MEDIA REACTION: MEDIA REACTION: SITUATION IN AFGHANISTAN

UNCLAS KATHMANDU 001120



SIPDIS



STATE FOR SCA/INS, PM/CBM, PM/PRO



STATE FOR SCA/PPD, PA/RRU



E.O. 12958 N/A

TAGS: KMDR, KPAO, PGOV, OPRC, NP

SUBJ: MEDIA REACTION: MEDIA REACTION: SITUATION IN

AFGHANISTAN



1. SUMMARY: Nepal's popular vernacular weekly

Ghatana Ra Bichar (estimated circulation of 7,000)

on Wednesday, December 7, 2009 published an opinion

piece by a recent International Visitor Leadership

participant. Babita Basnet, editor of the magazine

and a participant of the IVLP "U.S. Foreign Policy,"

from November 9 - 20, 2009 writes about her meetings

with 'think tanks' and their concerns about the

deteriorating situation in Afghanistan. Basnet

praises President Obama for deciding to deploy more

troops, but at the same time reasons that the

Pentagon will have to use a lot of strategies to

keep the troops' morale high.



SELECTED EXCERPTS:



2. "... After three and half months of

consultations and study President Barack Obama

announced his plan to deploy 30,000 more troops in

Afghanistan. There have been long discussions in the

United States about whether to add troops in

Afghanistan ...Americans are concerned about the

situation in Afghanistan but also believe that the

operations in Afghanistan will not yield positive

results unless strong actions are taken against the

Taliban in Pakistan. 'Pakistan must be sincere in

controlling terrorism,' they say."



3. "... The American media has also raised

questions about President Obama nominating retired

army generals to the positions of security experts.

Those raising these questions say: 'why spend the

state treasury on those who've been paid from it all

their life?' But talking to a team of South Asian

journalists, Dr. John Alan William of the National

Strategy Forum, Chicago, said that there are many

people who have spent their life on security

strategy. ...Therefore, President Obama has done

the right thing."



BERRY