Boko Haram and Nigeria, US policy in the Middle East, and how nature influences art

As the Gaza conflict rages on in the Middle East, the Saudi and the Arab League response has been more low-key then usual. Joe Kechichian is a Gulf States scholar and senior writer for the Dubai-based Gulf News. He’s written numerous books on the Gulf region, including his latest, Legal and Political Reforms in Saudi Arabia. Kechichian tells us why he thinks the reaction of Israel's neighbors has been more tempered this time around and how the conflict may affect U.S. policy across the region.
Then, some recent news reports suggest that the militant Islamist group Boko Haram is going village to village in northeast Nigeria, and taking out anyone who opposes their campaign to create an Islamic state. Much of Borno state is now under their control. This week the group was also accused of a kidnapping in neighboring Cameroon. Jonathan Hill, author of Nigeria Since Independence Fragile Forever? joins us to talk about what the Nigerian government has been doing to regain control of the villages seized by Boko Haram.
And, Kate Sackman of EcoMyths Alliance says: “Too often, we think of nature and art as unrelated experiences. One is outside, the other is inside. But the way humans experience nature and art has been powerfully linked throughout history...And when that art speaks to us, it in turn deepens our connection with the world around us.” Alaka Wali, anthropology curator at the Field Museum, joins Kate and Jerome McDonnell to share why she believes, “engaging with art, whether viewing or making it yourself, gives you a visceral experience. This aesthetic, emotional experience [can be a] great way to engage with nature.”

(photo: Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, right, meets with Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, during a meeting in the West Bank city of Ramallah, Tuesday, March 4, 2014. (AP Photo/Mohamad Torokman, Pool))