The Inside Story Podcast Al Jazeera

In its latest appeal, South Africa has called on the UN's top court for urgent measures to order a halt on Israel's assault on Rafah. Since early this month, Israeli forces have been pounding the southern city where more than 1.5 million Palestinians had taken shelter, after escaping from other parts of Gaza. Hundreds of thousands are being forced to flee again. Israel says its operation is limited and aimed at targeting the last stronghold of Hamas in Rafah. South Africa calls it a 'genocidal act'. The International Court of Justice has ordered some provisional measures since Pretoria first filed a case in January. But Israel has largely ignored them. So can the ICJ enforce its orders? And will its decisions make any difference, apart from affecting world opinion?

In this episode:


Toby Cadman, International Human Rights lawyer. 
Nour Odeh, Political Analyst. 
Robbie Sabel, Professor, International Law, Hebrew University. 

Host: Elizabeth Puranam

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Presidents Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping have met more than 40 times in the last 10 years, and Putin's latest visit to China comes as Russia's dependence on Beijing has increased due to sanctions imposed over its invasion of Ukraine. So, could this deepening friendship lead to a shift in alliances and the global balance of power? 

In this episode:


Andy Mok, Senior Research Fellow at Center for China and Globalisation.
Chris Weafer, Chief Executive Officer at Macro-Advisory.
Theresa Fallon, Director of the Centre for Russia Europe Asia Studies.

Host: Elizabeth Puranam

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Donald Trump has accepted a challenge to face off against President Joe Biden in two TV debates, setting the stage for the US Presidential Election. But will they actually take place? And what difference could they make in the race to the White House?

In this episode:


Brian Stelter, Journalist.
Elaine Kamarck, Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution.
Steve Herman, Chief National Correspondent at Voice of America. 

Host: Elizabeth Puranam

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Angry protests in Georgia. The Parliament has approved a so-called 'foreign agents' bill.Critics say it steers the country away from democracy, by adopting a Russian-style system. So what's next for Georgia? And could this end its aspirations to join the EU?

In this episode:


Hans Gutbrod, Professor, Public Policy, Illia State University, Georgia.
Ketevan Shoshiashvili, Senior Researcher, Transparency International.
Dachi Imedadze, Campaign Strategist, SHAME Movement.

Host: Tom McRae

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A predicted sharp right turn. From Italy to France, Germany and the Netherlands, right-wing and far-right parties have made significant gains across Europe ahead of June's parliamentary elections. So, what's at stake? And what are the consequences for the continent and the world?

In this episode:


Pieter Cleppe, Editor-in-Chief, BrusselsReport.eu.
Anna Maria Corazza Bildt, MEP Candidate, Renew Europe Group.
Aurelien Mondon, Lecturer, French and Comparative Politics, University of Bath.

Host: Folly Bah Thibault 

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President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says his troops are locked in fierce battles in northeastern Ukraine, where the Russian army is taking control of villages and attacking energy facilities. How significant is this latest Russian offensive in Kharkiv?

In this episode:


Hanna Shelest, Security Studies Program Director, Ukrainian Prism. 
Roger Hilton, Defence and Security Fellow, GLOBSEC.
Pavel Felgenhauer, Independent Russian Defence and Military Analyst.

Host: Sami Zeidan

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