It may not be possible to have a dull conversation with Andrew Bacevich.
He's a retired army colonel and retired history professor who writes compelling books about America's engagement with the rest of the world... which he often finds wanting.
His latest book focuses on where most of our military action now takes place... and it predates the invasion of Iraq by a couple of decades.
The author visits the Exchange to lay out his view on why we're so interested in the Middle East, and what it's doing to us.