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

What's next in Afghanistan?

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

The daily look at the issues Americans care about most.

America's 33,000 troops surge in Afghanistan has ended a week before the president's deadline this coming Sunday.

What did hundreds of lives and tens of billions of dollars accomplished over the past two years?

Soldiers, diplomats, and other observers don't agree.

It's unclear if it's safe for remaining coalition troops to train Afghan security forces,

or if the Taliban are just waiting for final U.S. withdrawal in 2014.

Does America have the political will to make good on its promise to maintain Afghanistan's integrity long after that?

On reporter's notebook later on, the continuing bias against women in science.

First, here's the news.

Support for To the Point comes from the members of KCRW and from the Public Radio International Program Fund.

Hello again, Warren and I'll leave back with To The Poet.

President Obama told the UN General Assembly today that the war in Afghanistan will end on schedule in 2014, but that's all he said. What did he leave out? Today we'll talk about a war that could get a lot more complicated before it is finally over. On reporter's notebook, even women science professors view female students as less capable than men

with the same credentials. We'll hear about that. First, this news update in that General Assembly

address today, President Obama asked world leaders to condemn the deadly attacks against U.S.

diplomats and embassies in Egypt and Libya. He said he does not believe violence or hate speech

represents the views of most Muslims any more than the video innocence of Muslims represents

those of Americans. I do believe that it is the obligation of all leaders in all countries

to speak out forcefully against violence and extremism.

It is time to marginalize those who, even when not directly resorting to violence, use hatred of America or the West or Israel as the central organizing principle of politics.

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