Archive - Feb 2, 2010

• In Afghanistan, some push for governance, development over negotiation with Taliban
  (click here for web-only special)
• Relief workers struggle to find solutions for Haitian orphans
• Top defense officials call for an end to Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy
• Gates urges lawmakers to pass $768 billion military budget
• Some social programs to receive increase in funding under Obama’s budget
• Mumia Abu-Jamal: Howard Zinn

• Rep. John Murtha hospitalized
• Americans detained in Pakistan allege torture by FBI
• Violence against political opposition continues in Sri Lanka after election
• Executions stalled in Iran
• Justice Department will Investigate FBI shooting of Detroit imam
• U. Oregon Students protest hate group on campus

Afghan President Hamid Karzai visited Saudi Arabia today in an effort to gather support for negotiations with the Taliban.  Some experts say Saudi Arabia could be influential in reaching Taliban leaders. Saudi Arabia was an early supporter of the Taliban and one of the few nations to recognize the Taliban while they were in power. The strategy of offering monetary incentives and a political role to the Taliban in order to end the conflict in Afghanistan received widespread support during last week's London conference.

But the plan is not without critics. Today we continue our two part series looking at the new strategy with Inge Frykland. She's an international development consultant who has worked in Afghanistan with the United Nations Development Program and US Agency for International Development.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai visited Saudi Arabia today in an effort to gather support for negotiations with the Taliban.  Some experts say Saudi Arabia could be influential in reaching Taliban leaders. Saudi Arabia was an early supporter of the Taliban and one of the few nations to recognize the Taliban while they were in power. The strategy of offering monetary incentives and a political role to the Taliban in order to end the conflict in Afghanistan received widespread support during last week's London conference.

But the plan is not without critics. Today we continue our two part series looking at the new strategy with Inge Frykland. She's an international development consultant who has worked in Afghanistan with the United Nations Development Program and US Agency for International Development.

Even before the earthquake, there were hundreds of orphaned children in Haiti. Many of these children were already in the process of being adopted by families in the United States. The earthquake has left many more children without parents or guardians and there is controversy over how best to help them. Dolores M. Bernal brings us this report from Port-au-Prince.

The US Senate held its first hearing on Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell since 1993. Civil rights Advocates call it historic. The top two officials in the military, Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Michael Mullen, gave their support of a repeal of the law that prohibits openly gay and lesbian people from serving in the armed services. FSRN’s Leigh Ann Caldwell reports.

Secretary of Defense Robert Gates was also on Capitol Hill today to urge lawmakers to pass President Obama's $768 billion military budget. That's nearly a 3.4 percent rise from the previous year.

Obama is requesting $33 billion for the current year, to help with the 30,000 additional troops scheduled to deploy to Afghanistan, as well as $159 billion to fund strategies in Afghanistan and Pakistan for 2011. It would also increase money for the unmanned drone aircrafts, used extensively in the region.

Responding to questions at a Senate hearing over why spending in Iraq was still high, even as the military plans a drawdown of forces, Gates said that only a small part of the money goes to funding combat needs, such as equipment, with the emphasis now on transitioning security to the Iraqis.

"The rest of it is all connected with our transfer of responsibilities, costs associated with transfer of responsibilities, either from ourselves to the Iraqis or from the Department of Defense to the Department of State after our troops come out. So most of those costs are associated in that area along with sustainment and training for the Iraqis who are going to be taking our places."

The budget does have some cuts: one of those would be to close the production line for the C-17 transport planes, built by Boeing, an annual reduction of some $2.5 billion.