what are they up to in the middle east? >> they never left the middle east. the middle east is right next to russia's soft underbelly. they have a defensive interest. there is an explosion in the middle east that will spread. it may mean saying goodbye to the sochi olympics for a little while. several decades ago, it was much larger. i think russia wants to keep up. i think they would like to minimize american influence, but is not prepared to engage in some sort of dramatic effort to expel united states from the middle east. we have russia playing a game in which some motives are defensive and there is a trade up between russia's participation in a sense that engages russia and the top level of the negotiating process. >> how do you see it? is there greater russian engagement than a decade ago? >> i see greater russian engagement than even a year ago. if we look at a number of visitors from the region in moscow, just in the recent three or four weeks, prime minister of turkey, israel. the chief of saudi intelligence, russian foreign and defense ministers --

as the deliberate burning of bridges in the middle east. we have to take into consideration that from two thousand and three and the us invasion to iraq the balance of powers and again the balance of. countries relationships have fallen apart we have to recall that there was more than one million iraqi christians who have been forced out of their countries right now in syria we have a total population of two million christians living there and out of those two million population about forty five thousand have fled the country. about eighteen months ago there was the bishop of the matter night church in lebanon who is a supporter of the regime and he spoke very bluntly about the whole situation that his biggest fear is to witness in syria what will happen what has happened before in iraq so yes i agree with his royal highness prince charles and his and that energy that there is a deliberate action to bring down the relationships the muslim christians relationship into a. stage we this is very evident in iraq in syria and in egypt as well it'

what are they up to in the middle east? >> they never left the middle east. the middle east is right next to russia's soft underbelly. they have a defensive interest. there is an explosion in the middle east that will spread. it may say -- it may mean saying goodbye to the so she olympics -- the sochi olympics for a little while. several decades ago, it was much larger. i think russia wants to keep up. like tothey would minimize american influence, but is not prepared to engage in some sort of dramatic f-4 -- dramatic effort to expel united states from the middle east. we have russia playing a game in which some motives are defensive and there is a trade up between in aa's participation sense that engages russia and the top level of the negotiating process. >> how do you see it? is there greater russian -- than a decade ago? >> i see greater russian engagement than even a year ago. if we look at a number of visitors from the region in moscow, just in the recent three minister ofs, prime turkey, israel. the chief of saudi intelligence, russian foreign and defe

policy in the middle east. as for russia, the reason russia is relatively successful now in the region is not that russia initially had an objective, but because russia sticks to certain principles -- what should be done and what should not be done. we see that to have any kind of idea about process, even if this idea might be challenged by many, it is better not to have anything, any ideas. i absolutely agree with dr. brzezinski that the part of russia's success is due to failure of the rest. the u.s. is confused. as for europe, the europe is not existing in the middle east, which is very strange. >> you mean you think that the consistency of russia's position, which is to oppose the undermining or the externally driven overthrow of sovereign states and leaders is appealing throughout the middle east or to certain actors like the gulf states at this point who themselves are fearing perhaps that prospect? >> i think appealing is any consistency, and those regimes in the gulf region, they want to understand the

bridges going on right now in the middle east. we have to take into consideration that from two thousand and three and the us invasion to iraq the balance of powers and again the balance of. countries relationships have fallen apart we have to recall that there was more than one million iraqi christians who have been forced out of their countries right now in syria we have a total population of two million christians living there and out of those two million population about four or five thousand have fled the country. about eighteen months ago there was the bishop raju of the matter knight the church in lebanon who is a supporter of the regime and he is very bluntly about the whole situation that his biggest fear is to witness in syria what will happen what has happened before in iraq so yes i agree with his royal highness prince charles it is and that a-g. that there is a deliberate action to bring down the relationships the muslim christians relationship into. stage we this is very evident in iraq in syria and in egypt as well

east to asia, but at every turn, you have the middle east trying to grab that attention back. what does the u.s. need to do? >> i think what fouad has said is spot on. the middle east keeps dragging the united states back into the tentacles. i think there are a number of things the united states can do to re-claim its moral clarity. it has to support unabashededly and unreservededly true democratic throughout the region. it needs to speak up on behalf of the political prisoners denied freedom across the middle east. they should beginning meetings by raising the names of political prisoners. it can condition aid to human rights. so instead of given a blank check to the autocratic regimes, they can play a much more important role by not appeasing dictators, and by speaking clearly about how dangerous they are. >> the last question on this, how does the u.s. proponents of democrat sick this has been something very different for the u.s. government and its allies. >> i think david has it right. where do we begin? if you will. the past has not been very encouraging. we stayed with

