All Things Considered

It may be decades before we know what the discussions were inside the Oval Office that led to the decision to intervene in Libya. But Robert McFarlane, who was national security adviser during the Reagan administration, says the determination to use military force always involves several factors. Among them: U.S. interests, humanitarian concerns and capabilities. He says that while U.S. interests in Libya are low, humanitarian concerns are high.

Radiation at Japan's troubled nuclear plants is causing new concerns on Sunday. Authorities report that radiation levels in the contaminated water at reactor unit 2 are four times higher than is safe. They have evacuated workers from there. Meanwhile along many coastal communities survivors are struggling with hardship and loss.

Syria has been rocked by more than a week of protests against the authoritarian rule of President Bashar al-Assad. Phil Sands, a reporter for the Abu Dhabi-based National newspaper, offers his insight.

Until our judge, novelist Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, decides on a winner of the Three-Minute Fiction contest, we're bringing you excerpts of stories that have caught our eye. This week, NPR's Susan Stamberg reads a passage from "Friendly Skies" by Tiffany Hawk of Eastampton, N.J., and Bob Mondello reads a passage from "The 46 Local" by John Lynch of Binghamton, N.Y.

This past week, the same day an air traffic controller fell asleep at his post at Reagan International Airport, the nation's top air traffic controllers were gathered for an annual awards ceremony in Las Vegas. Weekend on All Things Considered spoke to two winners, Chuck Labombard and Derek Bittman, who were honored for life-saving calls made from their posts.