After months of anticipation, the war against Iraq is now underway. How is it being felt in neighboring countries? And how will the war affect the ability of radical Islamic groups to recruit? Brian speaks with Middle East expert Fawaz Gerges. Also on the show: House Majority Whip Roy Blunt stands squarely behind the President, while Rep. Eliot Engel recently wrote: "the President’s failed diplomacy has not gotten the UN to back the invasion, which carries real consequences."
Fawaz Gerges, a professor in Middle East studies and international affairs at Sarah Lawrence College, and author of The Superpowers and the Middle East (Cambridge University Press, 1990) and America and Political Islam : Clash of Cultures or Clash of Interests? (Cambridge, 1999), gauges the state of the Arab world on the first day of war.
Bill Frelick, director of the refugee program at Amnesty International, on the possible refugee crisis in Iraq
William Saletan, chief political correspondent for Slate.com, on Donald Rumsfeld's briefing
William Saletan, chief political correspondent for Slate.com, on Donald Rumsfeld's putting himself in other people's shoes
Eliot Engel, congressman (D-17th District NY-Bronx and Westchester) and a member of the House Committee on International Affairs, observes the war
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