The Inquiry

Latest Episodes:

Which president is most responsible for the failure in Afghanistan? Sep 02, 2021

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As US-led troops withdraw after 20 years, the Taliban have made a swift return to power.

Four presidents have overseen the war in Afghanistan - with four different approaches.

Charmaine Cozier asks which of them is most responsible for how events have unfolded and ultimately setting the path to failure.

Produced by Ben Cooper Researched by Sally Abrahams

(Image: A US marine walks past an American flag attached to concertina wire at Camp Rhino in Southern Afghanistan. Credit: Rick Loomis/Los Angeles Times/AFP via Getty Images)

Is our fascination with sharks bad for them? Aug 26, 2021

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Sharks are mysterious and ancient creatures. They're also a threat. Yet , the once great killers now face what might be their biggest threat – us.

From monster killers of the sea to endangered species, Paul Connolly asks if our fascination with sharks is bad for them.

Produced by Soila Apparicio. Researched by Olivia Noon.

(Image: Great white shark. Credit: Gerard Soury/Getty Images)

Are our phones spying on us? Aug 19, 2021

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A leaked list of thousands of phone numbers - including Presidents and activists - has drawn attention to spyware. It’s supposed to stop terrorists but are our devices safe anymore?

Charmaine Cozier looks into the ever-growing world of high level spyware and explores what its use could mean for citizens and democracies around the globe.

Producer: Olivia Noon and Soila Apparicio

Can we run the world on electricity? Aug 12, 2021

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The target for many countries around the world is to reach net zero emissions within the next few decades. That means a dramatic move away from fossil fuels like oil, coal and gas. For some the answer to the problem is to boost “green” electricity production, so that we can run our transport, our homes and our industry on electrical power. We already have a lot of the technology to produce clean electricity. But for hundreds of millions of people around the world, especially in sub-saharan Africa, the real problem is the lack of access to electricity.

Image: Wind turbines and solar panels in Vietnam (Credit: Quang Ngoc Nguyen/Getty Images)

What’s behind the recent rioting in South Africa? Aug 05, 2021

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The jailing of former South African president Jacob Zuma sparked huge unrest in the country, but was there more behind the riots than the fact of his imprisonment?

While some believe the riots were not only a reaction to Zuma’s jailing for contempt of court, but a planned attempt to bring the country to its knees, others say poverty and inequality also played its part.

Paul Connolly examines the factors behind the riots and asks how the country can rebuild from disturbances that have left many dead and parts of the country in ruins.

Producers: Rob Cave and Olivia Noon

(Rioters loot the Gold Spot Shopping Centre southeast of Johannesburg, July 12 2021. Credit: Guillem Sartorio /Getty Images)

Why was the president of Haiti assassinated? Jul 29, 2021

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Haiti was the first Caribbean country to gain its independence after a successful revolt against slavery. But the country has been troubled ever since, suffering dictatorships, coups and natural disasters.

Now its most recent president, Jovenel Moise, has been assassinated. His controversial rule was marred by the rise of gang violence, and protests against corruption and impunity. He upset people in the fields of politics and business too. And as he failed to hold elections, parliament is no longer functioning. So in this edition of The Inquiry, Charmaine Cozier asks: why was the president of Haiti assassinated? And where can the country go from here?

Producer: Arlene Gregorius

(President Jovenel Moise in the capital Port-au-Prince in 2016. Photo: Hector Retamal /Getty Images.)

Can China raise its birth rate? Jul 22, 2021

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China’s decades-long One Child Policy has led to a low birth rate, and a shrinking workforce. It has also been placing a heavy burden on the younger generations who will have to support two parents and four grandparents. It’s predicted that in five years’ time, a quarter of the population will be over 65. With a smaller workforce, the country risks becoming poorer.

China tried to address the problem by allowing couples to have two children instead of one, but except for an initial uptick, the birth rate has continued to fall regardless. So now China has introduced a three-child policy. But couples continue to worry about the lack of affordable childcare, and the high financial and emotional cost of raising children. So in this edition of The Inquiry, Tanya Beckett asks: can China raise its birth rate?

Producer: Arlene Gregorius

(A mother and her child waving Chinese flags near Tiananmen Square in Beijing, China. Photo: Peter Parks/Getty Images)

Why did so many indigenous children die in Canada’s residential schools? Jul 15, 2021

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The recent discoveries of unmarked graves at the sites of so-called Indian Residential Schools has put Canada’s treatment of its indigenous peoples back under the spotlight.

For more than a century, tens of thousands of children were forced by the state into a religious school system that split families and brutalised the children in its care. Tanya Beckett looks at the history of the residential schools and asks why so many children died there.

Producer: Rob Cave and Olivia Noon

(former Kamloops Indian Residential School, British Columbia, Canada, 2 June 2021. Credit: Cole Burston/Getty Images)

Is Nigeria becoming impossible to govern? Jul 08, 2021

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The kidnapping of at least 140 schoolchildren in the north-west of Nigeria is the latest crime to shake a country already struggling to contain militants in the north and separatists in the south. Add to this young protesters on the streets amid rising food prices and crime and the security situation in the country starts to look even shakier.

Charmaine Cozier examines the deeper reasons for Nigeria’s worsening instability and asks if Africa’s largest country is becoming impossible to govern.

Producers Soila Apparicio and Rob Cave

(A young girl reunites with family after she was kidnapped from her school in northwestern Nigeria March 2021. Photo: Aminu Abubakar/Getty Images)

Can we make the super-rich pay more tax? Jul 01, 2021

Show notes

Rich people are often able to pay little or no tax compared to their wealth because of the way the system works. In recent years, many have called for changes and reforms so that instead of income, wealth is also taxed.

But, wealth taxes are not a new thing. Many argue that they are key for addressing inequality but some say they simply aren’t an effective way of gaining revenue.

Charmaine Cozier asks can we make the super-rich pay more tax?

Producer: Olivia Noon Researcher: Bethan Head

(Activists March In Manhattan NY, calling for a tax on Billionaires. Credit: Spencer Platt/Getty Images).