it's. a this is. a follows the reference counting sanctions on syria's top officials including a travel ban and sets the official reason of the crackdown on anti-government protests is the song analysts believe the west is off to regime change in control over. the european union is to vote on whether it was a scene said un security council while giving the move say over well security issues the move could damage the strength of some member states independence. also

georgians have to tell them to the international human rights court to get justice for a mud and mrs high ranking officials exposing an inherent floor in the country's much competent legal system. examines how u.s. policy in afghanistan will be transformed following the death of the soul of did not stay with. if you want to think. a little welcome to cross talk i'm curious about with the killing of osama bin laden u.s. president barack obama has an historic opportunity on afghanistan will he use it and what is the downside if he doesn't.

cross to u.s. strategy in afghanistan i'm joined by bradley blakeman in washington he's a former member of george w. bush's senior staff and currently a professor at georgetown university and an islamic law because to show he is a risk and security analyst all right gentlemen crosstalk rules in effect that means you can jump in anytime you want but first let's take a look at some of the issues and opportunities facing president barack obama when it comes to afghanistan. more than a week following the killing of al qaeda leader osama bin laden the question that is gathering steam is whether the u.s. will now change its war on terror strategy a decade of chasing the specter of the loddon has marred the u.s. in a war against an enemy but a state less and it seems ubiquitous with up aeration in afghanistan iraq pakistan and yemen the cost of the war on terror and mounts to a staggering three trillion dollars the death toll is difficult to estimate but

hundreds of thousands of afghans iraqis and pakistani civilians are believed to have lost their lives but most of all we're making progress in our major goal our central role in pakistan. earth devastated that is disrupting the despair we are going to ultimately defeat. but this begs the question since they vow the goal of invading afghanistan to find bin laden is now complex what is to be done about al qaeda which though many argue is no longer relevant as franchise the sell out across the region last week it issued a response to bin ladin scaling say his quote blood will be a curse that will chase the americans and their agents a curse that would pursue them inside and outside their country this spiral this obama seems to be sticking to his guns promising to move forward with a plan to withdraw from afghanistan. the white house too has reaffirmed obama's stance saying the drawdown is on but the operation against al qaeda will now be

relegated to the afghan army the focus of that operation of the u.s. personnel in afghanistan is on al qaeda the operation continues the july two thousand and eleven transition date for the beginning of a drawdown remains. very much in place the pace of the drawdown will be determined by conditions on the ground but it is still very unlike anything less would believe that includes higher lee especially given the much glossed over suspicion of pakistan's knowledge of bin laden's presence in the country and not long ago general david petraeus himself cast a shadow over the prospect of withdrawing from afghanistan while the security progress over the past year is significant it is also fragile and reversible nevertheless what bin laden's death could surely do is help pave an easier way to negotiations and then out of afghanistan a way that would allow the u.s.

to walk away as a victor as even iran hails the success of its operation against bin laden say now it has no excuse to stay in the region marsha charney for across the uk r.t. . all right i'd like to go on to our guest in islamabad first bomb is that the united states after ten years could get osama bin laden kill him without anyone knowing about it in practice at least that's the official line how will that change the facts on the ground in afghanistan because the effectiveness of al qaeda is still relatively unknown but we know that the insurgency is quite strong what how is one affecting the other. well i actually would stick your brother's on with we won't discuss what was almost a legit clue when we'd been killed. by the us political front to stop the ground situation going to got a ton is going to be no different there is an ongoing insurgency and the insurgency

if you understand it correctly it is what should be called the front freedom struggle from occupation by foreign forces in his struggle that they would wildly eighty the when we would occupy them if we're going to they're now involved it against the american occupation forces so that struggle is an ongoing one and it's not going to end the american unfortunately the way they have conducted their operations and product on have alienated themselves when they came in in two thousand and one is they had conducted themselves as if they were saviors are focused on your own people would welcome them with gollum to them but they didn't and today the situation on the ground is that they are fed up with the americans they want about so that's not going to change no units but second part of your question which relates to al qaeda the al qaeda presence in afghanistan has reduced to a bare minimum there are perhaps about ten or twelve people that they're still

