. support troops remaining after the pull out. at least 59 nigeria students have been killed after fighters set a school dormitory on fire. it happened in the northern towns, and is believed to have been carried out by armed groups. >> ukraine's interim president is warning there are growing signs of separatism. parliament has given fz until thursday to form a new government the the u.s. secretary of state called on all countries to assist in supporting ukrainian aspirations. >> john kerry is insisting that ukraine should not be a battle ground between the east and west. it's the east-west divide that is fuelling fears that parts of ukraine will break away. it's the autonomous renaling of crimia that is causing concern. we have this report. >> anger. here directed towards the policemen. the crowd thinks he's taking orders from kiev and refuse to recognise the new government. the

general mark dempsey was in afghanistan today, and he said this to reporters. quote, it is having an effect, it being this plan to remove all troops, having an effect on the enemy. in some ways i think it encourages them and intelligence supports that. there are parts of the country where it seems to be their will with some likelihood, the accomp dashzs between the afghan security forces and the taliban. i think a delay in the security agreement might accelerate those kind of accommodations. i don't think it will be widespread, by the way, but we have to be alert to that possibility. he went on to say some security forces will start hedging their bets because of this news. let's bring in our panel, george will, mara eliasson, and steve hays. george, the chairman of the joint chiefs is essentially saying just with this news out there, it could alter the situation on the ground. >> i think that's the case. and this is driven by a kind of personal chemistry in part. obviously, mr. karzai is, to put it politely, an acquired taste that mr. obama is having trouble ac

here in afghanistan only less than nine percent of afghans have bank accounts. over sixty percent of mobile phones to leverage of the use of mobile phones and provides people financial services. another important to qvc which has been in a can of tuna some gorgeous open tennis it to the communication company that the sum of is the high speed what's that was stored as a three g and the sauce has become the first company to to do this to depart technology for customers in afghanistan the people who are miracle concluded that the defendant admits that that the rate expected the clothes which took them to the moon the end of the offending was thought to the gold coast and will talk to you if only the bidding we commend them and this is an encouraging message from allah to customers as with the even one of the western customers. hollywood is gigi services committee on the bed evident get to city kabul but telecommunication companies with the help of new stuff information and technology have promised to expand its a disservice to all of the prowess of aniston the mist

just to get out of afghanistan.. i don't think there's a coherent strategy as to what the international community is going to do about that region's drug problem post-2014. >> and they end -- and in the end is there anything we can do? this is a poor country and many afghans depend on it now. will it go on no matter what we do? >> no country in history has ever been as addicted to narcotics from an economic standpoint as afghanistan is. at some points opium has represented about almost half of gdp in that country. so that's a major challenge. we also have a situation where the -- more than half of the opium that's produced in afghanistan is consumed inside afghanistan and in neighboring states and also up in russia. so you have addiction rates and the associated diseases that come with sharing needles that are spreading like wildfire through the region. and that's going to create or has already created public health cries eas cries crises. and unfortunately in the key countries, afghanistan andback stan, there are se

and the afghanistan. we have made clear our judgment that these individual should be prosecuted under afghan law. we requested cases be reviewed, but the evidence against them was never considered including the attorney general begin the short time since the decision was made to transfer these cases to the afghan legal system. the release of 65 detainees is a legitimate force protection concern for the lives of the coalition troops and afghan national security forces. the weapon of choice of individuals is the ied, widely recognized as the cause for civilian casualties in afghanistan. the release is a major step backwards for the rule of law in afghanistan. some previously released individuals have already returned to the fight, and in this substance release allows dangerous insurgents back to afghan cities and villages, i just want to lend my support to this statement, mr. chairman, and i've been working on this issue for quite a while. eighty-eight detainees the subject of the dispute. our forces have e

the security situation unstable in afghanistan. are we about to see the country fall back into the same chaos we saw 25 years ago. that's what many or most observers here in moscow and specialists believe might happen. there's a fear that, yes, afghanistan will again form into chaos, it may fall into the hands of radical jihadists. of course, there is some comfort by - for some russians, that the americans failed in afghanistan as we failed 25 years ago. but here if afghanistan goes up in flames, this will have a very negative effect on neighbouring former soviet central asia, where russia has important interests, and that this may, in the end, have a negative effect on russia itself. let's go back to afghanistan and keep in mind that the country runs along tribal and ethnic lines. what do you see as the best solution for afghanistan? well, before the upheavals began, afghanistan in the '70s, upped the rule of the king, it was a balanced country, a buffer country between the soviet union and western powers. there was an intricate b

