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Cuba

     Saul Landau

Arch enemy number one for the US government, Fidel Castro, has stepped down as the leader of Cuba and handed over to his Vice President and brother, Raúl.  So, what for Cuba now?

We spoke with Saul Landau, scholar, author, commentator, and filmmaker on US foreign and domestic policy issues.

The Solomon Islands

     Tim Anderson

The Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands (RAMSI) force has been in place since 2003. Sent to quell violence erupting over issues of independence and land rights between the islands of Guadalcanal and Malaita, the RAMSI force has had an unsettled tenure. With a new federal government in Australia are we likely to see any difference in the way the RAMSI force operates.

We spoke with Tim Anderson, lecturer at the School of Political Economy, Sydney University and a member of the Committee of Management of AID/WATCH.

Arms race in North Asia

     John Feffer

With all the focus on the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan not as much attention is paid to the enormous build up of arms and the political manoeuvrings that are occurring in Northern Asia.  The US, China, Russia, North and South  Korea, and Japan  have all been involved in brokering a deal between the US and North Korea to end the stand-off between these two nations.

We spoke with John Feffer, co-director of Foreign Policy In Focus at the International Relations Center about the relations between the  countries and its impact on the region.

White Power

     Christi van der Westhuizen

The National Party was the governing party of South Africa from June 4, 1948 until May 9, 1994, and was disbanded in 2005. Its policies included apartheid, the establishment of a republic, and the promotion of Afrikaner culture

We spoke with Christi van der Westhuizen - an editor with Inter Press Service and an honorary research fellow with the School of Politics, University of KwaZulu-Natal - about her new book on the rise and fall of the National Party.

Japan and China

     Professor Mel Gurtov

Japan and China have a long history of conflict. In the 1970s the two countries normalised relations but, there still is a lot of bad feeling between the two nations which continues to frustrate closer ties

We spoke with Professor Mel Gurtov, Professor of Political Science and International Studies at the Hatfield School of Government, Portland State University and Editor-in-Chief of Asian Perspective, on his ideas for reconciling the two great Asian nations.

Sorry

     Mary Hooker

This week, Australian Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, opened the Australian Parliament with a formal statement saying sorry to the members of the Stolen Generation.

We spoke with Mary Hooker, one of the Stolen Generation and member of the Stolen Generation Commmission in NSW.

Politics - Lebanese style

     Timor Goksel

Since the term of President Emile Lahoud came to an end, the Lebanese Parliament has attempted to meet 13 times to choose the next President but every time negotiations have broken down.  This despite the two major factions in the Parliament both happy with the suggested candidate.

We spoke with Timor Goksel, for 25 years the spokesman for United Nations Interiom Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) and now lecturing in politics at the American University of Beirut.

Choosing the candidate

     Prof. Stephen Zunes

The protracted nomination process for the US Presidential candidates for the next election is dragging on at present. It's about halfway through and the numbers are finally beginning to thin - John McCain appears to have the Republican nomination sown up but Hilllary Clinaton and Barack Obama are slugging it out to become the Domocrat nominee.

We spoke with Professor Stepehen Zunes, Professor of Politics and International Studies at San Francisco University. He has served as a US political analyst for local, national, and international radio and television, and is a columnist for the National Catholic Reporter and CommonDreams.org.

And the walls came tumbling down

     Jeff Halper

After some months of covert work, members of Hamas managed to pull donw the wall between Gaza and Egypt and thousands of Gazans flooded across the border to stock up on the essentials denied to them by the constant Israeli blockade of Gaza.

We spoke with Jeff Halper, founder of the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions (ICAHD) a non-violent, direct-action group originally established to oppose and resist Israeli demolition of Palestinian homes in the Occupied Territories.

The legacy of Suharto

     Prof. Tim Lindsey

On the 27th January, former President of Indonesia, Suharto, passed away. We spoke with Professor Tim Lindsey, Director of the Asian Law Centre & Associate Dean (International) in the Faculty of Law at the University of Melbourne, about the Suharto legacy.

Kenya

     Prof. Horace Campbell

Violence has erupted in Kenya following Presidential elections in December.  People took to the streets claiming the election counting was rigged.  Over six hundred people were killed as the government cracked down on the protests.

We spoke with Professor Horace G. Campbell, Professor of African American Studies and Political Science at Syracuse University in Syracuse New York. Professor Campbell is the author of several books, his laste being "Reclaiming Zimbabwe: The Exhaustion of the Patriarchal Model of Liberation"

Iraq

     Rahul Mahajan

As this year draws to a close, the situation in Iraq hasn't improved much. The US surge has had some effect on the level of violence in Bagdhad but it's difficult to say whether this will turn out to be a long-term solution - historically, small geurilla forces melt away under heavy pressure only to pop up somewhere else. And, despite the rhetoric of the US Administration, Iraq is still in serious trouble with much major work needed in the reconstruction of infrastructure. Also, the Iraqi's still haven't managed to cobble together a coherent political leadership or organise security forces to take over the job of the US. military.

