As if to signal that the looming war with Iraq is that much closer, President Bush last night laid out his vision for a post-Saddam Iraq. Regime change, Bush said, would signal to other nations in the Middle East that the time is ripe for democracy, and that time could be running out.
Bush pledged America’s support in rebuilding Iraq for “as long as necessary, and not a day more.” The president’s vision extends beyond Iraq. The next stop on the freedom train is the “roadmap for peace” in the Middle East, one that includes new Palestinian leadership…followed, gradually, by an end to Israeli settlements. Then on to Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Syria.
Assessing the pitfalls and possibilities of the President’s To Do list for the Middle East.
Guests:
Michael Mandelbaum, author of “The Ideas that Conquered the World: Peace, Democracy, and Free Markets in the Twenty-first Century” and Director of the American Foreign Policy Program at Johns Hopkins Schools of Advanced International Study
Raghida Dergham, senior diplomatic correspondent for Al Hayat newspaper.