The Debate

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A live debate on the topic of the day, with four guests. From Monday to Thursday at 7:10pm Paris time.

  1. 11 hr ago

    Iran after Khamenei: What direction after Supreme Leader's funeral?

    Some days they talk. Some days they fight. Iran and the United States have settled into a pattern since the truce signed last month. This Wednesday in Doha... they’re sort of talking. Both sides present in indirect negotiations. Whatever comes of that, the attention's now shifting to Tehran, where the Islamic Republic’s preparing for Friday’s kickoff of four days of state funeral proceedings for slain Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei with the regime boasting of a growing list of foreign dignitaries, a show of strength for a regime that’s more than rebounded since Khamenei was killed on the very first day of the war. A funeral intended as a victory lap for a leadership that’s always revered martyrdom? Definitely.  But does that mask the reality that the Iran war's resulted in a lose-lose situation? And with Khamenei’s son and successor yet to show signs of life, who really is in charge? Are we also witnessing the funeral of a theocracy, replaced instead with a military dictatorship? More broadly, how will the masters of Tehran deal both with a region that’s working on how to bypass its chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz and a population that still has to grapple with corruption, rampant inflation and the cruel legacy of the New Year’s crackdown on protests that left untold dead or imprisoned?   Produced by François Picard, Rebecca Gnignati, Juliette Laffont, Riham Mahir, Charles Wente.

    45 min

  2. 1 day ago

    Crimea back in play? Russia feels pain of Ukraine long-range strikes

    A couple of weeks back, we asked if the tide was turning in Ukraine. The short answer: a little, but it's hard to cut through the fog of war. Now, we're beginning to wonder if Crimea could be back in play. Kyiv's new line of longer-range missiles and drones are wreaking havoc on fuel and power supplies. And while Russia continues to inch forward in other frontline flashpoints, the peninsula occupied in 2014 by Vladimir Putin's little green men has never looked so vulnerable.  A Ukrainian offensive still seems like a pipe dream. Instead, is the current pressure a way to force concessions out of a Kremlin forced to admit what's all over Russian social media: that petrol stations across Russia are running on empty because of those long-range strikes? Will Vladimir Putin compromise or double down? And what do Crimeans themselves want? Most seemed happy to vote yes in a referendum to rejoin a Russia they only left in 1954. More broadly, what consequences for the entire Black Sea region, which since 2022 has alternated between periods of war, disruption and mutually agreed calm to allow both sides to ship goods? The Black Sea is of course shared with Turkey, which hosts next week's timely NATO summit.  Produced by François Picard, Rebecca Gnignati, Juliette Laffont, Ilayda Habip, Charles Wente.

    44 min

  3. 2 days ago

    What aftermath for Venezuela? Earthquake relief hampered by political crisis

    We are in awe of Venezuela’s first responders and all the brave citizens still pulling survivors from under the rubble of some 770 buildings that collapsed in last Wednesday’s double earthquakes. Is the sudden collapsing of so many structures – many built during the boom years of high oil prices – a tipping point for a nation under sanctions that has been dogged by decades of eroding services and infrastructure? Delcy Rodriguez, Venezuelan interim president of a regime in survival mode, was booed copiously Saturday in Caracas as many accuse the successor of Hugo Chavez and Nicolas Maduro of putting security before disaster relief. In this edition, we ask how best the international community can help Venezuela and take a look at the dozens of US forces airlifting in supplies and helping coordinate air traffic – an unexpected turnaround as Washington was once the sworn enemy of Caracas. But US President Donald Trump has claimed the locals are "dancing in the streets" now that he’s removed former Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro and the oil’s flowing his way. If this is truly a turning point, then what kind of turning point is it? Produced by François Picard, Rebecca Gnignati, Juliette Laffont, Ilayda Habip, Riham Mahir and Charles Wente.

    44 min

  4. 6 days ago

    Divorce, Italian style: Is Meloni-Trump row bringing Europe closer together?

    Has Trump whispering run its course? Ask the now departing British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who famously brought that letter of invitation from the king to the Oval Office, or Hungary’s ousted leader Viktor Orban. And how about the very public breakup with the only European leader invited to Donald Trump's second inauguration last year? Beyond the spat over whether Italy's Giorgia Meloni begged the US president for a selfie at last week's G7 summit, there's a growing divide between Rome and Washington over trade, Ukraine, Greenland, Israel, Lebanon and the war in Iran.    On that score, some still stick to Trump whispering, like the NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, who before a show-and-tell display of flattery in the Oval Office told Fox News that Italy had allowed "500 US planes" to take off from bases as part of Operation Epic Fury. We ask if the Italian prime minister lied about her refusal to actively take part in the campaign against Iran and, more broadly, about Meloni's tack towards the pro-EU mainstream – patching up sometimes testy relations with neighbour France and getting a red carpet welcome this Thursday from Emmanuel Macron at an overdue bilateral summit in the French Riviera town of Antibes. Why the shift? Is it the end of the whole of the European far-right's MAGA envy? Remember that 2027 is an election year in both France and Italy. Produced by François Picard, Rebecca Gnignati, Juliette Laffont, Piera Rocco, Riham Mahir, Charles Wente.