afghanistan has landed in the west it is still deployed in afghanistan and know i don't think we should be there but ask me about that afterwards. afghanistan is a country where i was once held hostage it is the same country that sheltered in modern where he hatched his 9/11 diabolical plot after saudi arabia and sudan exiled him and now the entire civilian world is held hostage to that brand of jihadist al qaeda style terrorism it is the eerie coincidence to me. my venture lasted more than 50 years. when my afghan husband fled just before the soviets invaded he fled and came to america and knocked on my door. i have been criticized for ever speaking to him again but americans and jews have a long tradition into hospitality for immigrants so i did not turn away from him or from his second wife and young children. i recount some of our conversations that took place between 1980 and 2012 in the book as a conversation between east and west. perhaps like so many other jewish i yearned for mystical union between isaac and ishmael. i married him but i kept hoping i was 18 but i was not a comp

>> in afghanistan and iraq they played an important role. they come back to the united states damaged from the years of fighting >> what is the military doing with them after they come back from afghanistan? >> the military is trying to referbish with lot of them but money is tight to and they would like to put it in other places. they are trying to kind of think about what else could we do, but the fear is if they stop putting money into combat vehicles and if they slow down the process so much the facilities that work them may have to close. >> have they started the sl slowdown? >> the companies that make them are expressing concern even. >> this is had spending on the abra abr abrarm tank and the bradley fighting vehicle. did the military want that amount of money? >> that is the amount extra that congress added. congress has been consistently adding more to make sure they get enough money to get their factories open and workers employed. and these congress members say to keep the capabilities in the united states. they worry if they lose

afghanistan on their own and so nato has ceased to be anything other than a tool kit in the american imperial mission ok riccardo that's a pretty strong statement there a part of the toolkit of american foreign policy after all i mean if you look at where it's been use its force it's been outside of its area of sensitivity its original core than the north atlantic how do you respond to what jonathan just said well actually. i tend to agree with him with much of what he said. perhaps i wouldn't be so i wouldn't be so certain that nato has pursued the ninety russia agenda but certainly nato is a large ment's has not been brought forward according to our consistent principle and this principle is actually common sensical i'm in my opinion not a should expand whenever that expansion around increases and hans has security when that is not the case that no other laws mention not take place so in my opinion the words are a good rationale to expand nato to eastern european countries in the ninety's as there is a good rationale to to do the same thing for the balkan countries but the offer to

intervention in afghanistan. has essentially created a new taliban movement far more powerful you know no comparison really with the taliban that existed before going to have occurred before the u.s. intervention in afghanistan a matter of fact as the taliban and afghan president reportedly remain in secret talks about reaching a peace deal washington's future in the country after twenty fourteen remains in limbo president hamid karzai still refuses to sign a long term bilateral agreement with washington and last week that the afghan leader cited poet percy shelley when describing the painfully streamed relations with america i believe the best way to summarize this is to put it in the words of shelley the great british port i met murder on the way the whole twelve years was one of constant pleading with america please treat our civilians respectfully and treat their lives as the lives of people. the u.s. has reportedly spent more than ninety billion dollars on reconstruction and relief in afghanistan adjusted fo

intervention in afghanistan. has essentially created a new taliban movement far more powerful you know no comparison really with the taliban that existed before nine eleven or before the u.s. intervention in afghanistan a matter of fact as the taliban and afghan president reportedly remain in secret talks about reaching a peace deal washington's future in the country after twenty fourteen remains in limbo president hamid karzai still refuses to sign a long term bilateral agreement with washington and last week that the afghan leader cited poet percy shelley when describing the painfully streamed relations with america i believe the best way to summarize this is to put it in the words of shelley the great british port i met murder on the way the whole twelve years was one of constant pleading with america please treat our civilians respectfully and treat their lives as the lives of people. the u.s. has reportedly spent more than ninety billion dollars on reconstruction and relief in afghanistan adjusted for inflat

