tonight on "worldfocus" -- >> as the war against the taliban rages on, we will take you inside afghanistan for a vivid look at how american helicopter pilots are playing a key role supporting british troops. we will visit qatar, where enormous oil wealth is creating the good life. how long will it last? and a look inside the african nation of ghana where a recent anniversary of the monarchy led to king-sized celebrations. from the world's leading reporters and analysts, here's what's happening around the world. this is "worldfocus." made possible in part by the

following funders -- major support has also been provided by the peter g. peterson foundation, dedicated to promoting fiscal responsibility and addressing key economic challenges facing america's future. good evening. i'm daljit dhaliwal. on this eighth anniversary of the september 11 attacks, america's top commander in afghanistan says that he believes the united states and its allies there have likely prevented other terrorist attacks. but eight years on, the united states is still battling a resur again taliban. tonight we're going to look at war, once again. but first, 9/11 was also remembered beyond the united states. at bagram airfield in afghanistan, there was a ceremony and a run by more than a thousand service members.

the distance was 9.11 kilometers, or 5 1/2 miles. in moscow, a church service attended by american and russian officials. and in london, people stopped by the 9/11 memorial. 67 britons were among the almost 3,000 people who were killed that day. and as the war escalates in afghanistan, british and american are also tied in battle. for one thing, the british rely heavily on the u.s. helicopter support. in tonight's "lead focus" we want to show you how the cooperation is playing out÷"ñ bill neely of itn is with british and american forces. >> reporter: the end of a +f nighttime assault in helmand and british troops struggle on to helicopters. theyere attacked as landed. take-off is a dangerous moment. no lights, little rest, their tour has been deadly, with dozens killed.

gunfire from the american troops. who have ploen thrown them in and out. on bore the chinooks are nearly 300 british soldiers. >> it's a british operation, but it would not have been possible without american help. >> reporter: the americans used nine transport helicopters, other gunships overhead. nine chinooks, equivalent on one mission to the entire british chinook fleet in helmand. the american surge mais made this possible. >> the americans do have a lot of aviation, more aviation than the british and enabled us to get into one chinook. >> we're using the american aviation and in effect using the british infantry. >> reporter: in the deadliest war zone for both armies, joint operations and mutual respect. >> i get excited when we fly to british, because i know something good's going to happen. >> reporter: bad things happen, too. casualties.

the americans have also brought dozens of helicopters for that at one base, there were three blackhawk medical helicopters before the u.s. surge. now there are 15. on board here, two afghan soldiers shot by the taliban, one is dying. american medics treat them and get them to a field hospital 30 minutes after being called. another emergency, three dutch soldiers have been injured by a roadside bomb. in four months at one base, the americans have evacuated 1,500 wounded. their own british, afghan, dutch, and canadian. a dozen a day. >> ooh think since probably june or july we've seen an increase probably about 30% of combat casualties. >> reporter: president obama's surge has brought nearly 20,000 american troops to southern

afghanistan, and much more. the 100 helicopters have just one brigade, the 82nd airborne, dwarf britain's total fleet around 20. two of which crashed and were destroyed last month.fst! these aircraft alone will not win this war. but it certainly wasn't being won without them. afghans are building new american bases. but outside them, afghanistan is not being rebuilt. the war is faltering, afghans are losing patience. coalition casualties are rising fast. the americans promise a new dawn with their troop surge. it's too early to judge if it heralds a dawn or the sunset of their hopes and the failure britain, too, fears. >> we thought we would look how the eighth anniversary of 9/11 is resonating among muslims around the world. for that we turn to dala mogahed

executive director of the gallup center for muslim studies, she is an adviser to the obama administration and leads an unprecedented survey of more than 1 billion muslims worldwide. dalia, welcome to the program. >> thank you. >> let me start by asking you, your polling shows that america's image has improved in some muslim countries since 9/11. give us some context, why that is? and are there countries in this list that might surprise us? >> well, i think it's very interesting which countries those are. the biggest improvement has been in egypt and saudi arabia, which used to be among the countries with the lowest approval rating of the united states. in egypt, for example, the leadership of the united states went up from only 6% of approval val, still not a 3hc9uñ majority but an important improvement. >> what are some of the reasons why that has happened? >> i think that the overtures of the obama administration to

