Will Militarism and Empire End the American Republic?, Part One
Chalmers Johnson—Professor Emeritus, University of California, San Diego
The U.S. took many of its key political principles from the Roman Empire, and historian Chalmers Johnson says the Roman Empire's collapse is also instructive for the U.S. He begins by explaining why he thinks the U.S. is a militarized society.
Johnson is author of The Sorrows of Empire: Militarism, Secrecy, and the End of the Republic. He's also president and co-founder of the Japan Policy Research Institute.

Will Militarism and Empire End the American Republic?, Part Two
Chalmers Johnson—Professor Emeritus, University of California, San Diego
Some say the U.S. stumbled into empire after World War II and that American empire is a byproduct of its being the world's most powerful country. Historian Chalmers Johnson weighs in on the idea of the U.S. as a reluctant empire.

Sudan—Humanitarian Crisis in Darfur Worsening
Lynn Heinisch—Press Officer, Africa Division, CARE International
We get a firsthand account of the conflict, in which pro-government Arab militias are ethnically cleansing indigenous black villagers. With thousands dead and millions forced from their homes, the U.S. is considering sanctions against Sudan.

Indonesia—First Direct Presidential Elections
Jeffrey Winters—Professor of Political Economy, Northwestern University
As candidates gear up for the July 5, 2004, vote, we check in with Northwestern University's Jeffrey Winters, who's in Jakarta following the contest.

Iraq—Where's the Oil Money Going?
Svetlana Tsalik—Director, Iraq Revenue Watch, Open Society Institute
It's proven easier for Iraq's Coalition Provisional Authority to spend the country's oil money rather than funds approved by Congress. We talk with the head of the Open Society Institute's Iraq Revenue Watch program about where that money's going.
The Open Society Institute was founded by financier and philanthropist George Soros.
Related Link:
Iraq Revenue Watch

North Korea—Nuclear Negotiations Resume
Joel Wit—Senior Fellow, Center for Strategic and International Studies
Six-party talks over North Korea's nuclear program are set to resume in Beijing, but the attendees aren't completely in sync about reasonable terms for an agreement. Guest Joel Wit helped negotiate the 1994 U.S. framework deal with North Korea.
Wit is co-author of the book, Going Critical: The First North Korean Nuclear Crisis.

Portugal—Controversial Large Dam Project
The Alentejo region is Portugal's breadbasket, but it's also relatively poor. The government's solution is the Alqueva Dam Project, which includes the biggest artifical lake in Europe and which some criticize for severely damaging the environment.
We get the story from Radio Netherlands correspondent, Danny Wood.

U.S. Government Faces Legal Challenges
Cherif Bassiouni—President, International Human Rights Law Institute, DePaul University
Law professor Cherif Bassiouni discusses the many legal wrangles the U.S. Government faces.

Film: Aljazeera Documentary
Milos Stehlik—Film Commentator
Control Room examines Arab television news channel Aljazeera's role in covering the Iraq War. Commentator Milos Stehlik shares his thoughts on the movie.
Stehlik is director of Facets Multimedia in Chicago.

Military 101: Civilian Contractors in Iraq
Nancy Updike—Contributing Editor, This American Life
This American Life contributing editor, Nancy Updike, spent weeks in Iraq interviewing private security contractors for her documentary, I'm from the Private Sector, and I'm Here to Help.
We hear excerpts from the documentary, which originally aired on the June 4, 2004, edition of This American Life.

Global Activism Story: Training Young Athletes in Afghanistan
Awista Ayub—Founder, Afghan Youth Sports Exchange
As part of our ongoing series of global activism stories, we hear about an organization that trains Afghan youth to promote athletics in their schools and communities.
Related Link:
Afghan Youth Sports Exchange

U.S. Diplomats and Military Commanders Call "for Change"
Doug Cassel—Human Rights Commentator
In his regular human rights commentary, Doug Cassel shares his thoughts on a letter from 26 former U.S. officials criticizing the Bush administration's foreign policy.
Cassel is director of the Center for International Human Rights at the Northwestern University School of Law.

Military 101: Funding, Contracting, and Troop Levels
Audio for this segment is not available.
Evan Bayh—U.S. Senator, Indiana
We discuss the U.S. military's manpower issues with Indiana U.S. Senator Evan Bayh, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Military 101: Global Spread of U.S. Bases
Joseph Gerson—Director, Peace and Economic Security Program, American Friends Service Commmittee
As part of our series examining the U.S. military, we talk with Joseph Gerson, editor of The Sun Never Sets: Confronting the Network of U.S. Military Bases.

