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Zainab Salbi grew up listening to war. As a teenager in Baghdad during the war with Iran, she watched the missiles come in, smelled the smoke and heard the late night screams of neighbors. Years later, while looking at pictures of Bosnian women who’d been raped in Serbian camps she was reminded of her own experience and knew she had to help.

Twelve years ago Salbi founded Women for Women International to support those who had lost everything to war and to connect them with others. Living at the bottom of so many societies, women pay a much higher price in war, as the guardians of family and home, yet they are often the ones who lose every shred of pride and dignity.

Salbi says women are the foundation of society and that if they’re not protected and helped, we lose it all. The free world, one woman at a time.

Guests:

Zainab Salbi, President and CEO of Women for Women International

Linda Adams, Retired, Happy Grandmother and a Women For Women International sponsor.

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It’s now become a very public question over the fate of U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan — should he stay or should he go?

A recent report on the U.N.’s Oil for Food scandal, indirectly faults Annan for not recognizing and acting on a conflict of interest between himself, his son and a Swiss company with a multi-million dollar U.N. contract. The release of the report has prompted new calls for Annan’s resignation from here in the U.S. and abroad.

When asked if he would resign Annan said, “Hell No.” And his defenders insist he remains the right man to lead the organization and push for reforms from within. But others say he has lost the moral force and standing to transform the U.N. and that his continued presence is hurting the organization. Kofi Annan and the questions about corruption and credibility.

Guests:

John Ruggie, former assistant Secretary General and chief advisor to UN Secretary Kofi Annan

Andrew Thompson, senior medical officer, United Nations Medical Service

Constanze Stelzenmueller, defense correspondent for Die Zeit.