The European Union, A
Failed Experiment? The UK has left the EU. So, now what? Why are so many Europeans dissatisfied with the EU? The story behind Brexit; EU corruption; the Madness of King Juncker; why is Greece being punished and why Germany needs the Euro but the rest of the continent doesn’t; is the European Union model of federalism outdated, its days numbered? Some think there are now three European Unions - a rich North, a poor South and a belligerent East. Migration remains a key issue in Europe and it’s led to a dangerous polarization of politics, but other thorny problems remain like debts and deficits and a common foreign and defense policy.
Iran - Friend or Foe?
Why should the West be a friend to Sunni Saudi Arabia and not with Shia Iran? Is there a brewing religious war, Sunni vs. Shia, under our very noses? Will President Biden re-join the nuclear deal, and under what terms? Strategic re-alignment: why the Arabs and Israelis are co-operating to counter Iran. But has the threat been overestimated? Better to have Iran as a friend, rather than a foe, but is it even possible to be friends? Reformers vs. Hardliners. A
look Iran’s proxy wars in Lebanon, Syria and Yemen. Current state of their nuclear program, and covert and overt attempts by the US and Israel to stop it.
Vladimir Putin - heating up the Cold War?
A profile of the former KGB colonel who calls himself a Tsar; from when I met him in Helsinki to finding out more about his background and what his ambitions are in the Baltics and Ukraine; is he a serious threat or is it all bluster? A look at the new laws designed to keep Putin and his oligarchs in power indefinitely; an examination of Putin’s foreign policy successes - and failures.
The Future of News - Stories from the frontline of global TV; my four-hour dinner with President Bill Clinton; investigating organized crime behind the old Iron Curtain; why Bill Gates, then of Microsoft, didn't like tough questions and banned me and the BBC; my exclusive interview with Aung San Suu Kyi: why was she demoted her from Saint to Sinner? Has journalism survived the switch from print to pixels?
The backlash against Social Media: newsprint subscriptions are way up, is there a growing sense that quality journalism is worth paying for? My career at Al Jazeera - “Terror TV” (Donald Rumsfeld) or “the best news channel in the world” (Hilary Clinton)? Plus more on my experiences working during the pandemic for the London bureau of the Chinese Global Television Network (CGTN) as the executive producer and host for The Agenda, a weekly current-affairs show.
The Tragedy of the Arabs - This begins with a brief look at the distinguished history of Arab civilization but then asks: what has gone wrong and why is there so much division, enmity and strife between them? It examines the problems the Arab world faces. A decade
after the so-called Arab Spring what, if anything, has been achieved?
A region beset with wars, corruption, terrorism and religious tensions, exacerbated by illiteracy, falling oil & gas prices and millions of unemployed young people.
Is Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salmon eliminating his opposition in order to become the future leader of the Sunni world, to lead the fight against Shia Iran? Or is he a reformer, determined to lead the way towards a more moderate form of Islam?
In the Shadow of the Caliphate - Is the conflict against ISIS over, or has it just begun? Where did ISIS come from, and what do they want? How much support do they enjoy within the fundamentalist Muslim community? After being largely driven from Iraq and Syria, where has ISIS moved to now? The lure of the concept of the caliphate as a form of governance and why President Erdogan of Turkey is a fan. Meanwhile, Al Qaeda waits in the wings, and “Lone Wolf” actors are an on-going threat. How can the West, with its tradition of religious pluralism, respond without seeming to be “Islamophobic”? Is the hardline taken by President Macron of France a sign of things to come, or is it a knee-jerk reaction doomed to failure?
Immigration and Open Borders - The dream of free movement of peoples and goods has collided with the reality of terrorism, a pandemic and uncontrolled migration; a desire to re-assert control of national borders as a major reason for Brexit and a threat to EU solidarity: can the Schengen Agreement survive? Nations with declining birth rates need immigration, but some host countries are more welcoming than others. Where are migrants coming from, where are they going, and why? How the US as a nation “founded by immigrants” be hostile to them throughout its history?
People Trafficking & Modern Slavery - A detailed look at a problem so acute the UK government has appointed a “Tsar” to tackle it; my investigations into people trafficking in the countries of the former Soviet Union and how, along with illicit drugs, it is now one of the most profitable of criminal enterprises. Is public apathy the biggest issue? Why are penalties for people smugglers less than they are for smugglers of drugs or weapons?