great resource of afghanistan is, frankly, the people. ,n the aftermath of 9/11 through the period of time we have been in this struggle in afghanistan, the struggle where the west and afghans were shoulder to shoulder, bleeding together, sacrificing together. we have delivered afghanistan to jointt today through our and mutually shared sacrifices, where a new generation of afghans ultimately can face the future with optimism. optimism they could not have ever imagined during the darkness of the taliban, or imagined during the civil war, or during the soviet war. much work remains to be done, and this is a delicate moment in the future of afghanistan. but i saw the emergence of a young generation of afghans who are well-educated, healthier am optimistic about the future. they desire ultimately to bring afghanistan to a point where it can be not caught in the grindstone between empires, but ultimately defining its own future as a sovereign state. great distance in that direction. i think the afghan national security forces, if we commit ov

just to get out of afghanistan.. i don't think there's a coherent strategy as to what the international community is going to do about that region's drug problem post-2014. >> and they end -- and in the end is there anything we can do? this is a poor country and many afghans depend on it now. will it go on no matter what we do? >> no country in history has ever been as addicted to narcotics from an economic standpoint as afghanistan is. at some points opium has represented about almost half of gdp in that country. so that's a major challenge. we also have a situation where the -- more than half of the opium that's produced in afghanistan is consumed inside afghanistan and in neighboring states and also up in russia. so you have addiction rates and the associated diseases that come with sharing needles that are spreading like wildfire through the region. and that's going to create or has already created public health cries eas crie crises. and unfortunately in the key countries, afghanistan andback stan, there are sen

has been doing for afghanistan. and they have been deteriorating in recent months, president karzai has refuse today sign a by buy lateral security agreement even though it was recommended by council that he himself called and supported by all the candidates who want to succeed him. supported by the parliament. in the last month he charged the u.s. with killing civilians in a fire fight and released evidence. that was clearly doctored and included photographs from an incidents in 2009. there is a message here. br* he has accuse the u.s. of adding and conduct can go attacks to undermine the afghan government. called the u.s. a colonial power, conducted secret talks with the taliban, has called the taliban his brothers and now outsiders think he's lost it. is he trying set himself up for what happens after he leaves the presidency this year? >> first, he is often emotional. he can be irrelevan erratic. but i think there is a myth you had tmethod tothis. president karzai would like to be a -- the continued major player

i don't think afghanistan will ever be made with foreign money. i think afghanistan can only be made with the hard work of its own people. >> reporter: but it's those people who continue to suffer. taliban suicide becomes regularly rip through targets in the capitol. a bus full of afghan soldiers was attacked last week, killing several. the taliban will keep up its fight against both sides. jane ferguson, al jazeera, kabul, afghanistan. >>> coming up later, we'll talk to a solder from iowa who is trying to get the people of afghanistan goats. >>> military investigators are looking into allegations that hundreds of army recruiters took kickbacks. more than a thousand people are suspected of collecting payouts that total more than $29 million. john the senate now looking into this matter. >> they think it is very serious indeed, del. it was called the recruiting assistance program of 2005, and basically 800 soldiers and 200 officers were accused of being paid illicit bonuses for trying to recruit their friends to the national guard. and we with told

the moneyothing -- goes to afghanistan. it does not go to the people in afghanistan. a goes to the cronies that work for pentagon and they spend that money. they gave them money too few afghanistan came back here and by million-dollar houses in this country. when people go to afghanistan, they have nothing. when they come back, they have plenty of money. host: are you from afghanistan? caller: i work for a lot of afghan people. what disappointing that this gentleman is saying after all of those years, now they investigate. what are you investigating? guest: the caller raises a concern i have heard expressed numerous times by people in afghanistan. that is -- if we do not take in we did not take the corruption issue seriously, and impose those safeguards, what you're irony is doing -- the by putting money in, we have alienated the afghan people. what he is expressing is a common complaint i have heard numerous times. i apologize i just started the job two years ago. maybe we should have a more aggressive oversight 10 years ago. we have been doing this for 10 years. hos