muslim majority countries have been appreciated and recognized by the public in egypt and in saudi arabia and in many other muslim majority countries. the main issue that angered egyptians specifically at the united states was the iraq war and with the obama administration specifically talking about a withdrawal, i think that that's improved people's opinions. >> and overall, eight years on, is there more or less violent extremism and sympathy for al qaeda? >> well the sympathy for the attacks of 9/11 have been on a decline and they are -- they continue to decline in 2009, especially among both egyptians and saudis. it's interesting the two countries that improved the opinion of the united states and also the two countries whose publics are less likely than they were just a year ago or two years ago to say that the attacks of 9/11 were justified.

and dalia, what about opinions towards muslims around the world? have they got more or less negative, or would you say that the figures have stayed about the same? and why do you think there may or may not have been changes to that? >> the opinions of -- toward muslims around the world, specifically by the american public, have improved slightly, but not very much. so in 2007, we found that around 19% of americans said that they had extreme prejudice towards muslims. when we polled again in 2009, that number was 14%. it's moving in the right direction, but it's still not -- it hasn't moved very much. >> all right. dala mogahed in washington thank you very much. >> thank you. we also want to know how you see it. the afghanistan invasion was launched largely with one man in mind, osama bin ladin.

he is still number one on the >kr;xwerjj$u(u$sráu so the question tonight, eight years after the 9/11 attacks and the expanding war in afghanistan, should his capture still be a priority for the united states in the battle against terrorism? you can tell us what you think by going to how you see it section of our website, at worldfocus.org. another tense area, the border between israel and lebanon, and today the latest exchange of fire. two rockets fired into northern israel, one landing in the town of nahariya. it wasn't clear who fired the rockets. israeli forces responded with artillery aimed athe a southern lebanese town. >> we want to return to a story from israel which we first touched on earlier this week, a reported secret visit by prime minister benjamin netanyahu to moscow, possibly for talks on israel's concerns about iran's

nuclear program. israeli media were caught off guard by netanyahu's day-long disappearance and we thought it would be helpful to show you how the story, the intrigue, was covered yesterday by the state-funded israeli broadcasting authority. >> the confirmation in the russian newspaper of prime minister netanyahu's trip comes despite a statement by the kremlin news service saying nothing is known about reports of the visit. but newspapers in russia today are filled with rumors about the trip. a paper says, quote, such a visit could be related to new information and could threaten the iranian nuclear program. it should not be ruled out israel may be ready to move on to decisive actions with regards to iran and netanyahu has decided to inform the kremlin of this. last night the prime minister's office published another announcement on the mysterious disappearance of netanyahu on monday. the prime minister is busy with a confidential and classified activity.

it doesn't say with whom or where or why. but it's almost as mysterious whether the trip took place is what might have been discussed. speculation focuses on informing russia about an attack on iran and president ahmadinejad, the possible russian arms deal to iran and syria or the disappearance of the arctic sea cargo ship suspected of carrying russian-made s-300 anti-aircraft missiles bound for iran that went missing last month. and now to our weekly roundtable. tonight we're going to look ahead to the major foreign policy claelgss facing president obama this fall. iran signaled again this week it is pushing ahead with its nuclear program, and russia says it won't back international sanctions.sqc what options does that leave the president? and house speaker nancy pelosi says it is unlikely that congress will support any plan

to send more american troops to afghanistan, even though top military leaders apparently want to do just that. for more on all of this we're joined by garrick utley, president of the levin institute of the state university of new york and former nbc news foreign correspondent and anchor. also with us is charles sennott, a longtime correspondent for the "boston globe" and is now the executive editor and vice president of global post. welcome to both of of you. nice to see you. >> thank you. >> let's start with iran. the president had given the iranians a target date of september to come to the table and start negotiating over the nuclear program. we are now in september. where do we go from here? >> well, where does president obama go, one? but secondly, can he do it alone? this is a u.n. action, obviously nations such as russians have a