We spoke with Rahul Mahajan who runs the blog, Empire Notes

Pakistan

     Dr Pervez Hoodbhoy

Pakistan has had very a turbulent year. President Musharraf stepped down as leader of the military and two political exiles returned for the elections proposed for early next year (This interview was recorded before the assassination of Benazir Bhutto.).  But, it's still a long way from enjoying political stability.

We spoke with Prof Pervez Hoodbhoy, Professor of Nuclear Physics at the Quaid-e-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan.

Referendum in Venezuala

     George Ciccariello-Maher

President Hugo Chavez suffered a setback recently when his package of reforms was rejected in a referendum.

We spoke with George Ciccariello-Maher, a PhD student in Political Theory at the University of California.

US militarism in Africa

     Frida Berrigan

Since September 11, 2001 the United States has been taking its War On Terror around the world.  In addition, to Iraq and Afghanistan, much of the U.S. attention has been drawn to countries in Africa. 

We spoke with Frida Berrigan, a Senior Program Associate, Arms and Security Initiative at the New America Foundation.

Timber barons

     James North

The practise of illegally felling timber in countries like Honduras has been having a large environmental impact in that country. However, much of this illegally processed timber ends up overseas where there is no check made that the timber comes form legitimate sources. This is about to be addressed in the US with two new Acts before congress aimed to stop this trade in illegal timber.

We spoke with James North, a New York-based journalist who has reported from Africa, Latin America and Asia for more than thirty years.

Russia

     Dr William Engdahl

Russian has very recently gone to the polls and the United Russia party won a majority of the votes. This was the party supported by President, Vladimir Putin and there is strong speculation that Putin has been settting himself up to become the Prime Minister of Russia next year when his allotted terms as President expire.

We spoke with Dr William Engdahl who has been writing on issues of energy, politics and economics for more than 30 years, beginning with the first oil shock in the early 1970s. He has contributed regularly to a number of publications, including Japan's Nihon Keizai Shimbun, Foresight magazine, Grant's Investor.com, European Banker and Business Banker International.

Peace in the Middle East?

     James North

Peace talks between Israel and Palestine are on the agenda again although there's not much happening at present. The US convened a meeting with Israeli and Palestinian delegates and other interested countries in the US city of Annapolis. At the end of several days, not much was achieved apart from an agreement to begin negotiations. But, how successful can negotiations be when the Palestinian group in charge of Gaza, Hamas was excluded from the Annapolis meeting?

We spoke with Ramzy Baroud, Palestinian-American journalist and former Al-Jazeera producer, who taught Mass Communication at Australia's Curtin University of Technology, and is Editor-in-Chief of the Palestine Chronicle.

Strikes in France

     Dr Stefan Simons

France has been crippled by transport strikes as the transport unions and newly elected President Nicholas Sarkozy come head to head on Sarkozy's proposed reforms.

We spoke with Dr Stefan Simons, Chef de Bureau of Der Spiegel in Paris.

Water in Ecuador

     Sara Grusky

In October 2000, just months after the people of Bolivia threw Bechtel out of Cochabamba, this very same company signed a water privatization contract in Guayaquil, Ecuador a city of almost 2 million inhabitants. Now the people of Guayaquil are having major problems with their water supply.

We spoke with Sara Grusky, a senior organizer with the Water for All Campaign at Food and Water Watch.

Australian election wash up

     Dr Clem Macintyre

Australia has just voted and now has a new government.

We spoke with Dr Clem Macintyre about the consequences of the fall of the Coalition government and the possibilities opening up for the new Labor government.

Australian Elections 2007

     Dr Clem Macintyre

     Dr Eva Cox

     Miriam Lyons

Australians are due to go to the polls on the 24th November. In this program we're analysing the policy differences between the two major parties, the current governing Coalition and the Australian Labor Party.

We spoke with Dr Clem Macintyre, Head of Politics at Adelaide University, Dr Eva Cox, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Social Inquiry at the University of Technology, Sydney and Miriam Lyons, Director of the Centre for Policy Development in Sydney.

Australia's Foreign Policy

     Dr Michael McKinley

Continuing our topic of the 2007 Australian Elections, we checkl out the points of difference between the two major parties on foriegn policy with Dr Michael McKinley, Senior Lecturer in International Relations and Strategy at the Australian National University.

