Link to the Show / Show NotesThis week on CounterSpin: 30,000 new troops to Afghanistan at the 'fastest possible pace,' President Obama has declared, are in our vital national interest. The Washington Post called it a strong but carefully calibrated to Afghanistan and Pakistan, describing the plan as "a counterinsurgency strategy aimed at protecting the Aghan population." Perhaps some message shifting going on, about whether US actions are aimed at helping Afghans or defending ourselves, (or maybe you can take your pick) but what doesn't seem up for serious discussion is whether the actions will have the effect of doing either.
We’ll be talking about how media are explaining this latest surge in Afghanistan to a public who show increasing dislike for the war however it's framed. Peter Hart speaks with author and activist Norman Solomon about the politics and language of escalation.
Also on the show: Much of the current media conversation seems to start the clock with the 2001 invasion, but what’s the impact of misunderstanding- or missing- the history in Afghanistan as we talk about what’s likely in the future? We'll hear from Robert Naiman, of Just Foreign Policy on that question.
LINKS
--Norman Solomon
--Just Foreign Policy
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