Inside Story

War zones under the spotlight

How will the release of military documents impact US strategy in Afghanistan?

Putting war zones under the spotlight – whistle-blowing website WikiLeaks does it again. Last time, it was Iraq, this time it is Afghanistan.

The website has disclosed over 90,000 classified military documents – suggesting the reality on the ground may be worse than what has been officially reported.

The leaks have been met with surprise, dismay, denial and anger – although some say it has revealed nothing new.

Nevertheless, it could have an impact on the evolving US strategy in Afghanistan.

So, will Barack Obama, the US president, now be forced into reviewing what is still a newly implemented policy?

Inside Story, with presenter Mike Hanna, discusses with Richard Weitz, the director of the Centre for Political-Military Analysis at the Hudson Institute, Shukria Barakzai, a member of the Afghan parliament, and Zaid Hamid, the head of the defence and security think-tank Brass Tacks.

This episode of Inside Story aired from Tuesday, July 27, 2010.