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Linda Leaming talks about traveling though South Asia and finding an unexpected path to happiness and enlightenment. In her memoir Married to Bhutan: How One Woman Got Lost, Said “I Do,” and Found Bliss, she offers a rare glimpse into the quirky mountain kingdom, which is so different from the super-efficient, striving Western world.

Linda Leaming talks about traveling though South Asia and finding an unexpected path to happiness and enlightenment. In her memoir Married to Bhutan: How One Woman Got Lost, Said “I Do,” and Found Bliss, she offers a rare glimpse into the quirky mountain kingdom, which is so different from the super-efficient, striving Western world.

Matthew Irvine, research assistant at the Center for a New American Security and author of the report "Beyond Afghanistan: A Regional Security Strategy for South and Central Asia," discusses the role of special forces in the Afghanistan war and the broader strategic changes involved in troop withdrawal.

Usually you'd have to make a trip to South Asia to see independent films made in India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh. But in the next few weeks, you can check out films from the region at not one but two film festivals in New York City.

The floodwaters in the Philippines are starting to recede now that Typhoon Ketsana (locally known as Typhoon Ondoy) has passed through, but the situation in Manila and the surrounding areas is still dire. The city is still recovering as 20 feet of floodwater begins to drain away and the government struggles to cope with 450,000 displaced citizens.

We talk with Stephen Anderson, head of the World Food Program in the Philippines, who talks to us from Manila; and Bing Branigan, Filipina American community liaison for the National Federation of Filipino American Associations, who is leaving for Manila on Wednesday to assist in the relief effort.

For insight into how the Indian-American community here at home is reacting to the events in Mumbai, we spoke with Amy Paul, the Development Director at the Northern Manhattan Coalition for Immigrant Rights. She did graduate work in Mumbai and still has family there.

As of October 2008, 520 detainees had been released from the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and a new study from the Human Rights Center at the University of California, Berkeley, finds the stigma of being a prisoner still haunts many of them. After spending an average of three years in the prison, six of the 62 former detainees tracked (none of which were convicted of a crime) had found employment, and many were not able to return home.

In the tough global economy, trade is returning to its roots. Yes, bartering is back.

On Saturday, a truck bomb blew up the entrance to the Marriott hotel in Islamabad. At least 50 people were killed, 250 were injured. Though analysts suspect that that this attack was a warning to the new leadership of Pakistan to end its collaboration with the United States in targeting militants along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, South Asian and military affairs analyst Christine Fair sees things differently.

For seven years, American officials have tried to work with Pakistan to fight al-Qaeda and the Taliban. But after months of debate, the Bush administration is allowing Special Ops forces to carry out ground assaults without the prior consent of the Pakistani government. The Takeaway talks to Eric Schmitt, of The New York Times about the situation.

In 2001, after the fall of the Taliban, experts warned of a nightmare scenario. They projected that the Taliban and al-Qaida would leave Afghanistan and infiltrate neighboring Pakistan. There, they would find a relative sanctuary where they could establish new command centers, out of America’s reach. With the U.S. military largely committed in Iraq, that scenario seems to be coming true. Frontline’s senior producer Martin Smith joins The Takeaway to discuss the latest developments along the Afghanistan and Pakistan border.

The widower of assassinated former Pakistani leader Benazir Bhutto has taken office as the country's new president this morning. He faces immediate pressure to crack down on Islamic militants and address daunting economic problems. Pakistan's top judge swore in Asif Ali Zardari at a brief ceremony in the presidential palace recently vacated by Pervez Musharraf, who resigned under pressure last month.

Pakistan’s Tribal regions are packed with Taliban and Al Qaeda militants. NYT reporter Dexter Filkins slipped inside and met with Taliban leadership. We’ll talk to him about militant power, and whether Pakistan is really fighting them.

Guest: Jonathan Head, BBC Correspondent in Bangkok

Guest: Nazes Afroz, BBC South Asia Editor

Guest: Jane Perlez, The New York Times, in Islamabad, Pakistan

Guest: John Dempsey, Rule of Law Advisor, U.S. Institute of Peace, in Kabul, Afghanistan