primacy in the middle east is something deeply embedded in u.s. strategic culture and has been so for many decades well during the cold war the united states was more successful in having a policy in the middle east because it was constrained by the soviet union what we've seen since since the end of the cold war in one thousand nine hundred ninety one is the united states has tried to. continue to monic impulses its desire for u.s. primacy in the middle east with and without any constraint that is the major problem but it is something that is deeply embedded in u.s. strategic culture and in fact not only do i not see any any real possibility on the horizon for the united states to pare that back and to actually look at the world more in a balance of power scenario but i think particularly with the presidential election coming up in the united states we will see the issue of u.s. primacy affirmed and reaffirmed and potentially drive the united states to yet another conflict in the middle east if i got a point jump in. can i please of please go ahe

that crisis was in the middle east. drama and number one begins sept. 20 third, 1955 in denver, colorado on the golf course. dwight eisenhower did not enjoy the vocations of much in years. the president of the united states had himself cooked a huge breakfast that morning for his fishing buddy. golf was the president's priority for the day. after a briefing at his airport office eisenhower headed for the cherry hill country club and his secretary remembered that she had never seen him look or act better. eisenhower's golf game -- four times that day. phone calls from the secretary of state john foster dulles. this was before cellphone. and irritated and probably profane ike had returned to the clubhouse for each call only one of which actually got through. that call was important. dulles confirmed to eisenhower that the soviet union had made an arms deal with egypt. ike knew this would open a new chapter in the cold war and ike and dulles agreed he should send a message to the soviet premier but the president wanted to

we had a strong ally in the middle east. to hear these people really put on sanctions, an act of war against a country where we have meddled in their politics for years and years and years before we cut off relations is disturbing to me. think these people pushing this propaganda out with their information revolution we are in now will succeed. i really don't. host: but those are some interesting comments, sanctions as an act of war. guest: i have no problem with export controls. these have been approved by the u.n. security council and they have shown to have some impact in terms of slowing the program down. i have no problems against egregious abusers of human rights, which they have a number of, especially since the disputed presidential elections in 2009. the government is better equipped to evade the sanctions than ordinary iranians are. if you are a middle-class businessman who needs hard currency, you cannot get it. there are a limited number of banks around the world that will give you a letter of credit or handle of

well in the middle east suicide bombings are making a deadly comeback today in syria two suicide car bombs blasted damascus killing forty people the bombings came just one day after the arrival of arab league observers whose mission is to monitor syria's promise to end its crackdown on protesters those protesters are rising up against president bashar assad's regime assad is calling them armed gangs meanwhile iraq is trying to recover after a series of suicide bombs tore through the neighborhoods in baghdad killing at least sixty nine people many of them shiites well there's one thing to be said about both attacks we see a unified theme of sectarian violence now so what does it mean for the middle east and how does the west playing into this here is my discussion with lawyer and author eva golinger. i would say absolutely it's an attempt to sabotage the mission of the arab league and the attempts to try to resolve the conflict in syria in a peaceful way and also you know to try to paint a picture of what's happening in syria as just absolute chaos and instability and of course to ter

well in the middle east suicide bombings are making a deadly comeback today in syria two suicide car bombs blasted damascus killing at least forty people the bombings came just a day after the arrival of arab league observers tasked with monitoring syria's promise to end its crackdown on protesters protesters there are rising up against president bashar assad's regime but assad is calling the armed gangs terrorists seeking to divide the country meanwhile iraq is picking up the pieces today after a series of suicide bombs tore through neighborhoods in baghdad killing at least sixty nine people it appears the targets were shia sections of the city now amid the suicide bombings in both countries we are seeing a unified theme sectarian violence is ravaging iraq and syria putting both nations on the brink of civil war and as religious and sectarian tensions rise what does this mean for the middle east and how does this play how does the west play into this well to help me look into all of this lawyer and author eva golinger joins us now welcome back eva first want to talk about the timing

