The Debate

By FRANCE 24 English

The Debate episodes

September 28, 2017 Too much power? The French presidency according to Emmanuel Macron
Is France's new president getting too powerful? Before flying to Estonia for an EU summit, Emmanuel Macron posed with police as parliament works on a bill to permanently give them enhanced search and seizure powers - powers granted after the Paris attacks. The idea is to enshrine parts of the ongoing state of emergency into common law. Meanwhile, Macron has made good on his campaign promise to bypass parliament and enact controversial labour reforms by decree. So does he have too much power? Produced by Daniel BARNEY, Alessandro XENOS, Christopher DAVIS.
44 min
September 27, 2017 The Battle of Glyphosate: Can you feed the planet without poisoning it?
Can you feed the planet without poisoning it? France's new government this week reiterated its plan to ban glyphosate, the ubiquitous herbicide that's also now in the crosshairs of Italian authorities and the World Health Organization. Emmanuel Macron faces the resistance of his own farm lobby and of Brussels. Why do chemical and pharmaceutical companies matter so much to what we find in our plates? What's the cost of eating healthier? Is there an alternative to the current model? Produced by Daniel BARNEY, François WIBAUX and Christopher DAVIS.
42 min
September 26, 2017 Which Europe will it be? Macron's strong push for a multi-speed EU
Emmanuel Macron didn't just make the case for European unity – he spelled out the way to achieve it and offered a timeline. France's 39-year-old president chose its oldest institution of higher learning, the Sorbonne, as the backdrop for his big pitch for a reinforced eurozone complete with its own budget, finance minister and even parliament. Is it a bold call that will set the post-Brexit agenda, or a hasty case of youthful exuberance that will go down like a lead balloon east of the Rhine?
Produced by Charles WENTE, Alessandro XENOS and Christopher DAVIS.
47 min
September 25, 2017 Iraq's Kurds: Will referendum really lead to independence?
Polls have closed in Iraqi Kurdistan. Now that citizens have said "yes" to independence, what are they going to do with the result? President Massoud Barzani shrugged off pressure from Baghdad and the international community. How much of this is about the aspirations of a people for their own nation... and how much is about money and a dysfunctional federal Iraq? Once the celebrations have subsided, will Kurds find that this vote helps or hurts their cause? Produced by Charles WENTE, François WIBAUX and Christopher DAVIS.
46 min
September 21, 2017 Confiscated vote? Escalation over banned Catalonia referendum
Authorities in Madrid have taken their standoff with Barcelona to a whole new level, raiding government offices, arresting Catalan cabinet members and confiscating 10 million ballot papers, all to thwart a banned October 1 independence referendum. It's hard to see how the vote can happen.
Has Madrid won the battle but lost the PR war? We'll question the reasons for a second referendum attempt. And if Catalans really want independence, why has the reaction been so much stronger this time? Produced by Daniel BARNEY, Theodora LOULOUDIS and Van MEGUERDITCHIAN.
45 min
September 20, 2017 Iran's rebuttal: Tehran answers Trump and Netanyahu
Call it rebuttal time. After Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu, it’s Iranian President Hassan Rouhani’s turn to address the UN General Assembly. He criticised Trump’s "rogue state" rhetoric and defended the nuclear agreement. Since his last UN speech, Rouhani has been re-elected president of Iran. But how much of a mandate does he have in a nation where the final say goes to clerics and their ageing leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei? It's clear Rouhani doesn't call the shots on the battlefield. Produced by Michele BARBERO, Theodora LOULOUDIS and Van MEGUERDITCHIAN.
48 min
September 18, 2017 Trump goes to the UN: What role for the United States on the world stage?
As a candidate he spoke out against the United Nations, but today the US president is chairing a conference on reforming its institutions at the annual opening of the UN General Assembly. This after recent unanimity at the Security Council on North Korea and hints that Washington might not leave the Paris Climate Change Pact after all. But how does the US see itself on the world stage? And how much does diplomacy matter to an administration that's yet to fill prominent ambassador positions? Produced by Charles WENTE, Theodora LOULOUDIS and Christopher DAVIS.
47 min
September 14, 2017 Vote or no vote? Escalating row over Catalan independence
Put football rivalry jokes aside: the escalation between Barcelona and Madrid is no game. A sea of independence supporters turned out on Monday in Barcelona to support a second attempt at an independence referendum. We'll gauge support within Catalonia for a break-off from Spain. Like the one in 2014, the courts in Madrid have already forbidden the October 1st vote. This time, they've gone further, with court summons and the threat of arrest warrants for mayors who take part in the vote. Produced by Yi SONG, Theodora LOULOUDIS and Christopher DAVIS.
46 min
September 13, 2017 Burma and the Rohingyas: UN body accuses authorities of ethnic cleansing
“A textbook case of ethnic cleansing”, says the UN's top human rights official. Nearly 400,000 Rohingyas have fled Burma in the past fortnight for neighbouring Bangladesh after skirmishes between local militants and authorities triggered a fierce backlash. The plight of the Rohingyas has stirred indignation across the Muslim world in places such as Indonesia and Turkey, whose first lady has visited Bangladesh to support relief efforts. So what should the wider international community do? Produced by Daniel BARNEY, Charlotte URIEN-TOMAKA and Laure FOURQUET.
45 min
September 12, 2017 Macron's first strike: Will protests derail French labour reform?
It was the first test for France's new president. Turnout may have been light by French standards but trade unions say Tuesday's protests were the first of many against Emmanuel Macron's labour reform. Macron had so far enjoyed a honeymoon period made easier by splintered opposition on the left and right. We ask about his plan, the cap on severance pay, the review of collective bargaining and whether it's the right medicine for a nation with double the unemployment rate of Britain or Germany. Produced by Charles WENTE, Theodora LOULOUDIS and Laure FOURQUET.
47 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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