China and Russia vow to cooperate to create a new multipolar world order, accusing the West of undermining global stability —as both countries push back against the United States’ hegemony. Following its major diplomatic breakthrough between Iran and Saudi Arabia, could Beijing be cast in a new role as global mediator —and power broker?…

As Russia’s war in Ukraine enters its second year with no end in sight and NATO countries continue to pledge more heavy weapons, what are the prospects for a negotiated settlement and peace? Can either side prevail militarily, as the war rages on? And how will the expected delays in deploying US and western battle tanks to Ukraine affect the course…

As leaders from Latin American and Caribbean countries met for a summit in Buenos Aires, Brazil and Argentina announced plans for a new common currency that would promote regional cooperation. With left-leaning governments coming to power in Brazil and across the region, could this be a new era for Latin America? We speak with the Coordinator of th…

As the world faces a deepening energy crisis and Europe braces for a cold winter, how will the hardest-hit oil-importing countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America cope with soaring energy costs and widespread blackouts? Guests: Mauricio Cárdenas, Former Minister of Mines and Energy of Colombia and Director of the MPA in Global Leadership and Glob…

Even as floodwaters begin to recede in Pakistan, outbreaks of diseases such as malaria and typhoid threaten to compound the misery of the more than 7.5 million who are already displaced. Bigger Than Five speaks with Pakistan's Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari about this and other issues on the sidelines of UNGA 77.…

With just four months until the next annual UN meeting on climate change, and with record breaking temperatures and heatwaves sweeping across Europe, the US and other parts of the world, the UN says it is further proof that the world is ‘on a fast track to disaster’ warning that it is ‘now or never’ to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.Gu…

As the war in Ukraine continues and the risk of global food shortages grows, the UN Secretary General warns of an “unprecedented wave of hunger and destitution” if the crisis is not addressed. But can a looming food catastrophe be averted?Guests:Karuti Kanyinga, Director of the Institute for Development Studies at the University of NairobiErtharin …

The old global order is being shaken up and Bigger Than Five is here to make sense of it all — with tough questions for those in power and sharp analysis about the people and politics that are changing our world.Bigger Than Five airs at 20:30 GMT on the last Saturday of each month, and also at 03:30 & 16:30 GMT on Sunday.…

Full interview with former International Criminal Court prosecutor Luis Moreno Ocampo (2003-2012) from Bigger Than Five episode “Israel, Palestine and the ICC”

Amid mounting evidence that Israeli soldiers shot and killed a prominent Palestinian-American journalist earlier this month, and the Israeli government’s refusal to conduct a criminal investigation, will the International Criminal Court step in?Guests:Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur on Occupied Palestinian TerritoriesLuis Moreno Ocampo, I…

The conflict in Ukraine has exacerbated the global refugee crisis and exposed its deep inequalities. With the UN warning that over 8.5 million Ukrainians will become refugees this year, twice its initial estimate, can European countries cope? And how will it affect the tens of millions of refugees who have fled other wars and conflicts —and are sti…

As the United States and other Western countries impose severe new sanctions on Russia, following its military escalation in Ukraine, sanctions in Afghanistan continue to have a devastating humanitarian impact. So why have sanctions become such a standard feature of US foreign policy?Guests: Martin GriffithsUnited Nations Under-Secretary-General fo…

Two years since the first Covid-19 outbreaks, the virus to spread and kill worldwide. As 2021 draws to a close, we take a look at its latest variant, Omicron, and the state of the pandemic. Will governments have to consider a new co-ordinated response?Guests:Sibongiseni DhlomoDeputy Minister of Health of South AfricaSyra MadadSenior Director of Spe…

FW de Klerk, the former president of South Africa, who died this week at the age of 85 will be remembered by many for his political courage in dismantling apartheid. But he will also be remembered for his earlier support of and belief in racial segregation system. So, how did the last president of apartheid South Africa see his role in changing the…

He was Brazil’s most popular political leader, a two-time President whose run in the 2022 election against Jair Bolsonaro is widely expected. 20 years after his first election, can Lula da Silva make a political comeback and become President of Brazil, for the third time?

