syria
GRITtv: Andrew Bacevich: Serious Thinking About US Military Action
According to retired Colonel Andrew Bacevich, Barack Obama "is a problem solver, he's surrounded himself with problem solvers at a time when maybe we need some creative thinking." This week saw the announcement that General David Petraeus would be taking Leon Panetta's spot as head of the CIA, while Panetta would be moving to replace Robert Gates as Defense Secretary. Bacevich joins Laura in studio to discuss the changes in the administration and the ongoing situation in Libya and Syria, and notes that at a time when the Arab world is undergoing deep changes, it should be a time for modesty in the US and a reconsideration of military power and the use of violence to achieve goals.
Email this pageGRITtv: Benjamin Barber: Who Takes Charge in Egypt?
"The one predictable thing about revolutions is that they are unpredictable," notes Benjamin Barber, fellow at Demos and author of Consumed and Jihad vs. McWorld. Barber points out that as revolution rocks the Arab world, each country will find its own solution and destiny. The important thing to note, he says, is that autocratic regimes hollow out their states' civil society, leaving little infrastructure in place for citizens to use to govern themselves. Benjamin joins Laura in studio to discuss the situation in Egypt and to update us on the conflict he wrote about in Jihad vs. McWorld years ago, between consumer capitalism and Islamism. Why can we picture no alternative to the two extremes, when revolution comes?
GRITtv: From Baghdad to Brooklyn
Last December, videojournalist Jennifer Utz and Mohamed, an Iraqi refugee, talked about Mohamed's journey from Iraq to the U.S. This week, our Got Docs feature is Jennifer's documentary in production, "From Baghdad to Brooklyn," telling Mohamed's story, from his exile from Iraq after Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani called for the killing of homosexuals "in the worst, most severe way possible." Mohamed, who is gay, wound up in Syria, where Jennifer met him and took up his cause. Mohamed's story may have ended happily, but over a million Iraqis are still displaced. More of their stories are available here.
