World

Trump threatens to abandon efforts to broker peace in Ukraine

Saturday, Apr 19, 2025  
Nearly 100 days into his presidency, Donald Trump's made little headway in his efforts to end the war in Ukraine. Moscow rejected his 30-day ceasefire proposal. And Trump has butted heads with Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelenskyy. His soft stance towards Moscow is worrying European allies. Meanwhile, the fighting continues unabated. Trump is now threatening to abandon efforts to broker peace. Is it a threat to pressure Presidents Vladimir Putin and Zelenskyy?

Presenter: Dareen Abughaida
Guests:
Vladimir Sotnikov, Associate Professor of International Relations, Higher School of Economics
Donald Jensen, Former US diplomat in Moscow
Mattia Nelles, Chief Executive, German-Ukrainian Bureau think-tank

Meme warfare in Trump’s battle with Beijing

Saturday, Apr 19, 2025
A trade war that pits the world’s two largest economies against each other is now under way. Alongside the tariff battle is a heated battle of narratives and messages between the two countries.

Contributors:
Andy Mok - Senior Research Fellow, Center for China and Globalisation
Jude Russo - Managing Editor, The American Conservative
Isaac Stone Fish - CEO, Strategy Risks
Yun Sun - Director of China Program, Stimson Center

On our radar

On April 15, the civil war in Sudan hit the two-year mark. The Sudanese media landscape has been devastated. According to Reporters Without Borders, since the war began, nearly 450 journalists have fled the country. Meenakshi Ravi has more.

How Trump’s '51st state' talk galvanised Canadian voters

Donald Trump’s public musings about how Canada should become the United States’ 51st state, has Canadians rallying around their flag. The Listening Post’s Ryan Kohls discusses the Trump effect and the unprecedented impact it is having on Canadian nationalism and politics.

Featuring:
Rachel Gilmore – Host, Bubble Pop
Jonathan Kay – Editor, Quillette
David Moscrop – Author and Journalist

Psychological terrorism: The war against reproductive rights in the US

Friday, Apr 18, 2025
As Donald Trump begins his second term as president, headlines focus on immigration, trade and free speech. But advocates warn of another front, a quieter campaign targeting reproductive rights and abortion.

Just years after the fall of Roe v Wade, critics say new policies signal a renewed push to erode reproductive freedom, especially for women of colour.

Is the Trump administration waging a quiet war on reproductive rights in the United States?

This week on UpFront, Redi Tlhabi speaks with Michele Goodwin, professor of constitutional law and global health policy at Georgetown University and author of Policing The Womb: Invisible Women and the Criminalization of Motherhood.

Gaza is a post-apocalyptic killing zone: UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini

Apr 11, 2025
It’s been almost a month since Israel broke the ceasefire agreement with Hamas, launching daily strikes across Gaza that have killed more than 1,100 Palestinians. Humanitarian aid has also been blocked from entering the area by Israel for more than a month, deepening the crisis.

Humanitarian workers have also been directly targeted. Since October 7, 2023, more than 400 aid workers have been killed - nearly 300 of them were staff members with the United Nations' Palestinian relief agency, UNRWA.

So, what’s needed to ensure justice and accountability for the victims of war crimes? And what is the situation on the ground in Gaza?

This week on UpFront, Redi Tlhabi speaks with UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini.

US-China trade war China raises tariffs from 84% το 125%

Friday, Apr 11, 2025  
China imposes a 125% tariff on US goods, effective April 12.

This follows  US President Donald Trump's announcement to raise import tariffs on Chinese products to 145%.

On Wednesday, Trump also declared a 90-day pause on reciprocal tariffs, excluding China.

Ralph Wilde on the ICJ & why Israeli occupation must end?

Friday , Apr 11, 2025
International lawyer Ralph Wilde joins Centre Stage to talk about the 2024 landmark ruling by the International Court of Justice that deems Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories illegal - and why it must cease immediately. Wilde provides detailed analysis, which he presented to the court, and tells Al Jazeera principal presenter Cyril Vanier what Israel and the international community must do to comply with the ICJ ruling and the UN resolution that endorsed the court’s decision.

Can Europeans alone change the course of Russia's war in Ukraine?

Thursday, Apr 10, 2025  
European defence ministers from the so-called 'coalition of the willing' have been meeting in Brussels to discuss boosting military support for Ukraine.

It includes the possible deployment of peacekeepers if a ceasefire is agreed.

The talks are part of a renewed push by Europe to arm Ukraine against Russia's invasion after the US made military support a condition of Kyiv's participation in peace talks.

Meanwhile, the EU's latest effort to rally funding for Ukraine has only exposed disunity in the bloc.

So, does Europe have the means and the will to keep Ukraine in the fight as Washington looks for a way out?

Presenter: James Bays

Guests:
Pieter Cleppe - Editor-in-Chief of BrusselsReport.eu

Marina Miron- researcher in the War Studies Department of King’s College London

Anatol Lieven- Director of the Eurasia Program at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft

What is behind Trump's U-turn on tariffs?

Thursday, Apr 10, 2025  
In a dramatic change of policy, Donald Trump has paused his so-called "reciprocal" levies on most nations for 90 days.

This, after his tariff policy sent markets globally into a freefall and left business leaders and even pro-Trump Republicans warning of a recession.

While the White House will be looking to cut deals with other nations on the levies, Trump has ramped up his trade dispute with China.

His decision to reverse course may have brought relief to markets.

But, with Trump's series of reversals since taking office in January, critics say uncertainty remains hanging over the United States economy.

What will shape Syria's future?

Friday, January 31, 2025
Ahmed Al Sharaa is Syria's new President and we're getting hints of what his government might look like. He's promised a temporary legislative council will pass laws for the time being - and that it will be inclusive of Syria's various groups and factions. The international community is applying pressure to make sure he keeps his promises. But can president Sharaa bring his country together? And will his government be able to improve the lives of the Syrian people - who've been battered by more than a decade of war?

Presenter: Cyril Vanier
Guests
Danny Al Baaj - Vice President of the Syrian Forum for Advocacy and Public Relations. He also led the Cabinet of Syria's Deputy Foreign Minister in the late 2000s.
Joshua Landis - Director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma.
Mohammad Al Abdallah - Executive Director of the Syria Justice and Accountability Centre.

Mearsheimer: The Israelis lost in Gaza

Friday, January 31, 2025
Despite the rhetoric, US President Donald Trump will not be able to ethnically cleanse Gaza nor resolve the Ukraine war, argues University of Chicago political scientist John Mearsheimer.

Mearsheimer tells host Steve Clemons that Arab governments fear “the risk of being overthrown by their populations” should they bend to Trump’s desire to “clean out” the Palestinian people in Gaza.

On Ukraine, Mearsheimer predicts a “frozen conflict” without a peace treaty, and warns that Trump should stop “slapping around” US allies if he wants their cooperation in Europe, Latin America and Asia.