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US Politician - Bernie Sanders Jun 04, 2017

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Stephen Sackur is at the 2017 Hay Literary Festival to speak to the US Senator Bernie Sanders - the longest serving independent in US congressional history. He was credited with injecting passion and belief into the race for 2016’s Democratic presidential nomination - a race that was eventually won by Hillary Clinton. But did he plant the seeds of a political revolution in the United States?

(Photo: Senator Bernie Sanders (D-VT) react during a news conference on release of the president"s FY2018 budget proposal, 2017. Yuri Gripas /Reuters)

Head of UN Mission in South Sudan - David Shearer Jun 01, 2017

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What hope is there for the people of South Sudan? HARDtalk’s Stephen Sackur speaks to the head of the United Nations mission in South Sudan, David Shearer. South Sudan's lethal cocktail of civil war, ethnic division, failed governance, widespread hunger and disease threatens millions of lives. It represents a tragic failure on the part of the rulers of Africa's newest country, and on the part of the United Nations mission there which has brought neither peace nor protection.

(Photo: David Shearer, Head of the United Nations mission in South Sudan)

Executive Editor of the New York Times - Dean Baquet May 31, 2017

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President Trump has regularly criticised the New York Times and accused it, and other media, of propagating ‘fake news’. Does its claim to be fair in its reporting stand up to scrutiny? Hardtalk is in New York city to speak to Dean Baquet, the executive editor of the New York Times. The paper has been at the forefront of reporting into alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 US presidential election and the first months of the Trump presidency. Stephen Sackur asks Dean Baquet how far the public can trust the New York Times' regular use of anonymous sources to report on the inner workings of the White House.

(Photo: Dean Baquet, the executive editor of the New York Times)

Sir Suma Chakrabarti - President of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development May 29, 2017

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Stephen Sackur speaks to Sir Suma Chakrabarti, President of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. After the collapse of the Soviet Empire, a new, freer, more prosperous region emerged in eastern Europe, anchored in the EU and Nato. The EBRD was created to foster that transformation to democracy and the free market. These days many of its investment projects are in Turkey, Central Asia and North Africa - has mission creep undermined its founding values?

Midlle East Specialist - Gilles Kepel May 26, 2017

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Stephen Sackur speaks to renowned academic Gilles Kepel, an expert on Islamist terrorism in France and beyond. His work is influential - it was cited by newly elected French president Emmanuel Macron during the recent campaign - and to some, controversial. In the wake of the terrible suicide bombing in Manchester, a familiar question is being asked again - is the West any closer to an effective counter terror strategy?

(Photo: Midlle East specialist and Professor at the Paris Institute of Political Studies (IEP) Gilles Kepel, 2012. Credit: Joel Saget/AFP/Getty Images)

Turkish Author - Elif Shafak May 23, 2017

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Stephen Sackur speaks to Elif Shafak, the Turkish novelist and writer who lives much of her life in London. A dozen years ago Europeans looked at Turkey and thought they saw a country becoming more like them - embracing western values and on a long term track to EU membership. But today Europe sees authoritarianism, conservatism and repression embodied in the all-powerful figure of President Erdogan. Does the West get anywhere close to understanding Turkey's complex culture and politics?

(Photo: Author Elif Shafak taking part in a debate for the BBC's 100 Women season. Credit: Henry Iddon)

Nigeria's Oil Minister Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu May 22, 2017

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Stephen Sackur speaks to Nigeria’s minister of state for petroleum resources, Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu. When President Muhamadu Buhari won the Nigerian presidency two years ago it seemed like Africa's most populous nation had turned a corner. A first ever peaceful, democratic transition brought a promise of cleaner, better governance, and major economic reform. How is it going? Can oil dependent Nigeria transform itself into a modern trading economy?

(Photo: Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu arrives for an informal meeting between members of OPEC, 2016. Credit: Ryad Kramdi/AFP /Getty Images)

Speaker of the Venezuelan Parliament Julio Borges May 19, 2017

Show notes

Every day Venezuela seems to get one step closer to economic and political chaos. Mass anti-government protests have swept the country for the past month. Close to forty people have been killed in street clashes, the shops are short of food and hospitals low on medicine. Stephen Sackur asks Julio Borges, Speaker of the opposition-controlled National Assembly, if the Chavista Socialist revolution is dying on its feet?

(Photo: Julio Borges speaks at a joint press conference with Peruvian president, 2017. Credit: Ernesto Benavides/AFP/Getty Images)

Director of Europol - Rob Wainwright May 17, 2017

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Are the cyber-crooks several steps ahead of the cyber-cops? Hardtalk's Stephen Sackur speaks to Rob Wainwright, head of the European police agency Europol. In every aspect of our public and private lives we have become increasingly dependent on the power of the internet and computing. That makes us vulnerable to those who would do us harm. One such example is the worldwide spread of the ransomware known as WannaCry which has shut down vital computer systems in businesses, and public institutions around the world.

(Photo: Rob Wainwright at a hearing for the March 22 Brussels terror attacks, 2016. Credit: Aurore Belot/AFP/Getty Images)

Ireland's Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade - Charles Flanagan May 12, 2017

Show notes

Ireland has bounced back from the financial crisis of 2008, but now it is being swept by a new wave of apprehension. This time it is all about Brexit. When Britain leaves the European Union, Ireland will suffer significant collateral damage – in terms of jobs, trade, and the status of its borders. Stephen Sackur speaks to Ireland’s foreign and trade minister Charles Flanagan - will Brexit have catastrophic consequences across the Irish Sea?

(Photo: Charles Flanagan, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade of Ireland at the UN General Assemby, 2015. Credit: Timothy A.Clary/AFP/Getty Images)

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