The quality of this interview might have been improved by more directed questioning. As it is, the entire value of Ellsburg's words is based on Ellsburg's contributions during the Vietnam era--which, unfortunately in his case, leaves Ellsburg seeing all wars through a "Vietnam" filter. As it is, Ellsburg goes in several directions at once. In this short interview he tries to make blanket comparisons of very complex situations without adequate support. There is a long history of our involvement in Afghanistan and the administration is not free to discuss this covert history nor to publicize what's really going on there now (that is to say, we don't have anything comparable to "The Pentagon Papers" regarding Afghanistan). One ... More »

Daniel Ellsberg elaborates on the many similarities he sees between Vietnam and Afghanistan.

The story gives a chance to learn from history, in the person of a person largely responsible for ending the fiasco in Viet Nam.