As the UN holds its 76th annual session of the General Assembly, world leaders pledge their renewed commitment to taking collective action to address the world’s pressing challenges. Facing a global pandemic, an ongoing refugee crisis, continuing conflicts and growing mistrust —can the UN still live up to its founding principles —and deliver for pe…

With the United States set to complete its withdrawal from Afghanistan by the end of August and the Taliban rapidly making territorial gains, Bigger Than Five travels to Kabul to meet two young Afghans who share their views and concerns about the future. The old global order is being shaken up and Bigger Than Five is here to make sense of it all - …

As the US completes its troop pullout from Afghanistan, the Taliban continue to make gains across the country amid growing questions about the stability of the Afghan government. What are the prospects for real peace among Afghans?Guests: Zalmay Khalilzad- US Special Representative for Afghanistan ReconciliationLakhdar Brahimi- Former UN Special Re…

Two of the world’s largest refugee camps are now facing the prospect of closing down.The Kakuma and Dadaab camps in Kenya are home to 430,000 refugees, primarily from Somalia and South Sudan. Many of the refugees have lived there since the camps were established three decades ago. Over half of the refugee population are children, many of whom have …

Displaced by war, persecution and natural disaster, tens of millions of refugees have been forced to flee their homes in search of safety. Are we doing enough to protect the most vulnerable among them: children?Guests:Philippe LazzariniCommissioner-General of UNRWAAnne RichardFormer US Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees and Migra…

In the US and Europe, governments have warned about a rise in incidents targeting Jews following the attacks on Gaza. In the US, the Anti-Defamation League reported 193 anti-Jewish hate incidents after the crisis began. And while lawmakers have spoken out against these acts, accusations of anti-semitism are becoming more widely used to target those…

Amid a fragile ceasefire in Gaza and ongoing Israeli military raids in occupied East Jerusalem, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken returned to Washington this week after meetings with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. Blinken announced the US will reopen its consulate in Jerusalem which w…

Jana Al-Kiswani was shot in the back just outside her home in Sheikh Jarrah. The police officer has been suspended after video of the shooting emerged. While the Israeli Ministry of Justice says it is investigating the incident, Jana tells us how this has impact her life living in Sheikh Jarrah.

Crucial action taken by the world’s wealthiest and biggest polluters could affect the long-term survival of developing countries, especially low-lying island nations like Vanuatu. Made up of 83 islands in the South Pacific, the country is the most-at-risk for natural disasters, according to a 2018 World Risk Report.Bigger Than Five visited Erakor v…

The United States takes center stage in the fight against the climate crisis, as dozens of leaders attend its first virtual climate summit. But are their lofty commitments grounded in reality? And will they help keep the most vulnerable afloat?

The US is seeing a surge of asylum-seekers attempting to cross the US-Mexico Border, even though the Secretary of Homeland Security, Alejandro Mayorkas has said the southern border is ‘closed’. Bigger Than Five travels to El Zonte, El Salvador to speak with Marvin Alvarado who tried to cross into the US after being deported. He recounts his experie…

President Joe Biden is facing a growing crisis at the US-Mexico border, with the influx of thousands of unaccompanied minors from Central America—a surge that is on pace to become the ‘largest in the last 20 years’ according to the Department of Homeland Security. Over 15,000 unaccompanied children are reportedly being kept at overcrowded facilitie…

Min Zaw Oo, the Executive Director of the Myanmar Institute for Peace and Security, tells us that Myanmar has reached its 'lowest point of public relations between the military and general public.’

Anti-coup protesters have taken to the streets of Myanmar calling for the reinstatement of the elected government. Some demonstrators are also calling to abolish the 2008 Constitution, which some viewed as a pathway to democracy, but others believed left too much political power in the hands of the military. Bigger Than Five went to Yangon, Myanmar…

Protests in Myanmar continue as a military coup challenges the country’s path towards democracy. Will outside pressure bring an end to human rights violations or will impunity —once again— prevail? Guests:Tom Andrews- the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in MyanmarJoanne Lin- Amnesty International’s National Direct…

Some of the 11th-hour foreign policy decisions by the outgoing administration include: re-listing Cuba as a State-sponsor of terrorism; imposing more sanctions against Iran; and recognizing Moroccan claimed sovereignty over Western Sahara in defiance of long-standing US policy and international law, in a quid pro quo that led to the normalization o…

President Joe Biden vowed to undo the Trump-era “withdrawal doctrine” which saw the United States pull out of the #ParisAgreement on climate change, the Iran nuclear agreement, the World Health Organization and other other treatise and institutions. On his first day in office, Biden re-joined the Paris Agreement, the most significant global climate…

