This March will mark two years since the Syrian uprising began. While the revolt was born out of peaceful demonstrations, in recent months it has slipped into a state of ongoing and escalating violence. Patrick Cockburn is a veteran war correspondent currently reporting for The Independent.

For NATO, 2012 has been a key year in Afghanistan, as troops there prepare to hand over power to Afghan security forces next year. As far as the challenges that lie ahead, NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen says he recognizes that countries in the alliance are economically strapped, a condition that could impact their defense budgets.

A portrait of gun owners in America is a lot like a portrait of Americans as a whole — diverse. But in the wake of the Newtown shooting, many Americans are wondering if our gun culture at large is to blame for such unthinkable violence. Kyle Cassidy is a photographer and author of "Armed America: Portraits of Gun Owners in Their Homes." He crossed the country three times asking Americans, "Why do you own a gun?"

Ira Glass, host of This American Life, has a story or three of four each week on his radio program. Ira and our host John Hockenberry used to work together at National Public Radio a long time ago, including time spent working together through the holidays. But while John was just low on the totem pole, Ira had entirely different reasons for working over the holidays.

President Obama will likely take on immigration reform in his second term, but, for now, it's nearly impossible for undocumented students to attend college in Georgia. That's why University of Georgia professor Betina Kaplan founded Freedom University, a free school that provides classes for undocumented immigrants. Maricela Delgado is one of Kaplan’s students at Freedom University.

Back in 1987, Run D.M.C. did something unusual for hip hop artists — they released a Christmas single titled, "Christmas in Hollis," sampling holiday classics like "Joy to the World," "Frosty the Snowman," and "Back Door Santa." It went on to become a classic itself. Darryl "D.M.C" McDaniels is a founding member of the group.

In an essay mixed with listener responses, host John Hockenberry attempts to answer a simple, but at the same time limitlessly complex, question: Why do Americans own guns?