Fareed Zakaria
Editor, Newsweek International • CNN Host

In his Newsweek cover story, The Post Imperial Presidency, Fareed Zakaria discusses President Obama’s recent decision for a troop surge in Afghanistan, and how morality and realism has played into his decision. “By staying focused on the large objectives of peace and stability...we help sustain positive trends in the world that are broad and deep and lasting. Our role as a strong and successful superpower is to make it possible for good things to happen—not just for Afghan schoolgirls, but for millions around the world.”

 Joe Klein
Columnist, TIME

In his TIME cover story, Afghanistan: Can Obama Sell America on This War? Joe Klein discusses public's mixed feelings about the war in Afghanistan and the struggles President Obama faces in his decision for a troop surge. Though the President made the best possible argument for the questionable proposition, “the exquisite rationality that attends almost everything this President does is essential, but not enough, when sending young men and women into battle. There needs to be inspiration as well.” 

Additional Royce Carlton speakers weigh in:

Jon Burns
Chief Foreign Correspondent and London Bureau Chief, The New York Times
Q&A on Obama’s Options in Afghanistan (The New York Times)

Thomas Friedman
Foreign Affairs Columnist, The New York Times
This I Believe (The New York Times)

Michael Mandelbaum
Author, The Case for Goliath • Professor, Johns Hopkins School
Afghanistan: Draw Down or Up (The Brian Lehrer Show)
 
Jon Meacham
Editor, Newsweek • Author, Franklin and Winston & American Lion
Realism We Can Believe In (Newsweek)

David Sanger
Chief Washington Correspondent, The New York Times • Author, The Inheritance
Similarities to Iraq Surge Plan Mask Risks in Afghanistan (The New York Times)