where there’s smoke there’s forum fire
Just ran across this documentary, set to air Oct. 13 in the US. What makes this unusual - for now - is the combat footage. It was shot on a rigged up 5D Mk II. Hopefully Nikon gets a FX camera with FULL HD video soon.
Anyway, here's the link: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/obamaswar/
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<h1>
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</div><span class="warning">Warning: This video contains graphic language and violent imagery</span>
<div id="rotator"><p> As President Obama approaches a decision point on Afghanistan strategy and whether to increase troop levels, a 24-minute rough cut of the first act of <i>Obama's War</i>.</p></div></div>
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<div class="left"><h2>INTERVIEWS</h2>
<div class="interview" onclick="location.href='interviews/exum.html'">
<p>Andrew Exum</p></div>
<div class="interview" onclick="location.href='interviews/nagl.html'">
<p>Lt. Col John Nagl (Ret.)</p></div>
<div class="interview" onclick="location.href='interviews/mcchrystal.html'">
<p>Gen. Stanley McChrystal</p></div>
</div>
<div class="related">
<h2>READINGS</h2>
<div class="rell">Facts and Stats: The Marines in Helmand Province</div>
<div class="rel">Lance Cpl. Charles Seth Sharp's Funeral -- NPR</div>
<div class="rell">Interview: Photojournalist Danfung Dennis</div>
<div class="rel">Gen. David Petraeus' Speech at Security Conference, June '09 </div>
<div class="rell">On Point</i>">Afghanistan Discussion (Lawrence Wilkerson, George Packer, Daniel Ellsberg), NPR's <i>On Point</i> </div>
<div class="rel">"Obama at the Precipice" -- Frank Rich, <i>The New York Times</i></div>
<div class="rell">The Irresisitible Illusion -- Rory Stewart</div>
<div class="rel"><i>WIRED</i>'s Noah Shachtman writes on his embed with Echo Company </div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="relreports">
<h2>RELATED REPORTS</h2>
<div class="relr" onclick="location.href='/wgbh/pages/frontline/warbriefing/'">
The War Briefing</div>
<div class="relr" onclick="location.href='/wgbh/pages/frontline/taliban/'">
Return of the Taliban</div>
<div class="relr" onclick="location.href='/frontlineworld/stories/afghanistan604/'">
FRONTLINE/World -- The Other War</div></div>
<p> </p>
<div class="comments"><h2>38 COMMENTS</h2>
<div class="comment"><p>I could not do what those soldiers are being asked to do. As I watched on my home screen, every time a Taliban shot was fired I literally ducked under the table.</p>
<p>This is an impossible task. </p>
<span class="commentname">Tamsen Merrill / October 1, 2009 2:09 PM</span></div><div class="comment"><p>Amazing coverage and footage. I wish there was a way to make this program mandatory viewing for every American citizen and politician…</p>
<span class="commentname">Gary Peterson / October 1, 2009 4:27 PM</span></div><div class="comment"><p>Can you say quagmire? Say it: ˈkwag-ˌmī(-ə)r
Also see: Vietnam</p>
<span class="commentname">Wundermaus / October 1, 2009 4:43 PM</span></div><div class="comment"><p>Whether FOR this war or NOT, this should be shown in every high school, college and prime-time network.We have become numb to the "words of war" after nine years. This brings back the reality and humanity of a real-life nightmare for these young soldiers and civilians in harm's way.</p>
<span class="commentname">Mekales / October 1, 2009 5:08 PM</span></div><div class="comment"><p>The task set before the marines is impossible. Even if there were 200,000 more fully equipped marines with 10,000 translators and 10,000 social workers with PHDs they could not win this war. I was totally struck by the failure to communicate and the word choices of the marines and the frustration levels. The comments by the locals were right on: They have nothing how can they fight the Taliban? How can they assist the Marines/USA? Not at all.</p>
<span class="commentname">Loren Stanton / October 1, 2009 5:49 PM</span></div><div class="comment"><p>Excellent footage and commentary, though troubling to watch. As well trained and well meaning as the Marines may be, the Taliban do not appear to be a problem that can be solved militarily. We need more Greg Mortensens ("Three Cups of Tea"). Give him the military budget. I am sending the link to this preview to people I know.</p>
<span class="commentname">Denise Black / October 1, 2009 6:19 PM</span></div><div class="comment"><p>This program is going to be one of your best! In the mere 25 minute preview, several hot topics were discussed. I can't wait to see the program in it's entirety. I will also make sure to recommend this show to others. I foresee some lively debate around the water cooler.</p>
<span class="commentname">Lena Brooks / October 1, 2009 6:38 PM</span></div><div class="comment"><p>I was just asking my wife, when you all were going to report on Obama's War?</p>
<p>And you all EVEN NAMED IT that, WOW</p>
<p>I know this will be top-notch, as all of you peices have been about this, so called war on terror. (((as if we could ever have a war on a tactic, or an emotion,))).</p>
<p>No one wants to admit it, but we made a major mistake when we switched priorities to Iraq.</p>
<p>I only hope it wasn't a fatal mistake.</p>
<p>Good Job Frontline</p>
<p>Cheers !!!