afghanistan on their own and so need to really have ceased to be anything other than tool kit in the american imperial mission ok riccardo that's a pretty strong statement there a part of the toolkit of american foreign policy after all i mean if you look at where it's been use its force its been outside of its area of sensitivity its original core than the north atlantic how do you respond to what jonathan just said well actually i. i tend to agree with him with much of what he said. perhaps i wouldn't be so i wouldn't be so certain that nato has pursued the ninety russia agenda but certainly nato as a large ment's has not be brought forward according to our consistent principle and this principle is actually common sensical i'm in my opinion not a should expand whenever that expansion around increases and hans has security when that is not the case that now the laws mention not take place so in my opinion the words are a good rationale to expand nato to eastern european countries in the ninety's as there is a good rationale to to do the same thing for the balkan countries but the o

that same year a thousand civilians were killed and now the population in afghanistan is thof afghanistan isthe same as n be bigger so you are more likely to be killed in iraq today than you are in afghanistan. i don't think that is clear to the american public and i don't think that's a goo that a good l but if you do the math you will be likely to be murdered in the city still than you are to be killed in the war in afghanistan as a civilian and six times more likely to be killed in new orleans which is a perfection of the compounds in this country but anyway the basic point is the american public doesn't really get fat and there are some -- there are good journalists in afghanistan and occasionally there will be a profile like the business section in "the new york times" but that is very exceptional thing i'm not saying we need to promote all the good news but there is a story about the telecom sector in afghanistan or the entrepreneurs. it would be good to see more of those stories. >> what i wonder is going forward, will it get attention at all? >> i think that we will see as much co

he's turning into one of these reduced obstacles the us intervention in afghanistan. has essentially created a new taliban movement. far more powerful of them no comparison reading this know that existed before nine eleven before the u s intervention in afghanistan matter of fact as the taliban and afghan president reportedly remain in secret talks about reaching a peace deal washington's future in the country after twenty fourteen remains in limbo president karzai still refuses to sign a long term bilateral agreement with washington last week that the afghan leader sated with percy shelley. when describing the police strained relations with america. i believe that this week's summarize this is depicted in the words of chile. the great british court. i made murder on the way. the whole twelve years was one of constant pleading with the manuka the street of civilians respectfully and keep their lives as the lives of people the us has reportedly spent more than nineteen billion dollars on reconstruction and relief in afghanistan adjusted for inflation that's more than a

forces and continue the fight against al qaeda remnants in afghanistan. if they pull out, there's a risk that after 13 years of involvement in afghanistan, and the loss of more than 2,000 american service personnel, the u.s. could risk losing the gains it made in afghanistan, in its fight against terrorism. there's a big risk for the afghan government if the u.s. falls out. foreign powers are contributing up to $8 billion a year to maintaining afghan forces and providing aid to afghanistan. it's unlikely they'll continue to provide the money if they are going to be kicked out by the afghan government. the main contenders in the election said they'd sign the bilateral agreement. the problem is it's probable there'll be no outright winner on april the 5th, meaning a run-off and the presidential campaign running long into the summer. we possibly won't know who the leader will be until the end of the summer and the clock will tick down on the preps of american troops in afghanistan. >> let's go to kaboul, to a member of parliament. why is hamid karzai refusin

again, american, british, french soldiers fighting in afghanistan. on this particular day, the british had made the mistake of going well beyond the cover provided by the batteries. when they got there, one of the senior officers looked around and said, well, we are rather in the air here, aren't we? the fact the village was deserted did not lead them to believe that nobody was around. and sure enough as they started to withdraw, hundreds of tribesmen came down from the surrounding hills and started to attack churchill's party, which in total was about 90 strong. churchill was certain to take part, to provide cover and fire while the main party was through, which they did in stages. the first stage was affected without too much instance. but by the time they started to move to undertake the second part of the withdrawal, the tribesmen really closed in, and churchill has a really gripping account of just how intense the fighting was at this particular stage. once the main body had moved down to a position, churchill's covering party then got up to fol

forces in afghanistan. the president spoke with afghan president hamid karzai today and the white house acknowledged if afghanistan does not sign a security agreement with the u.s. that american troops will leave by the end of the near, patty culhane reports. >> reporter: u.s. president obama has left the negotiationing with hamid karzai to his staffer. but after nine months of silence, he picked up the fine on tuesday to sends him a personal warning. he was told while the u.s. wants to stay in afghanistan after 2014 they have given up home that karzai will sign a security agreement providing u.s. forces legal protection, more than 12 years after the investigation think the u.s. has started planning for so-called zero option, a complete withdrawal. also warn that go there will be consequences, the longer he delays. >> the further we go, any contemplate i have post 2014 mission would be necessarily limited in scale and ambition. because of the requirements of planning for that troop presence. >> reporter: an

