History

Mira is a third-generation Japanese-American who, in 1984, visited Japan for the first time. His own grandfather left that country at the turn of the century, and during World War II Mura's parents were interned in a relocation camp. He's written a memoir about his heritage, called "Turning Japanese: Memoirs of a Sansei."

Soviet editor Vitali Korotych of the Soviet Magazine "Ogonyuk," the first magazine that reflected the Soviet Union's new openness. Despite recent governmental reforms, it still has a contentious relationship with the State.

We examine how the Gulf War has changed the arms race with journalist James Adams. He's the Defense Correspondent and Associate Editor of The Sunday Times of London, and the author of "Engines of War: Merchants of Death and the New Arms Race."

Vietnamesse-American Pham Thanh and American filmmaker Elizabeth Farnsworth. As a child, Thanh was seriously injured when the Americans bombed his village. He eventually was brought to America and raised by foster parents. Farnsworth has made a documentary about Thanh's life, and the legacy of the Vietnam war on that country's children. It's called "Thanh's War," and it's being shown this week on PBS.

We speak with two reporters about the aftermath of the Gulf War:

Veteran journalist Tom Wicker has written a new examination of Richard Nixon, titled "One of Us." Wicker claims that, contrary to conventional wisdom, the former president was weak on foreign policy but strong -- and effective -- on the domestic front.

Stephanie Barron curated of a new exhibit at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art called "Degenerate Art: The Fate of the Avant Garde in Nazi Germany." It recreates an exhibit the Nazis put together in 1937 to show the German public the types of art that they would no longer tolerate.

Two interviews during this half hour:

Daniel Pipes, the Director of the Foreign Policy Research Institute discusses his recent trip to post-war Kuwait, and the future of that country. Then, Terry talks with Andrew Whitley, executive director of Middle East Watch. He'll discuss human rights violations in Kuwait; both abuses the Iraqis commited against the Kuwaitis, and the abuses the Kuwaitis are committing against the Palestinians.

Former Washington Post investigative journalist Scott Armstrong says that the United States wanted to topple Saddam Hussein, even if that meant a longer war. He talks about how a media blackout, poor intelligence, and scant details provided by the government have led to an incomplete picture of the conflict.

We explore the roots of the Israeli-Arab problem with Charles Smith, a professor of Middle Eastern history at San Diego State University, and the author of "Palestine and the Arab Israeli Conflict."

James Fallows, the Washington editor for "The Atlantic Monthly." Fallows will discuss the ways America is still punishing Vietnam through economic means, despite the end of hostilities between the two countries.

Joe Davidson is a Black American reporter who has been covering the recent apartheid reforms for the Wall Street Journal. He shares his take on the situation on the ground, and describes some of the discrimination he's faced.

Richard Mkhondo is a black South African who reports on his home country. He says the government's recent legislation to roll back apartheid will have minimal impact on blacks, and does nothing to to address the issue of restitution.

In the 1970s, both Sitkovetsky and his mother emigrated to the U.S. In 1988, he became the first post-war Soviet emigre musician to be invited back to USSR to perform. He comes from a family of accomplished musicians; his mother is pianist Bella Davidovich, and his father is Julian Sitkovetsky.

Joe Stork discusses how the region's political powers have shifted since conflict in Iraq has ended.

Professor Thomas Naff of the University of Pennsylvania and head of the Middle East Water Project. He discusses the overwhelming importance of water in the Middle East; water beneath the Ocupied Territories may be a factor in the Israeli government's refusal to cede lands to the Palestinians.

Oz talks about the postwar discussions toward an end to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. He and Terry also discuss Oz's latest novel, "To Know A Woman."

Journalist Nicholas Lemann's new book, "The Promised Land," is an account of the American black migration; between the early 1940s and the late 1960s more than five million blacks left the Deep South and headed north, looking for a better life.

Two interviews in this segment. First, Charles Tripp discusses the the stability of Saddam's government, and the current civil war in Iraq. Tripp's a lecturer at. the University of London. Next, we discuss Syria's role in the post-war Middle East with Patrick Seale, the author of "Asad: The Struggle for The Middle East."

Terry talks with NPR's Vice-President for news and information programs, Bill Buzenberg, about the disappearance of NPR reporter Neil Conan. Conan is among about 26 journalists that disappeared while on the way to cover the uprisings in Basra.