On this edition of Press Conference USA -- a conversation with a former US diplomat and State Department coordinator for pandemic influenza. Ambassador John Lange, now with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, speaks with host Carol Castiel and VOA reporter Douglas Schuette about the gravity and scope of the H1N1 virus (swine flu) and the many global health initiatives of the Gates Foundation. 

 Airdate: 31 Oct 2009

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H.E. Nabi Sensoy tells host Carol Castiel and Turkish Service Chief Hulya Polat that Turkey and the United States share many common foreign policy goals from fighting terrorism to bringing peace and stability to the Middle East. Ambassador Sensoy discusses the recent historic agreement between Turkey and Armenia, Turkey's growing relationship with Syria, and plays down recent strains between Ankara and Jerusalem. 

Airdate: 24 Oct 2009

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On this edition of Press Conference USA, Host Carol Castiel and Sonny Young, host of VOA's Sonny Side of Sports, talk with the director of a unique program that uses soccer (football) as a tool to promote reconciliation and rehabilitation in war-torn countries such as Liberia and Colombia. Dodge Fielding, Director of Score for Peace, shares his thoughts about the power of soccer to transform lives.

Airdate: 17 Oct 2009

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Author and analyst David Makovsky speaks with host Carol Castiel and VOA correspondent Meredith Buel about his new book Myths, Illusions, and Peace: Finding a new Direction for America in the Middle East. Drawing on more than 25 years of combined experience, he and co-author Dennis Ross, veteran peace negotiator under Presidents George H. W. Bush and Bill Clinton, critique assumptions that have guided policy for the past 60 years and recommend a fresh approach based on realities of the region.

Airdate: 10 Oct 2009

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Syrian novelist and democracy activist Ammar Abdulhamid talks with host Carol Castiel and VOA TV reporter Mohamed Elshinnawi about impediments to and incentives for greater democracy in the Arab world and the Obama administration’s new approach toward Syria.

Airdate: 3 Oct 2009

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On this edition of the program, host Carol Castiel and VOA reporter Douglas Schuette talk with UN expert and author David Bosco about insights from his new book Five to Rule Them All: The UN Security Council and the Making of the Modern World.  Bosco analyzes whether or not President Obama's pledge to engage more vigorously with the world body will be met with reciprocal global cooperation.

Airdate: 26 Sep 2009

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A former top US diplomat and former hostage in Iran top shares insights from his new book, Negotiating with Iran: Wrestling the Ghosts of History. Ambassador John Limbert tells host Judith Latham and Hooman Bakhtiar of VOA Persian News Network that the United States needs a change of approach to the Iranian government after 30 years of confrontation. He talks about some of the crucial events leading to misunderstanding and mistrust on both sides.

Airdate: 19 Sep 2009

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On this edition of Press Conference USA, author Adam Webb discusses his new book A Path of our Own: An Andean Village and Tomorrow's Economy of Values with host Rick Pantaleo, and VOA economics correspondent Jim Randle. Through the prism of a small village in the highlands of Peru, Path of Our Own demonstrates how governments and movements on both the right and the left have failed to deliver for the rural poor. Webb proposes a new paradigm for prosperity that allows for the preservation of traditional values.

Airdate: 12 Sep 2009

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