vetoes and the uk wants to have pressure. even if obama can get everybody together to say yes the time has come to take further steps you have the problem with the russians. and the iranians, as we know, we have been discussing this, sent their proposals, which are very vague, but at least when obama said in this inaugural address i'll hold out an open hand, they are offering to talk. so you say we won't enter talks. should we enter talks? >> what happens to that whole idea of, you know, here's an olive branch, let's do away with the clenched fist, iranians are íñjddq t)oposals. the united states wants diplomacy. where is the diplomacy from both sides? >> i think the obama's administration inclination, its announced inclination they do want to talk with iran, but then something happened and that was the june election. the demonstrations in the street. suddenly you're dealing with ahmadinejad in a way in which he's no longer seen or in a decreasing legitimacy that he had before, in a really

contested election, in a royaling public that wants change and america's suddenly caught in its foreign policy. the obama administration has to decide now, does it want to go forward with negotiation as it's spelled out or did june change everything and do they now need to back off of that because of that election and its contested results? >> that also means, doesn't it, charles, that the issue's no longer about nuclear energy and nuclear weapons, it's about the relationship of legitimizing the government in tehran and strengthening that or pulling back, which may achieve a greater and more desired goal, which is change on the ground. >> i think you're right. >> given complications and i complicate things enormously i'm assuming for president obama, would now be an appropriate time to put this on hold rather than go down the route of we want to have sanctions and the chinese can say the same thing? what is point of going down the

route? >> the russians will always complicate this for us. i mean, the united states policy will always be complicated bit russians being in that equation and that's very real. i think this will come to a head when ahmadinejad visits new york, visits the u.n., and he's going to be here and there's going to be a great call for him to release the "newsweek" correspondent who is still being held, to release many of the journalists and bloggers still being detained. there are things for ahmadinejad to answer for and i think, yes it will have to go into a cooling pattern where the united states is going to have be to be very clear that this government is seen as increasingly illegitimate and they have to put that forward. >> one other aspect, israel. we may go into a holding or cooling pattern, whatever you call it but israel and netanyahu may not be patient. they may act unilaterally. you can't allow an open ended situation where nothing has happened and some point israel

says we have to act. >> let's move on to the other big foreign policy question, afghanistan. a lot going on with that story also. give us, both of you, your assessments where the president stands with that. >> his dilemma is first, i'll be brief, you can't move forward, you can't move backward. you don't want to go in with vast amounts of combat troops if they were available because it's an open- ended combat situation. you're not going to have a military victory.&rb$ that's not likely. you don't want to schedule a pullout. you're stuck in the middle. you're the expert on that. >> i don't know if i'm an expert. >> more troops a good idea or not? >> i think, having been on the ground there in the month of june and seeing that the troops that are there now, this is a 21,000-increase flowing in right now and that will bring u.s. presence up to 68,000 troops that's already an increase. that's what obama said he wanted. that's what the general said they wanted. when they try to go beyond that increase, they're going to run into a political fight with the democrats. so my assessment, from the ground, would be the troops that

are there now need to be better at what they do now. they need to be more well-trained, more educated about and thr reso they can disstern through a more sophisticate understanding of the counterinsurgency who are the reconcilable taliban? who are the irreconcilable taliban? without the very local ground truth, that real sense of being in villages and understanding them i don't see how an increase in troops can do anything. and in fact, i would argue an increase in troops could alienate the population and could really backfire. >> do you agree? >> i want to bring up another point it is the domestic political equation obama has to look at. he came in posing as a national security president, i will protect you by sending more troops to afghanistan, that's the war of necessity, the democrats have supported him. now it's the democratic support in congress is eroding, public support isn't there. the great extensional danger for obama if he would weaken his resolve or seem to do so in afghanistan and there's a

terrorist strike, whether it comes from al qaeda in afghanistan or elsewhere, all of the republicans were doing to obama in the health care is nothing compared to what you're going to hear from the talk shows that the democrats and the president have not protected us. so he cannot afford politically to disengage. >> i would agree. and i would also say the comparisons with vietnam are tired. right now in this moment, i do think that the president obama faces a johnson moment. president johnson tried to greatly expand what he could accomplish on his national agenda while fighting a devastating war. i think that obama's in that moment now and looking that the kind of history if he's not careful in this moment. >> pleasure to talk about. we could go longer. we've got leave it there. garrick utley and charles sennott, thank you. >> thank you.

