Hearts and minds

Rory Stewart on perceptions of the War on Terror in Iraq and Afghanistan

By Will Femia

Producer

MSNBC

updated 1:48 p.m. ET Oct. 4, 2006

For all the recent emphasis on the necessity of winning hearts and minds in the war on terror, particularly in Iraq and Afghanistan, few people are as well acquainted with those hearts and minds as Rory Stewart.

In January of 2002, Stewart walked across Afghanistan, relying on little more than his knowledge of Farsi and the kindness of the Afghan people. The following year, Stewart arrived in Iraq to be appointed deputy governor of two provinces in Southern Iraq. In his subsequent books, The Places in Between and The Prince of the Marshes, he describes his experiences in vivid detail.

MSNBC.com called Rory Stewart in Kabul, Afghanistan to get his insights on how U.S. and coalition actions are affecting the people of Iraq and Afghanistan.

MP3 AUDIO

Left click to listen or right click to save the mp3 recording of Rory Stewart on the phone from Kabul with MSNBC.com's Will Femia.

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