and russia and the middle east. margaret warner, chief foreign affairs correspondent and i'm pleased to say at this point that we have agreed to coproduced a joint web special about the middle east, hosted by margaret warner beginning in 2014. welcome. >> thank you. cynic i look forward to that and we have some fabulous participants and i know you know the law and i will give brief introductions and a minute and i think we are seeing growing russian engagement in the middle east. after quite a few decades of non-engagement. bashar al-assad and his regime with weapons and the deal with syria to be involved in the iranian nuclear nuclear agreement. russia has been making this part of the middle east and we have seen many have been a sphere of influence in egypt. so is russia and the middle east and if so to what end. and what is the objective and we can explore that today with a person who needs no introduction. center for strategic and international studies. this includes our intelligence council recently. and she is

policy towards the middle east the specter of peace between the united states and iran is something that creates who are is inside the the bedrooms of the saudi royal family because they realize if there was any sort of rapprochement detente or accommodation between the u.s. and in the islamic republic of iran the government and said of for instance constantly an endlessly seen it only from the from the vantage point of regime change if there was some sort of an accommodation it would mean the saudi monarchy is role from the vantage point of u.s. geostrategic geo strategic interests would would be less necessary in saudi arabia could start to drop out of the equation not fully that's what the israelis fear as well they see constant war tension the threat of war is being very useful for them because it means they're more important for the empire more important for the empires hold on this resource rich and strategically part of the world ok mark go ahead mark go right which i writ i wish that people would stop playing risk we like it some geopolitical game where you put an army here and y

middle east because of this conflict because of this audience you saw. brian jump in. you know the saudi society is rotting from within there's twelve percent unemployment amongst the city on earth the young people who have graduated. who million migrants have been to two million migrants have been deported in the last year the society is now rife with with the extreme racism society says i know is that it's true that it's lost its moorings that it has no ability but the saudi government has no solution because the only solution would include the liquidation of the monarchy which the monarchy won't do for me obviously is in isolation ok my point is this i might disagree with anything you're saying about clear you know mark i don't want to waste time on it and i want to question i want to mark a question ok i mean obviously i think all three of us can agree on one thing is that the so-called values of the of the royal family of saudi arabia have nothing to do with anything that any of us would find in common whatsoever ok but there is a commonality there

policy towards the middle east the specter of peace between the united states and iran is something that creates who are is inside the the bedrooms of the saudi royal family because they realize if there was any sort of or a rapprochement detente or accommodation between the u.s. and in the islamic republic of iran the government and set of for instance constantly and endlessly seen it only from the from the vantage point of regime change if there was some sort of an accommodation it would mean the saudi monarchy is role from the vantage point of u.s. geo strategic geo strategic interests would would be less necessary in saudi arabia could start to drop out of the equation not fully that's what the israelis fear as well they see constant war tension the threat of war is being very useful for them because it means they're more important for the empire more important for the empires hold on this resource rich and strategically part of the world ok mark go ahead mark go right which i writ i wish that people would stop playing risk with some geopolitical game where you put an army here and y

policy towards the middle east the specter of peace between the united states and iran is something that creates who are is inside the the bedrooms of the saudi royal family because they realize if there was any sort of rapprochement detente or accommodation between the u.s. and in the islamic republic of iran the government and set of for instance constantly and endlessly seen it only from the from the vantage point of regime change if there was some sort of an accommodation it would mean the saudi monarchy is role from the vantage point of us geo strategic geo strategic interests would would be less necessary in saudi arabia could start to drop out of the equation not fully that's what the israelis fear as well they see constant war tension the threat of war is being very useful for them because it means they're more important for the empire more important for the empires hold on this resource rich and jews strategically part of the world ok mark go ahead mark go right which i writ i wish that people would stop playing risk like in some geopolitical game where you put an army here and

east middle east and this is not the cold war and anymore. and this includes protecting against extremism for domestic purposes. and is also an effort to reach out to natural alliances and israel sort of mentioned the visits with israeli leaders. and it -- iran is a major preoccupation for russia and also egypt and the aside regime and so russia's trying to destroy the balance of power that are shifting because of the concerns and the problems that to putin and others are facing, they are thinking about it's not just a regime change aspects. a pretty complex picture for russia and they are trying to whether that's in the middle east. >> you think that there is an overarching theme to the way that russia is engaging in the middle east now? today russia is not a dominant player. but neither is anyone us in this includes the contributing to the decline in this region. china is required to establish this experiment and they have never been a player in the middle east and now it has become a part of this. especially from a political damage point a

