March 28 – Obama’s Plea to Turn Heartbreak Into Action on Gun Violence; Saudi Dissenters Sent to Syria for Jihad; Democracy in Retreat in Thailand, Venezuela, the Philippines, Taiwan and Russia

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Part 1	We begin with President Obama’s emotional plea today to the nation not to forget the recent massacre of children in Newtown and to turn the heartbreak into something real that will reduce gun violence. Saul Cornell, the author of “A Well Regulated Militia: The Founding Fathers and the Origins of Gun Control in America” joins us to discuss whether the Senate can be shamed into action on a watered-down gun control measure before it.
Part 2	Then we look into how the Saudis are offering young anti-government protesters who have been arrested a ticket out of jail if they go to Syria to fight in a “jihad” against the Assad regime. Freelance journalist Reece Erlich, who has written an article at GlobalPost, “Saudi Youth Fighting against Assad Regime in Syria”, joins us to explain the duplicity of the Saudi government in outsourcing the arming of Syrian rebels to wealthy Saudis who procure arms for the most radical fighters like the al-Nusra front.
Part 3	Then finally we examine the reversal of democracy in Thailand, Venezuela, the Philippines, Taiwan and Russia with Joshua Kurlantzick, the author of a new book “Democracy in Retreat: The Revolt of the Middle Class and the Worldwide Decline of Representative Government”. He is a fellow for Southeast Asia at the Council on Foreign Relations and is a former columnist for Time, and a correspondent for The New Republic, The American Prospect and Mother Jones.