wbur.org
support wbur today!
Listen to this show
Separation of Mosque and State?
photo

The US is standing firm in its self-appointed mission to bring democracy to the Middle East. The posture: totalitarian regimes must end, through military action, if necessary.

But more and more watchers are asking: is democracy the only possibility for Middle Eastern governments? Or can authoritarian governments work?

Given the current wave of religious fundamentalism and the cultural transformation it has wrought, it’s not clear whether the Middle East can be truly democratic. If not, then what? And how far is the US willing to go to make it happen?

Guests:

Jeane Kirkpatrick, Director of Foreign and Defense Policy Studies at the American Enterprise Institute, former Ambassador to the United Nations, 1981-1985, and author of “Dictatorships and Double Standards”

Nick Lemann, writer for the New Yorker and author of the article “Order of Battle: What the war against Iraq- and its aftermath- might look like”

Dexter Filkins, New York Times Middle East Correspondent

 
 

Comments are closed.

On Point Today
Hour 2
Chemicals in Our Bodies
Monday, July 6, 2009 image

Scientists report that widely used chemicals — endocrine disruptors — are causing serious health problems in humans. We ask what the government is, and is not, doing about it.

Comments [35]
 
Hour 1
Sarah Palin’s Surprise
Monday, July 6, 2009 image

Alaska Governor Sarah Palin’s out-of-the-blue resignation. We ask what it means for her future — and for the GOP.

Comments [61]

Recent Shows
Crooked Still
Friday, July 3, 2009 image

Tunes from old Appalachia with a new bluegrass twist. The hit folk band “Crooked Still” plays for us in our studio.

Comments [6]
 
Week in the News
Friday, July 3, 2009 image

A U.S. offensive in Afghanistan. Al Franken heads to the Senate. Mark Sanford keeps talking. And unemployment keeps rising. Our weekly news roundtable goes behind the headlines.

Comments [25]
On Point Blog
India, China and the Climate

The passage of the House climate bill – discussed in our first hour today – has been greeted with enthusiasm in many quarters. But in some ways, the real question is whether a global framework can be established in Copenhagen in December, when countries will negotiate a new international treaty to curb greenhouse gases. After all, America emits only [...]

More » | Comments [1]
 
Michael, Ed, and Farrah

The week-in-the-news roundtable always involves tough choices on sound clips – what to include, what to leave out. Amid all the pressing hard news, we often give a nod to a notable person who’s passed away. But this week brought, well, a ridiculous range of choices. So we gave a nod to them all in the roundtable today. And [...]

More » | Comments [2]
 
Planet Money, On Point — Your Questions!

On Wednesday night, June 24, On Point will tape a show before an audience in Boston with two stars of NPR’s “Planet Money,” Adam Davidson and David Kestenbaum. We need your online questions to put to them — about anything from the roots of the economic crisis to NPR’s coverage.
What’s your question about the [...]

More » | Comments [18]