June 18 - Cold in Cabo With Putin and Obama; The Saudi Royal Shuffle;The New Radical Left in Europe

Full Program

As President Obama and Russian president Putin meet in Mexico and call for an immediate cessation of violence in Syria, we go to Moscow for an update on press reports that Russia is sending naval reinforcements to Syria, possibly to evacuate its citizens. Dr Pavel Felgenhauer, a Moscow-based independent defense analyst who writes for the only non-government-controlled newspaper Novaya Gazeta, joins us to talk about what the two increasingly estranged leaders might be able to agree on.

Then we look into the leadership shuffle in Saudi Arabia following the death of the crown prince and the ascension of the Defense Minister Prince Salman as the heir apparent. Toby Jones, the author of “Desert Kingdom: How Oil and Water Forged Modern Saudi Arabia” joins us to discuss the inner-workings of the feudal Al Saud royal family who are pursuing an aggressive foreign policy against Syria and Iran while stifling democratic stirrings of the “Arab Spring” at home.

Then finally we examine the surprise showing of Syriza in the Greek elections with Richard Wolffe who is professor emeritus of economics at the University of Amherst, Massachusetts and author of “Occupy the Economy: Challenging Capitalism”. With over half of young Greeks and Spaniards unemployed, we discuss the emergence of a new radical left in Europe rebelling against the ruinous economic policies of a succession of conservative and socialist governments.