as we turn to the global economy, there were signs this week that russia may be bottoming out of its severe recession. the russian economy grew 7.5% in the second quarter of this year, compared with the first quarter. for one thing, russia has been increasing its oil exports. in fact, it has now surpassed saudi arabia as the world's leading oil exporter. you might think that an economy with a seemingly nonstop flow of oil revenue and resulting wealth means a never ending carefree lifestyle. but that is not necessarily the case, as we hear in this report from the persian gulf nation of qatar. nicole johnson of al jazeera english shows us why. >> reporter: living it up in the gulf. ahmed, an 18-year-old on holiday. here the country's enormous oil and gas wealth means the state pays for his university

education, gives him a free plot of land, builds his house, and pays for his electricity and water bills. >> translator: many people took advantage of the benefits. they realized they're privileged. however, others did not. those people squandered their money on luxury. (bryrle >> reporter: when you're broughg into a country rich in oil and gas, the tables have created a classic welfare system. while it soulessing, analysts say it can also be a curse and that's because the countries are literally drowning in petro dolrs. >> it is good to have a welfare state, good to have the net underneath that people don't fall through, fall down, within the competition in the country. but when it goes too far, it kills incentives and that's problem is being faced now. the gulf countries it sounds like economic jargon, it means they rely almost entirely on income from oil and gas and this money is called

rent. how can having too much oil rent be considered a curse? analysts says in the gulf it distorts the domestic economy and this is how. with limited local industry, the state gives people jobs in bloated, often inefficient bureaucracies and to spend the money, government set out develop ambitious projects so-called white elephants. these require a huge amount of imports which in turn sends inf. >> in many ways societies in the gulf, for example, were much for galetera ian societies before the coming of oil. oil elevated the ruling families because they got a hold of the oil rent from the oil companies or the colonial rulers in the past and it elevated them above the people. >> reporter: cruising around on a jet ski in the gulf, the politics of oil seems far away. most people appear content with the benefits the state gives them, for as long as the oil rent w

lasts. nicole johnston, al jazeera. on "worldfocus" we try regularly to introduce you to unfamiliar parts of the world. tonight with that goal in mind we want to share remarkable images that we came across. they came from the west african country of ghana, the first african country our first african-american president visited earlier this year. ghana is an increasingly modern society but some old ways endure. the country's largest tribe the ashantis have their own king. when an important anniversary occurred recently the king-sized celebrations began.

>> reporter: about 250 members of ghana's ashanti community have come out in large numbers to pay homage to their king. ♪ it's been a decade since tutu ii took over traditional rule and spiritual leader of the ashanti's the country's largest community has reason to celebrate. ♪ adorned in gold ornaments, carried shoulder high as his entourage makes its way for the day celebrations. girls from the royal palace chase away evil spirits that might be in the area. but it's a modern monarch, who encourages use of the internet, advocates for better education

in schools and helped tackle poverty in the region. he also credited for attracting investors to the cou ghana's president was among local international dignitaries who came to acknowledge the king's efforts. the director of the institute of african studies of the university of ghana. we asked him how relevant the ashanti king is today. >> there are many modern things that it does, which please me because he has adjusted himself to the changing circumstances of our country and has shown all of us how to respond to change and to culture so that we'll preserve our identity while, at the same time, looking forward to being a part of a world community in which many things are happening.

>> reporter: the ashanti king's anniversary celebrations lasted for two days and included the launch of a charity to help underprivileged children go to school. >> the establishment of a foundation today is not by accident. this is part of a carefully orchestrated agenda of his majesty to ensure that, under his leadership, the ashanti kingdom does not just become a relic of the past, but seeks to enter the future with modern technology and developmental gain. >> reporter: across africa, many communities have abandoned their cultural practices, but ashantis expect the king to preserve their heritage and achieve even more for the kingdom as he leads them in these modern times. >> and that's story from our partner in nairobi, kenya, africa 24.

and that is "worldfocus" for this friday evening. if you missed any programs this week, catch up with all of them at our website at worldfocus.org. i'm daljit dhaliwal in new york. thank you for joining us. we hope to see you back here at monday time. until then have a great weekend "worldfocus" is made possible in part by the following funders -- major support has also been provided by the peter g. peterson foundation, dedicated to promoting fiscal responsibility and addressing key economic challenges facing america's future.