coming up on the program reinforcing afghanistan. we will support a unified afghanistan as it takes responsibility for its own future here is no point that the taliban and the future well join the peace process with the government of afghanistan the volatile country faces the looming threat of the resurgent taliban is kabul to washington wrangle over a post bullet security deal still to end the. war. you know the playing. field in big spirit travels with the flame from its place in greece. joining james brown for an elemental and epic journey around russia and beyond. where i want to go. hello again an amnesty is coming to force in ukraine given rioters in downtown kiev and throughout the country's west fifteen days to disperse and to leave government buildings this amid the seeming triumph of the country's opposition from many of the purity of form in munich where they scored pledges indeed of more support from washington the the european union meantime russia's foreign ministers called against taking a one sided view of the rest in

troops in afghanistan come january 1st. the white house double underlined that saying we cannot and will not have troops on the ground without a signed deal. the president, himself, apparently triple underlined that today in a direct one-on-one phone call with hamid karzai, president of afghanistan, after which the white house released this statement. frankly, if you're used to reporting on this longest war in american history, this is kind of a breathtaking thing to see. look. the president asking the pentagon today to ensure that it has adequate plans in place to accomplish an orderly withdrawal by the end of the year should the united states not keep any troops in afghanistan after 2014. this does not mean for sure that every single american service member will be gone from afghanistan by january 1st. but it means that that is now a possible outcome. the u.s. military will now plan logistically to make that a realistic option. that is no small feat given we have been there in numbers as high as 100,000 strong plus innume

and what does that mean for the future of afghanistan? and looking ahead on america tonight, the pot pack. >> i say welcome to the clip and thank you for joining us. >> amsterdam's mayor, what his country has learned after decades of marijuana sales. >> this is close to five grams. this is roughly five grams. >> and how many joints can you make with that? >> about three joints out of a gram. >> that's friday on "america tonight." early in the morning. >>> we follow up on today'stable tonal mark a sdmrfrmths jacobson, commander of u.s. forces in afghanist afghanistan. and matt waldman oversaw negotiations with the taliban. gentlemen, both of you have seen these clips of the taliban today as it were. matt, can i begin with you and ask what your perception was? ask what your perception was? there is a certain sense that this is looking like a rag tag group of fighters. what is today's taliban strength? >> it does appear that way in that particular attack. as many attacks look something like that. but there are some 200, 300, even more attack

troops may soon be gone from afghanistan the pentagon is preparing a full withdrawal of all troops after the u.s. and afghan governments could reach a bilateral security agreement what does this mean for the future of afghanistan find out just ahead. and the line between church and state below or is in the u.s. military american service members have come forward with claims that religion has been forced on them during training and while on duty a closer look at that coming up. a new study cast a weary months santo herbicides the study claims that round up may be linked with the war americans suffering from celiac disease blast of that possible leader in the show. it's wayne's day february twenty sixth eight pm and the washington d.c. area and boring you are watching r t america the pentagon is preparing a full withdrawal of troops from afghanistan by the end of two thousand and fourteen president obama phoned afghan president hamid karzai on tuesday to discuss afghanistan's coming elections and the bilateral security agreement since president karzai refused to sign the agreement the whit

that stein talks with the taliban it's revealed afghanistan's been trying to secure peace with militants behind closed doors while washington tries to keep some kind of military grip in the line drive it by ten years of war. and britain's leaders are told to get a grip on american spying after senior parliament figures say u.s. bases on the u.k. territory are getting away with taking liberties. come and see live from the russian capital this is artsy ensor national with me marina. before the winter olympics begin of one journey to end after traveling more than sixty thousand kilometers the iconic flame of the games has now reached its final destination paul scott is in the host city for our city. torches arrival here in sochi is going to be greeted with an increase in excitement levels over the next couple of days or so three hundred volunteers are going to carry the torch as it continues its journey all around this region and then of course it comes to a climax on friday evening during the spectacular opening ceremony where the olympic cauldron will be laid another person who is tasked

