February 15 – Terrorism in Copenhagen and European Integration of Muslims; The U.S. and Saudi Arabia Lose Yemen; Kurdish Boots on the Ground

Full Program

Part 1

We begin with the terrorist attacks in Copenhagen, Denmark and speak with Jonathan Laurence a Professor of Political Science at Boston College who is a specialist on European integration of Muslim populations. We discuss his book “The Emancipation of Europe’s Muslims” and “Integrating Islam: Political and Religious Challenges in Contemporary France” in the context of Denmark, a country with perhaps the most inclusive democracy in the world, to get an analysis of the successes of integrating Muslims into European society and the failures given the comparisons being made between the Copenhagen shooting and the recent Charlie Hebdo massacre in France.

Part 2

Then we look into the unraveling of Yemen and American policy in combating the so-called AQAP, Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula and speak with Gregory Gause, Chair and Professor of International Affairs at Texas A&M University and author of “Saudi-Yemeni Relations: Domestic Structures and Foreign Influence”. We also examine the impact on Saudi Arabia of the takeover of Yemen by Houthi rebels given that the Saudis have invested heavily in Yemen’s security, and the role of Yemen’s former President Salah who appears to playing some kind of double game with the Saudis and the Houthis.

Part 3

Then finally we speak with David Phillips, the Director of the Peace-Building and Rights Program at the Institute for the Study of Human Rights at Columbia University who is a former advisor to the State Department and the author of the new book “The Kurdish Spring: A New Map For the Middle East”. We will look into Kurdish boots on the ground and President Obama’s draft of a war resolution against the so-called Islamic State that is getting mixed revues from Congress with calls from hawkish Senators Lindsey Graham and John McCain that only American boot on the ground will do the job.