It’s nearly a century since it was discovered that the sun and other stars are powered by nuclear fusion. It’s when hydrogen atoms merge to form helium, and release huge amounts of energy.  Since then, scientists have dreamed of reproducing the process here on Earth, with one Nobel Laureate calling it “the sun in a box”.   It holds the promise of virtually limitless energy, with few emissions and waste. But recreating the conditions where fusion can take place are a vast engineering challenge. So how close are we to having a working reactor powered by fusion? And will the process solve all our energy problems?  Presenter: Tanya Beckett
Producer: Louise Clarke-Rowbotham

Will nuclear fusion solve our energy problems forever?

The Inquiry gets beyond the headlines to explore the trends, forces and ideas shaping the world.

News

Historically, Turkey has always had a strong women’s rights movement, stemming from the  days of the Ottoman Empire through to the emergence of the Republic of Turkey into the present day.
 
At the top of the movement’s agenda now is the fight to protect women against violence from men.   It’s three years since Turkey pulled out of the Istanbul Convention, the Europe wide treaty on combatting violence against women and girls.  The Turkish Government has its own version of domestic violence law, but there are concerns that this doesn’t offer the same protection as the Convention.  Campaigners say that femicide and violence against women continues to plague society and that there is an increasingly anti-gender rhetoric within mainstream politics.  So, this week on The Inquiry, we’re asking ‘Is Turkey getting more dangerous for women?’ Contributors:  
Dr. Sevgi Adak, Institute for the Study of Muslim Civilisations, The Aga Khan University. 
Professor Seda Demiralp, Işık University, Turkey. 
Dr. Ezel Buse Sönmezocak, International Human Rights Lawyer, Turkey 
Dr. Hürcan Aslı Aksoy, German Institute for International and Security Affairs, Berlin. Presenter:  Emily Wither 
Producer:  Jill Collins 
Researcher:  Katie Morgan
Production Co-ordinator: Liam Morrey  Image credit: Cagla Gurdogan via REUTERS from BBC Images

Is Turkey getting more dangerous for women?

The war in Ukraine has reached a pivotal moment.  After months of an apparent stalling on the frontlines, Russia has recently made a series of critical breakthroughs. Now the race is on for Kyiv to get newly approved military aid to the front line before Russian forces attack Ukraine’s second largest city, Kharkiv. The 60 billion dollar bill passed in America’s congress at the end of April allows for Ukraine to push back against Russian forces and prepare to mount an offensive next year. But a gap in the supply of missiles has left Kyiv dangerously exposed and huge questions remain about how Ukraine’s President will act next.  So, on this week’s Inquiry, we’re asking ‘Has US military aid come in time for President Zelensky?’ Contributors: Gustav Gressel, senior policy fellow with the Wider Europe Programme at the European Council on Foreign Relations’ Berlin office. Max Bergmann, Director, Europe, Russia, and Eurasia Program and Stuart Center, at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), in the US. Dr Marina Miron, post-doctoral researcher in the War Studies Department and an honorary researcher at the Centre for Military Ethics and the Department of Defence Studies, Kings College, London. Professor Olga Onuch, Professor (Chair) in Comparative and Ukrainian Politics at the University of Manchester, UK. Presenter: Tanya Beckett 
Producer: Lorna Reader
Researcher: Matt Toulson
Production Co-ordinator: Liam Morrey Image credit: Ukrainian Presidential Press Service via Reuters via BBC Images

Has US military aid come in time for President Zelensky?

