ASIAN VOICES

"Special: Afghanistan - The Road to Peace"

Aug. 29, Sat. 14:10-16:00 (News from15:00-15:10) (UTC) etc.

In Asian Voices, experts from across the continent reveal an Asian viewpoint. In this special edition we devote 100 minutes to Afghanistan, a country again in the global spotlight.

Afghanistan is still in turmoil. The terrorist threat from the Taliban, strict enforcers of Islamic fundamentalism, has spread to every part of the country. Civilian deaths in terrorist attacks and armed conflict have been increasing, and now stand at their highest level in eight years. In July, the US government launched an offensive targeting the Taliban as part of a major new strategy. But with US and UK forces suffering serious casualties, the future of this strategy is now in some doubt.

On August 20th, Afghanistan held its first presidential election in five years. President Hamid Karzai came to power with international backing in 2004, but can he hold on to power? Afghan society has suffered growing instability over the past five years amid a Taliban resurgence, rampant corruption and widespread drug cultivation. To obstruct the election the Taliban stepped up their attacks in the capital, Kabul, and elsewhere in Afghanistan, and it seems that voter turnout may indeed have been much lower than last time. What can be done to put Afghanistan on the road to recovery?

We link Kabul with our Tokyo studio for a discussion with Afghan officials and experts from the United States and Japan who are engaged in Afghan reconstruction initiatives. Together, they consider possible paths to peace.

Guest Mohammad Yousef Pashtun (Minister of Urban Development and Housing)	Guest Jelani Popal (General Director, Independent Directorate of Local Governance)	Guest Wadir Safi (Professor, Kabul University)
Guest John Dempsey (Head of Kabul office, USIP)	Guest Candace Rondeaux (Senior Analyst, ICG)	Studio Guest Kenji Isezaki (Professor, Tokyo University of Foreign Studies)
Presenter Aiko Doden (Senior Commentator, NHK)