Gene</p>
<span class="commentname">Gene / October 1, 2009 7:19 PM</span></div><div class="comment"><p>What so called “World’s biggest military power” cannot fight a few hundred barefoot Taliban in a very smooth area in the south of Afghanistan. Shame on these TIMOROUS soldiers. Shame on NATO and other 40 countries in the ground. Russians easily conquered south and east of Afghanistan, but they were badly defeated in the north and central regions. What would have happened to you if the war was in the north or rugged mountains of central Afghanistan or Hindukush. Or what if the whole Afghan nation was not supporting you or what could have happened if they were fighting against you as they did against the Russians? </p>
<span class="commentname">Nazir / October 1, 2009 7:25 PM</span></div><div class="comment"><p>MY BF IS IN 2/8 ECHO COMPANY...AND THIS IS JUST WHAT I NEEDED TO SEE WHAT HAS REALLY BEEN GOING ON. I PRAY OUR TROOPS COME HOME SAFE!!</p>
<span class="commentname">Cam Chaplin / October 1, 2009 8:21 PM</span></div><div class="comment"><p>Very interesting. Thank you to the brave soul who walked in the soldiers' shoes and filmed this. So sad. This war is going nowhere.</p>
<span class="commentname">Donna / October 1, 2009 8:27 PM</span></div><div class="comment"><p>Where is the trusted trade mark Frontline voice, the narrator? Put him back. This voice is too young to trust. This change in voice indicates a change in Frontline as seen in the tabloid story regarding the state of Washington's politician. It was too much like mainstream news, I stopped watching it.</p>
<p>In frustration, they were a little rude to the tribal elders. They should have someone like a social worker with them. They cannot not fight and be peace makers. It is too hard to keep changing mind sets. They are also very young. They are too young to speak to elders in such a way. Older cultures do not approve. The disapproval was in the tribesmen’s faces. Someone needs to be with them to carry out the task of helping the villagers. We must remember they did not ask for our help.
</p>
<span class="commentname">E Walker / October 1, 2009 8:41 PM</span></div><div class="comment"><p>My son, my hero, is part of Echo Company. Thank you for honoring their work by sharing it with the American people. This war is difficult to say the least. America needs to see what our service men and women deal with on a daily basis. They fight for each one of us back at home in the States. Sleep tight, America, my Marine has got your back! I ask that Americans unite in prayer more than ever before. Semper Fi</p>
<span class="commentname">Michele Bultje / October 1, 2009 8:58 PM</span></div><div class="comment"><p>Brutal reality...the unshaded truth of what really goes on. Remember the 1980's when Russia invaded? We may be doomed to repeat the same mistake. Fighting for the hearts and minds of the locals will be more difficult than the war itself. I felt as if we were back in Vietnam.</p>
<span class="commentname">Maurice / October 1, 2009 9:16 PM</span></div><div class="comment"><p> As a wife of a marine is in several of these clips, I think it is great to show the public what is really going on over there. There are news stories and articles published everyday all over America and the majority have been consistently wrong, or "sugar coated". Often, the media writes stories that were presented to them by word-of-mouth. So, I think it is wonderful that there is real footage, and that it will be on television for the public.
