The Debate

By FRANCE 24 English

The Debate episodes

July 02, 2020 Africa’s independence: what will the next 60 years bring?
A wave of independence swept across Africa sixty years ago. This week it’s been the turn of Somalia and the Democratic Republic of Congo to mark their independence. But amid the celebrations there is also time to reflect, regret even mourn what has taken place since gaining self-rule. Somalia, for instance, has seen the state split, a civil war, imposition of sharia law and a rise in piracy and Islamist terrorism.
43 min
July 01, 2020 Trump’s peace plan: A blueprint for more Middle East conflict?
Israel is seriously examining the plan named Peace to Prosperity, US President Trump's vision for the Middle East, which was formally unveiled in Washington in January in the presence of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Notably absent, the Palestinians, whose input was not sought for the proposal. There are so many reasons why Netanyahu is happy with the plan, and so many why the Palestinians disagree. Annexation of illegal Israeli settlements on Palestinian territory is chief among these - in the Jordan Valley, 130 settlements in the West Bank.
40 min
June 30, 2020 Europe after Covid 19: How €750 billion could reboot the EU
French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel might well hold the future of Europe in their hands. Or maybe more accurately in their cheque books.
42 min
June 29, 2020 France's green wave: Will Macron manage to surf it?
France's local elections on Sunday saw a green wave wash over the nation as the Greens party chalked up wins in the major cities of Marseille, Lyon, Strasbourg and Bordeaux. In Paris, incumbent Anne Hidalgo was returned as mayor promising more measures to reduce the city’s carbon footprint --and its pollution levels -- which fell dramatically under the covid lockdown. Among the night’s biggest losers? Macron’s La Republic en Marche party which, despite its strong stance on environmental issues, suffered bruising losses at the ballot box.
42 min
June 25, 2020 Tension on the Nile: Could Egypt and Ethiopia really go to war over water?
Egypt calls it an "existential threat". As of next month, Ethiopia says it's going to start filling Africa's largest dam. How fast? Too fast, for Cairo and Khartoum, which both depend on the water of the Nile. Can the dispute over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) be resolved peacefully or could it spiral out of control? At a time when they're under pressure domestically, could Egypt's Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Ethiopia's Abiy Ahmed be tempted to rally around the flag as they're tested on the home front?
44 min
June 24, 2020 Who wants to go to the movies? Cinema after Covid-19
After three months of lockdown, France's cinemas have reopened, ahead of England on July 4. But will film buffs return? Have three months of binge-watching streaming services changed the industry for good? François Picard's panel reflects on the challenges of reopening neighbourhood movie theatres, on an industry where production has ground to a halt, and ponders what sort of stories audiences will pay to see coming out of this unprecedented pandemic.
40 min
June 23, 2020 More fire and fury? Bolton, Trump & US foreign policy
Is it just another kiss-and-tell book about a chaotic White House or the bellwether of a United States bitterly divided over its role in the world? At first glance, the vitriol surrounding the release of John Bolton's book makes it sound like little more than the sequel to "Fire and Fury", the 2018 chronicle of Donald Trump's election and first months in office. But this time, it's a veteran foreign policy hawk turning his guns on his isolationist former boss. And it's no longer 2018, but an election year with a US president who's flagging in the polls.
43 min
June 22, 2020 Back to the brink? North Korea's new border tension
Ahead of Thursday's 70th anniversary of the start of the Korean War, Pyongyang through the ruling Workers Party newspaper Rodong Sinmun has warned that last week's blowing-up north of the demilitarized zone of the Pyongyang-Seoul liaison office was "just the beginning". Why now? Will John Bolton’s criticism of South Korea's president pour fuel on the fire? Is it all over for the diplomacy that three times brought together the leaders of North Korea and the United States? Or is this Pyongyang's way of seeking attention at a time when further progress has stalled?
42 min
June 18, 2020 Could it escalate? China-India border tensions turn deadly
Will the first fatalities since 1975 along India and China's disputed border leave lasting scars? Beijing and New Delhi have been working hard to prevent further escalation after Monday's high altitude clashes in the Himalayas. Both sides insist no shots were fired, so what did happen in that remote region that's part of the rooftop of the world? Both Xi Jinping and Narendra Modi are transactional and pragmatic, but also both nationalists intent on projecting strength. At a time when coronavirus has citizens the world over second-guessing orders from above, neither wants to appear weak.
40 min
June 17, 2020 After the applause: The anger of France's essential care workers
France clapped for its carers during lockdown. But will those on the frontlines of the coronavirus pandemic be rewarded for facing the crisis with resources squeezed by decades of budget cuts? As the government meets with medical professionals before rolling out what it has billed as a major reform plan, François Picard's panel asks if the French are capable of reviewing their top-down approach and preparing properly for an eventual second wave of Covid-19.
43 min

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A live debate on the topic of the day, with four guests. From Monday to Thursday at 7:10pm Paris time.

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