Tamim Ansary On Afghanistan's Interrupted History

The US military and its allies are drawing up plans to leave Afghanistan by 2014, but it will be some time before the nation is truly independent. Peace in Afghanistan has been interspersed with foreign invasion for centuries, from the Mongol Empire to today’s war. We talk with writer Tamim Ansary about his new book, “Game Without Rules: The Often Interrupted History of Afghanistan,” and what Afghan independence might look like in the future.

Also this hour: we talk with city planner Jeff Speck about what makes for a walkable city, and geologist David Williams joins us with thoughts about cairns, the "messengers in stone" that can draw us into a deeper consideration of place and the people who have been there before.