Although I think it's a great idea, hopefully PBS will do a little editing and take out the heart-wrenching scene of Seth's death. It's an extremely hard thing to watch, especially for his family and as a friend. I'll be sure to warn his fiance. My husband was there with him through the entire thing, and I hope he doesn't accidentally come across this video one day and have to re-live that scene all over again. Although I think the public needs to see the truth and what people (that are humans just like you and I) are going through. And just a note: They signed the enlistment papers knowing with an idea of what they were getting into and still signed up. They have devoted their lives to the military way of life for you and I. All gave some, and some gave all. You may or may not support the war, but Please Support Our Troops.</p>
<span class="commentname">Lindsay / October 1, 2009 10:10 PM</span></div><div class="comment"><p>War is sickening and american hegemony, imperialism, white supremacy and racist behavior is truly an abomination to this planet. The world does not give a "hoot" of the american-john wayne-hollywood macho nonsense bullying the people of the planet earth. YAHOSHUA HA MASHIACH legally purchased humanity with HIS own blood; what is america (and its euro-allies) to enslave humanity in its manufactured globalized plantation it has managed to masquerade as the G8-nations. This so called Judeo-Christian nation has trampled the SON of ELOHIM underfoot, rendered HIS blood a common thing and has insulted the SPIRIT OF GRACE; what a dreadful and fearful thing it's going to be to fall under the hand of the MOST HIGH YAH (Hebrews 10:26-31). Let the people of good conscience shout in one accord against such demonic, warmonger system birthed from the pit of hell. Repent america from your sordid sins of destruction while you have time. Peace and Shalom,</p>
<span class="commentname">YAHELKANAH / October 1, 2009 10:12 PM</span></div><div class="comment"><p>The first step of counter-insurgency: learn the language.</p>
<p>If that seems impossible, then so is the mission.</p>
<p>How can you hope to communicate to the locals that you are there to help and to stay if you don't even speak the language?</p>
<span class="commentname">Jorge Ovalle / October 1, 2009 10:47 PM</span></div><div class="comment"><p>Most Americans go about their daily living unaware of the intensity of the fighting, ignoring the fact that we are at war unless someone they know is wounded or dies. I hope this program will help bring awareness to those people what is truly meant by war, the difficulties that our troops face and help them see just a little of what our troops go through while we go about our life each day. Good job!!</p>
<span class="commentname">Joyce / October 1, 2009 10:51 PM</span></div><div class="comment"><p>What a terrific and heroic documentary. The footage is stunning and there is a classic documentary approach to telling a real story. I found myself wondering if there will ever be a police station next to that market. The war is winnable but the leadership needs to make a tough call. I was a line doggie myself in the greater southeast asian wargames and I really felt sorry for the Marines. These are the best assault troops in the world, not civic action guys. The USMC should be unleashed to eliminate the Taliban just as they are trained to do. Not to imply that civic action wouldn't be great. A couple of guys with a Skil saw and some 2x4s and voila, the best market around. Bottom line is we either go all the way or exit stage left now. Ciao baby, let's have lunch.</p>
<span class="commentname">Mitch Brown / October 1, 2009 11:12 PM</span></div><div class="comment"><p>I’m looking forward to viewing this program. After view your 24 minute preview, I was struck by the following impressions. First, I wonder how capable a kinetic, kick-in-the-door Marine is at cultivating a relationship with an intimidated Afghan farmer. It appears to me that who ever attempts to communicate with these people will not only need to know the language; but will also need volumes of patience.</p>
<p>Second, I think that patience is going to be the force multiplier that is essential for winning this war; not only for the soldiers and marines in the field, but for the American and Afghan general public. The reason for this is because it takes TIME TO BUILD TRUST. Therefore, we might not see the fruits of this ‘population-centric’ strategy for at least four to five years down the road.</p>
<p>Third, it’s no mystery that America uses the metrics of casualties to measure the worth of its interventions. What I want to see and hear is how we’re going to sustain support for this new counter-insurgency strategy that advocates soldiers and marines engaging the enemy WITHOUT body armor.</p>
<p>Finally, in order to conduct the new “protect the population” strategy, we’re going to need lots of troops. In order to protect nearly 30 million Afghans, what is the magic number? 100,000? 200,000? 500,000? And, how much of the above total[s] will the United States have to supply?
