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Experts see trouble in Afghanistan, Pakistan: survey
Washington (AFP) Aug 18, 2008 Concern among US foreign policy elites has shifted from Iraq to Pakistan with a majority believing it is the country most likely to pass nuclear technology to terrorists, a survey released Monday found. More than 100 foreign policy experts were surveyed by Foreign Policy magazine and the Center for American Progress, which publish an annual terrorism index that gauges shifts in perception of threats facing the United States. Among its findings: 69 percent surveyed said the United States should shift its forces from Iraq to Afghanistan and the Gulf region, with 80 percent opining that the United States has focused too much on Iraq and not enough on Afghanistan. Pakistan was named by more than half the participants as the country most likely to become the next Al-Qaeda stronghold, up from 35 percent last year. "In addition, a large majority (69 percent) of the experts considers Pakistan the country most likely to transfer nuclear technology to terrorists," Foreign Policy and the Center for American Progress said in reporting the findings. The biggest change in sentiment appears to have been on Iraq. Sixty percent of those surveyed said the US surge strategy is promoting security there, compared to only 17 percent last year. "In 2007, 10 percent of experts named the Iraq war as the greatest threat to US security. In May 2008, not a single expert did," the surveys sponsors said. Last year, 91 percent of the experts surveyed believed the world was becoming a more dangerous place for Americans and the United States, but in this year's survey the percentage taking that dim view shrunk to 70 percent. Though still a minority, 21 percent of the experts now believe the United States is winning the war on terrorism, up from six percent last year. The experts gave the administration's energy policies their lowest score -- 2.2 out of 10 -- since the survey began in 2006, and 74 percent said it was having a negative impact on US national security. Related Links News From Across The Stans
US Marines stretched for training of Afghan troops: commander
Nijrab, Afghanistan (AFP) Aug 17, 2008The US Marine Corps will not be able to increase military training teams needed to bolster security forces in Afghanistan unless it draws down in Iraq, the force's top commander has warned. |
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