Hardtalk

Stephen Sackur speaks to veteran Palestinian negotiator and secretary general of the PLO Saeb Erekat. Why are so many mostly young Palestinians intent on killing Israeli Jews with whatever weapons they can lay their hands on? The Israeli Government blames the surge in violence on hate fuelled incitement sanctioned by the Palestinian authorities. The Palestinians say it is a response to the intolerable conditions of occupation. Is a new wave of extremism sweeping the West Bank and Gaza?(Photo: Saeb Erekat. Credit: AFP/Getty Images)

Stephen Sackur speaks to Richard Leakey, Chairman of the Kenya Wildlife Service. Africa's wildlife is one of the wonders of the natural world, but the fate of the continent’s elephants, rhinos and big cats is now desperately uncertain - illegal poaching could see these great species disappear from their African heartlands. Will the fight for Africa's endangered wildlife have a happy ending?

By the time George W Bush left the White House, perceptions of the United States in the wider world were overwhelmingly negative. As the Obama presidency enters its final phase, how have attitudes shifted? The promise was clear - a greater focus on soft rather than hard power and a “yes we can” commitment to healing political wounds at home and abroad. Stephen Sackur speaks to the US ambassador to the UK, Matthew Barzun, a close Obama ally. Has the promise been fulfilled?

Seven years ago Wall Street was close to meltdown. And the world economy was feeling the full force of a financial crash which changed long held assumptions about the stability of markets and global capitalism. Stephen Sackur speaks to Ben Bernanke who was chairman of the Federal Reserve, the US Central Bank, at the time and took decisions then which continue to shape economic policy today. Can we be confident the right lessons have been learned from the great crash?(Photo: Former Chairman of the Federal Reserve Ben Bernanke arrives at the US Court of Federal Claims, Washington DC. Credit: Getty Images)

Stephen Sackur speaks to the spokesman for President Vladimir Putin, Dmitry Peskov. Depending on who you believe, Russia’s military intervention in Syria is a boost for the forces of legitimacy in the face of terrorism, or a foolish gamble which will further destabilise Syria and backfire on the Kremlin. Does Russia’s desire to shore up the Assad regime risk a dangerous new confrontation with the United States?(Photo: Dmitry Peskov. Credit: Getty Images)

The latest paroxysm of violence between Israelis and Palestinians has conjured up a host of horrifying images. Israelis stabbed in random street attacks. Palestinian suspects shot dead by Israeli police when seemingly no longer a threat. An innocent bystander beaten to death by an incensed Israeli crowd. HARDtalk’s Stephen Sackur speaks to Yair Lapid, former minister and leader of the Yesh Atid party. He's called on Israelis to shoot to kill at the first sign of danger. Will that kind of language enhance anyone's security?(Photo: Yair Lapid - Leader, Yesh Atid Party in Israel. Credit: JACK GUEZ/AFP/Getty Images)

Is the US Republican Party serious about winning back the White House in 2016? The front runner to win the party's presidential nomination is Donald Trump - a billionaire businessman turned celebrity who despises the Republican establishment. Stephen Sackur speaks to Eric Cantor who has long been a pillar of that establishment. He was the number two Republican in the House of Representatives until he got sensationally dumped in a primary contest. What on earth is going on inside the Republican party?

Stephen Sackur talks to Robert S. Ford, US Ambassador to Syria until last year. The escalation of Russia's military involvement in Syria has been greeted with dismay in Washington. Vladimir Putin hasn't just shifted the military balance in favour of the Assad regime, he has also exposed the lack of decisiveness and clarity in President Obama's Syria strategy. What does Syria tell us about US foreign policy making in the age of Obama?(Photo: Robert S. Ford)

Stephen Sackur speaks with Joanne Liu, International President of Médecins Sans Frontières, Doctors without Borders. In early October American forces in Afghanistan fired missiles into a Kunduz hospital killing 22, including 12 staff working for MSF. The organisation demanded that the incident be investigated as a war crime. But in the world’s most dangerous conflict zones, is it possible to save lives and not take sides?(Photo credit: BBC News)

So much of our developed world culture is driven by the instant, all pervasive internet. Our opinions, our fantasies, our lives, delivered in bite sized chunks, consumed with a glance and a click. Jonathan Franzen writes novels, long novels, that take years to complete and days, not minutes to read. He has become one of the defining voices in contemporary American literature. So why does he hate so much of the culture around him?(Photo: Jonathan Franzen. Credit: Getty Images)

