Stephen Hicks and Gloria Alvarez discuss socialism of the 21st century. 'Democratic socialism' is supposed to be the answer to free-market failures of the past.

A new wave of leftist ideas is sweeping across Latin America. What are the reasons behind anti-liberalism and the obsession with socialism in many Latin American countries?

Stephen Hicks and Gloria Alvarez discuss socialism of the 21st century. 'Democratic socialism' is supposed to be the answer to free-market failures of the past.

A new wave of leftist ideas is sweeping across Latin America. What are the reasons behind anti-liberalism and the obsession with socialism in many Latin American countries?

Do you have a convict ancestor? Imagine standing trial in the Old Bailey and waiting for the sentence: either a British jail or transportation to Australia. The convicts had no way of knowing whether they’d be better off in Britain or the new penal colony.

But armed with the historical record,  criminologists can now make a judgement. They can also compare the effectiveness of the convict system and modern prisons.

Do you have a convict ancestor? Imagine standing trial in the Old Bailey and waiting for the sentence: either a British jail or transportation to Australia. The convicts had no way of knowing whether they’d be better off in Britain or the new penal colony.

But armed with the historical record,  criminologists can now make a judgement. They can also compare the effectiveness of the convict system and modern prisons.

When the Berlin Wall came down we all breathed a sigh of relief. It signalled the end of the Cold War. But is there a new Cold War on the horizon? Conflict between China and the United States is escalating in the Asia-Pacific and allies like Australia could be collateral damage. Australia's relationship with China is also being tested on many fronts as we attempt to navigate our way between our economic and strategic interests.

When the Berlin Wall came down we all breathed a sigh of relief. It signalled the end of the Cold War. But is there a new Cold War on the horizon? Conflict between China and the United States is escalating in the Asia-Pacific and allies like Australia could be collateral damage. Australia's relationship with China is also being tested on many fronts as we attempt to navigate our way between our economic and strategic interests.

Six non-violent activists faced the prospect of jail time after entering the Pine Gap military base, in an act of protest.  Was their trial political? What do we know about the operations of Pine Gap?

Six non-violent activists faced the prospect of jail time after entering the Pine Gap military base, in an act of protest.  Was their trial political? What do we know about the operations of Pine Gap?

Will it be Donald Trump or Joe Biden? The choice that Americans make will be felt around the world. So what are Americans thinking? In the Trump White House it's rule by Twitter , a high turnover of advisors and a disregard for political conventions and institutions. Has the last four years changed the political landscape forever? To find out, Kerry O'Brien speaks to former US ambassador Jeff Bleich.

Capitalism has failed. If we maintain our current capitalist system, we will ensure the collapse of our natural environment and of human civilisation, argues business management professor Paul Adler. Democratic socialism is the solution - with public ownership of our most important recourses. To overcome the current crisis, he says, we need to assert democratic control over the management of both individual enterprises and the entire national economy.