Ep 3. Fareed Zakaria

In season 1, episode 3 of The Colbert Report, host Stephen Colbert welcomes guest Fareed Zakaria to the show. Zakaria is a journalist and author who has appeared on a number of news programs, including ABC's This Week and CNN's Fareed Zakaria GPS.

The episode begins with Colbert showing a clip from The O'Reilly Factor, in which Bill O'Reilly criticizes Zakaria for suggesting that the Bush administration was exaggerating the threat of terrorism. Colbert jokes that O'Reilly is jealous of Zakaria's "sexy, exotic-sounding name" and asks Zakaria if he thinks O'Reilly is intimidated by him.

Zakaria responds that he thinks O'Reilly is "a decent guy" and that he has nothing against him personally. He goes on to say that he believes the Bush administration did exaggerate the threat of terrorism in order to justify the invasion of Iraq.

Colbert then asks Zakaria about his book The Future of Freedom, which argues that democracy is not always the best form of government for every country. Zakaria explains that democracy works well in countries that have a strong civil society, a free press, and other institutions that protect individual rights. However, in countries where these institutions are weak or nonexistent, democracy can actually lead to chaos and instability.

Colbert jokingly asks if Zakaria is saying that America should not have invaded Iraq. Zakaria responds that while he supported the invasion at the time, he now believes it was a mistake because the U.S. did not have a plan for what to do after the fall of Saddam Hussein.

The conversation then turns to the United Nations, which Zakaria has criticized in the past for being slow and ineffective. Colbert asks Zakaria if he thinks the U.N. has any value at all. Zakaria responds that while the U.N. is not perfect, it is still an important forum for countries to talk to one another and try to solve global problems.

As the interview wraps up, Colbert asks Zakaria if he has any advice for young people who want to get into journalism. Zakaria advises aspiring journalists to read widely and learn as much as they can about the world. He also encourages them to be persistent and not to be discouraged by rejection.

Overall, season 1, episode 3 of The Colbert Report is an engaging and informative interview with Fareed Zakaria. The conversation covers a range of topics, from democracy and the Iraq War to the United Nations and the value of journalism. Colbert and Zakaria have a good rapport and engage in some humorous banter, but the interview also touches on some serious issues facing the world today.