Mitchell Prothero, a McClatchy Foreign Staff journalist, discusses the Islamic State's apparent overreach in Kobani (Syria) where Kurdish fighters backed by US airstrikes forced their retreat.

Gareth Porter, an award-winning independent journalist and historian, discusses the Obama administration's change of heart on Syria policy, where they are no longer entertaining the fantasy that "moderates" will depose President Assad and defeat the radical Islamists also.

Gabriel Schivone, a writer and humanitarian volunteer in Tucson, discusses his article "Gaza in Arizona: How Israeli High-Tech Firms Will Up-Armor the U.S.-Mexican Border."

Adam Morrow, a Cairo-based journalist with IPS News, discusses the Egyptian government's violent crackdown on protests commemorating the 2011 uprising that ousted Hosni Mubarak; and the beginnings of another revolution against Egypt's new military dictatorship.

Eric Margolis, journalist and author of American Raj, discusses Charlie Hebdo and the free speech double standard; French President Hollande's popularity-gaining (and blowback-generating) invasions all over the Muslim world; and what comes after the death of Saudi King Abdullah.

Jim Lobe, chief of the Washington bureau of IPS News, discusses Republican House Speaker John Boehner's protocol-breaching invitation for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to address a joint session of Congress - conveniently timed to bolster Netanyahu's reelection chances and sabotage an Iranian nuclear deal.

Peter Van Buren, author of We Meant Well and a frequent TomDispatch contributor, discusses how the US military-industrial complex profits from resupplying Iraq's army with equipment that is too expensive to maintain and of little operational utility - essentially corporate welfare for General Dynamics, producer of M1 tanks.

Kathy Kelly, coordinator of Voices for Creative Nonviolence, discusses her impending 3-month prison sentence for carrying a loaf of bread across a line while protesting the US drone war at Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri.

Douglas Lucas, a writer at WhoWhatWhy.org, discusses "hacktivist" journalist Barrett Brown's sentencing hearing, that could get him 8 1/2 years in prison for violating the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act among other questionable charges. Transcript: SH: Hey Douglas how are you doing? DL: Hey I'm fine. The Government has claimed - I mean prosecutor Heath has claimed quote 'The Government did not prosecute Mr Brown for political purposes', the judge has stated quote, 'What took place is not going...

Nebojsa Malic, a regular columnist for Antiwar.com, discusses President Obama's claim that the US is upholding "the principle that bigger nations can't bully the small" regarding Russia and Ukraine; and why Ukraine might be deliberately losing military offenses in a bid to gain more US aid and intervention.

Gareth Porter, an award-winning investigative journalist and historian, discusses the suspicious death of an Argentinian prosecutor who claimed Iran was involved in the 1994 Jewish community center bombing in Buenos Aires; and what the trial of CIA whistleblower Jeffrey Sterling has revealed about Operation Merlin and the CIA's assessment of Iran's nuclear program.

William Hartung, Director of the Arms and Security Project at the Center for International Policy, discusses the extensive list of problems with the "overpriced, underperforming and unnecessary" F-35 combat aircraft.

Sheldon Richman, vice president of The Future of Freedom Foundation, discusses how to retain individual freedoms while being vigilant against terrorist attacks in his article "The Open Society and its Worst Enemies."

Dan Sanchez, director of the Mises Academy, discusses Ludwig von Mises's lectures on how capitalism empowers people to rise above poverty and servitude through private ownership of the means of production.

Barry Lando, a former 60 Minutes producer and author of Web of Deceit, discusses how the US's diplomatic blunders helped start the Gulf War, 24 years ago today; why George H.W. Bush is responsible for the tens of thousands of Iraqis who tried to rise up and overthrow Saddam Hussein; and how the war continues to shape the Middle East, US foreign policy, and the War on Terror.