of middle east it is a key to a different kind of middle east. any student of international politics prothe time i was your age and college which admittedly is long time ago, from that time when you took a course in international policy because people started it with the most volatile region in the world is the middle east and that's still true today. so people have been trying to do something about that for all of this time. the israeli-palestinian issue is one of the core issues that needs to be resolved to get rid of that volatility in the middle east? >> and every administration struggled with isn't. >> every administration struggled with isn't. >> do you see hope out there? >> i do. i describe in the book, ehud olmert prime minister of israel when i was secretary of state, and mahmoud abbas, current president of the palestinian authority were pretty close to a deal in 2008. a very good deal put on the deal by olmert. olmert was in political and legal trouble so abbas did not take it up for a variety of reasons but the reason i actually wrote

kind of piece in the middle east. any student -- from the time i was your age and in college, which is a long time ago -- but from that time, when you took a course in international politics, people started it with the most volatile region in the world and that's the middle east, and that's still true today. people have been trying to do something about that for a long time. the israeli-palestinian issue is one of the core issues that needs to be resolved to get rid of the volatility in the middle east. >> every administration has struggled. >> every administration. >> you see hope out there? >> i do. i describe in the book that uhlmert, the president of israel, and -- they were close to a deal put on the table by uhmert. he was in trouble but abbas did not take it up. there is an answer here. there is a two--state solution that is available, but time is not on the side of either of them. >> i'd like to go back to the soviet union. given your expertise about the soviet union, how do you see russia developing over the

middle east correspondent discusses what it was like at the epicenter of events that shook the entire region this year the latest episode of aussies a special series of testimony two thousand and eleven in a few minutes time. this is. history in the making. testimony. ten stories that shaped two thousand and eleven on our t.v. . you're watching live from moscow a wave of synchronized bombings has ripped through the iraqi capital killing at least sixty three wounding almost two hundred. could be heard racing to and fro as massive plumes of smoke rose above baghdad authorities say at least fourteen devices were set off throughout the city ranging from car bombs to hidden explosives while no one is taking responsibility in the bombings that come as tensions between shia and sunni muslims reach boiling point it's almost been less than a week since u.s. forces withdrew from the country leaving behind in air all. of them or in this tragedy and what it bodes for iraq i'm now joined by middle east blogger cole shero live from london thank you becoming on the program today what's shocking abou

in the middle east. sitting in. they will have a counter attack of course. in the united states in the war so it's a terrible fire that they are playing with. one last question why do you think iran is so reluctant to accept all the incentives offered to them by the international community is it just not simply enough. well it may be a question of pride also i think that the western states that are talked to them some solid sometimes sounded rather high handed they have said that if you will suspend your to richmond we may be willing to sit down with you and that is a. neo colonialist told crowd people and many others are and i think that the. they will have to talk to them say important partner pull important states state that they are and discuss with them what they gain by abandoning enrichment they can gain a lot and i do not see that they have much advantage on the richmond because they can import the fuel they need from russia. or from all the places they have voted to look up our reactors this conscious we've been where i'm standing now we have ten an

middle east or blogger life in london thank you thank you. for watching r.t. now the european union has restricted sales of drugs used in the u.s. to execute convicts over forty inmates have been killed by lethal injection in america this year alone and supporters of the move to disrupt supplies hope it will cut that number result is either bennett explains that restrictions could actually make the situation a whole lot worse. they've tried hanging electrocution and most recently a drug used to euthanize animals but now american jails will find it much harder to kill prisoners on death row the main supply line for its lethal injections has been cut off after the e.u. slaps new restrictions on drug exports i really think this will make a difference and we will see the effects of this this control order in the coming months that the the u.s. allies on european drugs for use in executions and without them they're going to be stuck and lives will be saved specifically execution drugs aren't made in the e.u. but several american states have been importing sedatives

but any kind of attack i think is a total conflagration in the middle east. not sitting in to twiddle their thumbs they will have a counterattack of course and maybe they will drag in the united states in the war so it's a terrible fire that they are playing with. and one last question why do you think iran is so reluctant to accept all the incentives offered to them by the international community is it just not simply enough well it may be a question of pride also i think that the western states that have talked to them some sometimes have sounded rather high handed they have said that if you will suspend your to richmond we may be willing to sit down with you. told they are a proud people and many others are and i think that the. they will have to talk to them say important part for important states state that they are. discussed with and what they gain by abandoning your richmond they can gain a lot and i do not see that they have much advantage on the rich man because they can import. from russia or from other places they have to look up. this conscious w

