The Global Story

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Did America win the ‘war on terror’? Sep 11, 2026

Show notes

Why can’t America quit the Middle East?

September 11 marked a shift in the American psyche, and altered the way the United States saw its place in the world. Shortly after the attacks, President George W Bush announced the ‘war on terror’, a policy that would implicate the United States in multiple wars, on multiple fronts, in the Middle East over the next 25 years.

But was this the US reaction that al-Qaeda had planned for? And as the US entered into more wars, in Iraq, Afghanistan and Iran, are the unintended consequences of the ‘war on terror’ still threatening the US today?

The Global Story’s Asma Khalid speaks to Frank Gardner, the BBC’s security correspondent, about the event that still dominates US foreign policy today.

Producers: Mhairi Mackenzie and Lucy Pawle Digital producer: Charlie Firth Mix: Travis Evans Editor: Martine Powers Senior news editor: China Collins

Photo: U.S. President George W. Bush speaks to Vice President Dick Cheney by phone aboard Air Force One after departing Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska, in this September 11, 2001. Credit: Eric Draper / White House Handout

How the AfD is rewriting German history Sep 10, 2026

Show notes

For the first time since World War Two, a far-right party has made a significant win in Germany – taking almost 44% of the vote in Saxony-Anhalt. The Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, which has been labelled as “right-wing extremist” by domestic intelligence, is leading the national polls.

Among its pledges at a state level are to defund “anti-German" art and teach children less about Hitler, as part of a “patriotism” agenda. This idea challenges the deeply held and decades-long German memory culture that insists people must never forget the Nazis’ crimes. The AfD describes German memory culture in its manifesto as a "guilt complex".

BBC Berlin correspondent Jessica Parker talks us through the complexities of remembering Germany’s past, and the controversial ways in which the AfD wants to shape its future.

Producers: Hannah Moore and Xandra Ellin

Mix: Travis Evans

Executive producers: James Shield and Martine Powers

Senior news editor: China Collins

Photo: Alternative for Germany (AfD) party and parliamentary group co-chairwoman Alice Weidel looks on during a press conference in Berlin, Germany, 07 September 2026. EPA/Shutterstock.

Why America's allies are sanctioning West Bank settlers Sep 09, 2026

Show notes

On Tuesday, the government of the United Kingdom announced sweeping sanctions against Israeli settlements in the West Bank, and accused settlers of ‘ethnic cleansing.’ Soon after, 11 other countries, including Canada, France, Spain and Poland, announced a ban on goods imported from illegal settlements.

In response, US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said there would "without a doubt" be a reaction from the US, adding that the move could have a “huge economic impact on British businesses." What do the sanctions suggest about the US’s complex relationship with its western allies?

The Global Story’s Asma Khalid speaks with BBC State Department correspondent Tom Bateman about the diplomatic consequences of US allies sanctioning the West Bank.

Producers: Xandra Ellin and Hannah Moore

Executive producer: Martine Powers

Mix: Travis Evans

Technical producer: Philip Bull

Digital producer: Charlie Firth

Senior news editor: China Collins

Photo: A man looks on at the damage as Palestinians inspect the site of a demolished house after an Israeli army raid, in the village of Aqraba near Nablus, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, September 8, 2026. Credit: Mohammed Torokman/Reuters.

Can Dubai’s luxe image survive the war with Iran? Sep 08, 2026

Show notes

As the summer holiday season draws to a close, foreigners travelling to and from Dubai in the United Arab Emirates are facing delays, cancellations and severe travel warnings. The disruption comes as a result of the UAE’s position in the ongoing US-Israel war with Iran. Throughout the conflict, Iran has attacked the UAE more times than any other country, including Israel.

Until the war with Iran began, Dubai was a major tourist destination, famous for its modern skyscrapers, luxurious beaches and low crime rate. For decades, the Gulf city has promised residents and tourists alike safety, security and stability – so has that promise fallen apart? And what could that mean for the city’s future?

The Global Story’s Asma Khalid speaks to Sameer Hashmi, an independent journalist based in Dubai, about how Brand Dubai is weathering a major regional war.

Producer: Xandra Ellin

Mix: Travis Evans

Digital producer: Charlie Firth

Editor: Martine Powers

Senior news editor: China Collins

Photo: Jebel Ali Port after one of the berths caught fire because of debris from an intercepted missile, March 1, 2026. Credit: Planet Labs PBC/Reuters

Was Saudi Arabia involved in 9/11? Sep 07, 2026

Show notes

Twenty-five years on from the deadliest terror attack in history, thousands of grieving families are still fighting for answers. In early 2000, two young Saudis arrived in San Diego. They had never been to America, spoke almost no English, and had no idea how to open a bank account or rent a flat. Within weeks they had done all of it. Twenty months later they hijacked a plane and crashed it into the Pentagon. The BBC’s Jane McMullen has been investigating a man who helped two of the hijackers – and has revealed a story that the US and Saudi governments have fought to keep secret. Producers: Mhairi Mackenzie and Xandra Ellin

Digital producer: Tom Bage

Mix: Travis Evans

Editor for The Global Story: James Shield

Editor for Intrigue: A 9/11 Story: Matt Willis

Senior news editor: China Collins

Photo: New York City skyline with Brooklyn Bridge in the foreground and the twin towers of the World Trade Center in the background.

