The immigration issue – Illegal immigration has become a hot political issue with articles and opinions appearing almost daily about the extent of the problem and the economic, social and security implications of the flood of people coming across the U.S. southern border. But, beyond the headlines, immigration is a very complex issue, which deserves careful analysis. It involves a tangle of laws, hundreds of thousands of individual stories and a look back at our history.

On this first episode of Georgia Weekly, we welcome immigration expert, Carolina Colin-Antonini, who is an adjunct professor at Georgia State University's College of Law and a Judge Pro Hac Vice for the City Court of Atlanta.

Update on the Middle East – Whether it's the long and complicated conflict between the Israelis and the Palestinians or the upcoming national referendum in Iraq, what happens in the Middle East has repercussions all over the world. To discuss the latest situations in the region, we welcome Dr. Kenneth W. Stein, William E. Schatten Professor of Contemporary Middle Eastern History and Israeli Studies at Emory University.

Next week – Georgia's prisons & what it means to be Southern – Often a target for criticism, Georgia's prison system is a challenge for any administrator. Corrections Commissioner, James Donald, will join us for an update on the issues. We will also welcome James C. Cobb, the B. Phinizy Spalding Distinguished Professor of History at the University of Georgia, who will discuss his acclaimed new book "Away Down South: The History of Southern Identity", just published by Oxford University Press.