Equitable access to a COVID-19 #vaccine is proving to be a challenge as wealthy nations preemptively secure millions of doses of experimental vaccines. Bigger Than Five visits #Peru and #India to hear how residents view the prospects of a vaccine as they experience the reality of the global pandemic.Watch other episodes of ‘Bigger Than Five’👉 http:…

Recent breakthroughs in COVID-19 #vaccine trials in the US, UK, Russia and China have raised hopes that the spread of the #coronavirus #pandemic, which has already killed almost 1.4 million people worldwide, could soon be contained, and eventually ended. But these breakthroughs have also raised concerns about the access and availability of vaccines…

Voters in America are choosing their next president, as people and governments around the world anxiously await the outcome of the US election which could have a consequential impact on their own lives.One country that is looking on with a particularly keen interest is Iran. President #Trump has led a “maximum pressure” campaign on Tehran by imposi…

One of the key architects of the #Iran nuclear agreement, the #JCPOA, Iran’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Mohammad Javad #Zarif. He joins TRT World's Ghida Fakhry to discuss the fate of the Iran nuclear agreement after the US election.Watch other episodes of ‘Bigger Than Five’👉 http://trt.world/13qv

One of the most vocal critics of Iran, John Bolton, who was President Trump’s National Security Advisor from 2018 to 2019. His recently published book, “The Room Where it Happened”, offers a highly critical insider account of the Trump administration. He joins TRT World's Ghida Fakhry on Bigger Than Five to discuss his book and US-Iran relations.Wa…

From #Tehran, hear what #Iranians hope to see from the next US #president.Watch other episodes of ‘Bigger Than Five’👉 http://trt.world/13qv

The so-called Abraham Accords, which were described by the US President as a “significant step towards building a more peaceful, secure, and prosperous Middle East”, reinforce the anti-Iran axis in the Gulf region. They also pave the way for the #UAE to purchase F-35 stealth fighter jets, drones and other advanced weaponry from the United States. W…

One of the stated conditions for normalizing relations with #Bahrain and the #UAE was that #Israel would suspend its plans to annex parts of Palestine. Yet, the US-brokered accords simply called for “a just, comprehensive and enduring resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict”, making no mention of the ongoing Israeli occupation of the State o…

It was hailed by President #Trump as “a historic breakthrough”. Israel and two Arab Gulf nations, the United Arab Emirates and #Bahrain, signed bilateral agreements at the #WhiteHouse last week establishing full diplomatic relations.The so-called Abraham Accords, which were described by the US President as a “significant step towards building a mor…

We take a look back at some of the UN’s key challenges and achievements over the last 75 years.Watch other episodes of 'Bigger Than Five'👉 http://trt.world/13qv#UnitedNations #UN #peace

Since 1948, the UN has deployed more than 70 #peacekeeping operations. Today, about 90,000 UN #BlueHelmets and police officers are deployed in 13 UN peacekeeping operations, some as old as the UN itself. The UN has been involved in today’s Democratic Republic of the #Congo since the sixties. Its peacekeeping operation has been active since 1999. We…

75 years after the establishment of the United Nations to ‘save succeeding generations from the scourge of war’, has the #UN lived up to its ideals?The #UnitedNations marks its 75th anniversary this year. The organization has faced many crises over its three-quarter century-long history. But this September, because of the pandemic, the annual sessi…

When it comes to reparations, the United States has attempted to pay before. Bigger Than Five takes a look at prior efforts by the American government to offer reparations.

Haiti fought a 12 year war led by slaves and defeated Napoleon Bonaparte’s forces, gaining independence from France in 1804. Haiti was the first independent nation from Latin America and the Caribbean, but it was forced to pay a crippling debt to France. Today, it is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, with a per-capita income of $350, w…

As the calls for racial justice get louder throughout the world, is it time for colonial powers and slave trading countries to atone for their sins by paying reparations?Mobilized since the death of George Floyd, a black man killed by a white police officer in the US, the world has witnessed a reawakening over systemic racism. Growing demands for r…

Facing mounting international pressure, will the Israeli government push ahead with its annexation plan with the full backing of the United States? And at what cost?The Secretary General of the United Nations has warned that this would constitute ‘a most serious violation of international law’ and called on the Israeli government to abandon its ann…

A kindergarten teacher in Kabul tells Bigger Than Five why she's not optimistic about the future of Afghanistan.Watch the full show: https://youtu.be/leKVQL02A2Q

Founder of the #MyRedLine campaign tells Bigger Than Five who she believes needs to be part of the peace talks in Afghanistan.