Good afternoon everyone. My name is alex cooley, director of the Harriman Institute here at columbia university. It is my great pleasure to introduce todays speaker, david phillips, who is the director of the program on peace building and rights at Columbia Institute for the study of human rights for a talk about his new book, an uncertain ally turkey under erdogans dictatorship. David has long experience in both academic and policy settings. He has been advisor to three president s and the state department. He is also as a Senior Advisor to United Nations office for the coronation of humanitarian affairs. In his own scholarship he has written on numerous topics but books on iraq, a book on turkish armenian reconciliation and of course years of practice in various levels of track two as well as formal diplomacy. So the way were going to proceed to date is ill engage in some discussion with david over the key arguments in parts of the book, then we will open it up to questions and answe
Now joining us on booktv is robert george, professor of Juris Prudence here at princeton, university. Way want to talk to him about his recent book conscience and its enemies confronting the dog mas of liberal secularism. Dr. George oh, do you you define liberal secular system. Guest a view about human detonation and dignity that competes with other views some secular but not liberal, some religious. Its a view that is very common in places like the one where we are right now university communities. I would venture to say its the predominant view in the elite sector our our culture and prominent in europe, which has become a very secular society. It embraces ideas about liberty and the personality, about the nature of human beings about ethics that are distinctive in our own time. Its associated with socially liberal views about matters of sexuality, abortion life and death issues. Generally identity issues. Kind of the spectrum of socalled hot button morally charged issues in our own
Situation, as the skies over israel have lit up tonight. Sirens have sounded and israelis have been told they have between 15 seconds and one minute to run to shelter and avoid rockets coming in, launched by hamas in this escalation of violence that many fear could easily become the next war fought in that region of constant troubles. Video came in to us tonight showing a wedding in israel interrupted by sirens. When they sound, people scatter as theyre told to as incoming rockets trigger outgoing israeli missiles, meant to destroy them in midair. Tonight there are missile launches and air strikes underway. Israel has called up many reservists. This is a major escalation. We begin there tonight. Nbcs Ayman Mohyeldin is in tel aviv. Ayman, good evening. Reporter good evening, brian. Its been a few hours since the sirens here in tel aviv have gone off. But make no mistake about it, this is a city and a country that is very much on edge. On the first day of operation protective edge, more
Paste's editor reflects on three decades of listening to music at Eddie's Attic, a tiny Georgia venue that helped launch John Mayer, Sugarland and others.