deliberate burning of bridges in the middle east. we have to take into consideration that from two thousand and three and the us invasion to iraq the balance of powers and again the balance of. countries relationships have fallen apart we have to recall that there was more than one million iraqi christians who have been forced out of their countries right now in syria we have a total population of two million christians living there and out of those two million population about forty five thousand have fled the country. about eighteen months ago there was the bishop of the matter night church in lebanon who is a supporter of the regime and he spoke very bluntly about the whole situation that his biggest fear is to witness in syria what will happen what has happened before in iraq so yes i agree with his royal highness prince charles it has and that energy that there is a deliberate action to bring down the relationships of the muslim christians relationship into a. stage we this is very evident in iraq in syria and in egypt as well i

middle east is asking, where is the united states? >> now, the question is, when he talks, we listen. our political panel will weigh in on whether or not the president is running a foreign policy of retreat. >> and he's back, don't you know, phil robertson, set to return to "duck dynasty" after making some controversial remarks in a recent article in gq magazine. why a&e is reversing his suspension. i'm nathan and i quit smoking with chantix. when my son was born, i remember, you know, picking him up and holding him against me. it wasn't just about me anymore. i had to quit. [ male announcer ] along with support, chantix (varenicline) is proven o help people quit smoking. it reduces the urge to smoke. chantix didn't have nicotine in it, and that was important to me. [ male aouncer ] some people had changes in behavior, thinking or mood, hostility, agitation, depressed mood and suicidal tughts or action while taking or after stopping chantix. if you notice any of these, stop chantix and call your doctor right away. tell your doctor abo

israel is a very crucial -- ominously, the palestinian conflict is crucial in the middle east. focusing right now on a particular relationship i think is very, very, important. >> we have to leave it there. we thank both of you, professor eric cheyfitz of cornell and professor cary nelson of university of illinois. that does it for the show. democracy now! is looking for feedback from people who appreciate the closed captioning. e-mail your comments to outreach@democracynow.org or mail them to democracy now! p.o. box 693 new york, new york 10013. [captioning made possible by democracy now!]

issue related to the middle east. i got from both sides. saying why should we care? and for those of us who care about the region, i think what we need to do is outline what is a practical case. when it comes to syria. i think a practical case for engagement, if i were advising the administration in a clear way on syria, it would be, you know, and i think they're doing it to some extend assess what the actors are doing right now. saudi arabia, qatar, kuwait. i would focus a little bit more on the ground game and who is doing what on the ground. a lot of emphasis is on geneva 2. it's going convene. god bless them. i wish them the best. to me, diplomacy, doesn't have much of a chance of an impact unless it's linked to power dynamic on the ground. the lack for secretary kerry to talk with lavrov a lot. what is missing regional contact group difficult, though it may be. elliot may be skeptical. the bush administration, when iraq was at the darkest most -- moment took part in regional diplomacy conferences. i think turkey

is ready to jeopardize ties with its closest allies to preserve its interests in the middle east. yes i'm a bit lazy about it but i believe the main reason for the change in america's alliances in the middle east is the issue of the nuclear program and that's a shift in the us approach to iran from one of confrontation to one of containment if this is the main reason even if it does come at the expense of american strategic allies like saudi arabia and israel it is of utmost importance to us i'm just interested in the middle east and the date u.s. foreign policy takes care of its own interests and that our strategic alliances with israel under nonpermanent alliances like with saudi arabia with the medical interests are in much more important to washington than alliances and let's not forget the saudi arabia and israel always need washington support militarily i don't intelligence level as well as many other aspects of the need the usa and they rely on it. former u.s. diplomat john graham he thinks frustration with america's foreign policy is a fruitful common ground for both israe

rebels and throughout the middle east i support their spring because i think there is a third way but tween the two harz of iran and saudi arabia ok mark let's keep in mind that people in iran go to elections on a regular basis and there's a plurality you know they don't they're not allowed to vote for the out of telling . her my name is one she didn't and in nashville and thanks to our viewers for watching us here in r.t.c. you next time remember crossed off. the school in. the. world is probably the most complex. the phenomenon of friendly fire probably extends back to the invention of gunpowder . a bunch of people. come with their families their people. ready to kill me. this summer shoots my brother in the leg not in touch. because of it because it was night. i'm sure in the morning even the best even the best shoulders. are going to make mistakes and this is this whole idea of brotherhood and order and then and camaraderie and in this sense it was in this context it has absolutely no place. i was a new alert animation scripts scare me a little bit. loosely. there is breaking news

