Season 2017 2017

In an UpFront special, we ask his former policy adviser and his personal aide about the man and his policies.

We debate what a Trump presidency means for the world, and Katrina vanden Heuvel reflects on Obama's global impact.

Hamas spokesman Osama Hamdan on the new unity government and Trump, and Guy Verhofstadt discusses the EU and Brexit.

We talk to counterterrorism expert and former FBI agent Ali Soufan, and debate Putin's role on the world stage.

Former Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis on the EU's disintegration, and we discuss the future of cyberwarfare.

In this UpFront special, a transatlantic panel debates the growing appeal of populist leaders on the right.

In this week's UpFront, we speak to Israeli Education Minister Naftali Bennett, who cites the Bible as proof of Israel's claim over the occupied West Bank.
And in a special interview, we speak to the "mother of South Sudan" and former adviser to President Salva Kiir, Rebecca Garang.

We speak to Marine Le Pen's campaign adviser Jean Messiha, and debate what Emmanuel Macron has to offer.

We speak with Trump supporter Scottie Nell Hughes, and debate why the majority of evangelical Christians voted Trump.

Israeli diplomat Dani Dayan defends settlement building, and Nelson Mandela's granddaughter denounces the ANC.

We speak to Bassma Kodmani, a member of Syria's negotiations committee, and Mexican presidential candidate Rios Piter.

We speak to Malaysia's opposition leader Wan Azizah, and debate Hassan Rouhani’s chances for re-election.

We challenge OAS chief Luis Almagro on his stance on Venezuela, and debate if Maduro is turning authoritarian.

Iranians took to the polls and overwhelmingly voted to re-elect incumbent and so-called moderate Hassan Rouhani in last week's presidential election.

But can we expect his next four years on the international stage to be any different from the previous years?

According to Seyed Hossein Mousavian, a close friend and ally of Rouhani, while the focus of the first term was on the nuclear issue, the second term will focus on regional diplomacy.

"I think in the second term he would really like to focus on the regional issues to bring peace, cooperation, engagement, diplomacy with the neighbours," says Mousavian, who also headed the Foreign Relations Committee of Iran's Supreme National Security Council.

"The problem is whether Saudi Arabia would be ready … [they] now prefer to ally with Israel rather than Iran, to fight Iran."

In this UpFront special, Mehdi Hasan challenges Iranian policymaker and former diplomat Hossein Mousavian to explain Iran's policies in the region and what some see as the double standards with regards to Yemen and Bahrain.

For more on Iran's internal power dynamics and the extent of political reform, go to fb.com/ajupfront

Editor's note: We covered human rights and the extent of democracy in Iran previously here: http://aje.io/pezl

For Palestinians, June 5, 2017 marks the beginning of the “Six-Day War” - also called “al-Naksa” - and 50 years of Israeli occupation, as a peace deal remains elusive. While some continue to argue that a two-state solution is the only way for Palestinians and Israelis to live in peace, others are increasingly beginning to question whether two independent states are even possible. So, which is more realistic: A single state where Palestinians and Israelis live together, or two independent states? To debate this in this UpFront special, we’re joined by Gideon Levy, Hanan Ashrawi, Lara Friedman and Yousef Munayyer.

Professor Gilles Kepel on what motivates ISIL attacks, and we debate Aung San Suu Kyi’s stance on Rohingya.

We speak to former Conservative minister and Brexit supporter Norman Lamont, and ex-Colombia vice president talks FARC.

We debate whether ISIL can be defeated, where their support comes from and how to stop them.

We speak with former head of Afghanistan’s intelligence services and debate whether Congolese President Joseph Kabila will respect his constitutional term.

In this episode we tackle the GCC blockade, discuss if the region can mend relations, and debate US role in the crisis.

Activist Naomi Klein weighs in on how to beat Trump, and we debate how close Hollywood is to the military industry.

In this special on religion, Tahir ul Qadri attacks ISIL's ideology, and we debate if Pope Francis is a reformer

In this UpFront special, two former foreign ministers debate what it will take to fix India-Pakistan relations.

We debate how likely war between N Korea and the US is, who's to blame for the latest crisis and how to de-escalate.

In this week's UpFront, we speak to Kenyan opposition leader Raila Odinga about the annulled election. Will he present himself for the rerun? And could the recent Supreme Court ruling finally lead him to victory?

And in the Arena, six years into the war in Syria, we debate whether it could be said that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has won the conflict and ask if foreign backing of the rebels made the situation better or worse.

We speak to economist Arthur Laffer about President Trump's plans for tax cuts, and we debate democracy in Rwanda.

We speak with the foreign minister for a wide-ranging interview, and discuss whether President Trump is fit for office.

In this UpFront special we debate the history and legacy of the Balfour Declaration 100 years after its writing.

In this episode of UpFront we challenge former National Rifle Association (NRA) President David Keene.

In this week's UpFront, we speak to former Afghan President Hamid Karzai about alleged war crimes, the continuing US military presence in the country and plans to send even more troops.

Also on the show, we debate the best way to spur people into action about climate change, and whether we should constantly highlight or give credence to possible doomsday scenarios.

In this UpFront special, we ask US Congressman Ro Khanna why he believes the US government should stop supporting the Saudi-led bombing of Yemen.

Also on the show, we debate with a panel of experts the rights and wrongs of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's domestic and regional policies.

Reza Aslan and Lawrence Krauss debate whether religion is inherently violent, and if science and faith can coexist.

In this week's UpFront, we speak with the former president of Malawi, Joyce Banda, about aid, corruption and democracy in Africa.

In Reality Check, we highlight the fact that there are no checks or balances when it comes to US President Donald Trump's sole power to launch nuclear weapons.

And in the Arena, we debate the rights and wrongs of the Iran nuclear deal.

In this week's UpFront, we speak with the head of the Palestinian General Delegation to the US, Husam Zomlot, about the announcement on Jerusalem by US President Donald Trump and its effect on the Palestinian Authority's ties with the US.

In Reality Check, we look at the disparity between indigenous and non-indigenous Australians.

And in the Arena, we debate how serious a threat the rise of the far right poses to liberal democracy in Europe.

Should all speech, including hate speech, be protected? In back-to-back debates, an UpFront special on free speech.

In part one, we delve into whether the right to free speech conflicts with protecting minorities, and if so, how democracies should respond.

In part two, we debate whether minorities, especially Muslim communities have a particular problem with the principle of free expression, or if Islam has been unfairly targeted.

We speak to the country's immigration minister, a former Somali refugee, and discuss the toll of US airstrikes in Iraq.

In this UpFront special, we discuss Donald Trump's first year in office and the challenge of covering his presidency.