Middle East conflict

Chris Flavin, the Vice President for research at the WorldWatch Institute in Washington, talks to Terry Gross about the environmental risks of the Gulf War -- Saddam Hussein has threatened to blow up oil facilities. Next, Amy Salit speaks with Alfred Rubin, a professor of international law at Tufts University, about war and international law.

Terry asks three people about how the war is affecting their creative work: Arab poet Zabyah Khamis, American poet Galway Kinnell, and political cartoonist Dan Wasserman.

Rashid Khalidi, the Associate Director of the Center for Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Chicago, talks about the recent bombing of Tel Aviv by Iraq -- an attack intended to force Israel to establish a Palestinian state. Khalid discusses why many Palestinian Arabs have aligned themselves with Saddam Hussein.

Critic John Leonard talks to Terry Gross about how television news shows are covering the war in Iraq. They conclude that networks are framing the conflict as a kind of entertainment program -- a strategy which may actually bring the war closer to home for many viewers.

Charles Tripp, a Middle East scholar at the University of London, joins Fresh Air to talk about Iraq's leader, how he survived the Iran-Iraq War, and how he maintains political power.

Terry interviews Jim Creighton, the staff councilor with Friends Military Counciling, a group sponsored by the Quakers; he advises men and women in the military who object to the Gulf War. Afterwards, she speaks with Sergeant Reginald Bullock, an Air Force recruiter in the Philadelphia area. We'll find out how his job has changed in the past week,

Oz talks to Terry from his home in Israel about his family's experiences during the recent Iraqi missile attacks, his work as a lecturer with the Israeli army, his views on the Israeli government's response to the crisis, and his feelings about the current war in Iraq.

Defense Correspondent for The Sunday Times of London James Adams gives his scenario for a war in the Gulf. Among other points, he says the war will be brief, and that Iraqis troops will be totally unprepared for the opening air assault.

Dan Pipes, the Director of the Foreign Policy Research Institute, talks about what should happen after a potential war in Iraq, including who'll take power, and the diplomatic mistakes we should avoid. While he wouldn't oppose the killing of Saddam Hussein, Pipes doesn't believe targeting the dictator should be a goal of the mission.

Retired Admiral Gene LaRocque, founder of the Center for Defense Information, gives his scenario for war in the Gulf, which is more pessimistic than those of the Bush administration and the House Armed Services Committee. The Center for Defense Information is an independent monitor of the military and is made up of retired military officers as well as civilians with training and experience in military analysis.