Hardtalk

Nowhere has the symbolic power of the Black Lives Matter movement been more evident than in the sports arena. All too often racism undermines the notion of a level playing field. HARDtalk’s Stephen Sackur speaks to an athlete who made a stand. Adam Goodes was a star player in Aussie Rules football. One of the greatest ever players of Aboriginal descent, he quit the game after years of racist abuse. What lessons can Australia and the wider world learn from his experience?

It’s not clear when, or even if, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is going to deliver on his promise to annex a large chunk of the occupied West Bank. It’s even less clear what the Palestinian strategy will be if it happens. HARDtalk’s Stephen Sackur speaks to the Palestinian ambassador in London, Husam Zomlot. With the conflict at a turning point, does the Palestinian leadership have the vision, imagination and credibility to mount an effective response?

The international outcry prompted by Beijing’s imposition of a new national security law in Hong Kong has been long and loud – but will it make any difference? Inside the territory protests have been muted and the main pro-democracy activist movement has disbanded itself. HARDtalk’s Stephen Sackur speaks to one of the co-founders of that movement, Nathan Law. He’s now in self-imposed exile – is China’s Hong Kong strategy working?Photo: Nathan Law Credit: EPA

HARDtalk’s Stephen Sackur speaks to the world-famous conservation activist Jane Goodall. She has made a unique contribution to humankind’s understanding of our closest living animal relatives, the primates, and in particular the chimpanzee. Dr Goodall was in her twenties when she began her meticulous observation of chimp behaviour deep in Africa. Now she’s 86, and still campaigning to protect the natural world. Can the primates and so many other species be saved from mass extinction?

Residents of Hong Kong are living with a new reality - a draconian national security law made in China and imposed on the territory with no meaningful consultation. Pro-democracy activists call it the death of the 'one country, two systems' principle established 23 years ago. HARDtalk's Stephen Sackur speaks to Ronny Tong, once a pro-democracy politician, now a loyalist of the Beijing-backed Hong Kong government. Has China just killed Hong Kong's special status?

Vladimir Putin can now seek to extend his rule in Russia to 2036 thanks to a constitutional referendum, stage managed by the Kremlin. Is there any prospect of an opposition movement ever challenging Putin’s grip on power? HARDtalk’s Stephen Sackur speaks to one of the founders of the Pussy Riot punk protest collective, Nadya Tolokonnikova. What, if anything, can stir Russians to rebel?

The human impulse to explore new frontiers has taken us into space and to the deepest, most remote corners of our own planet. HARDtalk’s Stephen Sackur speaks to one woman who has done both. Kathy Sullivan was the first American woman to walk in space, in 1984. She has just returned from a mission to the deepest point underneath the oceans, the Mariana Trench in the Pacific. She is first and foremost a scientist; as we try to navigate our future, are we properly respecting the science?

It’s the job of the professional satirist to find the funny and expose the absurd in humanity’s most serious endeavours. But are there times when satire just doesn’t work, and is now one of them? Should we be laughing at Covid-19, or at racial discrimination? Stephen Sackur speaks to Armando Iannucci, a hugely successful writer and director of comedy on TV and film, whose credits include Veep, In the Loop and The Death of Stalin. Is there ever a bad time and place to be funny?

No world leader better epitomises the strong man style of political leadership than President Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines. One hallmark of his rule? A visceral dislike of scrutiny from the independent media. Stephen Sackur speaks to journalist Maria Ressa who founded the Rappler news website and has just been convicted of cyber-libel in a case that has raised worldwide concern. Is press freedom being strangled by populist politics?

Since George Floyd died in Minneapolis with a white police officer’s knee on his neck, new conversations about racism and discrimination have begun all over the world. It’s not just about policing, it’s about business, sport, culture – every aspect of life. HARDtalk’s Stephen Sackur speaks to André Leon Talley, who was creative director of American Vogue magazine when the fashion industry was almost devoid of senior black men. He’s just written a controversial memoir of his life in what he calls “the chiffon trenches”.