hiding out in the caves of tora bora the last that i ever heard of anything happening with the guy that was when we carried out the operation it will be to start with you will either start. in two thousand and eight. and. the. who called nine sally a bigger part of the most would put a note i don't the most pulled out they had to go to the cable to get their. turn to play the people and there were only about twenty odd people of that they were due for the since as your commentator going from the relevance of the given circumstances fact very very questionable ok ok i didn't get what i would have rather broadly about that i mean after we did what we just heard here i mean right now they deal with the death of. bin laden that's just a really good excuse and having nothing to do with really facts on the ground for

obama to say could start pulling back from afghanistan he found a paid to hang his story on his his narrative because from what we just heard what happened last week outside of islamabad has really nothing to do with the war going on in afghanistan. it may or may not i think it's a time for the president to be cautious you heard his advisor his military advisers well his political advisors say that we're on track to withdraw however conditions on the ground will will determine ultimately what american policy will be so i think we have to work very closely with the afghan government their military the pakistan government and their military in order to come up with a regional strategy by which america can withdraw but after the killing of osama bin laden now if ever is a time to be cautious and see what comes of his death who's going to take his place if anyone what kind of attacks will be made in retaliation so america must act

patiently and cautiously and the president is right to keep on his timetable with the out that if things on the ground change then our policy will change ok riley if i can stay with you what does it mean to you to draw back in afghanistan because a lot of people say complete withdrawal is the only option for the americans right now absolute complete withdrawal not you know to take fifty thousand troops home and keeping the other fifty there for another five years or something like that and keeping bases there and backing up karzai i mean where do you fall and on how far the for the poll out should be i think it all depends on what our military and political and state department people evaluation in concert with the local officials government officials i think ethnic and i stand think that's in their best interest and we have to evaluate what's in air best interest and our allies as long as al qaeda is operating in that region as long as the taliban is operating in that region i think the united states has an interest in preventing for her harm to

america and our friends and allies ok i've got to back to you buy into that. no it was you know i don't my in perception is the rule for a long time out u.s. foreign policy at least as far as it relates to this part of the world is dictated not by the white house made on capitol hill it is in fact made in the pentagon and langley and by. once again posting. our offering with cia a job who at x. but. it would betray is who fight a call correctly in two thousand and seven when he testified before congress about his off because of it out and he got it approved from congress and the congress later learned that he told lies. he was called little the hill covered a little bit with the slogan not betray us because. so you got to

know us not to say personally so that is rather far frankly friday dr drew fan or this is true this is prostitution. hardly bradley zero forty truth bradley go ahead and manufactured propaganda general petraeus is actually a revered on both sides of the aisle republicans or democrats and if anybody thought that he was telling the congress an untruth he certainly would have been brought before the congress in public and brought down about it general petraeus a strategy in iraq a lefty is likely good for you the strategy if somebody somebody. put up before p.d. ad in the newspaper will us with read the sam you know what i was curious and you don't realize it was it was a it was a democratic it was a tenor craddick operative group called move on dot org and you know how i know about it is because i put it in the paper denouncing it in the new york times so

don't say that it was the government when you were knighted states who portrayed portray us as a lawyer know it will be general rats who try to demonize him and work proved wrong so get your facts right not just nod nod nod just a democrat congress cultural it was my whole deal the willingness of the right rather let him speak let them split i'm speaking here let him speak on. it in the congress also if you slogan were raised whether you would like to accept that we are told that on the air that everything today is probably into that you know if they're around this and you can hear lies you believe everything that's on the internet ok so i really i could yeah i believe i believe some things on the internet i mean i i don't really want to about either one of us ready to go to pull out the level. you're not going to pull over well we're not making allegations by the let me tell occasion it's totally false and then back it up by the internet it

shows how at how ignorant you are to the facts i know the facts as i was in tamil your valve job market taught me i'm pakistani i'm ignorant you're an american and boy you don't know what you're talking about no but i have to i have no i do on this issue i do your thorough gentleman i may jump in here and jump in here after a short break we'll continue our discussion on afghanistan post a drug sting with r.t. . can. still. for some this is just a parliament building in berlin. once men sixty six years ago it was the final target. and the last major offensive for the red army.

