International Affairs

Mystery Writer R.D. Zimmerman (real name Robert Alexander). He is a member of the Mystery Writers of America, and has written mystery jigsaw puzzles as well as short mysteries that appeared on the backs of 15 million boxes of Total Cereal. His new book Red Trance (Morrow), is a Russian mystery of hypnotic detection. Zimmerman also talks about his business dealings in Russia, and the corruption he faced as a result.

Craig Cuny son of Fred Cuny, the founding president of Intertect Relief and Reconstruction Corporation in Texas. Fred was on a humanitarian mission, conducting an assessment of Chechnya for the Open Society Institute. He has been missing since April 7th. Craig has spent the last three months searching for his father.

Reporter for New Yorker magazine David Remnick. He recently traveled to the Republic of Chechnya where he toured the devastation, talked to survivors and officials of the Russian Army and the Chechen Army. His article, "In Stalin's Wake," appears in this week's edition of New Yorker. He also covered the Soviet Union for The Washington Post from 1988-1990.

Stephen Engelberg of the New York Times. He is a former Eastern Europe correspondent and is presently an investigative reporter in the Washington bureau. Engelberg will reconstruct the story of the turning point in the Bosnian war: how the U.N. and Nato decided to bomb Serb headquarters last May, and then stop after the Serbs took peace keepers hostage.

Language Commentator Geoffrey Nunberg on how the word "French" has been associated with sexual activities and references... such as "French kiss", "pardon my French" and an 18th Century term for condoms: "French Letters.

Correspondent for the New York Times, Roger Cohen. He will talk with Terry about the five weeks he recently spent in Sarajevo where he covered the war.

Playwright and satirist from South Africa Pieter-Dirk Uys. He has a television talk show in South Africa with an unusual twist: instead of hosting his show as himself, he dresses in drag as an Afrikaner dowager named Evita. His guests have included such leaders as Nelson Mandela.

Mackenzie commanded the United Nations Peacekeeping force in the former Yugoslavia until he retired in 1993. Since then, Mackenzie has been critical of the UN's ability to command and control its forces. He talks about the state of humanitarian efforts in Sarajevo.

Journalist for the New York Times, Roger Cohen. He speaks to Terry from Sarajevo, where he has been covering the war.

Journalist Laurie Garrett has recently returned from Zaire, where many people have died due to the spread of the Ebola virus. She is the author of the new book, The Coming Plague: Newly Emerging Diseases in a World Out of Balance. She talks about how people in Zaire changed their behaviors in order to curtail the spread of the Ebola virus.

Member of the Exile Tibetans' Parliament, the Assembly of the Tibetan People's Deputies, Tendzin Choegyal. He is the youngest brother of the His Holiness the Dalai Lama. He talks about the selection of the Panchen lama -- the second highest leader in Buddhism -- and China's efforts to interfere with the process.

We'll hear from Iqbal Riza, Assistant Secretary of General for Peace Keeping Operations for the United Nations. He talks about the UN's role in Rwanda.

Alison Des Forges is a consultant to Human Rights Watch Africa. Last month, the Rwandan Patriotic Army opened fire at a refugee camp. Human Rights Watch says 2000 people were killed. Des Forges visited the camp following the massacre. Des Forges is also the Co-Chair of the International Commission on Human Rights Abuse in Rwanda. She is a professor at the State University of New York at Buffalo.

We speak with two veterans about their service during World War II. Tony Varone remembers V.E. DAY 50 years ago today. He served in the 9th Infantry Division which fought in Europe. He now is Commander of VFW POST in Long Island, New York. Donald Pearce fought in Europe in the Canadian Army. Pearce kept a diary during his tour of duty. His 1965 book Journal Of A War: North-west Europe 1944-1945 chronicles the battles fought in Belgian and the Netherlands.

Director Winifried Bonengal made the film "Profession: Neo Nazi," which follows Ewald Althans, a rising leader on Germany's neo-nazi scene. Althans is different from the stereotypical neo-nazi: intelligent, successful and well-dressed. The move ignited one of the fiercest debates on documentary film making in Germany's history. It was barred from many states and the distributor was forced to withdraw it from circulation.

Terry Gross talks with the Croatian writer about her book Have a Nice Day: From the Balkan War to the American Dream. Part memoir, part short story collection, the book chronicles the writer's transplanted life as a lecturer in Middletown, Connecticut, a world away from the brutal Balkan war.

Defense analyst and professor Michael Klare, author of Rogue States and Nuclear Outlaws: America's Search for a New Foreign Policy. The book explores the current tendency of the Pentagon to focus on Third World countries as the new threat to U.S. national security. Klare is defense correspondent for The Nation, a frequent commentator on National Public Radio, and Professor of Peace and World Security Studies at Hampshire College.

South African journalist Allister Sparks has written about secret negotiations that started in 1986 between South African leaders and then-jailed political prisoner Nelson Mandela. The meetings ultimately led to the dismantling of Apartheid. Sparks' new book is Tomorrow is Another Country. He served as South African Correspondent for The Observer and for The Washington Post from 1981-1992. He lives in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Soviet-born journalist Masha Gessen has just edited a new collection of post-Soviet fiction by women, called "Half A Revolution." She says that most of the writers in the collection belong to the "mute generation" that came of age under Brezhnev. Gessen immigrated to the U.S. in 1981 when she was 14 to be with her parents. She's been an editor, primarily in gay and lesbian press, and was international editor at The Advocate. Gessen has since repatriated to Russia.

Manchevski, now based in the U.S., went home to make his first feature film, "Before the Rain." One critic at the Venice Film Festival said the film is "written and directed with surprising skill and ability, wonderfully filmed." Manchevski is also well known for directing the music video, "Tennessee" by Arrested Development which won an MTV video award in 1992.