Taliban attacks sustain regional instability

Flikr photo by N_Creatures used under a Creative Commons license.  PCR Project Co-Director Karin von Hippel was featured on World Focus to discuss the bold recent attacks that have taken place in Kabul, days before the expected arrival of the Special Envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan, Richard Holbrooke.  Dr. von Hippel discussed the implications for the timing of the recent attacks as meant to embarrass the international community.  While it is not difficult to disrupt security in Kabul, the attacks define the situation on the ground for Holbrooke.  She also focused on the potential effectiveness of an addition of 30,000 troops, which will likely amount to possibly 15,000 by summer.  The impact of the surge will depend entirely on how the troops are managed and the location where they are deployed, with the most insecure regions clearly in the South and the East.  Video of the interview is available online.