DR PERVEZ HOODBHOY
(QUAID-E-AZAM UNIVERSITY) - 25th October 2009
It's been declared a 'war zone'.
This month, the entire nation of Pakistan appears to be at war with
itself as the country's brutal 'do-or-die' war against religious
extremism hits fever pitch.
Following an ever increasing spate of violence in Islamabad and more
brazen raids and attacks on the military, the country's military forces
have finally struck back with the kind of offensive Washington and
Europe have been pushing for years.
This week George Negus asks regarded Pakistani intellectual, Dr. Pervez
Hoodbhoy, 'will it work?'
According to the atomic physicist, who is also a prominent
environmental and social activist, the army, "now with public support
for the first time since the birth of the insurgency" has "finally
mustered the will to fight".
Now, with that fight on - a major displacement of the population is
also in process.
Officials have said this would be the final and perhaps most
challenging of military assaults on the Pakistani Taliban, which has
grown exponentially and now taken on Islamabad with unprecedented
viciousness.
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PROFESSOR
MARY CROCK,
UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY - 1st November 2009
As the saga continues over "what to do" with the so-called 'boat loads'
of Tamils seeking political asylum in Australia, George Negus speaks
with migration law expert Professor Mary Crock about the legality or
otherwise of the "Rudd solution".
Professor Crock has accused the government of "clouding the truth"
about Australia's refugee flows and accused the PM of playing the old
politics a la the Tampa affair.
Is this whole political game a case of deja vu?
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Obama One
Year On -
ARNIE ARNESAN (RADIO HOST AND POLITICAL COMMENTATOR)
PETER SCHIFF (EURO PACIFIC CAPITAL) INTERVIEW - 8th November 2009
"Yes, we can!" Three simple words propelled Barack Obama into the US
Presidency twelve months ago this week. These words summed up his
optimistic mandate for change in the US and, for that matter, the
entire politics of the globe.
But depending on who you listen to, Obama has either begun to deliver
on his numerous campaign pledges, or is he leading the nation to ruin.
He has been attacked from both the Right of US politics and the Left
within his own party.
For two very different ideological views on Obama's first year
anniversary, George speaks with Arnie Arnesen, a pro-Democrat radio
host from New Hampshire, and Peter Schiff, known as "Dr Doom" in the
world of finance, a Republican and trenchant critic of Barack Obama's
economic reforms.
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LORD
LORD NICHOLAS STERN INTERVIEW
- 15th November 2009
By some perspectives, the planet owes Lord Nicholas Stern a big thank
you - for transforming the debate on climate change into frightening
economic terms.
The author of the groundbreaking Stern Review has warned that if action
is not taken on climate change, we face an economic crisis ten times
worse than the one we are experiencing now.
This week George Negus asks the former World Bank chief economist about
Australia’s role in tackling climate change, and what he
thinks of the Rudd government’s handling of the issue of
late.
As Australia’s politicians ponder delaying any decision until
the Copenhagen Summit in December, Lord Stern calls for “a
sense of urgency” in the Australian debate.
“There’s no way that Australia could be interpreted
as going it alone by moving forward now and that is absolutely
fundamental,” he says.
While the primacy of the climate issue seems to have cooled in the
midst of the global financial crisis, the world is “still
warming” says Stern. Powers like Australia cannot afford to
wait if they hope to lead in a new global order.
“I think the world will ask if Australia with all its
advantages can’t cut back strongly then how can anybody
expect us to cut back strongly? If that were the general attitude, then
the planet would be in an extremely difficult state and we would be
living very dangerously indeed.”
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CONNIE
HEDEGAARD,
THE DANISH MINISTER FOR CLIMATE CHANGE AND ENERGY
- 22 November 2009
The Danish Minister for Climate and Energy, Connie Hedegaard, faces a
daunting task… she’s hosting the Climate Change
Conference in Copenhagen and says failure to reach agreement over the
future ‘is not an option’.
It’s the 15th conference of the United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change, and never before have the stakes been so
high, with pressure for the 192 countries taking part to reach
agreement on when and how greenhouse gas emissions will be reduced.
Mrs Hedegaard has spent much of the past year meeting world leaders in
the lead-up to the summit. Almost every government attending wants
binding targets for reducing emissions and agreement on how they will
achieve them, but with so many details to be agreed, it remains to be
seen if a consensus can be reached… the United States has
especially faced criticism for not making enough commitment.
Another intrinsic part of the deal is to include a commitment from
developed countries to pay for measures in developing countries to
adapt to climate change and cut emissions, but the global financial
crisis has put a question mark over the costs involved… 130
developing countries say they’ll walk out if the richer
countries don’t cooperate.
George Negus speaks to Connie Hedegaard and asks exactly what she wants
from the ‘Hopenhagen’ conference, as it’s
become known, and just what happens if a deal isn’t worked
out.
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Please Note: More interviews will be added as time permits.