</p>
<span class="commentname">Tango668 / October 2, 2009 12:27 AM</span></div><div class="comment"><p>Except for its location, 'Obama's War' is no different from all other war documentaries I've seen many times before, be it WW II, Korea, Vietnam, or 'Bush's War' in Iraq. It's not a first nor I believe will it be the last. It's just an update. We may disdain the atrocities of war with great horror, but we have to realize that war has been historically an integral part of American culture. ("...your measure is not found in how much time you have on this earth, but what you do with the time that you have" - Echo Company). It's a reality we have to live with before it ends us. Sad.</p>
<span class="commentname">J Lim / October 2, 2009 1:05 AM</span></div><div class="comment"><p>Touching story, but the reason for this war is not mentioned in this documentary. Why do we fight?
It is very said to see American citizens fighting and dying, day after day, year after year, decades after decades for lies that the government has managed to spread from one administration to another.</p>
<p>Al Qaeda is no longer in Afghanistan, that is what Petraeus said months ago. So why do American lives mean so little to the "WE" people in Washington, who neither will go to the war nor send their families to go and fight?</p>
<p>Google " The New American Century" and you will find all the answers. This documentary is just a serious joke.</p>
<span class="commentname">Theo / October 2, 2009 1:43 AM</span></div><div class="comment"><p> This show is ridiculously good. I am excited for the whole episode. I agree with Mekales completely. More people need to see this. The interviews are awesome.</p>
<span class="commentname">Ricky Drake / October 2, 2009 2:05 AM</span></div><div class="comment"><p>"Obama's War" this gives the impression that President Obama started this. We should be calling this "Bush's Other War" or "Bush's Unfinished Business" or "The Bush Legacy". </p>
<span class="commentname">Rob / October 2, 2009 7:23 AM</span></div><div class="comment"><p>Talibans are Afghans too. Killing Talibans is killing Afghans. There should be another way of winning this cultural, religious and political war. For years, the main words we heard from the Bush administration and it's allies was the necessity to kill the ennemy. But who is the ennemy? Let us hope that the Americans and their allies find other ways to send a hopeful message to civilian populations as well as Afghan insurgents. It seems easier to shoot guns than to talk to the people, as was shown in this segment. Americans want negociations between Palestinians and Israelis. They should try it in their own wars.
</p>
<span class="commentname">Luc Hétu / October 2, 2009 9:12 AM</span></div><div class="comment"><p>Obama´s War? Going through the PBS´s American Experience series on the Prsidents...it has been Roosevlt´s War, Johnson´s War, Bush´s War, and now Obama´s War. Where in reality it has been America´s failed policies to understand different non-American nations and have serious dialogue with them. (See what is happening now with Iran and Obama). Don´t you think it about time to consider others without the extreme agendas of American politcal and economic ties that only enrich the wealthy.</p>
<span class="commentname">davidp / October 2, 2009 9:41 AM</span></div><div class="comment"><p>This is excellent material. It highlights
the anxiety and frustration that the young
soldiers experience in the field. </p>
<p>The story does sob a bit too much for the great tragedy of death. (Deaths in Afghanistan are minimal alongside those in Vietnam.) It does not include, in my view, enough analysis of the exit strategy -- which is to train Afghan forces so we can get the hell out of Dodge with our scalps intact. </p>
<p>We abandoned the Afghans before and we know the result of that. Anyone who can't understand what we are fighting for should consider the prospect of another Al Qaeda haven -- as that is what the country will certainly become short of our efforts to stabilize it and leave it with a semblance of normality.....</p>
<span class="commentname">Philip / October 2, 2009 12:47 PM</span></div><div class="comment"><p>Frontline does a spectacular job of giving the viewer a clear feel for what is happening on the ground in Afganistan. The heat, the sand, the vast empty spaces, and the Marines' frustrations over the sheer difficulty of their task.
Our soldiers can't get a handle on things because there is no handle to be gotten. Ancient tribal cultures of warrior people, they can't begin to imagine a peaceful democracy or beneficial governments of any type.
It's becoming clear that nations aren't "built." They can only emerge over time. Europe was a land of warlords and brutal religious conflict for centuries.
