Episodes

  • Will Trump back down from his threats of tariffs and trade wars?

    Will Trump back down from his threats of tariffs and trade wars?
    Feb 11 2025
    Though cost cuts pursued by US President Donald Trump may be popular among many Americans, economists differ in their assessment of these measures' potential outcomes. Peterson Institute for International Economics senior fellow Joseph Gagnon tells host Steve Clemons that Trump’s idea that tariffs on imported goods can replace taxes is unrealistic. The United States government is bloated and needs modernisation, Gagnon argues. But while measures including firing thousands of federal employees and gutting USAID can save billions, what impact could they have on the national economy and on the country's trillions of dollars in debt?
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    24 mins
  • Why did Cameroon ban reporting on President Paul Biya’s health?

    Why did Cameroon ban reporting on President Paul Biya’s health?
    Feb 11 2025
    As Cameroon’s 92-year-old president nears another birthday, his prolonged absences from office have prompted rumours. Rather than quashing them, Biya has simply banned Cameroon’s media from reporting on his health.
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    9 mins
  • The French bombing of a Tunisian town in 1958

    The French bombing of a Tunisian town in 1958
    Feb 11 2025
    The bombing of a Tunisian town that escalated internationally, part of the history of colonialism in North Africa. For two months in 1958, a small Tunisian town became the centre of a major international incident that resounded from North Africa to France, the US and the United Nations. It started with the French bombing of Sakiet Sidi Youssef on February 8, 1958, during the Algerian War of Independence. Sakiet is close to the Tunisian border with Algeria. There were refugees from the war there and it was also a border crossing point for Algerian fighters. The attack killed at least 70 and injured about 100. France claimed it was targeting a base of Algerian resistance fighters but journalists visiting the scene found only flattened homes, a marketplace and a school. The attack strained Tunisia-France relations, amplified international condemnation of France's colonial policies and moved the Algerian War onto the global stage. It was a key moment in the history of French colonialism in North Africa.
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    47 mins
  • Israeli far-right proposals on West Bank’s treatment like Gaza should be taken ‘seriously’

    Israeli far-right proposals on West Bank’s treatment like Gaza should be taken ‘seriously’
    Feb 11 2025
    Israel’s military operations in the occupied West Bank might not be at the same level of intensity as in Gaza during the war, but comments from top government ministers such as Bezalel Smotrich to apply the same methods should be taken seriously, says an analyst. “It might be just rhetorical, but we should take it very seriously,” Yossi Mekelberg, a senior consulting fellow at Chatham House, told Al Jazeera. “The far right [has] disproportionate influence within the government, they represent the settlers, and the idea of annexation and probably also the ethnic cleansing in Gaza and in the West Bank. We need to take it seriously.” Mekelberg noted that while the situation in the West Bank was already bad before October 7, 2023, it has worsened during Israel’s war on Gaza. “When there is talk about expelling most of the Palestinians from Gaza, it also enhances those among the far right, the settler movement that believes the same should happen in the West Bank,” Mekelberg said.
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    4 mins
  • Will Lebanon's newly formed government bring in reforms?

    Will Lebanon's newly formed government bring in reforms?
    Feb 10 2025
    Hezbollah has been left out of the 24-member cabinet after the US drew 'a red line'. And the group has lost its veto power, known as blocking third in parliament. So, can Hezbollah remain a political force in Lebanon? And will the departure and shift in the political landscape bring about reforms?
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    28 mins
  • Sylvia Wynter: Beyond Human

    Sylvia Wynter: Beyond Human
    Feb 10 2025
    Sylvia Wynter was a radical philosopher from the Caribbean who explored modern history from the perspective of slavery, the Middle passage and plantation economics. In this animated documentary short, Wynter calls on us to rethink the very notion of what it is to be human. A film by Marcela Pizarro, Stefania Sottile and Pomona Pictures. Voices: scholar, Dr. Sophia Azeb and Greta Mendez, dancer. This film is part of a series, Race Historicised: Epistemologies of Colour, that delves into the archives of Black intellectual thought, to showcase the work of towering figures who have contributed to the anti-racist struggle, in both theory and action.
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    8 mins
  • Syrian Finance Minister: Renaissance or false hope?

    Syrian Finance Minister: Renaissance or false hope?
    Feb 10 2025
    Syria's economy is in ruins after nearly 14 years of war, crippling sanctions, and deep-rooted corruption. The transitional government promises economic reforms, foreign investment, and reconstruction. But is a true economic renaissance possible with a collapsed currency, soaring inflation, and ongoing international sanctions? How will the new administration tackle these challenges? Syria's new finance minister, Mohammed Abazeed, talks to Al Jazeera.
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    28 mins
  • Palestinians make their way after Israeli withdrawal from Netzarim Corridor

    Palestinians make their way after Israeli withdrawal from Netzarim Corridor
    Feb 10 2025
    The Israeli military has finished its withdrawal from the Netzarim Corridor in Gaza. The move was agreed as part of the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas. Private security contractors are now monitoring the crossing, which divides north and south Gaza. The change now allows for Palestinians and aid trucks to move freely through the crossing in both directions.
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    4 mins