To the Point

US-Russia Summit

As President George Bush prepares for his first visit to Russia, western observers are hailing a new era in relations with the former superpower. President Vladimir Putin is guiding the former "evil empire" on a vigorous path of westernization marked by political and economic reforms. A decade after the demise of the Cold War, what are Putin's vision for his country and its role in the world? What does it mean for Europe and the US? We hear how Russians feel about these changes and their hopes for the future from a Russian defense analyst, a Russian foreign policy expert with the Brookings Institution, and a former US ambassador to the Soviet Union. Sara Terry of The Christian Science Monitor guest hosts. Newsmaker: Changing Opinion on Palestinian Suicide Bombers According to a poll released today by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research, support for suicide bombings inside Israel has declined. There is also strong support for reform of Yasser Arafat's Palestinian Authority. Ghassan Khattib, director of the Jerusalem Media and Communications Center, looks at this significant trend towards moderation and the search for peaceful solutions. Reporter's Notebook: Changing Face of China's Three Gorges River Next June, the waters will begin rising in the world's largest dam. China's 60-story high Three Gorges Dam will forever change the local landscape and lifestyles, requiring at least 1.5 million people to be moved from their homes. To the Point host Warren Olney, who is visiting the banks of the Yangtze River, considers the destruction of 2000 years of culture and history and what it will mean for 300 million Chinese.