The US needs to do what it must to protect itself, but it should give up its arrogant view that we can make other sovereign countries suddenly "see the light" because we are sooo special.</p>
<span class="commentname">Robert Coalson / October 2, 2009 1:05 PM</span></div><div class="comment"><p>amazing unreal video...omg my Son in it 2/8 echo 2nd pltn, back of his helmet say Apos (his blood type).</p>
<p>i only can say this...i would like to see bush & his bible budy chaney (& other bogus war mangers for $$/oil....right next to our BOYs/Heroes! i need to stop cuz i could go on all day!</p>
<p>VPF of a 2/8 E.Co Marine</p>
<p>ps</p>
<p>plz Obama give them Boys everything we got or get them out of that shithole!!</p>
<span class="commentname">JOHNLUTZ / October 2, 2009 2:06 PM</span></div><div class="comment"><p>Another powerful Frontline production! I have counted on Frontline to tell it like it really is and I am not disapointed with "Obama's War'. Where is the voice of Frontline, the Frontline narrator that makes me sit up and pay attention because I am going to learn something important?</p>
<p>The facts on any war are more than horrifying, sad and never easy to accept and you do an excellent job of presenting them. </p>
<p>Well done and many thanks,</p>
<p>Peggy</p>
<span class="commentname">Peggy / October 2, 2009 2:08 PM</span></div><div class="comment"><p>I wouldn't call this "Obama's war" since it was Bush who started it. Rename it to "Bush's war" and I'm listening. I liked the film though.</p>
<span class="commentname">Wally / October 2, 2009 3:01 PM</span></div><div class="comment"><p>Thanks to Martin and his fine staff for the outstanding reporting in this and other presentations.</p>
<p>I was in SE Afghanistan through most of 2003-things were relatively quiet compared to the current situation. That said, a couple of points to consider:</p>
<p>1. There will never be a centralized form of government in Afghanistan. If this is the metric General's P and Mc require as one of the pillars of sustained peace and stability in Afghanistan...it will never happen. Most who have served there or know the cultural and terrain realize that Afghanistan is nothing like Iraq...</p>
<p>2. The varied cultural, language/dialects, religion and tribalism throughout Afghanistan results in actually divides the country...and each does not trust the other.</p>
<p>3. Protecting the civilians maybe "logical" in the short run, but the Taliban (defined as religious students..or those who seek religious knowledge) is an ideology.. ingrained in radical form of Sunni Islam in the eastern and southern provinces adjacent to Pakistan. That Pastun "belt" extends into Pakistan causing a "tribal country" of sorts. This "support" from across the border is the main challenge to our troops.</p>
<p>4. No matter how many troops are sent to Afghanistan, selective attacks on our people can look as though the entire country is un-secure. Do we sent another 40,000 then another 50,000...I think not.</p>
<p>In closing, the focus is and should be not on nation building..because there is not real nation..just tribal fractions operating independent of Kabul.</p>
<p>And lastly, where were all the "experts" and nation building implementers in the early days...
well, most were in Iraq...the war that did not have to be...we are now paying and have paid a heavy price for the decisions made by the previous administration.</p>
<p>Again, to Frontline and Martin Smith and staff..great work for bringing the critical questions of "why" or "how many more" or "when will the ANA be up to the task, if ever".</p>
<p>SE Afghanistan/2003
LTC/11A</p>
<span class="commentname"> Randy H. / October 2, 2009 3:34 PM</span></div><div class="comment"><p>I will be hearing Greg Mortenson (author,3 cups of tea)next Friday. He has been working w/Afgan
tribal leaders and locals for many years.</p>
<p>I'm glad I saw this video, as it will give a reference point for questions after his presentation.</p>
<p>I agree with some of the others, double down with everything 'ya got, or get the hell out. How can we win as an occupying force???</p>
<span class="commentname">skeeter / October 2, 2009 3:38 PM</span></div><div class="comment"><p>I would like to start by saying I am an American. Have we lost the definition? We are a nation (present tense...ARE) founded on Judeo- Christian values..I know my founding fathers had the same truths I have today. I'm extremely grateful for this well done documentary and I applaude the decision to do this coverage. The bravado of to whole news team is parallel to our Marines. Some where I read THIS is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down His life for us...AND we ought to lay down our lives for one another... Oh yes, It is found in the New Testament of the Bible in the 3rd Chapter of John verse 16.
I am proud to be an American and am glad I was brought in the land of the free and the brave...
