Host Harry Kreisler welcomes Michael Gordon, Chief Pentagon Correspondent for The New York Times, for a discussion of his new book Cobra II, co written with General Bernard E. Trainor. In the interview, Kreisler and Gordon discuss the origins of the war plan, the key decision makers the intelligence failure before and during the war, the insurgency, SaddamŐs war plan, and the implications of the war for the American military. (59 min)

Conversations host Harry Kreisler welcomes Israeli political scientist and peace activist Galia Golan for a discussion of the peace movement in Israel. She reflects on the Israeli domestic situation, compares Israeli occupation policies to South Africa's apartheid, and analyzes Israel"s geopolitical constraints. She also compares the stability of superpower conflict in the Middle East during the Cold War with today's regional geopolitical situation, especially Israel's conflict with Iran. (58 min)

Conversations host Harry Kreisler welcomes scientist Norman Myers who talks about his intellectual journey and his work in the environmental movement. 43 min)

Conversations host Harry Kreisler welcomes Chalmers Johnson for a discussion of his new book, Nemesis. In the interview, Johnson, an Emeritus Professor of the University of California, analyzes the impact of the American empire on democracy at home. Comparing the United States to Rome and Great Britain, he argues that a combination of military Keynesianism, the Bush administration's attempt to implement a unitary presidency, and the failed checks on executive ambition point to political and economic bankruptcy. (59 minutes)

Geographer Michael Watts, the Director of the UC Berkeley's Institute of International Studies, talks about his personal and political evolution as a researcher and scholar of internationalism and modernity. (62 min)

Host Harry Kreisler welcomes Historian Juan Cole for a discussion of U.S. foreign policy and the Middle East. He also explores the importance of religion in understanding events in Iran and Iraq and he addresses the impact of the communications revolution on his own work as a scholar involved in the policy debate. (59 min)

Conversations host Harry Kreisler welcomes Steven A. Cook of the Council on Foreign Relations for a discussion of the impact of the military on democratization in Turkey, Algeria, and Egypt. He analyzes the structure of power in these countries, the role of Islamic parties in furthering democratization, and raises important questions about U.S. policy in the region through comparison with the policies of the European Union. (51 minutes)

Conversations host Harry Kreisler welcomes General John Abizaid for a discussion of the role of the military in the 21st century. Drawing on his experience as commander of the U.S. Central Command, he discusses the problems confronting the next President in the Middle East. He analyzes the lessons of the Iraq War and reflects on issues such as intelligence, the Geneva Conventions, and the role of military contractors. (53 minutes)

Retired U.S. Marine Corps General Anthony Zinni joins host Harry Kreisler on this edition of Conversations with History to discuss the military today and their role in a changing world filled with transnational threats and terrorism. (60 min)

In this 1986 interview, Ambassador Alfred L. Atherton, a leading figure in the search for peace in the Middle East, joins U.C. Berkeley's Harry Kreisler for a discussion of the role of diplomacy in securing a stable Middle East. (30 min)

Military Strategist Thomas P.M. Barnett joins Conversations host Harry Kreisler for a discussion of military strategy, the changing role of the U.S. military, and the implication of globalization for world order and military power. (56 min)

Chinese dissident Wei Jingsheng joins Conversations host Harry Kreisler for a discussion of the factors that shaped his life as one of China's leading dissidents. (21 min)

Conversations host Harry Kreisler welcomes Annabel Patterson, Professor Emeritus of English, Yale University for a discussion of her career as a literary scholar. The discussion focuses on the challenges of understanding literature in its historical and social context. Her work on censorship, Shakespeare, and her current research on the use of words in the American political dialogue are some of the topics addressed in the conversation. (59 minutes)

British Secretary of State for the Environment joins UC Berkeley's Harry Kreisler for a discussion of the politics of environmental policy. (45 min)

Conversations host Harry Kreisler welcomes Kishore Mahbubani for a discussion of the changing relationship between the West and Asia. In the interview, he describes the major transformations occurring because of the "march of modernity" made possible by the ideas and global institutions created by the West. He goes on to criticize the West for failing to adapt to the changing balance of power which follows from Asia's rise. (57 minutes)

Conversations Host Harry Kreisler welcomes Steve Coll, Pulitzer prize winning author of Ghost Wars: The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan and Bin Laden for a discussion of how the superpower conflict in the last stages of the Cold War, U.S. foreign policy before and after the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and the political dynamics of South Asia created the setting in which Islamic terrorism took root and flourished. (57 min)

Conversations host Harry Kreisler welcomes Congressman Howard Wolpe who reflects on the work of a congressman in a democracy of divided power. (58 min)

Conversations host Harry Kreisler welcomes Nobel Laureate Shirin Ebadi for a discussion of her remarkable odyssey as a human rights lawyer in Iran under the rule of the mullahs. She discusses the effects of revolutionary change in Iran, on her career as a lawyer, her role as a mother, and her work as an advocate and crusader for the rights of children, women, and victims of political oppression and religious intolerance. The interview was conducted in English and Farsi. The interpreter is Banafsheh Keynoush. (54 min)

Historian Sir Michael Howard joins Conversations with History host Harry Kreisler for a discussion of the changes in Europe with the end of the Cold War. (53 min)

Josef Joffe, editor and publisher of Die Zeit, joins UC Berkeley's Harry Kreisler for a discussion of U.S.- European relations one year after the start of the Iraq War. (59 min)