Saturday, October 10, 2009

Who was that Woman Who Swept The Decks on RFK's "Friday Free for All"?

My name is Melissa Roddy.

I first gained national attention upon publishing a video and print refutation of the film CHARLIE WILSON'S WAR on
alternet.org.

Currently I'm working on a documentary film project about Afghanistan and Pakistan entitled, CONFLICT OF INTEREST.

CONFLICT OF INTEREST sets out to turn the conventional understanding of Afghanistan and Pakistan on its head by demonstrating that, prior to 2009, American and British policy in the region has been conducted more in keeping with Pakistani interests than Afghan, or even our own.

Though the film is still in production, I have put together some rough shorts that can give you an idea of the content.

Below are the links to those shorts on youtube, as well as my blog.

Parts One, Two and Three represent the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s, respectively.

CONFLICT OF INTEREST – Patterns in Chaos - PART ONE:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1qbFMx7fm4


CONFLICT OF INTEREST – Patterns in Chaos - PART TWO

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLTT3QTgbeg


CONFLICT OF INTEREST – Patterns in Chaos - PART THREE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWr8v8-MYyQ

My blog is: www.afghan-info.blogspot.com.

Since taking office, President Barack Obama and his envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan, Richard Holbrooke, have both complained about the inadequacy of intelligence and the United States' incoherent policy in the region.

The stakes cannot be overstated.

That is why I have decided to go public before completion of my film. Though accurate numbers are difficult to obtain, it is estimated that, from the fall of the communist government in 1992 to the overthrow of the Taliban in 2001, between 400,000 and 1.5 million Afghans were killed. If the US and NATO forces withdraw before Afghanistan has recovered enough economically and militarily to defend itself against the 30 something-year-old (and ongoing) assault from Pakistan, it is anticipated that devastation on that same scale will be repeated.

Because the Bush Administration so dramatically underfunded and understaffed the campaign in Afghanistan for the past 8 years, many Afghans came to believe that Bush was pro-Taliban. Because of this, President Obama is correct in his assessment that this is really not year eight, but rather, Year One. The President wants to grant the U.S. Army's request for an additional 20,000 soldiers for Afghanistan, in an effort to correct the mistakes of the Bush II Administration. However, it is clear that he is under intense political pressure to back away from this position. It is important to help him withstand that pressure and do what's best for both the U.S. and Afghanistan.

I look forward to talking again soon.
All the best,

Melissa Roddy

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