ABOUT THE AUTHOR
 Lawrence Wilkerson is a Distinguished Adjunct Professor of Government and Public Policy Lawrence Wilkerson’s last positions in government were as Secretary of State Colin Powell’s Chief of Staff (2002-05), Associate Director of the State Department’s Policy Planning staff under the directorship of Ambassador Richard N. Haass, and member of that staff responsible for East Asia and the Pacific. Sharmini Peries is a TRNN inernational corespodent and anchor.