3 Questions: Fotini Christia on the war in Afghanistan
What impact will the death of Osama bin Laden have on the U.S.-led war in Afghanistan? And what effect will it have on the often-tense relationship between the United States and Pakistan? Fotini Christia, an associate professor in the Department of Political Science, is conducting ongoing research in Afghanistan and has written widely on the subject. MIT News spoke to Christia about the outlook in the region.Q. What is the reaction to the death of Bin Laden in Afghanistan, where he and al-Qaida were located at the time of the Sept. 11 attacks?A. Among people in government in Afghanistan, the first reaction is fear that we may pack up and leave, since we went in to get Bin Laden back in 2001, and now he’s dead. I think people on the government side will be trying to communicate that there is work to be done still. On the Taliban side,...