The Take

With Vladimir Putin’s recent warning that Russia will use “all available means” at his disposal to defend his country, there has been increased chatter about the Russian president going to use nuclear weapons. But just how likely is that, and what does it mean to start a nuclear war in 2022?

In this episode: 

• Alex Gatopoulos (@alexgatopoulos), Al Jazeera defence editor
• Gerhard Mangott (@gerhard_mangott), professor of International Relations, University of Innsbruck

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Ashish Malhotra (lead producer) with Chloe K. Li, Ruby Zaman, Negin Owliaei, Amy Walters, Alexandra Locke, and our host, Halla Mohieddeen. Ruby Zaman fact-checked this episode. 

Our production team includes Chloe K. Li, Alexandra Locke, Ashish Malhotra, Negin Owliaei, Amy Walters, and Ruby Zaman. Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Tim St. Clair mixed this episode. Aya Elmileik and Adam Abou-Gad are our engagement producers. Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera's head of audio.

Connect with us:

@AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook

 

In the last month, protests in Iran have been bolder than any time since the 1979 revolution, but now, teenage girls are taking the lead. Gen Z is using their TikTok and Instagram skills to call the world’s attention to their need for freedom. But with almost three hundred hashtags, #MahsaAmini, their movement, is also being co-opted for others' needs. So how do you know which is which?

In this episode: 

• Holly Dagres (@HDagres), nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council and Editor, MENASource and IranSource
• Marc Owen Jones (@MarcOwenJones), assistant professor of Middle East Studies at Hamad bin Khalifa University

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Amy Walters (Lead Prod) with Negin Owliaei, Chloe K. Li, Alexandra Locke, Ruby Zaman, Ashish Malhotra, and our host, Halla Mohieddeen. Ruby Zaman fact-checked this episode. Our production team includes Chloe K. Li, Alexandra Locke, Ashish Malhotra, Negin Owliaei, Amy Walters, and Ruby Zaman. Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Tim St. Clair mixed this episode. Aya Elmileik and Adam Abou-Gad are our engagement producers. Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera's head of audio.

Connect with us:

@AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook

The United States redeployed its ground troops in small numbers to Somalia in May 2022, but its air war has been going on for much longer. For 12 years, the US denied any civilian casualties from air attacks, admitting just five deaths so far. In this episode, we hear from three people who uncovered the reality of the civilian death toll and laid the disconnect bare.

In this episode:

• Mohamed Osman Abdi (@mohamedosma4), Somali journalist
• Abdullahi Hassan (@abdullahisom1), Amnesty International researcher
• Chris Woods (@chrisjwoods), founder of Airwars

Episode credits:

This episode was updated by Alexandra Locke. The original production team was Alexandra Locke, Amy Walters, Priyanka Tilve, Ney Alvarez, Dina Kesbeh, Natalia Aldana, Stacey Samuel, Graelyn Brashear, and Kevin Hirten in for Malika Bilal. Alex Roldan is the sound designer. Aya Elmileik and Adam Abou-Gad are our engagement producers. Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera's head of audio.

Connect with us:

@AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook

 

An Indonesian football match led to the deaths of more than a hundred people after police fired tear gas. People ran into locked gates while trying to flee the stadium. Now, the government is investigating why the police used tear gas and other forms of excessive force at the game. Indonesians are also reflecting back on the history and might of the country’s police force and how it all culminated in this tragedy.

In this episode: 

• Jessica Washington (@JesWashington), Al Jazeera correspondent  
• Andreas Harsono (@andreasharsono), Indonesia researcher for Human Rights Watch. 

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Chloe K. Li with Negin Owliaei and our host, Halla Mohieddeen. Ruby Zaman fact-checked this episode. Tim St. Clair mixed this episode. Our production team includes Chloe K. Li, Alexandra Locke, Ashish Malhotra, Negin Owliaei, Amy Walters, and Ruby Zaman. Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Aya Elmileik and Adam Abou-Gad are our engagement producers. Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera's head of audio.

Connect with us:

@AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook

On September 30, Captain Ibrahim Traore led a coup to become Burkina Faso’s new leader, deposing Paul Henri-Damiba, who had only come to power in January through his own coup. So, what are the conditions that allowed for the West African nation to face two coups in just eight months?

In this episode: 

• Nicolas Haque, (@nicolashaque), Al Jazeera’s West Africa correspondent

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Ashish Malhotra with Amy Walters, Negin Owliaei, Ruby Zaman, Chloe K. Li, Alexandra Locke, and Halla Mohieddeen. Alex Roldan is our sound designer. Tim St. Clair mixed this episode.

