From PRI, Public Radio International and KCRW Santa Monica, this is To the Point.

More troops for Afghanistan, but what's the mission?

Hello again, I'm Armin Alney, and this is To the Poet from Public Radio International.

A daily look at the issues, Americans care about most.

The Taliban now

control much of Afghanistan, and last week's murderous attacks on Kabul show how easily they

can penetrate the capital city. President Obama wants to double American forces, but the very

presence of foreign troops increases support for the Taliban. Road construction and economic

development would be more popular, but they'd

require resources the Pentagon doesn't have. The deadline for a new policy is the NATO summit in April.

We'll look at the options. On reporter's notebook later on, on her first trip in a new job,

Hillary Clinton arrives in Japan. We'll hear what her message is for the Far East and Asia. First, here's the

news.

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Hello again, Warren Alney, back with To the Point. President Obama wants more troops in Afghanistan,

but the U.S. presence is

increasingly unpopular. So is the country's corrupt and ineffective government. We'll hear

about the challenges of shifting America's focus on terror from Iraq to South Asia. On reporter's

notebook, Hillary Clinton says she's in Asia to send a message. We'll find out what it is.

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