The UK government's involvement in Afghanistan and the Middle East has again come under scrutiny and the critics of its policies are becoming louder.

To accompany the extra troops they are sending to Afghanistan, the UK has pledged to contribute to a new fund designed to attract low level insurgents away from the Taliban with money and jobs.

The idea was shared during a conference on Afghanistan held in London last week.

But the Taliban leadership have issued internet statements dismissing the notion on the grounds that their fighters care less about material wealth than about ridding the country of foreign influences.

Riz Khan speaks with David Miliband, the UK's foreign secretary, about the London conferences on Afghanistan and Yemen, the Iraq inquiry and the stalled Middle East peace process.

Later in the show, Queen Rania of Jordan discusses the challenges to peace in the Middle East and her work to bring education reform to the region.

This episode of the Riz Khan show aired from Monday, February 1, 2010.