The Debate

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.

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.

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.

We knew about the figurehead king. But does Britain now have a figurehead prime minister? Liz Truss's grip on power is slipping by the day. A U-turn on unfunded tax cuts for the rich will most likely not be enough to repair the damage. Is she really reduced to the role of prime minister in name only? And is she the problem or the symptom of the problem?

A strongman who is stronger than ever, or is this the point where Xi Jinping goes too far? A third term for China's president is sure to be a rubber stamped at a 20th Communist Party Congress that will further cement his stature as the most powerful Chinese leader since Mao Zedong. We ask how Xi got here and whether he is overextending.

Gunfire and tanks, teenage girls detained in psychiatric wards, and the Internet blocked - yet from the outside, Iran's nationwide anti-regime protests seem to be gaining momentum one month after 22-year old Mahsa Amini died at the hands of the morality police.

“There will be consequences,” Joe Biden warned Saudi Arabia after Riyadh sided with Russia and other OPEC+ nations to cut oil production. What type of consequences are Biden referring to? For their part, Gulf states argue they are not trying to bankroll on the Kremlin's invasion of Ukraine, but prop up a price of crude threatened by the spectre of a global recession and slowing demand.

What if we do not follow the money? Seen through western eyes, the dark art of world domination can be shrouded in ideology but must never be bad for business. Does Russia's president follow that logic? The Kremlin has warned that Monday's targeting of major urban centers was "only a first step". How might G7 nations respond to a Vladimir Putin who is ready to cut off his own revenue streams when targeting energy infrastructure?

How far will the war in Ukraine escalate? Russian missiles have rained over Ukrainian cities in the wake of the weekend bombing of the Kerch Strait bridge. Our panel of guests discuss the latest developments and the potential response from both Kyiv and the West.

Call it Act Two of Iran's protest movement. Teenagers and in particular teenage girls are defying Iran's repressive theocracy. Their daring is contagious. Week Three of the movement has seen fewer mass demonstrations than during the initial outrage over the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in the custody of the morality police. Instead, we're seeing more targeted acts of protests, even strikes.