3 Cups of Tea

Read the following article before the following questions and support your answers with details from the BOOK.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34238313/ns/us_news-giving/

1) Taliban and Al Qaeda insurgents may be in border areas Waziristan between Afghanistan and Pakistan. What impression does Mortenson give of the people in rural Waziristan (Chapter 13)?

2) What impressions do the Pashtun people of Afghanistan and Pakistan have of the U.S. government? Of Mortenson and his work?

3) What might be some lessons about the people of rural Pakistan and Afghanistan (and their their attitudes about foreigners or westerners) that Mortenson learned from Haji Ali, the Shia leader Syed Abbas Risvi and his experience being kidnapped? What might this suggest about the US war in Afghanistan? (chapters 13-17, 19, 22)

4) Describe the life and opportunities for girls and women in rural Pakistan?

5) What is the issue with the influence of Wahhabism from Saudi Arabia? (chapter 13, 19)

6) What does Mortenson think about the US War on Terrorism in Afghanistan and Iraq? What does he think needs to happen and why?


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Questions about Afghanistan from learning beyond the book
Use the links below for readings and videos for the following questions.

A brief history of Afghanistan and Afghanistan - The Facts
http://www.newint.org/issues/2008/11/01/

Why is the US at war in Afghanistan? What has been the US involvement there historically? Many argue that the US must win the hearts and minds of the Afghan people. Is that happening? How can the US do that?

What are the conditions like in Afghanistan? How do they compare with before 2001? Before 1996?
What do Afghan people want? How do they feel about US troops? What has been there experience with foreign powers in the past?

video - Democracy Now stories on Obama's War
http://www.democracynow.org/2009/2/23/obamas_war_us_involvement_in_afghanistan

http://www.democracynow.org/2009/3/17/engaging_the_muslim_world_middle_east

http://www.democracynow.org/2009/3/26/afghans_urge_obama_to_send_aid

http://www.democracynow.org/2009/5/7/pak

http://www.democracynow.org/2009/10/2/rethink_afghanistan_filmmaker_robert_greenwald_launches

http://www.democracynow.org/2009/10/7/voices_from_afghanistan_afghan_womens_activist

http://www.democracynow.org/2009/10/28/a_woman_among_warlords_afghan_democracy



More info and readings on Afghanistan
http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1945182,00.html
http://www.afghanconflictmonitor.org/conflict_profiles.html
http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/09/28/afghanistan.obama/index.html
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/aug/16/afghanistan-taliban-development-corruption

Ahmed Rashid
http://fora.tv/2009/04/13/Ahmed_Rashid_Descent_into_Chaos
http://www.ahmedrashid.com/publications/afganistan/articles/

Overthrow: America's Century of Regime Change from Hawaii to Iraq (Stephen Kinzer)
chapter 12 "They Will Have Flies Walking..."

Professor Zaher Wahab's blog from Afghanistan
http://media.lclark.edu/content/wahab/



Pennies for Peace Project
http://www.penniesforpeace.org/