The Perils of Ignoring History

In his last State of the Union speech, President Bush vowed to "finish the historic work of democracy in Afghanistan and Iraq, so those nations can light the way for others, and help transform a troubled part of the world."

But author Rashid Khalidi questions in his new book "whether by invading, occupying and imposing a new regime on Iraq, the United States may be stepping intentionally or not, into the boots of the old Western colonial powers."

Click the "Listen" link to hear how the Arab world views Western intervention in the Middle East.

Guests:

Rashid Khalidi, professor of Arab Studies at Columbia University, director of Columbia's Middle East Institute, and author of "Resurrecting Empire, Western Footprints and America's Perilous Path in the Middle East"