Radio Smart Talk: Afghanistan after drawdown; Underground railroad in Adams County

Radio Smart Talk for Wednesday, February 27:

The Obama Administration plans to have all U.S. combat troops out of Afghanistan by the end of 2014.  A few thousand may stay beyond that to provide support for Afghan security.  But in his State-of-the Union Address earlier this month, the president said that the 11-year-old war will be in effect, over next year. 

The military objective of overthrowing the oppressive Taliban government and crippling the Al Queda terrorist organization was successful.  However, the Taliban still exist and the question arises whether the group will be a force in Afghanistan once the troops are gone. 

Appearing on Wednesday's Radio Smart Talk will be Hassina Sherjan, the founder and Chief Operating Officer of Aid Afghanistan for Education and co-author of the book Toughing It Out in Afghanistan, along with Jonathan Rudy, Elizabethtown College's Center for Global Understanding and Peacemaking -  Scholar-in-Residence and Professor of Peace and Conflict Studies.

Also, February is Black History Month.  The Underground Railroad and it's numerous stops in Central Pennsylvania's may be the region's most significant role in African-American history.

Historian Debra McCauslin visits Radio Smart Talk to discuss how slaves escaped from the South and made their way to Adams County and freedom.

McCauslin is the author and publisher of Yellow Hill: Reconstructing the Past Puzzle of a Lost Community.  Her For the Cause Productions has created and provides "Freedom Lies Just North: The Underground Railroad Tours of Adams County" and "Echoes from the Past: African American Voices At Gettysburg Tours.

Hassina Sherjan and Jonathan Rudy

Historian Debra McCauslin