How the world sees Lindsay Clancy Sep 04, 2026

Show notes

Lindsay Clancy faces first-degree murder charges over the deaths of her three young children. But if her case had happened elsewhere, the charges might have looked very different.

Clancy’s trial in Massachusetts has captured international attention. It has divided public opinion and ignited debate over how the US prosecutes cases involving mothers who kill their children — and the charges brought against them.

Other countries, including the UK, Canada and Australia, have specific statutes that allow mothers to be charged with infanticide — a conviction that’s more lenient than murder and often results in mental health treatment rather than prison time. So why is US law different?

The Global Story’s Asma Khalid speaks with Dr Karen Brennan, a senior lecturer in law at the University of Essex, to discuss what the Lindsay Clancy case reveals about how American law understands motherhood, mental illness and criminal responsibility.

(Photo: Lindsay Clancy, with long straight dark brown hair, looks to her lawyer Kevin Reddington, on the day the jury in her murder trial determined that they cannot reach a verdict, in Plymouth, Massachusetts, US, 1 September, 2026. Credit: Greg Derr/Reuters)

Producer: Xandra Ellin, Cat Farnsworth and Aron Keller

Digital producer: Charlie Firth

Sound engineer: Travis Evans

Editor: Martine Powers

Senior news editor: China Collins

Is the AI backlash actually a Chinese psy-op? Sep 03, 2026

Show notes

Accusations of foreign interference have been making headlines this week.

Elon Musk’s X alleges that China has been stirring up a backlash against American data centres.

Israel and Russia have denied allegations from Spain’s prime minister that they’re partly to blame for the migrant crisis in Ceuta.

And Germany has accused Russia of being behind a spate of drone attacks at a German airport. Vladimir Putin has dismissed those claims and accused Germany of a ‘false flag’ operation.

We speak to the BBC’s social media investigations correspondent, Marianna Spring, to examine the evidence – and ask whether foreign interference is really to blame in every case, or if it is just a convenient scapegoat.

Producers: Sam Chantarasak and Lucy Pawle

Digital producer: Charlie Firth

Mix: Travis Evans

Editor: James Shield

Senior news editor: China Collins

Photo: A drone view shows construction underway on Microsoft's ATL11 data center in Union City, Georgia, US. Credit: Brian Snyder/Reuters.

Is the world giving up on the US dollar? Sep 02, 2026

Show notes

America’s national debt recently hit a new milestone of $40 trillion. It is estimated that interest payments on the national debt are now the second largest expense in the US government budget, trailing only social security. How was the US able to borrow so much and for so long? One answer, according Harvard economist Kenneth Rogoff, is the US dollar’s status as the world’s reserve currency.

In this episode, Rogoff, former chief economist at the International Monetary Fund, explains how the US dollar came to enjoy this hegemonic status, what being the world’s reserve currency actually means in practice, and why he believes the dollar is now in decline.

(Photo: An Asian-American man passes by the passes by the National Debt Clock in New York City, US, 19 August, 2026. It is a digital display screen that shows the National Debt figures 39, 393, 882, 535, 284 against a background of dollar notes. Credit: Brendan McDermid/Reuters)

Producer: Valerio Esposito, Aron Keller and Lucy Pawle

Executive producer: James Shield

Sound engineer: Travis Evans

Senior news editor: China Collins

Nepal: Covering a disaster in your own country Sep 01, 2026

Show notes

As the world watches the aftermath of devastating floods in Nepal, journalist Anup Kaphle has been asking a difficult question: When does coverage of a natural disaster cross from rightful global concern into spectacle?

Kaphle is the group editorial director of Kantipur Media Group, Nepal’s largest media organisation. He’s also a native of Nepal. After more than two decades working for American newsrooms, he returned to his home country with a mission to help tell Nepal’s story for the people who live there. Now, he finds himself confronting one of the greatest challenges of his career: helping Nepalis understand the full scale of the flooding and its impact on their lives, at a moment when international attention is focused on the most dramatic accounts.

Asma Khalid, co-host of The Global Story, speaks with Kaphle about the ongoing humanitarian efforts, the potential long-term impact of the disaster on Nepalis, and why he worries that the international community will soon turn its attention away from Nepal.  

Producer: Xandra Ellin

Mix: Travis Evans

Editor: Martine Powers

Senior news editor: China Collins

Photo: Police officers carry a survivor after a flash flood at Trishuli in Nuwakot district, Nepal, August 26, 2026. Credit: Navesh Chitrakar/Reuters.

Inside Afghanistan’s secret schools for girls Aug 31, 2026

Show notes

Five years after the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan, the Taliban’s near-total crackdown on the rights of women and girls has made the country ‘a global outlier with no parallel in the modern world’, according to the United Nations.

The Taliban governed for five years in the late 1990s before the US invasion. Now, as Afghanistan reaches the same milestone with the Taliban’s second stint in power, how is the international community engaging with them this time around?

We speak to the BBC’s chief international correspondent, Lyse Doucet, who has reported on the country for decades. She recounts her recent trip to Afghanistan and her conversations with senior Taliban ministers, as well as women and girls trying to challenge their repression.

Producers: Hannah Moore and Sam Chantarasak

Executive producer: Martine Powers

Mix: Travis Evans

Senior news editor: China Collins

Photo: An Afghan burqa-clad woman walks along a road at Kolcha Abad village in the Dand district of Kandahar on June 16, 2026. Credit: Sanaullah Seiam/AFP via Getty Images.

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