Democracy Now! January 4, 2002

Program Title:
Democracy Now! January 4, 2002
Series Title:
PRA Archive #: 
PZ0450.070Xa
Description: 

HAMID KARZAI? A PROFILE OF THE NEW INTERIM LEADER OF AFGHANISTAN; CARLYLE GROUP: THE MOST POWERFUL COMPANY YOU'VE NEVER HEARD OF.

Democracy NOW! in Exile FIRST HOUR NEWS HEADLINES Story: WHO IS HAMID KARZAI? A PROFILE OF THE NEW INTERIM LEADER OF AFGHANISTAN Officials in Kabul say that Afghan fighters, backed by U.S. forces, have taken up positions around a village where Taliban supreme leader Mullah Mohammad Omar is believed to have taken refuge. There are reports that U.S. forces are making house-to-house searches for him. Meanwhile, a senior Afghan official said yesterday he believed Omar had been captured, and Australia's ABC television said today it had heard the same from a senior official of the Northern Alliance. The Pentagon said it had no knowledge of these reports. The issue of the fate of Mullah Mohammed Omar is one of the main challenges facing the new interim leader of Afghanistan Hamid Karzai. Karzai himself once worked closely with the Taliban and his suggestion several weeks ago that Omar be granted amnesty enraged the Bush administration. So too did his call for an end to the bombing. Following pressure from Washington-some would say he was given his marching orders-Karzai reversed both positions. Today we are going to take a close look at the new leader of Afghanistan. Guest: Ahmed Rashid, author of the book Taliban: Militant Islam, Oil and Fundamentalism in Central Asia. Story: THE CARLYLE GROUP: THE MOST POWERFUL COMPANY YOU'VE NEVER HEARD OF We turn now to a story about one of the most powerful companies you've never heard of. The company is called The Carlyle Group and in the wake of the events of September 11th, its power and influence have become significantly stronger. The company operates within the so-called iron-triangle of industry, government and the military. Its list of former and current advisers and associates includes a vast array of some of the most powerful men in America and indeed around the world. It has also brought together the current Secretary of State Colin Powell, former President George Bush, and a man named Bakr Bin Laden-Osama bin Laden's half brother. In just a moment we are going to be speaking to Dan Briody from Red Herring magazine. He's written an extensive piece on the company called: "Carlyle's Way: Making a Mint Inside "The Iron Triangle" of Defense, Government and Industry." It begins: "Like everyone else in the United States, the group stood transfixed as the events of September 11 unfolded. Present were former secretary of defense Frank Carlucci, former secretary of state James Baker III, and representatives of the bin Laden family. This was not some underground presidential bunker or Central Intelligence Agency interrogation room. It was the Ritz-Carlton in Washington, D.C., the plush setting for the annual investor conference of one of the most powerful, well-connected, and secretive companies in the world: the Carlyle Group. And since September 11, this little-known company has become unexpectedly important." "That the Carlyle Group had its conference on America's darkest day was mere coincidence, but there is nothing accidental about the cast of characters that this private-equity powerhouse has assembled in the 14 years since its founding' And as the Carlyle investors watched the World Trade towers go down, the group's prospects went up." Guest: Dan Briody, is a Senior Writer for Red Herring Magazine.

Date Recorded on: 
January 4, 2002
Date Broadcast on: 
January 4, 2002
Item duration: 
59 min.
Distributor: 
Democracy Now in Exile!; Amy Goodman, host. January 4, 2002
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