Quran-burning backlash rips across Afghanistan

>>> what might turn tout be the greatest challenge for the u.s., the taliban is capitalizing on this intense outrage after last week's unintentional burning of the koran . nine people are dead after a suicide attack . the taliban is claiming to have try to hit a u.s. base from inside. the militants say they were able to get a cook to lace coffee with fruit and bleach. no one was hurt the levels may have been an accident. regardless, it is adding to antiwestern rally affecting that region. joining me is a professor from the london school of economics . professor, it's nice to have you here. as we hear bo has been taking a lot of heat for apologizing about the koran burning incident from the republican side , from the presidential hopeful that is of rick santorum . what do you think it says to the overall conversation when we have the president making this apology, but him getting flak from inside the u.s. for that taking place and saying that shows our weakness?

>> it tells me, thomas , how much ignorance there is among the top elite of the republican party truly. and the incident itself reflects a great deal of how little we know about afghanistan after being involved in the country for many, many years. the burning of the koran is very important, thomas . as you know, the koran has a very special place in muslims' hearts. the citation of the koran invokes the spirit of god , the real presence of god. so it's a very special for muslims. let me put it this way. i think the burning of the koran is a spark. it's a spark that triggers the rage and the anger among people in afghanistan . people are fed up with their way of life . dismal economic conditions. the security is horrible. there's deep ail nation with the american military presence in afghanistan . this is not just the first incident. many people in afghanistan just seven days ago, the nato attack killed seven children. a few days before the killing of children in afghanistan , you have some american soldiers jury urinating of the corpse of the tol ban. the taliban . the incidents reflect the pe rils of foreign intervention. it tells you how difficult the mission has been.

>> as we look at the violence putting pressure on the american government to pull out of afghanistan , earlier than planned, is that such good advice? or is it wiser to stay the course?

>> well, i think, thomas , president obama has already accelerated the american exit strategy to 2014 . i believe the sooner, the better. first of all, i don't think there's a win strategy in afghanistan . i don't think there's any hope of nation building in afghanistan . i think more and more people are people alienated from the american presence. i doubt president obama will be able to expedite the presence of american forces in this election year. you can imagine what the republican candidates would say. they would try to portray the president as weak, which is basically effect a surge of american forces . he was the one to break the backbone of the al qaeda organization on the pakistan and afghanistan border. yet the republican presidential candidates keep accusing the president of being weak on foreign policy .

>> professor, nice to see you today. thank you.

>> thank you.