the author of "the making of the modern middle east." and ari shavit in his book, my promised land. >> good evening, everyone. it is drying up and it is getting nice outside. this is going to be a very interesting to authors and you'll hear from tonight. can you hear me in the back? >> thank you. >> scott anderson and ari shavit both wrote a book about the middle east. and we are going to hear from scott and also from ari shavit. the more things change, the more they remain almost exactly the same. and so i'm i am going to introduce both of the authors tonight and then each will. ryan: about 10 minutes. and i will moderate a conversation with them and take questions from the audience. so write down your questions. when you ask them, just directed to the two of them and that will be fine. if you want to address it to one of them, then just let us know. let me first introduce ari shavit. he is the author of "my promised land: the triumph and tragedy of israel" and a commentator in one of the most powerful voices in his really thought today

policy towards the middle east the specter of peace between the united states and iran is something that creates who are is inside the the bedrooms of the saudi royal family because they realize if there was any sort of rapprochement detente or accommodation between the u.s. and in the islamic republic of iran the government instead of for instance constantly and endlessly seen it only from the from the vantage point of regime change if there was some sort of an accommodation it would mean the saudi monarchy is role from the vantage point of us geo strategic geo strategic interests would would be less necessary in saudi arabia could start to drop out of the equation not fully that's what the israelis fear as well they see constant war tension the threat of war is being very useful for them because it means they're more important for the empire more important for the empires hold on this resource rich and strategically part of the world ok mark go ahead mark go right which i writ i wish that people would stop playing risk we parted like in some geopolitical game where you put an army here

those are principally the middle east and east asia. so then you want to look very hard at all your basing options this those two regions. without sort of going countrity country and island by island, what i can say is this: what you look at is do people in the region want your help? do today think it is in their interest to have powerful, highly-capable forces nearby in order to provide them with the measure of security theyty they need this partnership -- they think they need in partnership with you? if the answer to that is yes, opportunities begin to arise for all kinds of constitutions that then can evolve over time in different configurations this different ways. again, the united states is not going to be helping to provide additional security in regions where to one wants america's help. but i don't think that that's the case for the two regions i've mentioned. now, the second part of your question actually has very much to do with the concept of what does it mean when you talk about defense slow. i think the dominant problems,

also, christians under attack in the middle east. now prince charles has taken a bold stand on the issue. our power panel weighs in. plus new details next on the marine facing potential military discharge for sending a warning of a taliban threat. he did it on his personal e-mail. how lawmakers and fellow marines are trying to save his career. that's next. >> i just think it is a cover-up. it just doesn't pan out what they are doing to this young man. he's a highly decorated officer. ♪ [ male announcer ] if we could see energy... what would we see? ♪ the billions of gallons of fuel that get us to work. ♪ we'd see all the electricity flowing through the devices that connect us and teach us. ♪ we'd see thatlmost 100% of medical plastics are made from oil and natural gas. ♪ anan industry that supports almost 10 million americanobs. life takes energy. and no one applies more technology to produce american energy and refine it more efficiently than exxonmobil. because using energy responsibly has never been more important. energ

now, conner powell joining us live in our middle east bureau. >> reporter: secretary hagel in the middle east today trying to assure the american allies. hagel announcing today that the u.s. is willing to sell advanced weapons like missile defense systems to u.s.-friendly nations in the persian gulf. the move is seen as a way to counter iran's military ambit n ambitions. hagel added that even though the west has agreed to temporarily -- agreement with iran, to limit iran's nuclear capabilities, tehran continues to pose a significant threat to the middle east. many alleys in the region believe the u.s. is withdrawing from the gulf but hagel pushed back on that idea, saying the u.s. will not shirk its responsibilities in the middle east. >> we know diplomacy cannot operate in a vacuum. our success will continue to hinge on america's military power. and the credibility of our assurances to our allies and partners in the middle east. >> following the speech, hagel left for afghanistan where he's meeting with senior afghan officials in an effort to push president hamid karzai to sign a bilate

>> let's go back to the middle east for a second. i think the middle east come in the last four or five years, as we become more energy independent, the middle east for america has gone from being a necessity to being a hobby. i like hobbies. i like to work on model airplanes. some days i work on them and some days i didn't. is that they sense something has changed for us. the sense of urgency about the middle east is gone and they are right. one thing we know is we will never face 1973 gas lines ever again. how the middle east evolves and should it involve in a stable way is a critical interest of ours because our trading partners, china, india and europe are still dependent on the leased oil. -- on middle east oil. but the sense of urgency is gone. the critical thing is how do we use this bounty? do we use it to say we are energy and and and. -- we are energy independent, let's party? we just got a huge windfall, let's use this, ok, as a bridge to a clean energy economy. and useke natural gas it to substitute for efficiency, solar

