Analyzing Obama's speech at West Point. Why won't the U.S. sign the landmine treaty? And, Viva Ciclovia! Would you support weekly shutdowns of a major road to make way for Sunday cycling?
Obama's Afghanistan speech
In his speech Tuesday at West Point, President Obama ordered 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan and pledged to begin withdrawing U.S. forces within 18 months. Larry and guests discuss the president's speech outlining the administration’s policy to support the Afghan security forces and contain the Taliban.
Guests:
P.J. Crowley, Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs
Arturo Munoz, Senior Political Scientist at the Rand Corp
Hal Kempfer, Retired Marine Lieutenant Colonel, CEO of KIPP, Knowledge & Intelligence Program Professionals
Barmak Pazhwak, Program Officer for the Afghanistan Grant Program at the United States Institute of Peace
Steven Biddle, Senior Fellow for Defense Policy at the Council on Foreign Relations
Doyle McManus, Washington columnist, Los Angeles Times
Why won't the U.S. sign the landmine treaty?
You might think that landmine stockpiles are only a problem in war-torn countries like Cambodia and Bosnia, yet the United States has an arsenal of 10 million mines. The Obama administration has maintained George W. Bush's decision not to sign the international treaty that bans landmines, prompting criticism from anti-landmine activists. The State Department will, however, send representatives to the treaty's summit in Cartagena, Colombia this week. Are landmines a necessary component of U.S. security? Or, should America join the 156 nations that ban them?
Guests:
Jody Williams, 1997 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, founding coordinator of International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL). Ms. Williams talks with us from the Summit on a Mine-Free World, in Cartagena, Colombia. The conference goes through December 4, 2009.
Stephen Rademaker, Senior Counsel to the BGR Group, Former Assistant Secretary of State (2002-2006)
Sundays are for cycling?
Walking? Nah. Biking? Nah. When it comes to getting around LA, the car rules. But community advocates have a new idea for getting Angelenos to leave their cars behind and enjoy streets in a new way. Every Sunday in Bogota, major avenues are shut down to cars...and turned into public spaces for cyclists, pedestrians and activities. It's called Ciclovia and it's now done in many cities in South America. Advocates want LA to experiment with the same idea--on a smaller scale, of course--and shut down a main drag somewhere on Sundays. Vermont? Olympic? Wilshire? Let Larry know what you think of the idea of a Sunday Ciclovia.
Guests:
Joe Linton, campaigns director for CICLE, Cyclists Inciting Change Through Live Exchange
Michelle Mowery, Sr. Project Coordinator, Bicycle Planning and Programming, City of Los Angeles, Department of Transportation