Pakistan

     Zia Mian and Ayesha Khan

Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf, has found himself in a precarious position and has done the one thing which he can do to hold onto power - use the military. After the Supreme Court decided that Musharraf's election last month was illegal, there were increasing demonstrations against his rule and Musharraf responded by declaring a State of Emergency.

We spoke with Dr Zia Mian, a physicist with the Program on Science and Global Security, Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University and Ayesha Khan, a London-based lawyer and writer.

Stuffed and Starved

     Raj Patel

Food is one of the necessities of life but the control of our food production is in the hands of surprisingly few companies. And these companies have a huge influence on both the producers of our food and us, as consumers.

We spoke with Raj Patel, author of a new book Stuffed and Starved - Markets, Choice and the Battle for the World's Food System.

Iran

     Stephen Zunes

The United States government has designated Iran as a key part of what they call The Axis of Evil and painted Iranian President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, as a dangerous tyrant. However, this description is a long way from the truth.

We spoke with Stephen Zunes, Professor of Politics at the University of San Francisco, who met with Ahmadinejad on his recent trip to the US.

Extraordinary Rendition

     Clara Gutteridge & Andrew Tyrie

After September 11 2001, the United States began a process called extraordinary rendition where they transported alleged terrorist suspects around the world to secret prisons on foreign soil. One of these US prisons is said to be on the British territory of Diego Garcia and there are calls from human rights groups and even politicians for the UK government to hold a proper investigation into these claims.

We spoke with Clara Gutteridge, an investigator with the UK-based human rights group, Reprieve, and Andre Tyrie, Tory MP for Chichester.

The Long Way Down

     Charley Boorman

Several years ago, actors and friends, Charley Boorman and Ewan McGregor, decided to ride around the world on their motorbikes. The result of this was filmed and made into a TV documentary series - The Long Way Around. Obviously, they must have enjoyed the experience because they just done another trip from the north to the south of Africa. Again they've made a documentary series and released a book on their trip - The Long Way Down.

Neil spoke with Charley about the trip.

Expansion of the Empire

     Valerio Volpi

One of the best indicators that American has become an Imperial power is the number of bases they have around the globe. One of the latest to be built will be near Vicenza in Italy.

We spoke with Valerio Volpi, a PhD student in Comparative Political Institutions at the University of Bari in Rome, about the public reaction to this new base and the political machinations behind its existence.

Pakistan

     Farooq Tariq

After the recent events such as the storming of the Red Mosque and the attempted sacking of the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, Mr. Iftikhar Choudry, military dictator, General Pervez Musharraf, has become enormously unpopular. Musharraf has been forced to enter a power sharing arrangement with former Prime Minister, Benazir Bhutto. This is a strange alliance as Bhutto has always been a fierce critic of Musharraf's regime.

Julia Terreu spoke with the charismatic leader of the Labor party of Pakistan, Farooq Tariq.

Haiti

     Roger Annis

In 2004 Haiti, appeared to be descending into chaos and the then President, Jean-Bertrand Aristide, was forced to leave the country. Aristide has since accused the US of engineering the whole process to get rid of him. Under Aristide's replacement Supreme Court Chief Justice, Boniface Alexandre, Haiti fared no better and there were widespread abuses of human rights and little progress economically. In 2006, democratic elections were held and a former ally of Aristide, René Préval, took over. Now, Haitians are slowly rebuilding their society but there are still many unresolved issues.

We spoke with Roger Annis of the Toronto Haiti Action Committee who visited Haiti in August as part of a UN delegation.

Last days of the American Republic?

     Professor Chalmers Johnson

The United States is the most powerful military force on the planet and it is not afraid to throw that weight around. As a consequence American military bases are spread all over the globe creating a vast American empire. But, as history as shown before it is very difficult to have a vast global empire and maintain a stable democracy at home. Noted American historian and author, Professor Chalmers Johnson has been taking a long hard look at the American empire in his latest book, the final part of his trilogy on the topic, Nemesis - The last days of the American Republic.

One state or two>

     Dr Ghada Karmi and

     Antony Loewenstein

Since its creation in 1948, the state of Israel has been in constant conflict with the people displaced by the Jewish occupation. There have been numerous calls by the international community for Israel to broker a deal with the Palestinian people. All of these attempts have been blocked by the Israel and its very powerful friend, the United States. One idea starting to gather some momentum in Palestinian thinking is the notion of a single, secular democratic state shared by the Israelis and Palestinians. But, at the same time, the only solution being considered by the international community is one where Israel and Palestine form two separate states.

We spoke with Dr Ghada Karmi, a British Palestinian author and academic who was in Adelaide to deliver the 3rd Edward Said Memorial lecture at the University of Adelaide, and Antony Lowenstein, a Sydney-based journalist, author and blogger. <>