To the Point
Democracy in the Middle East
For 60 years, the United States has been talking democracy while propping up authoritarian regimes in the Middle East. That-s according to the current President, speaking at the invitation of the National Endowment for Democracy, a bipartisan group founded after Ronald Reagan-s speech of 1982. George W. Bush says America should now be focused on really creating democracy. Evoking World War II and the Cold War, he says bringing about a -free Iraq- will be a -watershed event in the global democratic revolution.- Will yesterday-s speech change the course of America? How is it being viewed in the Middle East? Was it an elaborate rationale for the current Iraq intervention? We hear more about democracy and America-s role in the Middle East from the head of the NED, political scientists, and experts in international law and human rights. Reporter's Notebook: Reaction to Partial Birth Abortion On Wednesday, President Bush signed a new law to limit abortion for the first time since the Roe v. Wade decision 30 years ago. But federal judges in three states have signed orders effectively preventing enforcement nationwide, ensuring a lengthy legal battle. What does that means for doctors and their patients? We speak with Dr. Deborah Oyer, of the National Abortion Foundation, and Dr. Steve Calvin, specialist in fetal medicine and co-chair of the Program in Human Rights at the University of Minnesota.
By Warren Olney • • 1 min readFor 60 years, the United States has been talking democracy while propping up authoritarian regimes in the Middle East. That-s according to the current President, speaking at the invitation of the National Endowment for Democracy, a bipartisan group founded after Ronald Reagan-s speech of 1982. George W. Bush says America should now be focused on really creating democracy. Evoking World War II and the Cold War, he says bringing about a -free Iraq- will be a -watershed event in the global democratic revolution.- Will yesterday-s speech change the course of America? How is it being viewed in the Middle East? Was it an elaborate rationale for the current Iraq intervention? We hear more about democracy and America-s role in the Middle East from the head of the NED, political scientists, and experts in international law and human rights.
Reaction to Partial Birth Abortion
On Wednesday, President Bush signed a new law to limit abortion for the first time since the Roe v. Wade decision 30 years ago. But federal judges in three states have signed orders effectively preventing enforcement nationwide, ensuring a lengthy legal battle. What does that means for doctors and their patients? We speak with Dr. Deborah Oyer, of the National Abortion Foundation, and Dr. Steve Calvin, specialist in fetal medicine and co-chair of the Program in Human Rights at the University of Minnesota.