- Social:
Brookings Institution
Roger Hertog senior fellow at the Saban Center for Middle East Policy at the Brookings Institution; former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense during the second Bush Administration
PROFILE
Michael Doran
Guest
FROM Michael Doran
To the Point
Should the US Arm Syrian Rebels? After just three weeks as Secretary of State, John Kerry is trying to prevent Syria's "bloody stalemate" from disrupting the world's most volatile region. Russia, Hezbollah — and especially Iran — are aiding the Assad regime while America's refusal to arm opponents is seen as betrayal. Saudi Arabia is reportedly sending Croatian weapons to anti-government forces, who saved Kerry embarrassment by agreeing to show up at a meeting later this week. With 70,000 Syrians already dead and 850,000 turned into refugees, is there any hope of stopping the carnage any time soon?
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To the Point
Who's to blame for the opioid crisis? Some of the lawyers who took on Big Tobacco are now going after Big Pharma. It’s all about the deadly epidemic of opioid use. Are the drug companies to blame? What about the users? Later, on today’s Talking Point: making sense of Britain’s upset election.
To the Point
Venezuela spirals into economic and political chaos Venezuela, a country whose potential for prosperity is unmatched, finds itself on the verge of civil war. What sustains the repressive government? With time running out, guest host León Krauze looks at what the international community can do to pull the country from the edge of collapse.
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.
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.