Greg Mortenson

Excerpt from transcript:

ROBERTS: Afghanistan — the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff says the situation there is deteriorating. We’re going to be talking with Greg Mortenson, the author of the famous book “Three Cups of Tea” coming up.

He just got back from Afghanistan. He spent a lot of time in small rural villages that people from outside of Afghanistan never usually go to. And he’ll give us a firsthand perspective on what the situation there is really like.

And he’s done so much, too, to try to educate the Afghan, children in Pakistan, as well, by building so many schools. Greg’s coming right up.

It’s 43 1/2 minutes after the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROBERTS: There have been 88 U.S. military deaths in Afghanistan since the first of July. August now tying July for the deadliest month for U.S. forces there.

General of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen says the Taliban is getting better and more sophisticated. And across the border in Pakistan, Al Qaeda’s calling on people to support Islamic militants in the country’s tribal regions. Plenty of problems in both nations.

So, can things be turned around? Greg Mortenson is the author of the famous book “Three Cups of Tea,” and he’s just back from six weeks on the ground of Afghanistan and he joins us now.

Greg, it’s so great to see you.

And if I may just personally compliment you on the terrific work that you’ve doing there to build schools. We were just talking a second ago, 131 schools that you’ve been running, 60 some others that you’ve been running, more than 52,000 children getting an education because of the work you’ve been doing there.

GREG MORTENSON, AUTHOR, “THREE CUPS OF TEA”: Thanks, John, and good morning.

ROBERTS: So when you spend time on the ground in Afghanistan and in Pakistan, you tend to go to a lot of rural villages where foreigners don’t normally go. We get a sense of what the situation is like on the ground in Afghanistan eight years after this war now. What is it really like?

MORTENSON: Well, one thing is what we do is we respect elders, we meet with the elders, and also listen to the people. And also the military has really, I think, gone through a huge learning curve, listening to people, building relationships.

And pretty much without exception most people what they want is peace, stability, they want education. And there have been some amazing — there’s obviously a lot of tragic news, but there are also great things happening there.

In 2000, there were 800,000 in school, as high as the Taliban, today there are 8.5 million children in school, including 2.5 million females.

And the Taliban have bombed or destroyed about 800 schools in Afghanistan, but the enrollment is going up. And I really think we can drop bombs or build roads or put electricity, but unless we educate the girls, nothing will change there.

ROBERTS: As we said at the beginning of this, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mike Mullen says the situation in Afghanistan is deteriorating. Do you get that sense from being out there in the rural areas?

MORTENSON: In some ways it is. I think the Taliban are getting more desperate. They’re also getting, turning more into like a mafia. There’s kind of a loose coalition.

But, also, I see public sentiment. I’ve been 16 years on the ground there. Public sentiment is starting to change. People are really sick and tired of war in both tribal areas in Afghanistan and they want something different.

And I think now is the time. We’ve had two chances to help that country. And we’re, as Mullen said now, we’ve got kind of one last chance.

ROBERTS: There’s been a bump-up in U.S. forces that we’ve been reporting on, and particularly in the Helmand province, where they’re trying to go after the Taliban and get them out of the drug business, which really brings in a lot of their funds.

There’s a chance that Stanley McChrystal, the new general in charge of Afghanistan, may ask for even more forces. Is U.S. military might the key to solving the situation there. If you were in charge, what would you do?

MORTENSON: Well, the military, and even Admiral Mullen will say that, and General Petraeus, who I met that it’s not — there’s no — not only the military situation, but the real solution is to empower the people, listen to the people more.

There’s also they’re going to ask for more troops there, but a lot of the troops are trainer troops. And I can tell you from the top to the bottom, they know what their mission now is to serve the good people of Afghanistan.

General McChrystal is meeting with elders from all over the country. He’s trying to understand what they feel is the solution.

And so I’m — you know, I’m eternal optimist, but what else can you be?

ROBERTS: And your book, “Three Cups of Tea,” very famous book written after you climbed K2 and spent so much time in the region, is really required reading now. Admiral Mullen has said that all of his top commanders should read it. It’s also required reading at Camp Lejune among the Marines, special operations forces, counterinsurgency trainers.

And it follows an old Tibetan proverb, that the first cup of tea, you’re a stranger, the second cup of tea, you’re a friend, the third cup of tea, you’re family. But what can military leaders learn from reading your book?

MORTENSON: General Petraeus, he summed it in three bullet points that he gave me. Number one, we need to listen more, number two, we need to have respect, meaning we are there to serve the people, and number three, we have to build relationships. It is just a lot of tea drinking.

Our top three commanders have been in Afghanistan and Pakistan more than 30 times in the last year, and I really think that is the hope is, you know, drinking tea doesn’t bring peace, but relationships does.

And also, if you talk to any woman in rural Pakistan or Afghanistan, and you ask her what do you want? How can I help you, but what would you like? They’ll say just two things — we don’t want our babies to die, and we want our children to go to school. And that’s what we focus on.

ROBERTS: Do you think this thing can be won?

MORTENSON: Well, I guess it depends on what winning is, and that ultimately, you know, we can’t plug in democracy. You have to build democracy. And the way to build democracy is through education and also land ownership.

And when those things start coming in place — but I think if there is a solution, it’s going to take 10 to 20 years, maybe even a generation.

ROBERTS: Greg Mortenson, it’s not only a pleasure, it’s an honor to meet you sir. Thanks for dropping by.

MORTENSON: Thank you. ROBERTS: Carol.

(c) CNN News American Morning 2009

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