Aya Elmileik and Adam Abou-Gad are our engagement producers. Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera's head of audio.

Connect with us:

@AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook

A new round of protests, a water shortage and now a cholera outbreak are taking Haiti from bad to worse. Since the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse, the country has not held elections. Many Haitians hold current Prime Minister Ariel Henry responsible for the delay. The country seems to be at a boiling point. Could it boil over?

In this episode: 

• Harold Isaac (@haroldisaac), Journalist in Haiti
• Lauren Wilfong, Justice Catalyst Fellow at Justice Action Center (@jactioncenter)

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Amy Walters and Ashish Malhotra with our host, Halla Mohieddeen. Ruby Zaman fact-checked this episode.

Our production team includes Chloe K. Li, Alexandra Locke, Ashish Malhotra, Negin Owliaei, Amy Walters, and Ruby Zaman. Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Tim St. Clair mixed this episode. Aya Elmileik and Adam Abou-Gad are our engagement producers. Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera's head of audio.

Connect with us:

@AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook

 

Formula 1 is having a moment, and it’s attracting a new generation of fans to the speed, danger, and lifestyles of its rich and famous drivers. More countries now want the status that a Formula 1 race brings, too. After this weekend’s Grand Prix in Japan, drivers will set off to the US, Mexico, and Brazil before the final race of the season in Abu Dhabi. In this episode, we look at how a sport that was considered esoteric, elitist, and European is going global.

In this episode: 

• Simon Chadwick (@Prof_Chadwick), professor of sport and the geopolitical economy at SKEMA Business School

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Negin Owliaei with Ruby Zaman, and our host, Kevin Hirten. Ruby Zaman fact-checked this episode. Our production team includes Chloe K. Li, Alexandra Locke, Ashish Malhotra, Negin Owliaei, Amy Walters, and Ruby Zaman. Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Tim St. Clair mixed this episode. Aya Elmileik and Adam Abou Gad are our engagement producers. Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera's head of audio.

Connect with us:

@AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook

There are tough questions about rebuilding in the United States after Hurricane Ian in Florida and Hurricane Fiona in Puerto Rico. In Florida, the damage is in the tens of billions of dollars, and a crisis for insurance companies means that recovery will only be more difficult. So how do you decide when it is better not to rebuild, but to start again somewhere else?

In this episode: 

• Jesse M. Keenan (@Jesse_M_Keenan), associate professor of sustainable real estate, Tulane University
• Fernando Rivera (@Prof_Rivera), professor of sociology, University of Central Florida

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Alexandra Locke with Chloe K. Li and our host, Halla Moheiddeen. Chloe K. Li and Ashish Malhotra fact-checked this episode. Our production team includes Chloe K. Li, Alexandra Locke, Ashish Malhotra, Negin Owliaei, Amy Walters, and Ruby Zaman. Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Tim St. Clair mixed this episode. Aya Elmileik and Adam Abou-Gad are our engagement producers. Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera's head of audio.

Connect with us:

@AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook

Russian President Vladimir Putin's decision to call up 300,000 military reservists to join the war in Ukraine has created chaos in the country.

While men are being summoned to the front lines to fight in the war on short notice, others are fleeing the country to escape the draft.

We talk to some of them.

In this episode:

• Albert, draft resister
• Andrey, draft resister
• Hoelun, draft resister
• Bernard Smith (@JazeeraBernard), Al Jazeera Correspondent

Episode credits: This episode was produced by Ashish Malhotra with Negin Owliaei, Ruby Zaman, Chloe K. Li, Amy Walters, Alexandra Locke, and our host Halla Mohieddeen. Alex Roldan is our sound designer. Aya Elmileik and Adam Abou-Gad are our engagement producers. Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera's head of audio. 

Connect with us:

@AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook

Brazil is about to vote in a general election on October 2. The country will pick between two candidates surrounded by controversies, former President Luiz Ignacio Lula da Silva and current President Jair Bolsonaro. And with this, Brazilians are at a crossroads looking towards the past to choose the best option for their future. Today, a look into this weekend’s election.

In this episode: 

• Lucia Newman (@lucianewman), Al Jazeera Latin America editor and senior correspondent 

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Chloe K. Li with Ney Alvarez, and our host, Halla Moheiddeen. Ruby Zaman fact-checked this episode. Our production team includes Chloe K. Li, Alexandra Locke, Ashish Malhotra, Negin Owliaei, Amy Walters, and Ruby Zaman. Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Aya Elmileik and Adam Abou-Gad are our engagement producers. Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera's head of audio.

Connect with us:

@AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook