The Debate

By FRANCE 24 English

The Debate episodes

September 01, 2021 No longer the world's policeman? The United States after Afghanistan withdrawal
On Tuesday, the US president marked the departure of the final troops from Afghanistan with a speech in which he insisted that foreign military intervention can solely be in cases of vital national security threats. What does that mean for other theatres of operation, like South Korea, the Sahel in Africa and all points where the world's largest army is deployed? Does the end of forever wars also mean the end of the US acting as the world's policeman?
38 min
August 31, 2021 The end of the 'forever war': What future awaits the Afghan people?
America's longest war is over. With just one minute to spare before President Joe Biden's midnight deadline for exiting the country, US Air Force planes carried the last contingent of troops from Kabul airport on Monday night. It was a frantic, harrowing and extremely dangerous final two weeks for those soldiers as they oversaw the airlift of tens of thousands of Afghans, Americans and others seeking to escape Afghanistan – a country that is once again ruled by the Taliban.
43 min
August 30, 2021 Extreme weather events: A clear link to climate change?
We turn our eye to the extreme weather conditions in Louisiana, where there are warnings of storm surges and flash floods for the New Orleans area. This comes in the wake of the now weakened Hurricane Ida. It slammed into the Louisiana coast on Sunday, knocking out power for more than a million people, including the whole of New Orleans. Ida comes 16 years to the day after Hurricane Katrina devastated the same area.
41 min
August 26, 2021 Kabul airport attack: Several killed in two explosions outside gates
It is what had been feared: At least two explosions near Kabul airport late Thursday afternoon. All day long, Western powers had been warning of an imminent terror threat. The apparent targeting of the airport comes just as evacuations are starting to wind down ahead of an August 31 deadline. Special edition.
53 min
August 25, 2021 Have the Taliban changed? Fear of reprisals as evacuation deadline looms
Their fashion style is up to date, and they know how to navigate social media, but have the Taliban really changed? Some of the fighters making a victory lap around Kabul were not even born the last time their commanders ruled the Afghan capital. They have now swept to power with little resistance, knowing that the hard part still lies ahead.
40 min
August 24, 2021 No easy way out: Biden squeezed between Taliban and allies
NATO allies can ask, but even after a humiliating defeat, it is still up to the United States to decide whether to prolong evacuations of expats and asylum seekers from Kabul Airport. The UK, France and Germany need US support for their own rescue missions. The Taliban call the August 31st deadline a red line. Wavering will not upend the Atlantic Alliance, not when one member holds the lion's share of the troops and hardware.
42 min
August 23, 2021 Race against time: Afghans in rush to evacuate as West recalibrates
What is the mission now? The chaos at the gates of Kabul airport has Western powers scrambling to save those who directly helped them these past 20 years. We ask about the challenge there. And what happens once the last military transport has airlifted out?
41 min
July 23, 2021 Press freedom in Tunisia: From censorship to speaking out
How has the situation for journalists changed in Tunisia in the decade since the revolution? Has the road to press freedom been entirely smooth? Our guests, including cartoonist Nidhal Ghariani, discuss how hard it would have been to draw or publish his cartoons before the revolution. We also discuss the digitalisation of the media as well as fake news and how to combat it. Join us for a special edition of The Debate in partnership with UNESCO, filmed among the ruins of Carthage, in Tunisia.
35 min
July 16, 2021 Shared heritage: Preserving Tunisia's past for future generations
FRANCE 24 takes you to the World Heritage Site of Carthage in Tunisia for this special edition of The Debate, filmed in partnership with UNESCO. We ask if the preservation of heritage in Tunisia has improved since the 2011 revolution. We discuss the historical sites and treasures that are under threat, as well as how the past needs to be preserved for future generations.
35 min
July 08, 2021 Return of the Taliban: What next for Afghanistan?
A question of not if but when? The Taliban are continuing to gain ground ahead of the final withdrawal of US-led forces from Afghanistan, so much so that former military commanders predict the fall of Kabul within months. We ask about the latest fighting, the Afghan security forces who have fled across the border into Tajikistan and how a return of the Taliban to the place they were before 2001 would change the lives of ordinary citizens.
41 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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