In fighting radical Islam, tricky course for U.S. aid

Some scholars say that restrictions on USAID and other American civilian agencies have undercut the United States' ability to win the hearts and minds of Muslims in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia. Karin von Hippel of the Ploughshares-funded Center for Strategic and International Studies argues that U.S. civilian agencies need to be given the same flexibility as military commanders to fund Islamic causes -- such as rehabilitation of mosques and assistance for religious schools. Von Hippel says many officials have simply steered clear of Islamic charities because they do not understand how they function and fear that their careers could be harmed if they inadvertently support an entity that later turns out to be linked to militants. "We can't just sit on our hands, which is what we have been doing for the past eight years," she says.

Von Hippel discussed the upcoming Afghan elections, as well as recent bombings, in an interview with WorldFocus. Von Hippel will serve as an election monitor in Afghanistan for its 2nd presidential election. Watch the full interview below.