President Trump has just widened the scope of US sanctions placed on top officials of the International Criminal Court describing the court as an extraordinary threat to the United States. Stephen Sackur speaks to the president of the ICC, Judge Chile Eboe-Osuji. It was an institution set up to end impunity for the worst of crimes – is it time to conclude that grand ambition will never be realised?(Photo: President of the ICC, Judge Chile Eboe-Osuji)

President Donald Trump is in trouble. Coronavirus has plunged the US economy into recession, the killing of George Floyd has inflamed racial tensions and the president’s poll ratings have slumped. This summer the Democrats can sense an historic opportunity. But are they capable of seizing it? HARDtalk’s Stephen Sackur speaks to Democratic Congressman Jim McGovern – is it enough for Democrats and their presidential candidate Joe Biden to be the party of Not Trump?

Covid-19 has presented governments across the world with a common threat, but the response has been far from united and collaborative. Has the pandemic further weakened the multilateral institutions that were the hallmark of globalisation? Stephen Sackur speaks to Spain's foreign minister Arancha Gonzalez. Is Europe's liberal political elite struggling to cope with a geopolitical reality increasingly defined by nationalism in the US and China?

All of us fervently want to believe the worst of the coronavirus pandemic is over. Governments around the world are easing lockdowns and focusing on economic recovery. But Covid-19 hasn’t gone away. Infection rates are rising in Latin America, parts of the US and Africa. HARDtalk’s Stephen Sackur speaks to the internationally renowned epidemiologist Ian Lipkin, the scientific advisor for the movie Contagion which, nine years ago, predicted a scenario uncannily like this one. Are we getting the real-life pandemic response right?

One year ago, pro-democracy street protests began in Hong Kong. At the time, Simon Cheng was an employee of the British consulate in Hong Kong. Last August, he was arrested in mainland China and, he says, interrogated and physically abused. A year on, Mr Cheng is seeking asylum in the UK, and China is about to impose a new national security law in Hong Kong. Will anything stop Beijing imposing its will on Hong Kong?

Will the waves of protest and anger that have swept through US cities since the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis make a lasting difference to race relations? African Americans must surely be sceptical. Racism, discriminatory and violent policing have survived all previous efforts to make real the promises of equality and justice for all. Stephen Sackur speaks to the historian and civil rights activist Mary Frances Berry. What will it take to engineer genuine change?(Photo: Mary Frances Berry Credit: Cheriss May/NurPhoto/Getty Images)

The coronavirus pandemic has dealt a devastating blow to the performing arts. No one knows when audiences will again be able to pack into a theatre to see a show. So what happens to the writers, performers and venues that enrich our lives? HARDtalk’s Stephen Sackur speaks to James Graham, the prolific and hugely successful young British playwright whose work has chronicled our turbulent political times. How much do we care about protecting our culture?

In times of crisis we learn plenty about who we really are – and so it is that the global coronavirus pandemic is revealing truths about humankind – and how we balance self and collective interest. Stephen Sackur speaks to writer and historian Rutger Bregman whose book Humankind: A Hopeful History, is making waves around the world. Do we humans massively underestimate our capacity to change things for the better?(Photo: Rutger Bregman)

Europe has been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic – now that most countries have controlled the spread of infection and begun to ease their lockdown, does the EU have a coherent strategy for recovery? HARDtalk’s Stephen Sackur speaks to the Finance Minister of Portugal and Head of the Eurozone Group of Ministers, Mário Centeno. For all the talk of solidarity, has the virus exacerbated the EUs greatest weakness, economic divergence?

In some countries the coronavirus pandemic appears to have enhanced national unity and solidarity, in others it’s exposed deep fault lines. In India the crisis has hit the poorest migrant workers disproportionately hard; it’s also deepened tensions between the Hindu majority and Muslim minority. Is that the fault of the Hindu nationalist BJP government? HARDtalk’s Stephen Sackur speaks to the National General Secretary of the BJP Ram Madhav. Is Prime Minister Modi stoking communal tensions even in a national emergency? Photo: BJP National General Secretary Ram Madhav Credit: Getty Images