Barbara Slavin, Washington correspondent for Al-Monitor, discusses the minor progress made during Iran-P5+1 talks in Kazakhstan; contradictions between UN Security Council resolutions and Iran's NPT rights and obligations; why Iran - if it has nothing to hide - should comply with all IAEA demands; and why Iran needs to prove a negative (that it doesn't have a nuclear weapons program), while trustworthy countries like Japan have no such burden.

Philip Giraldi, Executive Director of the Council for the National Interest, discusses his article "Who's Turning Syria's Civil War Into a Jihad;" Saudi Arabia and Qatar's defensive response to the Arab spring; how John Kerry and Chuck Hagel will impact the Obama administration's foreign policy; and the stupid and selfish decisions of officers and policy makers that get ordinary soldiers killed - as cataloged in Jake Tapper's new book.

Jeffrey Carr, founder and CEO of Taia Global Inc., discusses why information security (InfoSec) companies are quick to blame China - often with little evidence - for hacking/espionage operations; Mandiant's weak case against Chinese hacker group "A.P.T. Number 12" for infiltrating the New York Times; and why critical thinking leads to the truth more often than the "gut feelings" of experts.

Trevor Timm of the Electronic Frontier Foundation discusses how the Freedom of the Press Foundation provides a fundraising medium for investigative journalism projects and controversial media organizations like WikiLeaks; the opposition to police surveillance drones in the US; the ominous Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA) bill; and Google's record on information sharing and privacy.

Flynt and Hillary Mann Leverett, authors of Going to Tehran: Why the United States Must Come to Terms with the Islamic Republic of Iran, discuss the obstacles to successful P5+1 talks; why the US still refuses to accept the Iranian government's legitimacy - even after 33+ years; why the Obama administration's Iran "containment" policy isn't sustainable; how Iran's "participatory Islamist" style of government and defiant foreign policy are inspiring people across the Middle East - and scaring...

Yousaf Butt, Research Professor and Scientist-in-residence at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation, discusses his article "Iran centrifuge magnet story technically questionable;" why the mainstream media continues to publish David Albright's false and misleading anti-Iran stories; the IAEA's duty to help - not obstruct - Iran with technical challenges in the production of civilian nuclear energy; and why countries that refuse to give up their nuclear programs (N. Korea) fare better...

Patrick Cockburn, journalist with The Independent, discusses how the civil war in Syria is inspiring Iraq's restive Sunni population; why Baghdad still has nonfunctional sewers and electricity even though billions of dollars have been spent; the Sunni protestors who are denied government representation and jobs; and the scant media coverage on Iraq after the US withdrawal.

Andy Worthington, author of The Guantanamo Files, discusses the US's very low standards for kidnapping and torturing suspects in the War on Terror; the continuing "colossal miscarriages of justice" for innocent victims; the Spanish courts taking action after the US failed to hold anyone accountable; the political cowardice preventing the release of Guantanamo prisoners cleared by Obama's task force; and why indefinite detention without trial is the hallmark of dictatorships, not democracies.

Christian Stork, a journalist with WhoWhatWhy, discusses his article "The Saga of Barrett Brown: Inside Anonymous And The War On Secrecy;" the federal criminal charges against Brown (who has been jailed since September 2012) that could amount to a life sentence; Brown's research effort (ProjectPM) to crowdsource the 75,000+ Anonymous-procured emails from private security/intelligence contractor HBGary; and the law firms and front groups paid to damage the reputations of activists and...

Mondoweiss blogger Philip Weiss discusses the outcome of Israel's election; Netanyahu's strange coalition of centrists and right-wingers; the liberal American Zionists who have faith that Obama and/or the EU can make Israel's government more moderate; why apartheid means the end of the Jewish Israeli state; the mainstream media's newfound ability to question and criticize Israel; and how Chuck Hagel's confirmation hearings have drawn needed attention to the Israel lobby.

IPS News journalist Gareth Porter discusses his upcoming book Manufactured Crisis: A History of the Iranian Nuclear Scare; his article on the investigation of the July 2012 Israeli tourist bus bombing, "Bulgarian Revelations Explode Hezbollah Bombing 'Hypothesis;'" how Israel and the US are scheming to get Hezbollah on the EU terrorist organization list; clues that point to Al-Qaeda involvement in the Bulgaria bus bombing; the significance of the 1996 Khobar Towers attack in Saudi Arabia; and...

Nathan Fuller of the Bradley Manning Support Network discusses the upcoming international protests on February 23rd against Bradley Manning's 1000 days locked in jail without trial; how Manning's defense has been hurt by unfavorable pretrial rulings; the government's unprecedented interpretation of "aiding the enemy;" and the persecution of whistleblowers and leakers of information unfavorable to the government (favorable leaks are A-OK).

Kingston Reif, Director of Nuclear Non-Proliferation at the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation, discusses the cost effectiveness of the US missile defense system; the failure to test against ICBM's, decoys and countermeasures; why Israel's "Iron Dome" doesn't prove missile defense works; and how a seemingly defensive strategy could be used offensively against US rivals - sparking a new nuclear arms race.

IPS News journalist Adam Morrow discusses his article "Political Violence Grips Egypt From All Sides;" the National Salvation Front's demand for a new government and revised constitution; Mohamed ElBaradei's return to political prominence despite his unpopularity among Egyptians; divisions within the Salafist constituency; and why the protests are probably aimed at taking down President Mohamed Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood.

Eric Margolis, journalist and author of American Raj, discusses how the disputed Senkaku Islands could ignite a China-Japan conflagration; the return of militant nationalism in Asia; why the US should gracefully withdraw from China's regional sphere of influence; the economic limitations of US empire going forward; attacks on Shia minorities in Afghanistan and Pakistan; and the military-industrial complex's motivation to stay in Afghanistan forever.