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

Why are U.S. troops in Afghanistan?

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

a daily look at the issues Americans care about most.

Vice President Biden said yesterday that American casualties are sure to rise as more troops

are sent to Afghanistan.

Even Obama administration advisors say the president's principal challenge is to define the mission.

Critics warned of a quagmire the U.S. can't afford.

Afghanistan is bigger than Iraq and harder to pacify,

and efforts gone wrong could destabilize Pakistan,

the nuclear-armed neighbor next door.

What are America's goals and objectives?

What are the benefits and the risks of possible options?

I'm a reporter's notebook later on.

Can the New York Times survive as we know it?

First, here's the news.

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D. and Catherine T. MacArthur

Foundation, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, dedicated to the idea that all people

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Hello again, Warren Olney, back with To the Point. President Obama promised to get U.S. troops

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