of the middle east. benghazi is the middle east. >> that was new hampshire congresswoman during a question and answer session on the middle east answering a question about the september 11th benghazi massacre saying she wasn't going to talk about it because benghazi is not in the middle east. congresswoman, libya was defined by the eisenhower doctrine of 1957 and if you read a newspaper lately or looked at a map, you would know that and you're a congresswoman. we reached out to her and she gave us a statement saying her focus is now on benghazi and getting to the bottom of it. maybe she should have had that answer sooner. one congressman that will talk about benghazi joins me now. good evening congressman. >> good evening. before i get to her, you have been sitting in on some of the sbel committee meetings. we're learning more about what's going on in benghazi. >> we are. we're talking to people on the ground in benghazi and those people that came from tripoli into help and so far we talked to about 8 of

that was middle east analysts are often painted. the senate foreign relations committee is considering new bill that could have wide ranging implications for u s foreign assistance. the quarter that sits stays in business meeting agenda for the senate foreign relations committee and read at the top the list is something called the egypt assistance reform act of twenty thirty. officials within the white house have been working with the senate committee to get this bill pass which could loosen restrictions on us aid to countries experiencing a military coup. according to section seven zero zero eight at the twenty twelve state department and foreign operations appropriations law none of the funds appropriated shall be obligated or expended to finance directly any assistance to the government of any country it was duly elected head of government is deposed by a military coup d'etat. this law. complicated things. earlier this year when egypt democratic government was overthrown by the military and the us was forced into reconsidering it

there's enormous natural and intellectual resources in the middle east. wouldn't it be great if the middle east could trade with europe, asia, latin america, africa and the united states on a fair basis, and everybody could win. >> thoughtful comments. jane harman. appreciate you joining us on "consider this". for more on the middle east and contentious article if women and men can have it all. i'm joined by anne-marie slaughter, former member of the state department, but now a member of the new american foundation. thanks for joining us. you wrote an article "bringing the iran text back home." you wrote: >> in trying to get the domestic space are both sides saying different things that could sut scuttle the agreement. secretary kerry is saying you have no right to enrichment. but ayatollah khamenei said the agreement. >> a good agreement has something in it for both sides, otherwise they wouldn't agree. otherwise it's a capitulation or a stalemate. they are things that iran is happy with. it can read some of the language in the agreement to say there's a

s withdrawing from its traditional role in the middle east but hagel said after a decade of war the u.s. will not shirk its responsibilities in the middle east. >> we know diplomacy cannot operate in a vacuum. our success will continue to hinge on america's military power, and the credibility of our assurances to our allies. >> following that he met with senior afghan officials in an effort to push karzai to sign a bilateral security agreement which has been agreed upon by president karzai, trying to win more concessions by the united states. once the deal is signed by karzai and everyone believes it will be signed, it's just a matter of when, the pentagon is expected to announce that 10,000 american troops will remain in afghanistan post 2014 to help train and mentor the afghan security forces. greg? >> live in jerusalem with that court. connor, thanks very much. >>> it's been a great homecoming and i'm tired but ready to be with my family now. thank you all for the support we got. very much appreciate it. >> that is u.s. war veteran merrill newman, happily back on american soil after

and i think once i started golden thread i met other theater artists from the middle east who live in the u.s., who have similar stories that they want to share, that in a way they're really not middle eastern stories. they are american stories told through a middle eastern lens. >> hear ye! case the case of animal vs. man. >> the plays from golden thread have connected with a wide variety of audiences. >> for us, every play is a way to connect with different communities, but also overall to change the way we talk about the middle east. right? and question our own assumptions as well as everyone else's. >> golden thread has been able to broaden their reach and their focus by hosting a festival of short plays known as reorient. >> it seems kind of crazy to claim to represent all of the middle east when y producing one or two plays. and so we wanted to create an evening where multiple voices and multiple perspective could be experienced in one place. >> diverse actors, directors, and playwrites converge to create exciting stage w lead to lead to important discussions. >> in 2009 we adlo

we're here to talk about the middle east. >> that is the middle east. >> libya's like right in the middle of the middle east. >> benghazi is the middle east. >> so -- >> she looks as stupid as mo howard after being hit in the head. does anybody else notice that the stupidest people no longer have a dunce hat on in the room. the stupidest person now has a gavel for god's sakes. she has no idea what benghazi is. she thinks it's one of the three actors of john and peter faulk in the film "husbands." she ekdn't make it into jeff dunham's act. look at that glazed over look on her face. who better to address a town hall than the village idiot? makes patty murray look like marie curry. >> is that all? >> sorry. i'm -- >> crazy words in there or anything like that? >> no, no. same stuff i told a shrink for $400 an hour. now you pay me. >> dennis miller, everybody. >>> we have two new bold and fresher shows to tell you about. friday, march 28th in charleston. tickets going fast for that one. next day, saturday march 29th knoxville, tennessee. tickets make great christmas gifts. >>> did you see tha

