Full Program

Part 1

We begin with the demonstrations that took place in Moscow over the weekend against war with Ukraine and speak with Russian journalist and author Masha Gessen about the “other Russia” that is opposed to Putin who is riding high in the polls. She is the author of the bestseller “The Man Without a Face: The Unlikely Rise of Vladimir Putin” and her latest book is “Words Will Break Cement: The Passion of Pussy Riot”. She also has an article in The Washington Post “Putin Wins in Russia Only by Escalating his War Rhetoric”.

Part 2

Then we look into the political recriminations in Asia between a furious Chinese government and the authoritarian and apparently inept Malaysian government over the disappearance of a Beijing-bound Malaysian airliner with 239 people aboard, 153 of whom are Chinese, including a delegation of prominent artists. Michael Buehler, a Professor of Political Science at Northern Illinois University who has contributed to political risk evaluations for private sector companies operating across South East Asia, joins us to discuss the internal politics of Malaysia and bureaucratic infighting that may have led to unnecessary confusion and a week’s delay in calling off a fruitless search in the wrong ocean.

Part 3

Then finally we speak with an aviation safety expert with the Transport Studies Group at Loughborough University in the U.K., David Gleave, who analyzes the possible scenarios that might explain the actions of the plane after it was diverted from its scheduled flightpath and where the Boeing 777 may have ended up, what may have happened to the passengers, as well as what may be the intentions behind those involved in the plane’s hijacking whether suicide for insurance, theft for ransom, or a flying bomb for future use by a terrorist group.

Full Program

Part 1

We begin with one of the leading experts on U.S. – Russian relations Angela Stent, who served as an advisor on Russia under Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, and maintains close ties with key policy makers in both countries. We examine the crisis over Russia’s annexation of Crimea and the likelihood of worsening relations between the two former rival Cold War superpowers and discuss her new book “The Limits of Partnership: U.S.-Russian Relations in the 21^st Century” which is an inside look into the recent post-Cold War history of presidents Clinton, Bush and Obama’s dealings with Russia under Boris Yeltsin and Vladimir Putin.

Part 2

Then finally, following Saudi Arabia's threat to blockade neighboring Qatar, we assess the deepening rift between Qatar and its Arab neighbors Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait and Bahrain as well as Egypt. Toby Jones, a professor of history at Rutgers University and author of  “Desert Kingdom: How Oil and Water Forged Modern Saudi Arabia” joins us to discuss conflict within the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council which mirrors a larger Middle Eastern struggle over systems of governance that has been playing out across the region since the Arab Spring”.