its capture became the symbol of the fall fascist sitting down. and the big three over nazi germany. the fall of the berlin r.t. . if. you believe. the two to cut. costs. good. luck. good

luck. the luck of a soon to. come up to. plug. welcome back to cross talk i hear all about to remind you we're talking about obama and his new afghan strategy plum cake support. ok bradley and i to go back to you in washington. what about just direct negotiations between the united states and the taliban on terms and conditions for the the drawdown and leaving afghanistan and i suppose. there is that they're not they don't want any more troops staying in afghanistan complete evacuation is there and over time ok is that possible is that a scenario that can can be brought out because the american people are tired of the

war it's extremely expensive and goodness knows the people in afghanistan have had enough war two well i think the mirror americans are worried you were but we're not we are you being attacked and we're not weary of defending our country so i think we have to work with the karzai government and they are the elected government of afghanistan and figure out what is in their best interest what is in our best interest but one thing is for sure that we've seen out of the can and the killing of osama bin ladin is both the afghan government and the pakistani government played both sides of the fence and the united states must get tough with both of these governments you know they're going to be with us or against us and if they're if they're going to be against us then i think we need to get out of the region and do what we have to do to protect ourselves just like we did in going into pakistan without their knowledge and taking care of business so i think it's a time now for our governments to get tough with the afghan and pakistani government and actually find out where they stand with regard to american presence

in their countries ok it's called back to islam about here we used to be here that sort of af pak meeting america thinks it's convicts it's a problem in afghanistan and it has to do with pakistan after this unilateral act and people would say the be a violation of pakistani sovereignty how can that happen because pakistan really does play a key role here in resolving if it is resolvable be issues in afghanistan at least for the americans. you know what we just heard from. the washington post which was get tough and the u.s. world with certain to get tough. because it's the sole superpower that thinks it can get away with it i think it's five o'clock on inequality and also to look at options i think perhaps. the only people use that is to be you know who are on solution who have a lot of thought and problem and i think that's already underway that is hardly

a good body initiative which began last year be a little if you disagree. which out of the back from the new chief chief and if that issue is to work and if you do essentially the problem solution with both pocketbook and the u.s. but of course for any negotiation with the world of problems and live on has to be some facilitation done by talk stop will perhaps have the road complete facility create road or no more i think that will perhaps begin to be what we will be looking at us construct going to get off of that like we poor fellows you know we that we guys seem to have come from the wild oboes they're all called boy who could come out probably whatever they want to do you know i really feel bad i really jumpin for pakistan right rice with corruption and rife with harboring america's most wanted in the world's most wanted terrorist how is it possible that

pakistan did not know or was complicit in hiding this guy either way either answer is totally unacceptable and you can't tell me that pakistan did not know or was totally incompetent and in a military town crawling with retired and current military and your largest bases there and this guy is living there good of resource years i thought we would have to talk about of lot of stalin and so i let you be and i thought we'd move on all time. because then i was pakistan is a pakistan is you are now back you can't do one without the other all right you are ahead it is not all right you want to go back to pockets. let's talk about profit or whether this operation was gutted or u.s. forces by themselves or with the assistance of the i.s.i. has apparently tried recall correctly president obama in his speech when he addressed the public and made known this fact knowledged without the assistance of

the services this operation would all be possible what is more than likely all he said he said the other day on sixty minutes that that pakistan had to be complicit in hiding him after the fact they might have helped us but i write gentlemen to give you an idea i'd like to stay with you i'd like to state afghanistan gentlemen i'd like to stay with afghanistan but i think that's news bradley i'd. like to ask you you know we've been this is ten years going on the united states has been in afghanistan for ten years and its coalition of the willing that is dwindling all the time i mean it looks to me you know the insurgency is just it can afford to wait it out ok i mean the united states is i mean i was reading an interesting article coming from a military source u.s. military source just today he said there's such a psychological fatigue of the military after ten years these were these people didn't expect to be there for a decade ok and take that's taking its toll as well i mean what my point is is that

