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Defense and Security

The World Next Week: Obama Decides on Afghanistan

By experts and staff

Published
  • James M. LindsayCFR Expert
    Mary and David Boies Distinguished Senior Fellow in U.S. Foreign Policy
resident Barack Obama speaks about the war in Afghanistan during a televised address from the East Room of the White House on June 22, 2011.
President Barack Obama speaks about the war in Afghanistan during a televised address from the East Room of the White House on June 22, 2011.

The World Next Week podcast is up. Bob McMahon and I discussed the troop drawdown in Afghanistan; changes in Obama’s defense personnel; and the latest news on the Greek debt crisis.

[audio: https://www.cfr.org/content/publications/media/podcast/2011/20110623_TWN…]

The highlights:

The New York Times provides an interactive chart detailing the number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan since late 2001, and the Navy Times reports on the Afghan military’s ability to take over once U.S. troops depart. The Associated Press and the Telegraph give overviews of defense officials who are leaving their posts and the possible effects of these changes on U.S. policy in Afghanistan. CFR’s Sebastian Mallaby writes about the bleak prospects of the Greek government, while the Washington Post outlines the effects of the debt crisis on investors.