Russia and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization - or NATO - are holding high-stakes meetings to diffuse tensions between Moscow and Ukraine. There is a risk of armed conflict in Europe if they fail to reach an understanding. So, does diplomacy still have a chance?

Join host Peter Dobbie.

With guests:

Theresa Fallon - Director of Centre for Russia Europe Asia Studies.

Pavel Felgenhauer - Defence and Military Analyst.

Glenn Diesen - Professor of International Relations at the University of South-Eastern Norway.

Over the past 20 years, the idea of smart guns has been developed and contested around the world without reliable results - until now. Promoters in the United States hope to avoid tragedies with what they say is gun control, which is at odds with the wishes of powerful pro-gun lobbies. So, what's the debate about?

Join host Peter Dobbie.

With guests:

Richard Feldman - Former Regional Political Director, National Rifle Association.

Pastor Mike McBride - Co-founder of National Black Brown Gun Violence Prevention Consortium.

Chuck Nesby - Firearms instructor and Former Navy Officer.

Nicaragua's president, Daniel Ortega, has begun a fourth straight term after an election that most countries called a sham. His critics describe him as a dictator who crushes dissent, while his supporters say he's standing up to the West. So, what's now in store for one of Central America's poorest nations?

Joint host Mohammed Jamjoom.

With guests:

Danny Shaw - Professor of Latin American and Caribbean Studies at City University of New York.

Jairo Lugo-Ocando - Director of Executive Education and Graduate Studies, Northwestern University in Qatar.

Michael Shifter - President of Inter-American Dialogue.

Armed groups have terrorised people in central and northwestern Nigeria for years, burning down villages and kidnapping families for ransom. Attacks from the so-called 'bandits' are on the rise, despite government efforts. So, can anything be done to stop the cycle of violence?

Join host Mohammed Jamjoom.

With guests:

Mike Ejiofor - Former Director of Nigeria's State Security Service.

Bulama Bukarti - Analyst at the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change.

Aliyu Musa - Independent researcher on conflict and Nigerian politics. 

Just as the world begins to emerge from the Coronavirus pandemic, economists are warning of a new crisis: food price rises. The UN food agency says prices jumped 28 percent during the year, reaching their highest level since 2011. So, what will it take to bring prices down?

Join host Kim Vinnell.

With guests:

Jane Battersby - Senior Lecturer, Department of Environmental and Geographical Science at University of Cape Town.

Abdolreza Abbassian - Senior Economist, United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization.

Dipa Sinha - Professor of Economics, Ambedkar University Delhi.

A Russian-led alliance is sending peacekeepers to Kazakhstan to quell mass demonstrations across the country, prompted by a sharp increase in fuel prices. The government has resigned, a two-week state of emergency has been imposed and there's an internet blackout. So, what more is behind the unrest?

Join host Kim Vinnell.

With guests:

Asya Tulesova – Political Activist.

Bruce Pannier – Veteran journalist and Correspondent at Radio Free Europe.

Viktor Olevich – Lead Expert at Center for Actual Politics.

South Koreans are marking 30 years since they began weekly protests against Japan's wartime sex slavery system. But after so many decades, will they finally get the sincere apology and compensation they've been protesting for? And how will this impact ties between Tokyo and Seoul?

Join host Kim Vinnell.

With guest:

Seijiro Takeshita – Professor of Management at University of Shizuoka

Craig Mark – Professor of International Studies, Kyoritsu Women's University

Se-Woong Koo – Publisher of Korea Exposé, an independent media outlet

Sudan's Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok has resigned less than two months after he was reinstated under a deal with the military. Now the country once again finds itself in political turmoil, unable to transition from dictatorship to democracy. So, what's next? 

Join host Kim Vinnell.

With guests:

Kholood Khair - Political Commentator and Managing Partner at Insight Strategy Partners.

Alex de Waal - Executive Director at World Peace Foundation at Tufts University.

Ahmed El-Gaili - Lawyer and legal commentator.

Mali's election is supposed to be held in February but has now been delayed by five years. Military leaders have blamed insecurity in the north for postponing the return to civilian rule, while the regional bloc ECOWAS is threatening to impose more sanctions. So, can democracy return to Mali?

Join host Dareen Abughaida. 

With guests:

Ornella Moderan - Head of Sahel Programme at Institute for Security Studies.

Emmanuel Kwesi Aning - Director of Research at Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Center.

Signe Cold-Ravnkilde - Senior Researcher at Danish Institute for International Studies.

The world's largest trading bloc is opening for business on New Year's Day. The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, or RCEP, involves 15 countries in Asia - including China - and the Pacific, covering a third of the world's population. So, who'll benefit most from the agreement? 

Join host Mohammed Jamjoom. 

With guests:

Jayant Menon - Visiting Senior Fellow, ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, Singapore.

Einar Tangen - China Political and economics analyst.

Niels Graham - Assistant Director with the Atlantic Council's GeoEconomics Center.