For those Kossacks who have TNT on cable, I would like to recommend the miniseries
Into the West. The program follows the fate of two families caught up in the expansion of 19th century America to the Pacific.
I haven't been watching it avidly - my family is Tivoing it and I want to wait until I can watch all the episodes in succession. What I have watched, however, presents a very interesting picture of the interaction of two distrustful peoples. It really calls attention to how a few unscrupulous, vengeful, and deceitful people can make peace difficult at best.
Naturally this brought to my mind the whole situation between Israel and Palestine. Upon further reflection, it also calls to mind the "war on terra" (I wonder if Bush's pun is intended?). Sadly, it seems that 'Our Leader' is one of the types of people who inflames the problem. Plus ça change, plus c'est la meme chose.
Reflections on the current sad state of world affairs aside, Into the West seems to be an excellent montage representative of the events brought about by the US's growth in the 19th century, and I highly recommend it.