the middle east told me about the circus but i was such a punk i was like well what circus. circus so clearly it's going to. break down stereotypes about kids from disadvantaged backgrounds. and i think. foreigners. welcome back to aussie international the unlikely pairing of saudi arabia and israel are reportedly tipping out in response to washington's middle east policy is representatives from the country's intelligence services apparently met for talks in jerusalem and they are united in their disdain for america's reversal of intervention in syria followed by the agreement of a historic nuclear deal with iran and their church account takes a look. the two countries saudi arabia and israel found themselves in one but in their frustration over washington israel and saudi arabia hate the nuclear deal that the u. was another world power struck with iran and israel is very vocal about it the saudis are a little bit more restrained but the saudi intelligence chief said there would be a major shift in dealings with the us saudi arabia wanted the us to go all in on syria the u.s

and invasion of the middle east? >> guest: john, number one if there were weapons of mass destruction in iraq we have gone through this over and over again. it's not talking about a lot and people admit that bush was right and cheney was right and the international intelligence community was right and those weapons of mass destruction and the horrible gases that is sought is used his own people a lot of that came from iraq. we just didn't get in in time before across it crossed the border from iraq into syria. he iranians do live and they have shown that over and over again. you and i had -- i don't understand why you put faith in a country that has shown over and over again that it will deceive and do anything to promote terrorism to get what they want. >> host: vice president joe wieden meeting with asian leaders in the headline in the "washington post" is that lightning china raises tensions. >> guest: china has developed an air defense identification which the administration has told our military to ignore and th

jerusalem is a lens through which you can write a history of the middle east, a history of the world almost. and the exciting thing about it, it has actually been conquered by just about every single great civilization you care to mention, you know? the asyrians, the romans, the greeks and going right up to the turks, the british and now the israelis. so in every way it's a fascinating place, it's a fascinating gateway, if you like, to see the history of the world. >> host: is jerusalem strategically located? how did it become so vital? >> guest: absolutely not. absolutely not. it's not strategically valuable at all. it became strategically valuable when it became a great city and a great fortress. but actually, it's far there the trade routes. when armies are invading up and down, are invading egypt or from egypt invading in towards syria, they march up the coast as napoleon did too. there's another one i didn't mention. and they don't go anywhere near jerusalem. so jerusalem is irrelevant. jerusalem is all about holiness. its value comes completely from the, it's a temple city. and

in the middle east that's the thing they point to. the president stepped up and then he stepped back. >> the question, though, how well did that work out? how well did it work out for the united states to essentially believe it had the right to try to direct events in the middle east? i would argue that there is at best a mixed record, and i think president obama would argue that it didn't work out that well, that, in fact, we have to find a different road that doesn't, you know, make us the boss of everybody. >> two-thirds of americans in three recent polls indicate that they thought the afghan war was the wrong war to engage in, or it's gone on too long, that this has been a failure. but the exertion of power or presence in the region, in the world generally, doesn't mean the use of military force. it often means the use of diplomacy. and that's where i think president obama actually scores points, that in dealing with iran, which is likely to be the big story of 2014, that he has tried a diplomatic initiative that has borne a littl

policy in the boat east. -- in the middle east. u.s. and thee russians on the ground, you will have no deal. you have to bring the rebels and the assad regime to the table and the russians will have to be transparent in what they're doing in syria. i do not see that for will lining up for the talks. >> you have the leadership and oversight of the intelligence community. why in your view did the intelligence community as well as many analysts misjudged assad's staying power with? my in august 2011, president obama said he must step aside. why do you think that happened, because that may have attempted to some of the problems we have policy?yria >> they completely misread iran to russia's commitment keeping us in power. when you have intelligence providers to assad, the leverage that gave him and staying power was limited. i think both of those were not factored in. if you look at it from recent history lesson here, when you look at what happened in libya, you can see all the formulations of why he was going to go quickly. they took that,

