The Idea Hour / August Series

InternationalRelations

August 2: Interrogating Torture

As Washington grills former Bush administration figures over their policies on torture, explore cases from Northern Ireland to Israel on coercing true confessions. Co-hosts Ray Suarez and Deborah Amos question an expert panel on whether nations can thwart terrorism through torture, and where to draw the legal lines.

August 9: Diplomacy Under Fire

The cocktail parties and communiqués of traditional diplomacy are giving way to counterinsurgency and crisis management missions in places like Iraq and Colombia. American diplomats are now required to serve both in embassies and as embeds. Examine a Foreign Service that is short on staff members and a State Department that is short on funds. The result: the 82nd Airborne becomes the face of American foreign policy to the world.

August 16: Exiting Iraq

President Obama wants American boots out of Iraq, but that means Baghdad needs to stand on its own two feet. Visit Iraq with “America Abroad” to explore the state of the nation’s security forces. And discover the challenge of providing the electricity needed to power an economy and promote stability.

August 23: Integrating Islam

In recent years, European countries have been rocked by violence from Muslim extremists within. The staunchly secular nations have struggled to integrate growing Muslim populations, while immigrants have chafed against a patchwork of religious policies. Meanwhile, foreign-born Muslims are settling in well in the nation of immigrants. Explore Muslim integration in Holland and America to see why homegrown radicalism has been a problem in Europe and why so far it hasn’t in the U.S.

August 30: Diplomacy with Iran is Going Nowhere

In this old style debate produced by NPR, the speakers for the motion will be Liz Cheney and Dan Senor. Speaking against the motion will be Kenneth Pollack and Dennis Ross. The debate moderator will be John Donovan.