- Social:
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Professor of political science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and director of its Security Studies Program; author of Restraint: A New Foundation for US Grand Strategy
PROFILE
Barry Posen
Guest
FROM Barry Posen
To the Point
Finding Friends to Fight ISIS in Syria The US set out to train and equip some 5000 so-called "moderate" rebels in Syria, but fewer than 60 have qualified. The US demands they pledge to fight only against ISIS, not against the regime of Bashar al-Assad — even though it’s what made them rebels in the first place. Critics say the Obama Administration is failing. Some advocate renewed focus on getting rid of Assad. Others say there are no better options — and that Assad might be the best of the unacceptable alternatives.
To the Point
Is the U.S. Doubling Down in Iraq? In 2011, President Obama withdrew US combat forces, hoping to see the last of American involvement in Iraq. Now, he’s authorized US airstrikes against the expanding forces of the Islamic State. Is the U.S. doubling down in Iraq?
To the Point
The NATO Summit in Bucharest The North Atlantic Treaty Organization alliance was formed 59 years ago after the end of World War II. Its mission is often described as avoiding World War III by keeping the Germans down, the Russians out and the Americans in. It succeeded. The Cold War is over, and NATO membership has grown from twelve countries to 26. Most US allies wanted to wait until the sixtieth anniversary next year, but President Bush wanted another summit before he left office, and he's now in Bucharest, Romania for three days of meetings . He wants more NATO troops in Afghanistan, more member nations, and approval of applications from Ukraine and Georgia. Russia's President Putin could not ignore that challenge, and it's not expected to happen. We look at the prospects for Afghanistan. Is the alliance itself becoming a two-tier institution, with some members letting others do the heavy lifting? Has NATO outlived its usefulness?
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KCRW Features
Regulars at Borderline Bar & Grill reflect on the shooting This year there has been a mass shooting in America on average almost once per day. As you know, the most recent was the mass shooting in Thousand Oaks where 12 people were killed when a gunman opened fire inside a local bar. It was called Borderline Bar & Grill. KCRW’s David Weinberg talked to some of the bar’s regulars about what made the place special.
The 805
Following three tragedies: two fires and a mass shooting in Ventura On the heels of a deadly mass shooting at the Borderline Bar and Grill in Thousand Oaks, two blazes in the area are forcing more than 100,000 residents in Ventura and L.A. Counties to evacuate their homes.