to disengage from the middle east the apac meeting was all about it they talked about how war fatigue in the u.s. could be a reason for washington to want to be less involved in regional affairs they saw the nomination of chuck hagel as defense secretary as a signal pointing in that direction of course the obama administration quickly reassured everybody that the u.s. will not stop interfering in the affairs of the region but israel and saudi arabia are not so sure at this point or they don't see the kind of interference that they would want to see i'm going to shut down in washington or keep. the earlier we spoke to saudi prince philip in the fight on all sides he believes the u.s. is ready to jeopardize ties with its closest allies in order to preserve its interest in the middle east. yes. i believe the main reason for the change in america's alliances in the middle east is issue of the iranian nuclear program and that's a shift in the u.s. approach to iran from one of confrontation to one of containment but this is the main reason even if it does come at the expense of america's st

egypt is the larkest country in the middle east. my most recent report studied it with michael hannah on this. again, enelliot and i have worked on jipt a lot. nay be faking lessons learned to get the saudis to recognize that simply continuing the regime on energy you have for the population. continuing to throw little bone in term of political reform are not likely to sustain your own position. that some sort of pragmatic opening up. the elevation of the testimony and humanitarian rights agenda in a way not counter productive. i would have as part of the discussion. we want to build a partnership. we've one one for awhile. the main point i would say is the most solid partnership we have are not only with those countries we share strategic interests but also have a greater sort of overlap of values as well. i think that's a potential in saudi arabia. i think it's there. it needs a considerable amount of work. >> i don't disagree with that. i think it's wise. i would add that i think we should be talking to the saudis more effectivel

he came to the bus to boycott the only one democracy in the middle east. as a democracy that is that he is the starting with difficult situations. we had our company. that's not easy the full rear democracy they too are to tackle the issue will create turnovers. that is the danger that israel is using the information was a hearts and minds. unfortunately yes i do agree with that. that with the premise is up to a question. that you have to understand the data on the event in our formative event of form that powers from the information so called information powers especially the hidden euro a little bleach on it during the boom nose to noah to the tune where the sky the sea is as much as possible sphere a man who was born in ireland and britain has found his two young boys in the country's communist era is coming to the end of this posting will be heading back to race them next year in addition to posting diplomatic links between israel and couldn't this have to confront a range of cocoa it seems some of which deeply affect it in small steps cause serious co

east more -- makes a conflict in the middle east, more likely and not less. >> that's exactly right.lly. the israelis were biding their time and thinking when the thi chips are really down, this president is not going to allow iran to become a nuclear weapon state. nuc the president has said that many, many times.st after the capitulation in syria, the israelis aree looking at this in a new way as having conversations with israelis. don't think america is a credible security garinger.le >> but they think the israelis are boxed in.hing they would isolate themselves if they reacted. >> it is hard for israel to react, but israel has reacted in the past when the whole international opinion was against it including to bomb the iraqi nuclear site 33 years ago. the other element here is not only israel, but the sunni arab states, saudi arabia, turkey and egypt, we have essentially through the capitulation through syria andyh this move said iran, you are now the regional hegimon. we have this -- >> and the sunnies will react by getting the bomb themselves? >> by getting the bomb andgett doing m

east and civil standoff a syria is one of them. is in iran's capital for. after an hour long meeting both russian and the reverend ministers appeared in front of media smiling in a very good mood and cried cruelly to old friends they've started to move whom the agreements reached earlier in geneva in the van but at the breakthrough talks over iran's nuclear program tehran agreed to either freeze or curb parts of it the pope bad players limited to move from the international sanctions the country has been suffering from in the last decades and the message minister library for ministers a roof center today in tehran reza now it is important that the sides keep their hands of the deal. to go to. the run must hold up its side of the bargain and the p five plus one countries must do the same specially those which fly past the un security council in leveling sanctions that the ron paul those ministers have also discussed of course situation around syria that. i were a catastrophe or human tragedy in just a month's time. permits had back

i'm just interested in the middle east date u.s. foreign policy takes care of its own interests but our strategic alliances with israel under a nonpermanent alliances like with saudi arabia with american interests are much more important to washington than alliances and let's not forget that saudi arabia and israel always need washington support militarily and on the intelligence level as well as many other aspects they need the usa and they realize that. former u.s. diplomat john graham thinks frustration with america's foreign policy is a first for common ground for israel and saudi arabia both countries israel and saudi arabia are very annoyed right right now because of american policy toward iraq what's happened to annoy you right both of them is that first of all bob i actually called to talk on the telephone it was counterpart suffering an american president had done for decades and second meeting in geneva actually produced an agreement which groups like iran would make significant changes in its nuclear policy in exchange fo