To be a mother of 3 sons in the military is humbling and yet something to be proud of because I know I brought them up by the same principles I was brought up on and BELIEVED in. To God be the Glory! Betty/October 2, 2009</p>
<span class="commentname">betty / October 2, 2009 3:46 PM</span></div><div class="comment"><p>Thank you Frontline - for what promises to be another intense and informative program. You ARE what television was suppose to be... Keep up the great work.</p>
<p>I can't help but remember watching black & white news footage during the late 60's from Viet Nam (I was a young child then) as I watch this. The similarities are scary. The assumptions nearly identical. Let's hope the outcome is different... otherwise we should get out now.</p>
<p>Can't wait for the full episode to air!</p>
<span class="commentname">Michael Burchill / October 2, 2009 3:53 PM</span></div><div class="comment"><p>The question is: how do we move forward and end and win this war for the sake of the Afghan people and humanity at large?
Afghanistan, and please don't be shocked, is the ultimate
failure of Muslim countries and the Islamic Ideology at the heart of it. Many Muslim extremists are ready to join the
violence, but their governments are inept, not willing to contribute troops or money to help SAVE the people of Afghanistan. </p>
<p>They, the Muslims, need to take charge by contributing money and troops
to help the Afghan government ready its own army and security forces. No one can secure Afghanistan but the Afghan people
themselves. Each Muslim country contributes 5,000 troops; that is more than 250,000 troops. NATO can play a minor role in logistics
and air support behind the scenes.
The Afghan people can, and I think will, trust their Muslim brothers. Another aspect to this would be to give the Pashtunes
a stake by participating in the new government and Army. Without the inclusion of the Pashtunes-the residents of the south,
this strategy will not work. What the Americans fails to understand is that the Afghans will never like or trust the 'infidels'.
The moment they hear Allah and Mohammad, their hearts flutter and they are easily swayed to the Taliban side; even if
we spend billions and billions to win their hearts and minds.
Thank you Frontline for this work. And most importantly, we need not forget the sacrifices of the troops and their families.
</p>
<span class="commentname">Ken Hanson / October 2, 2009 4:11 PM</span></div><div class="comment"><p>This is not about becoming close to population and other hypocritical language.
This is about taking control of DRUG trafficking from Taliban. Why would they keep that money when the US economy is in shambles and need infusion it has been keeping it propped up for eight years now.
Wake up, people, wake up!</p>
<span class="commentname">San / October 2, 2009 4:26 PM</span></div><div class="comment"><p>Hopefully after all the reports are in and requests are asked of our president, he recognizes that the war in Afghanistan is one that cannot achieve its goals and was, in hindsight, poorly conceived and poorly executed for the past 8 yrs. This is a war that will not and cannot be "won". In order to control a country of that size with that terrain, you would have to put at least a quarter of a million men and women on the ground. Even with those numbers, it could take a decade to see any kind of "success". We could see numbers like 25 to 50 thousand dead US soldiers and perhaps kill hundreds of thousands of indigenous people. For what?</p>
<span class="commentname">Carl Rody / October 2, 2009 4:44 PM</span></div>
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<div class="press"><h2>PRESS RELEASE</h2>
<div class="preview"><div class="title">watch the trailer</div>
<form><span class="embed">Embed:</span> <textarea><script type="text/javascript" src="http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/js/pap/embed.js?frol02s307bq477"></script></textarea></form></div>
<p>FRONTLINE EXAMINES U.S. COUNTERINSURGENCY STRATEGY IN AFGHANISTAN AND PAKISTAN</p>
<p>FRONTLINE Season Premiere
<i>Obama's War</i>
Tuesday, October 13, 2009, at 9 P.M. ET on PBS</p>
<p>http://www.pbs.org/frontline/obamaswar/</p>
<p>Tens of thousands of fresh American troops are now on the move in Afghanistan, led by a new commander and armed with a counterinsurgency plan that builds on the lessons of Iraq. But can U.S. forces succeed in a land long known as the "graveyard of empires"? And can the U.S. stop the Taliban in neighboring Pakistan, where U.S. troops are not allowed and the government is weak?</p>
<p>In FRONTLINE's season premiere, <i>Obama's War</i>, airing Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2009, at 9 P.M. ET on PBS (check local listings), veteran correspondent Martin Smith (Beyond Baghdad, Return of the Taliban) travels across Afghanistan and Pakistan to see firsthand how the president's new strategy is taking shape, delivering vivid, on-the-ground reporting from this war's many fronts. Through interviews with top generals, diplomats and government officials, Smith also reports the internal debates over President Obama's grand attempt to combat terrorism at its roots. </p>
