STEVEN HEYDEMANN, SR. ADVISOR AT U.S. INSTITUTE OF PEACE<br><br> Host Carol Castiel and VOA broadcaster Pamela Dockins speak with Steven Heydemann, the Senior Advisor for Middle East Initiatives at the U.S. Institute of Peace about the international community’s response to Syria’s anti-government uprising, the U.S. decision to provide assistance to Syrian rebels, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s support base and his potential future, and the regional implications of the conflict.

UNDERSECRETARY OF STATE TARA SONENSHINE<br><br> Host Carol Castiel and VOA State Department Correspondent Scott Stearns interview Tara Sonenshine, the Undersecretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs. In a wide-ranging interview, Sonenshine speaks about the role of public diplomacy within U.S. foreign policy and responds to a series of questions from PCUSA listeners including how the U.S. combats violent extremism in Africa, how the U.S. engages the Muslim world, and how the U.S. encourages and bolsters civil societies around the world. She also addresses how the U.S. engages with people in Iran and what the U.S. is doing to compete with China’s growing soft power, particularly in Africa.

PRINCESS BASMAH BINT SAUD<br><br> Host Carol Castiel and VOA Urdu Service Reporter Sarah Zaman speak with a member of the Saudi Royal family who says Saudi women are “entrapped in a modern form of slavery.” Princess Basmah Bint Saud, businesswoman and blogger based in London and the daughter of the late King Saud, argues that economic diversification leading to job creation must replace dependency on oil revenues if Saudi Arabia is to grow and to stave off further social and political unrest.

NORMAN ORNSTEIN, AMERICAN ENTERPRISE INSTITUTE<br><br> Host Carol Castiel and VOA Senior National Correspondent Jim Malone talk with leading expert on US politics, Norman Ornstein, Resident Scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, about the tone and substance of President Barack Obama’s State of the Union Address and the Republican reaction.

SONIA FALEIRO, AWARD-WINNING INDIAN AUTHOR<br><br> In the aftermath of the brutal rape and murder of a 23-year old physical therapy student in India, which sparked an international outcry, host Carol Castiel along with VOA Bangla Service reporters Anis Ahmed and Shegoftah Nasreen Queen, speak with award-winning Indian writer, Sonia Faleiro, author of the New York Times op-ed piece “The Unspeakable Truth about Rape in India,” about the underlying causes of widespread sexual harassment and violence against women in India and whether or not this case is a turning point for positive change.

DAVID SMOCK, VICE PRESIDENT AT U.S. INSTITUTE OF PEACE<br><br> Host Carol Castiel and VOA Daybreak Africa Reporter, Peter Clottey, talk with David Smock, Senior Vice President and Director of the Center for Religion and Peace-making at the US Institute of Peace, about US plans to build a drone base in Niger and the need to address the root causes of conflicts in Mali and Nigeria, which have been exploited by al Qaida linked militants and criminal networks. Smock says Bamako must enter into a dialogue with the Tuareg people in North and accommodate their need for limited autonomy. He is cautiously optimistic about the future of Somalia.

ALLAN LICHTMAN, PROFESSOR AT AMERICAN UNIVERSITY<br><br> Distinguished professor of modern American history and political analyst, Allan Lichtman, tells host Carol Castiel and VOA Senior National Correspondent, Jim Malone, that President Obama’s second inaugural address was “resolutely liberal” in tone and that “he threw down the gauntlet to American conservatives, not the olive branch,” by stressing the issues of immigration reform, the need for a strong social safety net and catastrophic climate change. Lichtman also previews President Obama’s second term agenda and assesses the potential legacy of America’s 44th and first African-American president.