-
Juan Manuel Santos, President of the Republic of Colombia
Juan Manuel Santos was elected President of Colombia last summer - his country boasts one of the fastest growing economies in Latin America, but it still bears the scars of decades of political violence, and organised crime. President Santos has promised sweeping social and economic reforms to rid his country of its reputation for inequality, corruption and violence. HARDtalk’s Stephen Sackur spoke to President Santos at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland and asked whether he can match his words with actions?
-
Kamal el-Halbawy, Muslim Brotherhood
In the current turmoil in Egypt, one of the oldest and biggest opposition parties, the Muslim Brotherhood, has kept a low profile. Banned in the past, it’s now keen to play a greater political role in a post-Mubarak Egypt. Is its ambition to establish an Islamic state in the country? HARDtalk’s Zeinab Badawi speaks to Kamal el-Helbawy from the Muslim Brotherhood.
-
Mortimer Zuckerman, US media owner and commentator
Is the United States about to reap a bitter harvest from its long-time strategic support of the Mubarak Government in Egypt? Many of the protesters on the streets don't just want their ageing president to be gone, they want US influence out of their country too. Mortimer Zuckerman has for years been a vigorous contributor to the debate about American strategy in the Middle East. He is a billionaire businessman, media mogul and influential figure in the American Jewish community. HARDtalk’s Stephen Sackurs asks in this age of popular Arab revolt is it time for the US to rethink its regional strategy?
-
Pravin Gordhan, Minister of Finance - South Africa
When the worlds business and political elite recently gathered in Davos there was much discussion of global economic imbalances. Growth is rapid in the emerging economies, sluggish at best in the West. But with all the focus on the power of the BRICS - Brazil Russia India and China where does Africa fit in the picture? HARDtalk’s Stephen Sackur asks South Africa’s Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan if Africa’s most powerful economy is fulfilling its undoubted potential.
-
Boris Nemtsov, Russian opposition leader
HARDtalk is in Moscow where the weather is freezing and the climate for political opponents of the Kremlin is even more inhospitable. This year, there are Russian parliamentary elections, next year, a presidential vote but there is no sign of a mass political movement capable of challenging Putin or Medvedev. Why? Boris Nemtsov is one of the leaders of the liberal opposition and a former deputy Prime Minister. He’s just spent two weeks in a Russian jail after a political protest. HARDtalk’s Stephen Sackur asks him why more Russians aren’t prepared to follow his lead?
-
Saeb Erekat, Palestinian chief negotiator
What does the political confusion in Egypt mean for Middle East stability and the Palestinians in particular? These are testing times for them: they’d already been shaken and embarrassed by the leaking of the Palestine papers – sixteen hundred confidential documents encompassing a decade of negotiations between the Israeli government and the Palestinian Authority, the PA. HARDtalk’s Zeinab Badawi speaks to Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat, who was accused by his own people of selling out the Palestinian cause. Do both the leaks and Middle East instability spell doom for the peace process?
-
Safadi, Gold, Burns
A Tunisian president ousted, an Egyptian hanging on, a raft of neighbouring governments introducing political reforms to pre-empt the spread of copycat demonstrations that might sweep them away. Are we headed for the "perfect storm of unrest" that Hillary Clinton has warned of? HARDtalk’s Carrie Gracie hosts a discussion with a former deputy Prime Minister of Jordan, a former Israeli ambassador to the UN, and a former US Under-Secretary of State for political affairs, and asks them whether we are on the brink of a new Middle East?
-
Amy Chua, Author
Amy Chua is a respected writer on geopolitics and a mother but it’s her views on parenting that have recently captured the world’s attention. Her book ‘The Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother’ has become a publishing sensation. Its controversial message on childrearing raises wider questions - has America forgotten the value of discipline and hard work? HARDtalk’s Stephen Sackur asks if there a cultural inevitably about the decline of the west and the rise of the east?
-
Terry Duffy, Executive Chairman of CME Group and Olivier de Schutter, UN Special Rapporteur on the R
People all over the world are finding it hard to buy basic food stuffs, so high are global food prices. Many have taken to the streets demanding action from their governments. The World Bank says high food prices threaten social stability. HARDtalk’s Zeinab Badawi asks Terry Duffy, the head of the world’s largest derivatives exchange, and Olivier de Schutter, UN special Rapporteur on the Right to Food, what is fuelling the increases and how far speculators are to blame?
-
Andrew Lansley, Health Secretary for England
England's national health service, the NHS, is one of the largest employers in the world. It is a huge organisation but then its job is to provide free health care to the whole population. And for all its faults, it’s something British people are immensely proud of, which is why the British government's plans for the biggest reform in its history have become hugely controversial. HARDtalk’s Sarah Montague talks to the Secretary of State for Health, Andrew Lansley, who wants to hand control of 80 percent of the NHS's budget to family doctors, so that they - rather than bureaucrats - can decide where the money goes. Will it work or will it sink both the NHS and the government?
-
Roy Bennett, MDC Treasurer - Zimbabwe
Roy Bennett is an appointed Minister in Zimbabwe's unity government. But it's a government so divided that he lives in self-imposed exile, fearing that if he returns he'll be thrown into jail. He is an unusual politician for the country: a white farmer whose land was taken by President Mugabe. HARDtalk’s Sarah Montague asks what the future holds for his party the MDC? And for his country Zimbabwe?
-
Paddy Hill, Victim of miscarriage of justice (Birmingham Six)
Twenty years ago, the British legal system finally acknowledged one of the worst miscarriages of justice of modern times. A group of men, known as the Birmingham Six, were freed after spending 16 years in prison for two murderous bomb attacks which they did not commit. In a special edition of Hardtalk, Stephen Sackur talks to one of the men - Paddy Hill. In the 20 years since he ceased to be - in his words - a hostage held by the British state, has he been able to rebuild his life?