Afghanistan—Excerpt of Karzai Speech to Congress
Afghan president Hamid Karzai finished a tour of the U.S. by addressing a joint session of Congress, during which he was interrupted by applause several times. We bring you an excerpt of his remarks.

Afghan Elections
Barnett Rueben—Senior Fellow, Center for International Cooperation
Some experts say the Bush administration should lift its pressure on Afghanistan to hold September 2004 elections for president and the lower house of parliament until the country's security situation stabilizes.
Guest Barnett Rueben is author of The Fragmentation of Afghanistan. His article, “(Re)Building Afghanistan: The Folly of Stateless Democracy,” appears in the April 2004 issue of Current History.

Military 101: Recruiting and Retaining an All-Volunteer Army
Larry Korb—Founder and Senior Fellow, Center for American Progress
Many say the war in Iraq is precipitating a crisis for U.S. military recruiting and retention. We discusss this possible manpower crisis with Larry Korb, former Assistant Secretary of Defense for former President Ronald Reagan.

Military 101: U.S. Army, Part One
Lt. Col. Ryan Yantis—Director, U.S. Army Public Affairs, Midwest
We kick off our weeklong series examining the U.S. military by getting to know the Army a little better. Lt. Col. Ryan Yantis guides us through the Army's basics, beginning by discussing its demographics and retention issues.

Military 101: U.S. Army, Part Two
Lt. Col Ryan Yantis—Director, U.S. Army Public Affairs, Midwest
How many people know what the terms “company,” “battalion,” and “division” really mean? Lt. Col. Ryan Yantis continues our conversation on Army basics by explaining how the Army is organized.

Libya Accused of Plotting to Kill Saudi Prince
Mary-Jane Deeb—Adjunct Professor of International Relations, American University
A U.S. investigation into accusations that Libyan leader Colonel Gaddafi plotted to have Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Abdullah assassinated comes at a sensitive time for Libya as it tries to curry newfound favor with the international community.

Documentary—Iraq: A Hostage Nation
Radio Netherlands's Dheera Sujan presents this documentary where three Iraqi citizens discuss what life was like under Saddam Hussein, under the UN sanctions, and under the U.S. occupation.

Bon Voyage—Escapist World War II Comedy
Milos Stehlik—Film Commentator
Film commentator Milos Stehlik shares his thoughts on the French film Bon Voyage, a comedy that aims to distract by turning to the wartime of a different era.

Africa—Zimbabwe Land Seizures and Sudanese Humanitarian Crisis
Adotei Akwei — Director, Advocacy for Africa, Amnesty International
We talk with Amnesty International's Adotei Akwei about Zimbabwe's intentions to nationalize all remaining farmland and about continuing clashes between government-backed Arab militias and indigenous black villagers in Sudan's Darfur region.

Global Activism Story: Gardening for Africa
Vicky Wauterlek — Founder, Hands of Hope
Hands of Hope strives to improve the quality of life for women and children in Africa. As part of our ongoing series of Global Activism Stories, we talk with the founder of the organization, which is based in northwest suburban Barrington.
The group's 2004 country gardens and antiques fair takes place June 18 and 19.
Related Link:
Hands of Hope

Iraq—Kurds Threaten to Pull Out of Interim Government
Henri Barkey — Professor of International Relations, Lehigh University
The Kurdish members are upset because they fear the UN resolution on Iraq will roll back the Kurds' semi-autonomous powers in the northern part of the country.

U.S. Government Memo on Torture Exposed
Matt Lippman — Professor of Criminal Justice, University of Illinois, Chicago
The 2002 Justice Department memo could have laid the groundwork for torture at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq, and attorney general John Ashcroft refuses to hand it over to the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee for further investigation.

American Foreign Policy Past and Present, Part One
Walter Russell Mead — Senior Fellow, Council on Foreign Relations
In Special Providence, Walter Russell Mead broke 200 years of U.S. foreign policy into the Hamiltonian, Jeffersonian, Jacksonian, and Wilsonian schools of thought. Mead says the Bush administration doesn't seem to fit into any of them.
Mead is also author of Power, Terror, Peace, and War: America's Grand Strategy in a World at Risk.