Missouri residents weigh in on US foreign policy

Route 2014

American service members have reported mixed emotions as the last of the coalition bases in Afghanistan are handed over Afghan military. The last two bases, one American, and one British, were turned over to Afghan control last weekend and all NATO combat troops are set to depart Afghanistan by December. The fight against the Taliban in Afghanistan has claimed more than 2,300 American lives, and more than 450 British soldiers.

Even as the U.S. is draws down combat operations in Afghanistan, it remains in a renewed battle in Iraq, and now in Syria in the fight against the Islamic State, or ISIL. Opinions about how the U.S. should fight the terrorist group are wide ranging with just six days to go before an important midterm election.

CCTV America’s Sean Callebs speaks to residents Waynesville, Missouri, a small town outside of a the Army training base of Fort Leonard Wood, as part of our ongoing series, Route 2014: The road to the U.S. election.

Military spending is the second biggest expenditure in the United States. While there are efforts to cut the budget, it’s proving to be easier said than done. CCTV America interviews David Cortright, director of policy studies at the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies at the University of Notre Dame about if the military budget should be cut.

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ROUTE 2014 LOGO.