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Insighters & Scholars’ Circle – Jan. 22nd, 2012

Seg. 1: We continue our conversation with Gen. Romeo Dallaire re forces of genocide, and what might prevent it;
Seg. 2 (18:20): A new film about the unique challenges of women soldiers and veterans. A special look at Gulf War veterans with Gulf War Syndrome;
Seg. 3: Scholars’ Circle:  This week marks the second anniversary of the Supreme Court decision Citizens United versus Federal Elections Commission in which the court struck down in a five to four decision several campaign finance laws. What has the effect been so far? Outside spending on campaigns has risen 338 percent since 2006 according to the Center for Responsive Politics. Unions have spent some 17.3 million dollars from their general treasuries on independent expenditures, while conservative non-profit groups have spent some 121 million without disclosing the sources of that money. The Center believes the money comes from corporate sources. The issue of money corrupting political processes has received more public attention recently than it has in several decades. Comedians, Steven Colbert and John Stewart are using parody to demonstrate the system’s flaws. Citizens’ groups are working toward overturning the decision while cities and states are passing resolutions, some of which directly repudiate Citizen’s United decision. Others reject the notion of corporate personhood seen as one of the roots of the money problem.

Henry Brady is Dean of the Goldman School of Public Policy, and Professor of Political Science and Public Policy at the University of California, Berkeley. He is author of numerous publications including, Voice in Inequality, Civic Voluntarism in American Politics, and Letting the People Decide.
Scott Bowman is the Chair of Political Science Department at California State University, Los Angeles. Among his publications is The Modern Corporation in American Political Thought: Law, Power and Ideology.
Professor Daniel Green is Professor of Law at Hofstra Law School. He is the author of numerous publications that explore corporation, speech, and constitutional law.

These books are available in our store

Insighters Recording from January 12, 2012.

Seg. 1: There are some dozen situations around the world that could be considered pre-genocidal. What have we learned from past genocides? We speak with Romeo Dallaire, commander of peacekeeping forces in Rwanda who tried to stop the massacre of Tutsis.
Break: 29:30.
Seg. 2: Scholars’ Circle. Current developments in the Middle East. Prof. Brand is author of:Women, The State and Political Liberalization: Middle Eastern and North African Experiences. Prof. Hashemi is author of: The People Reloaded: The Green Movement and the Struggle for Iran’s Future.

These books are available in our store

This week on the Insighters and the Scholars’ Circle

On the Insighters, What were the factors that led to Western dominance of the world and how are they changing the world? We discuss the book Why the West Rules For Now: The Patterns of History and What They Reveal About the Future. Historian Ian Morris joins us.
On the Scholars’ Circle: At the 96th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, we look at what are the conditions for genocide and what are the means to prevent it. Professors Alex Hinton, Richard Dekmejian, and Vahakn Dadrian join us.

I hope you tune in on KPFK 90.7 FM, 98.7 FM in Santa Barbara, 93.7 San Diego. Or on www.kpfk.org or podcast us.

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