when i think of the events and the arab spring meant to the middle east and to american policy in theiddle east and what it's going to mean and i see the way we've all changed for our conversation because of the 99% and the occupy wall street people. i think it was appropriate and it was also a little, you know, out of the usual suspects. >> and i guess my question is, is it right to lump the occupy wall street folks in with the people who are leading those protests in the middle east? >> i think that's a good point. i think that the conflation between the people who overturn dictators in the middle east and a bunch of, well, you know, fill in the blank, and-- >> fill in the blank, jim? >> and i declare, you decide. (laughter) >> i think it's shows the media put so many chips on the protests and they genuinely thought this was the beginning of the age of aquarius and from the-- newt gingrich or whoever, and i just, it was appalling, just to make-- the protester per se is appropriate? >> ellen, why did time magazine not pick the tea party protester? >> i don't know why they didn't. i c

nuclear weapons they say that they will not be the first thing introduce nuclear weapons in the middle east maybe one day the iranians will say that we also will not be the first to introduce nuclear weapons in the middle east and maintain the situation ambiguity. but i think it would be better if all the parties came to the conclusion that they should have neither nuclear weapons nor richmond capability and israelis would be more secure there would be a warning now that say saudi arabia and egypt might also go for richmond's. and iran certainly should be nervous that these are last night bomb them just as israel did iraq in the 1980's and syria in two thousand and seven what is the likelihood actually that israel may be at this point now that it has isolated itself from turkey also from egypt it has disappointed sarkozy it has disappointed obama very strong rhetoric going on back and forth between iran and israel what is it likely that it has become more dangerous and maybe it will actually show for the first time that it does have it does have nuclear arsenal and use it probably too long

and saudi arabia changed the balance of power in the middle east. andrew comes to us from new zealand where he is finishing his ph.d. program, or his ph.d. in american history at victoria university. he also has advanced degrees in journalism and strategic studies and has worked as a human rights investigator and college administrator. and "the oil kings," his first book, andrew examines american iranian and saudi oil policies from 1969 through 1977. during this crucial eight year period, america went from being the world's largest producer of oil to its largest importer of oil and saudi arabia supplanted iran as washington's most important islamic ally in the persian gulf. at the center of oil kings stands the shah of iran who gambled his country's economic future on high oil prices and ultimately lost his hold on power. andrew has received high marks for his insightful analysis and wide use of original interviews and formerly classified materials as he opens the window on this important period in history. in the process he has also produced the mo

forces withdrew from the country behind an air of uncertainty middle east water coral shohreh thinksdirty politics and broken promises could be the root of iraq's predicament. although we've been told in the past few years that american success in restoring security establishment a stable political order and started issuing a statement for the chicken or dearth of very before the last american soldier has actually left there are. in the process of completely. so what we see now is due to kind of course of the prospects either a short bout of violence that hopefully common sense would prevail and there would be a return for a political solution or a complete breakdown which are the moment. sounds more and more plausible in which those who don't have the political power and authority left to them by the kind of previous american average went in there by people who played the sectarian card for political gain to kind of just in for a space but that process by far isn't over determined at this moment the iraqi people can still play their part and we've seen examples all across the middle

and the united states know very well that without iran they will not shape the middle east middle east that in the new concept the geopolitical conception is much bigger than the original one that we knew from the nineteenth century. description so it is an area that goes from afghanistan down to even iraq so all this area has to be reshaped uncertainties in this region changes have been supported if not encouraged or imposed let's take the case of libya in other cases there is this activity from turkey turkey is declaring itself as central in the middle east for any decision which is probably true and he's taken care to find a way out from the syrian. mayor situation. however the real danger in all this is the nervousness. that is growing in israeli and. leaderships where there is that is that there is a problem there especially after the results of the elections in the neighboring countries our country just briefly and finally in effect what you're plying of implying is that this reshaping of nations in the area we've of course seen regime change in tunisia egypt yemen and libya