afghanistan on their own and so nato has ceased to be anything other than a tool kit in the american imperial mission ok riccardo that's a pretty strong statement there a part of the talk over america in foreign policy after all i mean if you look at where it's been use its force it's been outside of its area of sensitivity its original core than the north atlantic how do you respond to what jonathan just said well actually. i tend to agree with him with much of what he said. perhaps i wouldn't be so i wouldn't be so certain that nato has pursued the ninety russia agenda but certainly nato as a large ment's has not been brought forward according to a consistent principle and this principle is actually common sensical i'm in my opinion not a should expand whenever that expansion around increases and hans has security when that is not the case that no other laws mention not take place so in my opinion there was a good rationale to expand nato to eastern european countries in the ninety's as there is a good rationale to to do the same thing for the balkan countries but the offer to the

troops in afghanistan come january 1st. the white house double underlined that saying we cannot and will not have troops on the ground without a signed deal. the president, himself, apparently trip l underlined that today in a direct one-on-one phone call with hamid karzai, president of afghanistan, after which the white house released this statement. frankly, if you're used to reporting on this longest war in american history, this is kind of a breathtaking thing to see. look. the president asking the pentagon today to ensure that it has adequate plans in place to accomplish an orderly withdrawal by the end of the year should the united states not keep any troops in afghanistan after 2014. this does not mean for sure that every single american service member will be gone from afghanistan by january 1st. but it means that that is now a possible outcome. the u.s. military will now plan logistically to make that a realistic option. that is no small feat given we have been there in numbers as high as 100,000 strong plus innume

intervention you know afghanistan. has sensually created a new taliban. far more powerful no comparison really with the taliban that existed before nine eleven or before the u.s. intervention in afghanistan a matter of fact as the taliban and afghan president reportedly remain in secret talks about reaching a peace deal washington's future in the country after twenty fourteen remains in limbo president hamid karzai still refuses to sign a long term bilateral agreement with washington and last week that the afghan leader cited poet percy shelley when describing the painfully strained relations with america i believe the best way to summarize this is to put it in the words of shelley the great british put i met murder on the way the whole twelve years was one of constant pleading with america please treat our civilians respectfully and treat their lives as the lives of people. the u.s. has reportedly spent more than ninety billion dollars on reconstruction and relief in afghanistan adjusted for inflation that's more than any european country received after

well coming up here in our senior national reinforcing afghanistan. we will support a unified afghanistan as it takes responsibility for its own future is no fault that the taliban in the future well join the peace process with the government of afghanistan volatile country faces the looming threat of a resurgent taliban of kabul and washington wrangle over a post pullout security deal to end the thirteenth year war. that tens of thousands of people have been rallying in paris and the eastern central hub of leon and the latest wave of demonstrations for traditional family values are just bitter all over in the french capital demonstration we're seeing right now is the latest in a wave of unrest that swept across france the campaign is that are out on the streets marching through central paris they say that they are marching in defense of traditional family values now they say they're against proposed changes to the law that would make alternative ways for homosexual couples to have children legal naysay that they want to quash proposed laws that have

and coming up reinforcing afghanistan. will support a unified afghanistan as it takes responsibility for its own future. that the taliban in the future well join the peace process with the government of afghanistan the volatile country faces the looming threat of a resurgent taliban as kabul and washington wrangle over a post call outs to deal the hand of the thirteen year war. not introducing a super hobo would need a very unusual comic book hero who has been helping those sleeping rough on the streets of berlin. and. if you leave the. economic ups and downs in the final months days the longer the deal sank i and the rest because i think the case will be everything we own. country go this year the first world war started it fundamentally changed the global political order later and even weakened international system set the stage for the second world war since the end of the cold war the global order has been in limbo under american domination in the twenty first century just how stable our world politics. there's a media