if you don't make a pretty negotiated deal pretty soon on terms that are appealing to the people on the ground it doesn't matter the united states will just be bled dry over just a year after year tens of billions of dollars i agree there are now. there is fatigue and there's a question as to what the end game is sooner or later the pakistanis and the afghanis have got to stand up on their own it's their country but having said that i think after the death of osama bin laden we have to be more cautious than ever and i think the president is smart to stick to his timeline publicly but with the kaviak that we're going to evaluate the situations on the ground which will determine our ultimate policy i think that's the only rational policy this is ministration in our administration and our military can take at this time but it's certainly it's up to the afghan people themselves to determine their ultimate destiny and if they want to help and it's reasonable we should give it ok i talk

about islam and i mean and looking at these two countries i mean is karzai a partner that they can be dealt with other than that the americans i mean is he a legitimate force within afghanistan to make negotiations happen with the insurgency and to deal directly with pakistan because he's strong and if we get him in a regretfully regretfully nod you know i think if we go we go back a little bit of time and i think i can recall. the the american president. conditions. closely about having a good election and the bad period of time between the water thought well that of course the us pulled back and let it be but they had lost his whatever credibility he had to call a stop. loss and for a number reason we don't need to go back to history treats all that but he lost to credibility the people the longer trusted my own got if if the us backed up to go because they will be

a lot of baggage to deal with but they would have to be as i said before i know who and solution to a problem and it's not going to be a call about a solution i can assure you that i think whatever the i think that is the relation of one is gone as well as in pockets or what we want we want a peaceful honest pocket and we want. but that it can only come about if round we get together and we collect two solution which could make it work it would not be a car those who should it will perhaps be something else it will perhaps be a national government or some sort something that would make it work because the longer one has landed on a stable we are unstable the longer we are unstable and honestly i wouldn't put on who called wolfowitz and therefore it in our interest in something something meaningful to give to work. broadly what do you think about that i mean i we didn't hear the u.s. in that in that i mean i mean what brought i mean if you read the afghans and the pakistanis they deal with the problem themselves because

a lot of people say and looking at the insurgency on a number of people and these are legitimate polls that have been taken that the bottom line is is what's called the occupation of afghanistan now that's just it can the united states afford to completely withdraw from the country because that's the the single most important demand that many members of the insurgency have. it remains to be seen i think as time goes by in a very short period of time because we're up against july when we start to make major withdrawals let's see what happens but i agree that it's obviously up to the pakistani government and the afghan government to solve their own problems both individually and collectively as they share a border so if i in the best possible scenario for me would be the administration actively engaged with the afghan government of pakistan government and other

credible allies to help them stand up on their own i think that's a great solution whether it's possible or not remains to be seen but let's be hopeful and cautious and not just act out of a knee jerk reaction that a date certain means that we have to withdraw regardless of what conditions are what if i go back to islam a little closer look ok let's also don't let's all sort of threaten each other let's sort of course let's be hopeful and let's not just you crippling each other let's not go people who go to guns and say i can do this you know on the big. yes you had a question you know i know what i'm very interested in looking at here is that i want to stay with islam and it's just pollack from a pakistani point of view is this just politicking is this obama looking for reelection ok he's got national security credentials now that no one can really question ok and now he looks like a powerful guy and americans like that when they go to the polls you know how much

of this in your mind and in the timing of it all of this is politicking and really it doesn't matter about the people on the ground ok it's about how americans feel about themselves go ahead. well the the truth of the matter lose everything everywhere only is about politics when it comes to politics and nothing is not politicking so it's the. the actual grade. the first and. pretty for all the good old from obama gave about ten points. seventeen points so yes he's gained and if you let me jump in here bradley we're almost out of time bradley i want to give you the last thirty seconds of the program is it all about politics it's all about the election two thousand and twelve going to look at the era lection is going to come down to the economy we are light years away from. the election in political terms so when people go into the polls they're ask themselves one question are we better off today than we are four

years ago and the answer today is no regardless of this national security credentials it's all about the economy all right gentlemen thanks to my guest today in washington and in islamabad and thanks to our viewers for watching us here r.t. see you next time and remember cross talk rules.