Will Peacekeeping Keep the Peace in Afghanistan?

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Appointments by the shaky government of interim leader Hamid Karzai have been met with resistance as former Taliban leaders and rival warlord refuse to cede power. If the pattern repeats all over the country, Afghanistan could be headed for civil war. UN peacekeepers have established a shaky cease-fire in the capital city of Kabul. Karzai wants more peacekeepers, but many countries say they're already spread too thin and the US is busy hunting down the al Qaeda. Can outsiders restore the order Afghanistan desperately needs? We get a report from the scene, then hear some conflicting opinions from former UN and US officials about the credibility of peacekeeping forces and potential conflicts of interest for the US. Newsmaker: California's Three-Strike Ruling Eases Standards California was the first state to adopt "three strikes and you're out," and it leads the nation in tough sentencing laws. But a federal appeals court just threw out two such terms, ruling that 25 years to life was "cruel and unusual punishment." Pam MacLean, who writes for San Francisco's legal newspaper, The Daily Journal, says the decision could affect up to 350 inmates serving time for petty theft. Reporter's Notebook: The Pain for Some Ex-NFL Players Never Ends The Winter Olympics will be this weekend's major sports event, but the National Football League's Pro Bowl is coming up too, and the Super Bowl is just behind us. The games keep getting faster, more violent and more punishing. So, what about all those injuries, and what happens to players in later life? Robert Huizenga, former team doctor for the Raiders, has seen the darker side of NFL life.
Appointments by the shaky government of interim leader Hamid Karzai have been met with resistance as former Taliban leaders and rival warlord refuse to cede power. If the pattern repeats all over the country, Afghanistan could be headed for civil war. UN peacekeepers have established a shaky cease-fire in the capital city of Kabul. Karzai wants more peacekeepers, but many countries say they're already spread too thin and the US is busy hunting down the al Qaeda. Can outsiders restore the order Afghanistan desperately needs? We get a report from the scene, then hear some conflicting opinions from former UN and US officials about the credibility of peacekeeping forces and potential conflicts of interest for the US.
  • Newsmaker: California's Three-Strike Ruling Eases Standards
    California was the first state to adopt "three strikes and you're out," and it leads the nation in tough sentencing laws. But a federal appeals court just threw out two such terms, ruling that 25 years to life was "cruel and unusual punishment." Pam MacLean, who writes for San Francisco's legal newspaper, The Daily Journal, says the decision could affect up to 350 inmates serving time for petty theft.
  • Reporter's Notebook: The Pain for Some Ex-NFL Players Never Ends
    The Winter Olympics will be this weekend's major sports event, but the National Football League's Pro Bowl is coming up too, and the Super Bowl is just behind us. The games keep getting faster, more violent and more punishing. So, what about all those injuries, and what happens to players in later life? Robert Huizenga, former team doctor for the Raiders, has seen the darker side of NFL life.

US 9th District Court of Appeals

The Daily Journal

Afghanistan: Mullah, Marx, and Mujahid

The Christian Science Monitor

Council on Foreign Relations

Jane-s World Armies

United Nations

Why Peacekeeping Fails

National Football League

-You're Okay, It's Just a Bruise-

Credits

Host:

Warren Olney