The Debate

By FRANCE 24 English

The Debate episodes

November 03, 2022 Long Covid: What have we learned so far?
Far from being over, the Covid-19 pandemic has created another widespread problem: long Covid, the persistence of symptoms beyond the initial infection. In some cases this can last months and be seriously debilitating. There are 2 million long Covid patients in France. The World Health Organization says there are some 145 million worldwide. However, the French government’s scientific council COVARS has concluded that it's a psychosomatic problem. Has enough been done to understand long Covid?
44 min
November 02, 2022 Cuba embargo: Why does the US continue to reject UN moves to end it?
Now 60 years old, the trade embargo on Cuba has been perpetuated primarily at the behest of Washington. When it was imposed in 1962, John F. Kennedy was US president and Fidel Castro was the revolutionary leader of Cuba: a Communist too close for comfort for Washington at the height of the Cold War. Arms sales to Havana had been banned four years earlier and Cuba leant on its major ally, the Soviet Union, to fill the gap. Our panel discusses why the embargo remains in place today and if there is any hope of lifting it.
43 min
November 02, 2022 Israel votes again: Netanyahu to return or Lapid to remain?
By holding its fifth election in less than four years, can Israel break the stalemate? Prime Minister Yair Lapid hopes to remain in power after his coalition collapsed in June, but veteran politician Benjamin Netanyahu, now 73 years old and on trial for corruption, is eyeing a comeback. Many say the country's proportional representation system does not help stability in the Knesset. Meanwhile, some one million Palestinian voters make up 17 percent of the Israeli electorate but are historically disenfranchised. What will this election hold for them?
46 min
October 31, 2022 Lula's third term: From prison to power, can he unite a divided Brazil?
Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, better known as Lula, has thanked the people of Brazil for his election victory. It marks a miraculous political comeback for the man who was elected president twice before being sent to prison over a corruption scandal, then released and allowed to stand again. Lula stands on the brink of his third term as Brazil's president. Can he unite a country bitterly divided by this presidential election?
47 min
October 27, 2022 The shadow workers of Qatar: Is World Cup host 'sportswashing' its reputation?
Will the 2022 World Cup, which is taking place in less than a month, be a successful exercise in "sportswashing"? Plagued with accusations of worker abuse, homophobia, sexism, racism and corruption since FIFA awarded them the World Cup 12 years ago, Qatar has had to answer for thousands of harrowing accounts of exploitation – mostly of South Asian migrant workers toiling for long hours in intense heat to build the glittering new stadiums, hotels, roads and airports in place to welcome an expected 1.2 million visitors. We put the question to our panel, including journalist Chloé Domat, who has filmed a special documentary on the issue.
46 min
October 26, 2022 Germany first? Scholz accused of disloyalty by France and EU partners
This Wednesday saw a working lunch between Emmanuel Macron and Olaf Scholz – a meeting stripped of fanfare and followed up with no press conference, simply a laconic tweet from the German side. Just how badly is Europe's Franco-German motor misfiring? Germany has decided to go solo on energy security and favour US military hardware over European in its landmark military overhaul. The EU's united front in the face of Russia's war in Ukraine may be showing some cracks. Which way for Germany and for Europe?
45 min
October 25, 2022 Sunak's daunting task: Can new prime minister restore trust in UK politics?
What does Rishi Sunak stand for? Britain’s youngest prime minister in two centuries is also its first Asian and first Hindu PMwhose "whatever it takes" Covid-19 rescue plan as chancellor helped the poorest when they needed it most. The UK’s fifth Conservative leader in six years is also the Oxford and Stanford-educated pro-Brexit former banker whose personal wealth makes him the target of "out of touch" accusations.
45 min
October 24, 2022 All of Xi's men: Loyalty first for new Chinese leadership
Seven men and all his ducks in a row. Xi Jinping's third term has been rubber stamped and a new Communist Party leadership unveiled at a Congress that is set to shape China’s politics for much more than just the next five years. We ask about those promoted, like Li Qiang, the man in charge of Shanghai’s harsh Covid-19 lockdown. His biggest asset is loyalty.
46 min
October 20, 2022 Leadership crisis: What next for the UK after Liz Truss?
Despite their record brevity, Liz Truss's 44 days in office will long be remembered. The UK prime minister has now resigned after pressure that became too much. How did the Conservative Party elect a leader who so badly misread the mood and the markets with her failed bid for unfunded tax cuts for the rich? We do forensics on a leader whose time in office could have been even shorter had the queen not died in her second day on the job.
43 min
October 19, 2022 Putin turns to Tehran: Can Iranian drones offset Moscow's losses in Ukraine?
How will a Russia in retreat react? Vladimir Putin's brand new military commander is foretelling the pullout from the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson, the Kremlin's first major catch at the start of the invasion. If the objective is to subdue Ukraine on the battlefield, the signs for Moscow do not look great.
46 min

About The Debate

From the publisher's feed

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

Share The Debate

Sign up to save your podcasts

The Debate

The Debate episodes

About The Debate

More shows like The Debate

Global News Podcast

The Gray Area with Sean Illing

Fareed Zakaria GPS

Intelligence Squared

Newshour

Amanpour

The Documentary Podcast

The Interview

arts24

People & Profit

Access Asia

Talking Europe

The 51%

Fashion

Inside Europe

Tech 24

Down to Earth

Business

Inside the Americas

Europe Rendezvous

The World This Week

GZERO World with Ian Bremmer

Reporters

Focus

Banlieue Project

The Ezra Klein Show

The Observers

Press Review

Ones and Tooze

The Observers Direct

The Foreign Affairs Interview

The Global Story