Arms Control Association
Senior fellow at the Arms Control Association; former Director of the Office of Strategic Proliferation and Military Affairs in the State Department
PROFILE
Greg Thielmann
Guest
FROM Greg Thielmann
To the Point
Is Taking Charge of Syria's Chemical Weapons Mission Impossible? President Obama has postponed his "decision" for taking limited military action to punish Syria's alleged use of chemical weapons. Secretary of State John Kerry has gone to Geneva, where he and foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov will discuss Russia's proposed alternative : placing Bashar al-Assad's arsenal under international supervision with plans to destroy it -- a dangerous job that could take a decade or more. Despite warnings that it can't be done during a civil war, we hear from a former weapons inspector who says the difficulties might be overcome. Where did Syria's chemical stockpile come from? Did the West, including the US, stand by and watch it build up? How much do we really know? Should more intelligence findings be revealed to overcome public skepticism that is deeply ingrained?
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To the Point
Trump plays scolder-in-chief with NATO allies At the opening of NATO’s dramatic new headquarters in Brussels today, President Trump acknowledged that Article 5 — promising that “an attack on one nation is an attack on all” -- has only been invoked one time: in the aftermath of September 11. But the President failed to provide what 27 other Alliance members have been waiting for: a re-commitment by America’s new leader to Article 5. Instead, they got a scolding.
To the Point
Trump's 'America First' goes missing abroad In the Middle East, President Trump is changing some policies of the Obama Administration—and reversing his own campaign attacks on Islam as a religion that "hates us." We hear about his visit to Saudi Arabia and what's at stake for the rest of his foreign excursion.
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
Janesville and the American Dream Janesville, Wisconsin is the hometown of Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan. But he couldn’t prevent the closing of the General Motors factory after 100 years. On this Memorial Day rebroadcast of To the Point, we hear what’s happened to what once was a model of American middle-class unity.