Last year the US state of Texas introduced a controversial law designed to control the huge number of undocumented migrants crossing its southern border with Mexico.   The law known as Senate Bill 4 or SB4, allows local and state police the power to arrest and charge people with a newly created state crime - ‘illegal entry’.     Immigration law has historically been handled by the federal government.  Crossing the border is a federal crime and addressed by immigration courts that fall under the justice department. Now Texas is embroiled in a legal battle and SB4 has been paused.  But it’s just the latest measure that Texas has taken to stop hundreds of thousands of migrants entering the US on its border.    Back in 2021 the state’s Governor, Greg Abbott launched a multi-billion   dollar border security programme known as Operation Lone Star.   Along with his Republican lawmakers, the Governor’s argument is that Texas has a legal right to defend itself and they allege that Democrat President Joe Biden has failed to secure the US southern border in violation of the law.
But with a Presidential election this November, it remains to be seen if Texas will have a more sympathetic ally in the White House in the future.  So, on this week’s Inquiry, we’re asking ‘Can Texas go it alone on border control?’  Contributors:  Dr. Ernesto Castañeda, Director of the Centre for Latin American and Latino Studies and it’s Immigration Lab, American University, Washington DC, USA  Dr James Henson, Director, Texas Politics Project, Department of Government, The University of Texas at Austin, USA. Denise Gilman, Clinical Professor, Co-Director Immigration Clinic, The University of Texas at Austin, School of Law, USA  Julia Gelatt, Associate Director, US Immigration Policy Programme, Migration Policy Institute, Washington DC, USA  Presenter: Charmaine Cozier 
Producer: Jill Collins 
Researcher: Matt Toulson 
Editor: Tara McDermott 
Technical Producer:  Craig Boardman  
Production Co-ordinator:  Liam Morrey (Photo credit: Adam Davis via BBC Images

Can Texas go it alone on border control?

Beyonce has released an album that has gone straight to the top of the country music charts.   The 27 tracks include the work of many collaborators from the world of country music, including Black country artist Linda Martell and Dolly Parton’s 1974 song Jolene. It has been so well received it has become the fastest selling album of the year.   Beyonce is usually known for her pop and RnB. Her success in the country music genre has opened up a wider debate about where country music originates from, who it belongs to and its political associations.   This week on the Inquiry we are asking, who is country ? Contributors:  William Nash, Professor of American Studies and English at Middleburgh College
Francesca Inglese, assistant professor in the Department of Music at Northeastern University
Taylor Crumpton, music critic and culture writer from Dallas, Texas
Charles Hughes, associate professor at Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee and co-founder of the No Fences Review Presenter: Tanya Beckett
Producers: Louise Clarke and Lorna Reader
Editor: Tara McDermott
Technical Producer: Cameron Ward
Production Co-ordinator: Liam Morrey Image credit: Reuters

Who is country?

An increasing number of people are dying from misuse of synthetic opioids. In 2022, the US recorded over 70,000 overdose deaths involving synthetic opioids.  The government is spending billions to combat the effects of these super strength drugs.
Synthetic opioids, such as Fentanyl, are made in laboratories by using materials derived from the opium poppy. China is a major hub for the production of synthetic opioids, where it then makes its way to North America through Mexican drug cartels.  The lab-made drugs can be more deadly than the natural materials, but they are more easily accessible, and prevalence is rising across the world. In West Africa and the Middle East, tramadol is one of the most consumed synthetic drugs. The rise of synthetic opioids in the European market, which are being used as a substitute for a heroin shortage, is fuelling concern that these substances could lead to a rise in drug-related deaths.  This week on The Inquiry, we’re asking are synthetic opioids a global problem? Contributors 
Ric Treble, Forensic chemist and advisor to the Government’s Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs
Dr Angela Me, Chief of the Research and Trend Analysis Branch from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime
Ben Westhoff, author of Fentanyl, Inc and investigative journalist
Dr Vanda Felbab-Brown is a senior fellow in the Strobe Talbott Center for Security, Strategy, and Technology in the Foreign Policy program at Brookings Institution Production team
Presenter: Charmaine Cozier
Producers: Vicky Carter and Matt Toulson 
Researcher: Ajai Singh
Editor: Tara McDermott 
Technical Producer: Cameron Ward
Production Co-ordinator: Liam Morrey Image credit: mikroman6 via Getty Images

Will nuclear fusion solve our energy problems forever?

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