Stephen Sackur speaks with German Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen. Vladimir Putin has wrong-footed the West, again. First it was in Crimea and eastern Ukraine, now it is with his rapidly escalating military intervention in Syria. The Obama Administration, Nato, and the EU have issued warnings and condemnations, but does the West have a coherent strategy in Syria. And does the EU have a security strategy at all?(Photo: German Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen, 2015. Credit: Getty Images)

For decades one of Britain’s best known entertainers, the late Jimmy Savile, sexually abused children and vulnerable adults and got away with it. In response the police launched a massive effort to investigate allegations of historical sexual abuse. Other prominent people found themselves facing accusations. Stephen Sackur speaks to one of them, broadcaster Paul Gambaccini, who spent a year as a suspect before the case against him was dropped. What are the lessons of what he calls his 12 months of trauma?(Photo: Host Paul Gambaccini at the Times BFI 53rd London Film Festival Awards Ceremony 2009, London. Credit: Getty Images)

Stephen Sackur talks to the EU Commissioner for Migration and Home Affairs, Dimitris Avramopoulos. Europe is still scrambling to find an effective response to the migration challenge, and every day the problem gets bigger. While the Germans build reception centres, other EU Governments focus on razor wire fences and gunboats on the Mediterranean. So what comes first, humanity or security?(Photo: Dimitris Avramopoulos, EU Commissioner for Migration and Home Affairs. Credit: AFP/Getty Images)

Zeinab Badawi meets Anglican Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali who was born in Pakistan and whose Muslim father converted to Christianity. Most of those fleeing from Syria to Europe are Muslims and this has provoked some tension between Christians and Muslims and between countries in Europe who are worried about the impact of so many refugees.The UN says the number of migrants and refugees arriving in Europe this year has already passed 500,000 more than double the total of 2014. How far has the refugee crisis tested our common humanity?(Photo: Anglican Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali. Credit: Getty Images)

In too many countries around the world independent journalists pay a high price for simply doing their job. They risk intimidation, imprisonment or worse. Hardtalk’s Stephen Sackur speaks to Mohamed Fahmy, the former Al Jazeera English bureau chief in Cairo who was convicted and imprisoned on terrorist charges by the Egyptian government. In his first broadcast interview since being pardoned, Stephen asks him what his message is now he is free to speak.(Photo: Al Jazeera journalist Mohamed Fahmy gives an interview in Cairo after his release from an Egyptian jail. Credit: AFP/Getty Images)

After four years of civil war Syria is all but destroyed. At least 220,000 killed and half of the entire population forced from their homes and still the world's great powers argue over a response. Stephen Sackur talks to one of the world's wealthiest Syrians, Ayman Asfari, an exile based in Britain and founder and boss of the Petrofac oil services corporation. Behind the scenes he has lobbied hard for a more effective international intervention in his homeland, but what would that look like?(Photo: Ayman Asfari, founder and boss of the Petrofac oil services corporation)

French Minister of Economy, Emmanuel Macron. A millionaire former banker, he is spearheading reforms that are unpopular with supporters of the ruling socialist party.(Photo: French Minister of Economy, Emmanuel Macron. Credit: AFP/Getty Images)

HARDtalk is in Hungary for an exclusive interview with the Foreign Minister, Péter Szijjártó. Hungary is facing a migration crisis; already this year nearly 250,000 migrants have entered the country. Hungary’s response has included razor wire, tear gas and threats of imprisonment. The Prime Minister says that the refugees are a threat to security and cultural identity but is Hungary defending or betraying European values?(Photo: Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk (L) welcoming to Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó prior their talks in Kiev. Credit: Andrew Kravchenko/AFP/Getting Images)

The British Government wants parliamentary authorisation to bomb the jihadists of IS in Syria. That same Government adamantly does not want to offer refuge to any of the many tens of thousands of Syrian refugees now homeless and desperate inside Europe. Does David Cameron's position make sense? Stephen Sackur talks to the UK Government’s Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee, Conservative MP Crispin Blunt.(Photo: Syrian Vice President Faruq al-Shara meets with British MP Crispin Blunt. Credit: Getty Images)

Georgia wants to join Nato. Its Defence Minister, Tinatin Khidasheli, has been touring European Union countries making the case for the former Soviet state to join the club of western nations who vow to defend each other's borders. But It was only a few months ago that Russia extended its control over South Ossetia and Abkhazia, which the United Nations still recognises as Georgian territory. Hardtalk’s Sarah Montague asks whether Nato is prepared to face up to Russia over Georgia?(Photo: Georgian Defence Minister Tinatin Khidasheli. Credit: AFP/Getty Images)