The Interview

Does Spain's new government have any fresh solutions for the country's problems? HARDtalk speaks to Spain’s Foreign Minister Josep Borrell about a tumultuous year for the country, dominated by the prolonged political stand-off in Catalonia and a series of scandals in Madrid which eventually saw the centre-right government fall and the socialists take over.

Image: Josep Borrell (Credit: AFP/Getty Images)

Stephen Sackur is in northern Italy for the annual discussion of global politics known as the Ambrosetti Forum. High on the agenda for many European politicians are the challenges posed by Vladimir Putin's Russia. Arkady Dvorkovich was until this spring Russia's Deputy Prime Minister. Amid the mutual suspicion and the sanctions, is there any way to avert deepening hostility between Russia and the West?

Image: Arkady Dvorkovich (Credit: Reuters)

Has the internet left every one of us dangerously exposed? HARDtalk's Stephen Sackur speaks to Michael Chertoff, former US Secretary of Homeland Security during the Bush Administration and now a leading thinker on cyber-security. Most of us have embedded the internet and smart technology in our lives. We might like to believe we’re autonomous digital citizens, but what if our behaviours are now being monitored, and modified by private and state actors over which we have no control?

Image: Michael Chertoff (Credit: Getty Images)

In the turbulent recent history of the Middle East, has there ever been a time when Israel has seemed more powerful – militarily, diplomatically and economically? Israel has the fulsome support of the Trump Administration and also has common strategic interests with Saudi Arabia and Arab nations preoccupied with perceived threats from Iran. HARDtalk’s Stephen Sackur speaks to Israel’s ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon. Is Israel making wise choices from its position of strength?

Image: Danny Danon (Credit: European Photopress Agency)

In troubled times like these, does art really matter? Stephen Sackur is in Ramallah, more than five decades after the Israeli occupation of the West Bank began, to meet perhaps the most renowned Palestinian artist of his generation, Suleiman Mansour. His paintings have come to define a sense of Palestinian identity.

The pictures are chilling – a handful of people in the German city of Chemnitz giving Nazi salutes. They were among thousands who took to the streets to demonstrate against immigrants after an Iraqi and a Syrian were arrested following a fatal stabbing. Some of the protesters chased down people they believed were immigrants. All this comes as politicians struggle to agree how to handle the migrant crisis in Europe. HARDtalk speaks to German MEP David McAllister, who chairs the European Parliament’s committee on foreign affairs. Have European leaders ignored the threat from the far right for too long?

Image: David McAllister (Credit: AFP/Getty Images)

Zeinab Badawi is in Washington for an exclusive interview with the President of Kenya, Uhuru Kenyatta. He has been holding talks with President Trump at the White House on trade, investment and security. But how can President Kenyatta invite investors to Kenya when the country remains mired in corruption which pervades all walks of life and enriches the few at the expense of the many?

Image: Uhuru Kenyatta, pictured in October 2017 (Credit: AFP/Getty Images)

Could a trade war escalate between the US and some of its trading partners? It’s not an easy time to be involved in international trade, with the world’s two biggest economies- the US and China trading insults and imposing tariffs on each other. Beijing says it is reporting Washington to the World Trade Organisation. The current tensions were sparked by President Trump’s decision to impose tariffs on billions of dollars on imports from China, the EU, Canada and Mexico. HARDtalk’s Zeinab Badawi speaks to Arancha Gonzalez, Executive Director of the International Trade Centre, which is co-owned by the World Trade Organisation and the United Nations. Her mandate is to help small and medium businesses in developing countries participate in global trade. But with an international trading system that some believe is discredited and outmoded, is she pursuing the wrong ambitions?

Stephen Sackur is in Bogotá for an exclusive interview with Colombia’s new President Iván Duque. He is a youthful centre-right technocrat who faces momentous decisions early in his Presidency. Will he uphold his predecessor’s fragile peace deal with the FARC guerrilla group? How will he respond to the economic and humanitarian crisis unfolding in neighbouring Venezuela? President Duque is a relative political novice in a volatile region and he is about to be sorely tested.

Image: Iván Duque (Credit: European Photopress Agency)

World figures have been paying tribute to the former UN secretary-general and Nobel laureate Kofi Annan, who has died at the age of 80. HARDtalk’s Zeinab Badawi spoke to him in April at a special event to mark his birthday and the tenth anniversary of the Kofi Annan Foundation. In a career spanning six decades at the United Nations, he held several senior positions including two terms as Secretary-General. There were high points such as the award of the Nobel Peace Prize as well as tragic events such as the Rwandan genocide and the Srebrenica massacre of Bosnian Muslims. But what were his biggest worries and did he have any regrets?

Image: Kofi Annan (Credit: Getty Images)