troops home from afghanistan. a gay marriage battle in michigan kids caught in the cross fire, we'll have a live report. and some riot police in ukraine apologizing as the country tries to work out it's political problems. >> we begin with a high stayings game of poker unfolding between the white house and afghan president. today the president telling the pentagon to get ready to bring all of the u.s. p toos home. pike is at the white house, and a very stern warning from the president, what else has he been saying? >> there's a very significant change. and the statements they are making about that force, the over the horizon force that the united states wants to keep in afghanistan, after the 24 teen deadline, by which all-american and allied combat troops would be withdrawn. you know, at the end of last year, we heard repeatedly the white house say that the president needed to sign the status of forces agreement. it is known as the b.s.a. sooner rather than later, by the end of the year, as a matter of fact. to e

and afghanistan. made clear our judgment that these individuals should be prosecuted under afghan law and requested that cases be carefully reviewed. the evidence against him was never seriously considered, including the attorney general. even the short time since the decision was made. the release of 65 detainees is a legitimate force protection concern. the primary weapon of choice for these individuals is the ied. the primarynized as cause of civilian casualties in afghanistan. .t is a major step backward some previously released individuals have returned to the fight and this release will allow dangerous insurgents back to afghan cities and villages. 88 detainees are the subject of this dispute. forces have evaluated these people as very dangerous to the afghan people and coalition forces. we've requested they go through the afghan legal system. president karzai has sidestepped his own rule of law and order the attorney general to take an immediatever release 65 detainees without going through the

future of afghanistan find out just ahead. in the line between church and state but words in the u.s. military more american service members have complained that religion has been forced on them during training and while on duty and debt look at this coming up. a new study cast a weary eye on monsanto herbicide study claims that roundup may be linked with more americans suffering from celiac disease we'll ask if that's possible later in the show. it's a wednesday february twenty sixth four pm in washington d.c. i'm perry i'm boring you're watching r t america the pentagon is preparing a full withdrawal of troops from afghanistan by the end of twenty fourteen president obama phoned afghanistan president hamid karzai on tuesday to discuss of ghana stands coming elections and the bilateral security agreement since president karzai refused to sign the security agreement the white house said they will resort to the so-called zero option but options actually do remain on the table here is white house press secretary jay carney. the

coming up here on our to international reinforcing afghanistan. will support a unified afghanistan as it takes responsibility for its own if you knew that the taliban in the future well joining the peace process with the government of afghanistan. the volatile country faces the looming threat of a resurgent taliban us kabul and washington wrangle over a post pullout security deal and the thirteen year war. community board alone more than somewhere around two hundred children all for them they also found that child abusers convicted child abusers got access to those kids through a whole recalling phenomenon and what i'm saying is overall it's an amazingly rosy picture in that adopted kids international as well as domestic are treated better than regular kids growing up in untroubled biological families in the united states . right. first right. and i think the church. on our reporters with. the. welcome back watching r.t. international young american entrepreneur and bitcoin millionaire charlie shrem was a rare. in the us this week the c.e.o. of th

the taliban and the future well joining the peace process with the government of afghanistan. the volatile country faces the looming strout of a resurgent taliban as kabul and washington wrangle over a post pullout security deal and the thirteen year war. there's immediately though so we leave that maybe. are the same motions your. plate your party years ago. or shoes that no one is asking with the gas that you deserve answers from. politics. welcome back you're watching r.t. international young american entrepreneur and a bit coy millionaire charlie sram was arrested in the u.s. this week the c.e.o. of the digital currency exchange but instant is accused of laundering more than a million dollars worth of big coins through the converse a website silk road known to be used by drug traffickers the twenty four year old is also accused of not putting necessary regulations in place to keep criminal activity out of the financial system a found guilty he faces more than a decade behind bars he's now under house arrest after being released on bail financial analyst mark sorenson belie

what does this mean for the future of afghanistan. i got to have and the line between church and state blurs in the us military. more american service members have complained that religion has been forced on them during reading while on duty in depth look at this coming. a new study cast a wary eye on at monsanto the study claims that round out maybe we'll put more americans suffering from celiac disease. last but that's possible. i read once that i've yet to watch teams and easy. i'm carrie and boring or watching rt america the pentagon is preparing a full withdraw troops from afghanistan and by the end of twenty fourteen. president obama phoned afghan president's mind karzai on tuesday to discuss afghanistan's upcoming elections in the bilateral security agreement. since president karzai refused to sign a security agreement the white house said they will resort to the so called easier option. but it does actually do remain on the table. here's white house press secretary j carney the president has. yes the pentagon would. preparing