editor for New America Media
Syndicated writer and Editor for New America Media, a news service based in San Francisco, California; and author of Perfume Dreams: Reflections on the Vietnamese Diaspora
PROFILE
Andrew Lam
Guest
FROM Andrew Lam
To the Point
Iraqi Refugees At the outside of the Iraq invasion, a tidal wave of refugees was predicted. It didn't happen right away. But last February, the bombing of a Shiite mosque set off the orgy of deadly sectarian violence that continues to drive both Sunnis and Shiites from their homes. Some 40 to 50,000 Iraqis are leaving home every month and some 2 million are already abroad. But just 466 refugees have been allowed to immigrate to the United States. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees calls it the largest exodus in the Middle East since Palestinians were displaced by the 1948 creation of Israel. A US official brands it "shameful," especially for those who risked their lives as interpreters and drivers for government agencies and civilian contractors. It's a far cry from happened during and after the Vietnam War. We hear from the UN, immigration reformers in the US and refugees, including a civil engineer who left Iraq in 2004--after her son was kidnapped at gunpoint by local gangs.
Which Way, L.A.?
President Bush and the Asia-Pacific Economic Summit The Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit , which ended yesterday in Hanoi, with the region's leaders all decked for a photo op in traditional "ao dai" robes. The meeting marked only the second time a US President has visited Vietnam since the end of the war there 31 years ago. Vietnam hoped to dazzle regional leaders, while President Bush came with a wish list of his own. While Vietnam is booming economically, what about its political and human rights reforms? What is the state of relations between the US and Hanoi today? What progress did the President make towards liberalizing trade in the region? Does China now carry more weight in the region than the US? Sara Terry guest hosts. (An extended version of this program originally aired earlier today on To the Point.)
To the Point
President Bush in Vietnam The Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit , which ended yesterday in Hanoi, with the region's leaders all decked for a photo op in traditional ao dai robes. The meeting marked only the second time a US President has visited Vietnam since the end of the war there 31 years ago. Vietnam hoped to dazzle regional leaders, while President Bush came with a wish list of his own. While Vietnam is booming economically, what about its political and human rights reforms? What is the state of relations between the US and Hanoi today? What progress did the President make towards liberalizing trade in the region? Does China now carry more weight in the region than the US? Sara Terry guest hosts.
Recommended
To the Point
What is Trump's plan for Middle East peace? On his first foreign tour, President Trump has promised "peace" between Israel and the Palestinians. Are there any details for re-starting talks that have been stalled for the past three years?
To the Point
Is the threat from Russia missing from the Russia meddling probe? There's much being made about the Trump administration's possible ties with Russia. But the bottom line is Russia's effort to influence American democracy. Do the President and his aides care enough to take action before voters go back to the polls?
To the Point
Trump's new look at civil rights and global warming President Trump is reportedly ready to pull the US out of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. We look at the possible consequences. On the second half of the program, we hear about cuts in Obama-Era civil rights programs called for by the Trump Administration's first budget plan.