NPR People: Koppel on the News Podcast Folgen

Ted Koppel says the global efforts to draw attention to China's human rights record as the Olympic torch continues its rounds is working. But, he says, as far as bringing real change in Tibet is concerned, the protests surrounding the torch are doing little.

China is struggling to produce enough energy to keep fueling its remarkable pace of economic growth. That means that coal mines throughout China are pressed to bring millions more tons of coal to the surface even as the government vows to shut unsafe mines.

What exactly is the U.S. mission in Afghanistan? And what are the presidential candidates' policies concerning the region? NPR Senior News Analyst Ted Koppel looks at the conflicts in the region during the past two centuries and what they mean for America's current foreign policy.