The Debate

By FRANCE 24 English

The Debate episodes

May 05, 2022 Tipping point for Northern Ireland? Unionists brace for first-ever loss in assembly elections
Is it a sign that Northern Ireland is ready to overcome old divides, or of new troubles ahead? For the first time ever, Unionists could find themselves in the minority when ballots are counted in regional assembly elections. Under the Good Friday Agreement, the DUP would still share power with Sinn Fein, who could trigger a referendum on a united Ireland.
44 min
May 04, 2022 In the name of ‘de-nazification’: why May 9th matters for Putin's war in Ukraine
What surprise will he spring on May 9th? All eyes are on Vladimir Putin ahead of what has become on his watch the most sacred day on the Russian calendar. Victory Day in World War II means remembrance of the estimated 26 million who lost their lives while turning the tide in what Russia calls the Great Patriotic War.
45 min
May 03, 2022 Constitutional crisis? Bitter battle as US looks set to roll back abortion rights
It was only a leak of a draft. Yet punches have already been thrown outside the US Supreme Court in the first standoff over Justice Samuel Alito's 98-page argument in favour of overturning the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that legalised abortion in the United States. We ask whether the document leaked to Politico is a turning point for more than just reproductive rights.
46 min
May 02, 2022 Russia's looming Victory Day: What success can Putin claim in Ukraine?
Thousands of civilians have been killed and millions others displaced since the start of Russia's invasion of Ukraine on February 24. Having failed to capture Kyiv in the early weeks of the war, Moscow has been focusing its military efforts on crushing resistance in southern and eastern Ukraine. Towns in the east are currently facing intense Russian bombardment.
47 min
April 28, 2022 What Elon wants: Is Twitter buyout a victory for free speech or disinformation?
A victory for free speech or for disinformation? That's the $44 billion question after Elon Musk's swoop on Twitter. Does it matter any more than Amazon's Jeff Bezos owning The Washington Post or all the French captains of industry whose often money-losing media purchases buy them a platform to voice their views?
44 min
April 27, 2022 Putin shuts the tap: How will Europe respond to Russian gas cut?
The rest of Europe may not be at war, but is it ready for the sacrifices of a wartime economy? The Kremlin shutting the gas tap on Bulgaria and Poland may be but a prelude to a brutally swift transition away from Russian gas and oil. Deals will be dropped, money will be lost.
46 min
April 26, 2022 Ukraine: A proxy war?
As violence intensifies on the ground in Ukraine, the diplomatic tension has also ratcheted up a notch. As Russia accuses NATO of waging a proxy war, the UN chief Antonio Guterres is in Moscow, asking for cooperation over humanitarian access to places like Mariupol. Sergei Lavrov says Moscow is "ready to cooperate" with the UN to help civilians, but only a day earlier, he warned that World War III was a real danger.
45 min
April 25, 2022 What mandate for Macron? France's challenges in an uncertain world
Five years ago, it was a party. This time it felt more like a town hall reception after a marriage of reason. Two hours after French voters had handed their now 44-year-old president a second term, Emmanuel Macron's acceptance speech was already over and supporters were set to call it an early night beneath the Eiffel Tower. From abroad, many were asking: how can a 15-point margin turn into a sobering affair?
47 min
April 21, 2022 Mariupol now: The shape of things to come in Ukraine?
Russia has claimed control of the eastern Ukrainian city of Mariupol, but President Volodymyr Zelensky says as many as 120,000 civilians remain trapped there, including hundreds in bunkers below the Azovstal steelworks. Is this the shape of things to come in other cities in the Donbas region now targeted by Russia? We put the question to our panel.
46 min
April 20, 2022 High-stakes rematch: Can Le Pen turn the tide against Macron in TV debate?
Can she erase the memory of her meltdown in 2017? Trailing in the polls, Marine Le Pen has ground to make up when she squares off with Emmanuel Macron in the one and only French presidential election candidates' debate. It's an exercise that matters in a nation that takes its politics seriously. We review what went wrong for the far-right standard-bearer on the night in 2017, whether she has softened her stances – as she claims – and whether the sitting French president can overcome incumbent fatigue or avoid coming across as a know-it-all.
45 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