    43 min

  5. 24 Jun

    Albania's 'Flamingo Revolution': Will protests stop Trump family luxury resort plan?

    Can citizens of Albania – population 2.4 million – push back against their own government and the Trump family? Albanians are accusing the US president’s son-in-law and his wife of capitalizing on their connections to build a luxury resort on protected coastline along the Adriatic Sea. Launching what activists have dubbed the Flamingo Revolution of 2026, the leaderless movement is trying to stop the couple’s bid to build a $4 billion luxury resort on the land – purchased by Qatari contacts of the Kushners.  From no-bid contracts and allegations of fraudulent sales of land, to the diplomatic row sparked over the manhandling of ethnic Greeks in the area, we ask about the situation and the prime minister’s promise that the project will propel Albania into the “Champions League” of tourist destinations. In this David-versus-Goliath tale, the lines are becoming blurred between the personal business interests of the Trump family and the power of a sitting US president. US President Donald Trump has sent his son-in-law to mediate peace with Iran and Russia, pardoned his convicted real estate mogul father and appointed him ambassador to France. Why does the outrage seem stronger in Albania than in the United States or here in France, where French President Emmanuel Macron quietly welcomed four-term Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama just this week? Produced by François Picard, Rebecca Gnignati, Juliette Laffont, Piera Rocco, Charles Wente.

    44 min

  6. 23 Jun

    Air conditioning for all? France divided over response to record-breaking heatwave

    The heat is on: enough to make Parisians take the plunge into the once notoriously polluted Canal Saint-Martin. France this Tuesday awakened from its hottest night on record, testing the tempers of Paris city dwellers as they sizzle under the zinc roofs of top-floor apartments built for a bygone age. This is the second heat dome to settle over Western Europe in less than a month. Watch moreHow can France adapt to recurrent heatwaves? France's political class is scrambling to prove it's prepared to do what's necessary. Enter that burning question: should there be air conditioning for all? Emphatic yeses are arising from more than just home appliance salespeople: the far-right is all in with A/C, framing as constraining and elitist those who fret that cooling systems add to the warming outside temperatures. Unquestionably, hospitals, nursing homes, schools and social housing need to adapt to the new normal, with more than half of France's heatwaves occurring since 2010. So what measures should be taken? How to help those who can't afford expensive geothermal pumps or new shutters for their homes? What's fair and what's sustainable? Produced by François Picard, Rebecca Gnignati, Juliette Laffont, Piera Rocco, Charles Wente.

    44 min

  7. 22 Jun

    Labour's last chance? Burnham set to replace Starmer as UK faces far-right surge

    Another post-Brexit prime minister bites the dust. Keir Starmer has owned up to the obvious: that he's too unpopular to lead the Labour Party into the next general election. After replacing the hard left's Jeremy Corbyn, the same Starmer won a landslide election victory two years ago on the promise of stability after all the chaos of Tory rule. So where did it all go wrong? Can the heavy favourite to replace him win back disgruntled Labour voters who first flocked to the Conservatives and now to the far-right Reform UK party? Read moreAndy Burnham, ‘King of the North’ and frontrunner to replace Starmer as PM We ask about the politics of popular Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham, and reflect – on the eve of Tuesday's tenth anniversary of the Brexit referendum – if the same Britain that took a punt on leaving the European Union can rally behind any leader or any party to end a decade of turmoil. Produced by François Picard, Rebecca Gnignati, Juliette Laffont, Piera Rocco, Juliette Brown, Charles Wente.

    42 min

  8. 18 Jun

    Signing off? Trump rushes to turn page on Iran war

    Surprise! A stroke of a pen over dinner at Versailles has pre-empted plans for that big Friday signing in Switzerland of an interim agreement between the United States and Iran. Coming off the G7 in France, we ask why Donald Trump suddenly decided to get it over with and whether the region and the world can breathe a sigh of relief. Read moreMore than 12 million oil barrels transited the Strait of Hormuz overnight, Vance says Oil markets certainly believe. They're down again as the Strait of Hormuz gets set to reopen. But it's only a 60-day Memorandum of Understanding. And while Gulf neighbours will cheer the lifting of the blockade on what's the world's biggest maritime choke point for oil and gas, we take a second look at the agreement brokered by Pakistan and Qatar – most notably, the inclusion of a cessation of fighting in Lebanon. What happens if Israel or Hezbollah don't like the way negotiations unfold? Would Washington and Tehran be able to rein them in? How does the US president's plan compare with the 2015 UN nuclear agreement that he constantly belittles? Are we headed for closure or a whole new level of uncertainty? Produced by François Picard, Rebecca Gnignati, Juliette Laffont, Juliette Brown, Charles Wente.

    43 min
See All (27)

About

A live debate on the topic of the day, with four guests. From Monday to Thursday at 7:10pm Paris time.

Information

  • Channel
    FRANCE 24 English
  • Creator
    FRANCE 24 English
  • Years Active
    2015 - 2026
  • Episodes
    27
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © France Médias Monde
  • Show Website
    The Debate
  • Provider

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