Podcast: Osama Bin Laden -- In His Wake, Doubts About Pakistan, Use Of Torture
The death of Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden has dominated front pages and airwaves around the world this week, and "The Blender" is no exception.
In Episode 17, correspondent Ron Synovitz moderates a discussion with Mohammad Amin Mudaqiq of RFE/RL's Radio Free Afghanistan and correspondent Abubakar Siddique, who specializes in South Asian affairs.
Daisy Sindelar
They discuss the decision by U.S. President Barack Obama not to release photos of bin Laden's corpse; the criticisms being leveled against Pakistan for not doing more to track down the terrorist leader, who was hiding in plain sight; and whether bin Laden's death may provide an opportunity for reconciliation talks betwen the Taliban and the Afghan government.
This week's host, correspondent Daisy Sindelar, looks into the question of whether the ends justify the means. That is, was information obtained through so-called "enhanced interrogation" techniques -- what many people call torture -- ultimately crucial in the capture and killing of bin Laden?
In other news, producer Nikolay Pavlov and RFE/RL's Radio Free Iraq look at the lives of a group of Iraqi men, women, and children who are forced to rummage through Baghdad's garbage dumps in order to survive.
And Pete Baumgartner and Merkhat Sharipzhan, the editors behind our "From Our Bureaus" wire -- reveal some of the significant stories from RFE/RL's vast broadcast region that aren't getting the attention they deserve in the Western press.
The music featured in this week's show includes "Ze Ghame Kasee Halakam" by Ustad Arman and Tahir Shobab; "Stergey" by Fay Khan; " "Ma3na El 7ob" by Inaam Wali; and "Definition" by Kruder & Dorfmeister (yes, we already used that one last week, but someone here really likes K&D).
