Reese Erlich, the author of five books on foreign affairs, discusses his Politico article "How Putin Is Wooing America's Closest Syrian Allies."

Andy Worthington, author of The Guantanamo Files, discusses British resident Shaker Aamer's reunion with his family in the UK after his long-delayed release from Guantanamo, and how he survived being locked away for 14 years without charge or trial, often in solitary confinement.

Andrew Cockburn, author of Kill Chain: The Rise of the High-Tech Assassins, discusses his classic 1980s book The Threat: Inside the Soviet Military Machine that told the truth about poorly designed and unreliable Soviet weapons systems, while mainstream analysts hyped the Soviet menace - driving sales for US defense contractors.