Government & Politics

National Affairs Director of the National Black Police Association, Officer Ron Hampton, has been a policeman for 19 years. He's gotten a reputation for speaking out against the misuse of power in the police force, which Hampton says is distressingly common. He'll discuss the beating of Rodney King by LAPD officers.

We explore the roots of the Israeli-Arab problem with Charles Smith, a professor of Middle Eastern history at San Diego State University, and the author of "Palestine and the Arab Israeli Conflict."

Professor Bill Beeman of Brown University discusses the historical and cultural background of the Kurdish population in the Middle East. Without a country of their own, the Kurds have taken what support they can get from other players in the region. With the Gulf War over, there has been a Kurdish uprising in Iraq, which threatens Saddam Hussein.

McPherson is currently working on a new book about the aftermath of the Romanian Revolution. An excerpt of the book recently appeared in the literary magazine, "Granta."

James Fallows, the Washington editor for "The Atlantic Monthly." Fallows will discuss the ways America is still punishing Vietnam through economic means, despite the end of hostilities between the two countries.

Joe Davidson is a Black American reporter who has been covering the recent apartheid reforms for the Wall Street Journal. He shares his take on the situation on the ground, and describes some of the discrimination he's faced.

Richard Mkhondo is a black South African who reports on his home country. He says the government's recent legislation to roll back apartheid will have minimal impact on blacks, and does nothing to to address the issue of restitution.

Jodi Jacobson is senior researcher at the World Watch Institute. Her report, "The Global Politics of Abortion," examines how various countries handle the issue of reproductive rights, and the affect that can have on the global scale. She's discovered that more restrictive policies did nothing to curtail abortion -- in fact, they increased the chance of maternal death.

In the 1970s, both Sitkovetsky and his mother emigrated to the U.S. In 1988, he became the first post-war Soviet emigre musician to be invited back to USSR to perform. He comes from a family of accomplished musicians; his mother is pianist Bella Davidovich, and his father is Julian Sitkovetsky.

Joe Stork discusses how the region's political powers have shifted since conflict in Iraq has ended.

We talk with Gerd Leipold of the the Free Seas Campaign of Greenpeace. Leipold's group is calling for another Geneva Convention, this one to establish environmental rules for war.

Foreman faces federal felony charges for allegedly plotting to blow up power lines leading to a nuclear power plant. His organization Earth First! has been praised and vilified for its use of "monkey wrenching" -- acts of sabotage and civil disobedience against organizations that are hurting the earth. Foreman, who has since distanced himself from the group, has a new book, called "Confessions of an Eco-Warrior."

Professor Thomas Naff of the University of Pennsylvania and head of the Middle East Water Project. He discusses the overwhelming importance of water in the Middle East; water beneath the Ocupied Territories may be a factor in the Israeli government's refusal to cede lands to the Palestinians.

Oz talks about the postwar discussions toward an end to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. He and Terry also discuss Oz's latest novel, "To Know A Woman."

Current budgets are proposing massive cuts in the arts funding of many states. We examine this issue with Stephan Salisbury, arts reporter for the Philadelphia Inquirer. We'll also have reaction from two officials in Michigan, where the cuts have been especially drastic.

Journalist James Ridgeway has a new book on the rise of the white supremacy movement in the United States called "Blood In The Face." Ridgeway also co-produced a documentary film on the subject, also called "Blood On The Face."

Two interviews in this segment. First, Charles Tripp discusses the the stability of Saddam's government, and the current civil war in Iraq. Tripp's a lecturer at. the University of London. Next, we discuss Syria's role in the post-war Middle East with Patrick Seale, the author of "Asad: The Struggle for The Middle East."

Professor R.K. Ramazani is a professor of Government and Foreign affairs at the University of Virginia. He'll discuss the current uprisings in Southern Iraq, and whether the U.S. should worry about the rebels being backed by Iran.

Terry talks with NPR's Vice-President for news and information programs, Bill Buzenberg, about the disappearance of NPR reporter Neil Conan. Conan is among about 26 journalists that disappeared while on the way to cover the uprisings in Basra.

Philadelphia Inquirer columnist Steve Lopez talks about his recent columns on the war, and the local reaction to them. He was against the war from the start -- a position which earned him a lot of criticism.