Christopher Hitchens - 'Is Afghanistan Worth The Price?' (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)

Christopher Hitchens is one of the most prolific and controversial writers in the English-speaking world. A prominent atheist, he is the author of "God is not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything," which became an international best-seller in 2007. He has also written books on topics ranging from the partition of Cyprus to Thomas Jefferson and the Anglo-American relationship; his most recent is the memoir "Hitch 22." RFE/RL writer at large James Kirchick recently interviewed Hitchens at his home in Washington about his left-wing revolutionary past, his views on America, Iran's nuclear program, Turkey's Islamist turn, Putin's Russia, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and sampled his views on a variety of international figures. In the past year, many voices have called for a downscaling in the Western commitment to Afghanistan and a removal of NATO troops -- including individuals who initially supported the 2001 war that ousted the Taliban from power. Hitchens disagrees.