<p>"What we found on the ground was a huge exercise in nation building," says Smith. "The concept's become a bit of a dirty word, but that's what this is. We started with the goal of eliminating Al Qaeda, and now we've wound up with the immense task of re-engineering two nations."</p>
<p>The brunt of the work is falling on rank-and-file soldiers, and nowhere is it more difficult than in the dusty, unforgiving landscape of Helmand province, the Taliban stronghold in southern Afghanistan, where FRONTLINE embedded with Echo Company, 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment. Since the Marines' arrival in July, Helmand has become the most lethal battlefield in Afghanistan. But FRONTLINE found the Marines trying to act as armed diplomats, attempting to build the necessary trust for badly needed economic development. </p>
<p>"It's trying to change the culture of the organization," Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the top commander in Afghanistan, tells FRONTLINE of the administration's plan. "At the end of the day, our best counterinsurgents are going to be young sergeants who just have an ability to deal with people. We've got to give them the flexibility to make decisions."</p>
<p>Even as American soldiers struggle to make progress in Afghanistan village by village, equally vexing challenges remain across the border in Pakistan. "In Afghanistan we know what to do; we just don't know if we have the resources or the time available to do it," David Kilcullen, a leading counterinsurgency expert, tells FRONTLINE. "The problem in Pakistan is we're not really sure what to do."</p>
<p>When FRONTLINE confronts the Pakistani army about its reluctance to take out key Taliban leaders, the military's chief spokesman, Gen. Athar Abbas, argues that the accusations are misplaced. There is no truth, he claims, that insurgents stage attacks on American forces from the Pakistani side of the border. "They operate from Afghanistan. If somebody claims that everything is happening from this side of the border, I am sorry, this is misplaced, and we refute it."</p>
<p>Barred from sending troops across the border, the United States is left with few good options. No quick fix will solve Pakistan. "If we have a strategy in Pakistan," says George Packer, a staff writer at <i>The New Yorker</i>, "it's to build up the civilian government to the point where it can be a kind of counterbalance to the military and begin to reorient their own sense of their destiny. Is that even thinkable for a foreign power to do? Even as I say it, I think, why do we think we could even begin to accomplish that?"</p>
<p><i>Obama's War</i> is a FRONTLINE co-production with RAIN Media, Inc., written and produced by Marcela Gaviria and Martin Smith. The correspondent is Martin Smith. FRONTLINE is produced by WGBH Boston and is broadcast nationwide on PBS. Funding for FRONTLINE is provided through the support of PBS viewers. Major funding for FRONTLINE is provided by The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. Additional funding is provided by the Park Foundation. FRONTLINE is closed-captioned for deaf and hard-of-hearing viewers and described for people who are blind or visually impaired by the Media Access Group at WGBH. FRONTLINE is a registered trademark of the WGBH Educational Foundation. The executive producer of FRONTLINE is David Fanning.</p>
<p>pbs.org/pressroom
Promotional photography can be downloaded from the PBS pressroom.</p>
<p>Press contact
Diane Buxton (617) 300-5375 diane_buxton@wgbh.org</p>
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Thanks for sharing the link Bill. I always enjoy watching "Frontline". Very powerful stuff. I wish I wasn't so old and slow so I could be out there too.
How can people still think video has no place in a still camera after watching this?! The President's official photographer also uses the 5DmkII. This camera is carrying canon, it's been a huge hit for them.
More of Danfung Dennis work. Very powerful stuff here too:
Indeed the in camera video gives a lot of different possibilities.
but in this case... and in case of any war, I have only one opinion: Killing for peace is like f**ing for virginity! and I guess some of You will disagree with my point of view.
as for Danfung Dennis pictures, I really like the Tian Shan landscapes - thanks for sharing the address with us Niko
Danfung's website also has another short video of his time embedded with troops in Afghanistan shot with the 5DmkII.
Let's just keep this thread away from political statements as that will get us nowhere. Everyone has an opinion but this isn't the place to voice them.
Let's play along with the "video has no place in a still camera" argument instead ;^)
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