the situation in the middle east is complicated. t but to paint this with a broad brush and say it's a disaster, it's missing important data points. >> chuck schumer and me then dez are defiant and pushing for more sanctions. on the president's approach to iran, 68% say he has not been tough enough. 12% say about right, 5% say too tough. >> the health care and health care will be dominant issues, foreign policy changes could define the president's legacy in the second term for better or worse. >> we'll see. thank you. >> good to see you. >> you too. >>> more than 130,000 house hhos are still without power in maine and michigan. utility crews hope to restore power by the end of the weekend. more snow could complicate the efforts. some of that storm is to blame for packages not delivered by christmas day. ups and fedex said they'll offer some future refunds and credits. a large drop in claims for unemployment benefits last week, dow jumped 122 finishing another record high, 50th of this year. s&p 500 rose 9, nasdaq up 12. healthcare.g

east the ongoing civil standoff in syria is one of them. is in iran's capital and she joins us now live from there hi there maria so they meeting comes after iran's historic nuclear deal and before landmark talks on how to resolve the war in syria and it looks like moscow and to ron had much to talk about didn't it. hour long meeting both russian and they read in ministers appeared in front of media smiling in a very good mood and be cruel to old friends they've struggled with the agreements reached only in geneva in the camera at the breakthrough talks over iran's nuclear program tehran agreed to i went through. parts of it the pope bad for those limits of international sanctions the country has been suffering from in the last decades and the message minister library for ministers a room so until today in tehran was that now it is important that the sads keep the ends of the deal. they're going to go to. iran must hold up its side of the bargain and the p five plus one countries must do the same story specially those which fly past the un

is ready to jeopardize ties with his close allies to preserve its interests in the middle east. yes i'm a bit lazy about that but i believe the main reason for the change in america's alliances in the middle east is the issue of the nuclear program and that's a shift in the u.s. approach to iran from one of confrontation to one of containment this is the main reason even if it does come at the expense of america's strategic allies like saudi arabia and israel it is of utmost importance to the us i'm just interested in the middle east no date u.s. foreign policy takes care of its own interests but our strategic alliances with israel under nonpermanent alliances like with saudi arabia with the medical interests are much more important to washington than alliances and let's not forget that saudi arabia and israel always need washington support militarily i know the intelligence level as well as many other aspects need the u.s.c. and they realized it. wasn't a former u.s. diplomat john graham he told us what he thinks is making both saudi arabia and israel so angry about u.s. foreig

, middle east, i guess. very dangerous place. not cob dem but get to the sinai but let them get control of the problem in sinai. syria is a huge and growing problem for us. we can't really do syria i have never seen pooling of the number of al qaeda. we didn't see it in iraq at the height of the iraq war from foreign fighters. from regional attraction in to the eastern provinces of syria in the western boarder area in iraq. it's really concerning. i mean, very concerning. and so what you're seeing happening there is a debate amongst iraq affiliates. with iraq core in the pakistan/afghanistan region. they're having a debate about where they target their resources in syria today. so al qaeda core says focus on syria today. we'll worry about external operations later. they're saying we have so many westerners who have showed up. who we are putting through their -- we're giving combat experience to. we are ready to do about external operations. it's going to cost me -- they're going go home. they have good paper

they have business interest in the middle east. it take as while to get all of the buy-in and they didn't support it on the first round. they had to force the second on the second round and she didn't support it. we got the buy-in and the russians and chinese to start buying in. and when you release the pressure, and take the first bolt off, this thing is likely to fall apart in a hurry. that was our concern. we got the pressure on sanctions. what you have want to have with pressure and sanctions is saying we are willing to release them and you want them knocking on our door saying they are ready to deal. they got that backwards and that is going to prove to be dangerous for us. when you look at the gold and precious medal portion of the agreement, that is one of their biggest ways to get around the sapgz sanctions. the cash didn't mean much. $4 billion. it was the precious medal that allows them to engage in the barter section to go around the sanctions. i think it is dangerous deal for the other segment. we don't deal with iran,

to extend in many different places in the middle east. and creating instability. >> this is an orangutan. >> at as part of the issue. >> he has only one boss. the ayatollah. >> i can't comment on the inner workings. i couldn't tell you that for certain. >> but you're fascinated by his operation. >> and it is something but you have to be aware of. i think that for us, for me, this is about instability. is it creating more instability? >> i will leave you with this, i know you have meetings to get to. it is interesting that we have now and play diplomatically, israelis, palestinians, russia, and it ran in negotiations with the -- the p5 plus one taking at the same time. these parties are somehow connected. it connects them to hezbollah, who was fighting in syria. and the saudi's are watching with great concern. it just goes on and on. all those forces, which have this enormous -- but things are in motion now which would seem to be perhaps a good thing. >> all of us in uniform, i can't speak for everyone. a large majority would say we are al