Terry Gross

Washington Post senior Pentagon correspondent Thomas Ricks. His new book is called Fiasco: The American Military Adventure in Iraq. Ricks is a Pulitzer Prize winning reporter. He talks about the possibility of U.S. involvement in the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in southern Lebanon. This is the first of a two part interview.

Country singer Ray Price, a close friend and protege of Hank Williams, was known for hits such as "Talk to Your Heart," "Don't Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes," "I'll be There" and "Crazy Arms." In 1996, he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. Next month, the hall will feature an exhibit devoted to PRICE's life and music. This interview originally aired on Jan. 19, 1999.

Julia Choucair is an associate in the Democracy and Rule of Law Project at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, and the deputy editor of the Carnegie's e-monthly, the Arab Reform Bulletin.

A few years ago, writer Jeffrey Goldberg spoke with Hezbollah leaders for a 2002 article in called "In the Party of God: Are Terrorists in Lebanon Preparing for a Larger War?" Goldberg will help us understand the background of the current unrest in Lebanon. Goldberg serves as Washington correspondent for The New Yorker.

Middle East expert Vali Nasr talks about the latest developments there, and about his book The Shia Revival: How Conflicts Within Islam Will Shape the Future.

New York Times reporter Dexter Filkins has been covering the war in Iraq and is back for a brief visit to the United States. Filkins updates us on the situation in the Middle East. Last year, he received the George Polk Award for War Reporting for his riveting, firsthand account of an eight-day attack on Iraqi insurgents in Falluja.

Steven Erlanger, New York Times bureau chief in Jerusalem, joins us to talk about intensified fighting in the region. Erlanger has reported from all over the world, serving in Moscow, Bangkok, Prague and other cities. Prior to his tenure at the Times, he wrote for The Boston Globe.

Steve Coogan, an icon of British comedy, stars in the director Michael Winterbottom's Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story. Coogan is best known for his comedy character Alan Partridge, the "nerdy radio DJ... with a terrible taste in sweaters and an inflated ego." This interview originally aired on Jan. 17, 2006.

Robert Downey Jr., who now appears in director Richard Linklater's new film A Scanner Darkly, received an Academy Award nomination for his performance in the title role of Chaplin. He has also appeared in Wonder Boys, Two Girls and a Guy and Natural Born Killers, among other films. Now in recovery, Downey struggled with drug addiction for years. This interview originally aired on Oct. 22, 2003.

Philanthropist and investor George Soros is the chairman of Soros Fund Management and the Open Society Institute. His new book is The Age of Fallibility: Consequences of The War on Terror. Soros, whose worth has been estimated at over $7 billion, has directed his philanthropic efforts toward defeating George W. Bush in 2004, overthrowing communism in Eastern Europe, helping black students attend university in apartheid South Africa and repealing drug prohibition laws internationally.