When charismatic China politician Bo Xilai stepped on too many toes during a power change, the government ousted him from his top party posts, charged his wife with murder and shut down the websites that supported him. As Israel weighs its options to throttle Iran’s nuclear threat, Israelis launch an Israel Loves Iran website to bypass their leaders and connect directly with the Iranian people.  James Hoge tells of digital power in a dangerous world.

Confronted with a rising death toll in Syria, documented by YouTube video clips, that shocked the conscience of the international community, Kofi Annan elaborated a six-point plan to avert a further bloodbath. But will it work? Mid-east expert and blogger Ed Husain gives Jim Zirin his view of the way forward.

The Council on Foreign Relations President elaborates a new foreign policy doctrine he has devised for the 21st Century called “Restoration.” He explains how Restoration informs our decision whether to strike Iran, give aid to the Syrian opposition; and, above all,  rebuild  fiscal and economic stability at home.

The CFR  Japan expert defines what is meant by the “pivot”  and compares Japanese Internet freedom with China’s crackdown on free expression. She tells Jim of Japan’s recovery from the March 11 “triple disasters”, Prime Minister Noda’s dramatic December trips to Beijing and Delhi, how Japan will manage its security concerns with North Korea, and what this all means to United States interests in the region.

China has almost 500 million citizens using the Net. Yet, the government blocks or filters many sites and keywords. The Council on Foreign Relations China hand has just returned from Beijing where she saw a more humbled and fearful China. She tells Jim that its bloggers will survive the censor.

Obama wants to “pivot” toward Asia. But has he forgotten Iran? Elliott Abrams, Deputy National Security Adviser in the Bush administration, discusses the sobering possibility of a pre-emptive strike on Iran’s nuclear plants. How would such a strike be carried out? From the air?  A covert operation? Or a Stuxnet cyber attack. He tells Jim there really is a military option.

He answers some key questions about the Middle East: Did Obama really throw Israel under the bus? Is it dangerous to prosecute Mubarak? Can we break the stalemate in Libya? What’s going on in Syria, Bahrain, Yemen and Saudi, which are far more vital to U.S. interests than Libya? The CFR expert tells how the Twitter Revolution will play out in a post bin Laden world where the boxscore currently stands at Autocrats: Six, Protesters: Two.

Brazil, long disparaged as the “country of the future,” has become the world’s seventh largest economy with an astonishing  growth rate of 7.5%; its first female President, Dilma Rousseff, is talking turkey with Obama and Hu Jintao; and its free press and social media have turned it into a vibrant democracy. Julia tells Jim Zirin what has happened to Brazil…and why.

The redoubtable Council on Foreign Relations president considers whether it is the surging price of oil, the implosion of the Japanese reactors, revolutions in the Middle-East, Iran, North Korea, China or al Qaeda. Then, he gives an answer that will surprise you.

David created a blog, Cyberdissidents.org, to support dissident pro-democracy bloggers in Iran and throughout the Arab world. He tells how his work impacted a revolution.

Hillary Clinton says that the cornerstone of American statecraft is the “freedom to connect.” Chinas Internet usage is soaring. Will the Net really lead China to a more open society? Ian tells Jim Zirin where the US-China relation is really headed.

The Mid-East expert just returned from Egypt where she waded through mobs of  protesters, interviewed autocrats, and drew some stark conclusions as to what Mubarak’s toppling means  for the foreign relations of the United States.

The Russian expert from Kissinger Associates tells how much U.S.-Russian relations have been damaged by the WikiLeaks cables, and  whether ratification of the  START treaty will help “re-set” the relationship.

Only the eighth man to hold the post, UN Secretary- General Ban Ki-moon struggles to make his voice count for peace in a cacophonous world. He tells of the challenges and successes of the office FDR called the “world’s moderator.”

Who will Lose the battle in Iran, Khamenei or the Internet? Iran was so terrified of Twitter, it jammed the Net for a day and named Facebook, Twitter and YouTube as co-conspirators in political trials.

Stephen Biddle, Senior Fellow for Defense Policy at the Council on Foreign Relations, recently returned from Kabul where he helped McChrystal with the assessment. Now it’s all up to Petraeus.

The CFR President, who advised both Presidents Bush, tells Zirin about his fascinating new memoir “War of Necessity, War of Choice: A Memoir of Two Iraq Wars,” and how his alarms in 2003 fell on deaf ears.

The Latin America expert and blogger uses her blog latintelligence.com to reposition United States foreign policy in Latin America.

With the Yuan pegged low, China has the largest economic growth rate in the world, but is at the same time plagued by seemingly insurmountable domestic problems, including environmental protection, political dissidence and a closed Net.

I will go to my grave “not knowing the answer” as to why we went to war in Iraq, says the former Bush administration insider.  President of Council on Foreign Relations Haass explains how the Internet can rationalize US foreign policy.

The former Ambassador to Egypt and India answers tough questions, such as “Can America really democratize the Middle East? Do we have the technology to deal with the challenges of a global economy?”