The so-called Abraham Accords, which were described by the US President as a “significant step towards building a more peaceful, secure, and prosperous Middle East”, reinforce the anti-Iran axis in the Gulf region. They also pave the way for the UAE to purchase F-35 stealth fighter jets, drones and other advanced weaponry from the United States. While Israel already flies 20 F-35s, the UAE would be the first Arab country to receive the American-made fighter jets. Some Israeli intelligence officials have voiced their concerns about the US commitment, enshrined in a 2008 law, to ensure that Israel maintains a “qualitative military edge” in the Middle East. Others warn that it will spark a regional arms race. So what would the US move to supply more sophisticated weapons to Gulf states mean for the stability of the wider region? One country that knows far too well the devastating impact of these weapons on its civilian population is Yemen, where the world’s largest arms importer, Saudi Arabia, has been leading a bombing campaign since 2015. The International Rescue Committee calls it the worst humanitarian crisis in the world. We went to Sanaa, the largest city in Yemen, and spoke with one man who lost his four children in a Saudi-led coalition airstrike in Al-Raqqas, last year during the month of Ramadan.

Bigger Than Five

The Cost of an Arms Race in the Gulf | Bigger Than Five

One of the stated conditions for normalizing relations with Bahrain and the UAE was that Israel would suspend its plans to annex parts of Palestine. Yet, the US-brokered accords simply called for “a just, comprehensive and enduring resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict”, making no mention of the ongoing Israeli occupation of the State of Palestine. The Palestinian Government condemned the move by Bahrain and the UAE as “a stab in the back of the Palestinian cause and the Palestinian people.” We went to the streets of al-Khalil in occupied Palestine to hear directly from Palestinian residents about how they view the agreement.

Palestinians Reject Normalisation | Bigger Than Five

It was hailed by President Trump as “a historic breakthrough”. Israel and two Arab Gulf nations, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, signed bilateral agreements at the White House last week establishing full diplomatic relations. The so-called Abraham Accords, which were described by the US President as a “significant step towards building a more peaceful, secure, and prosperous Middle East”, reinforce the anti-Iran axis in the Gulf region. They also pave the way for the UAE to purchase F-35 stealth fighter jets, drones and other advanced weaponry from the United States. While Israel already flies 20 F-35s, the UAE would be the first Arab country to receive the American-made fighter jets. Some Israeli intelligence officials have voiced their concerns about the US commitment, enshrined in a 2008 law, to ensure that Israel maintains a “qualitative military edge” in the Middle East. Others warn that it will spark a regional arms race. So what would the US move to supply more sophisticated weapons to Gulf states mean for the stability of the wider region? Guests: William Hartung Director of the Arms & Security Program at the Center for International Policy Matar Matar Former Bahraini Opposition Member of Parliament with Al Wefaq Party

'Peace Deal' or Arms Race? | Bigger Than Five

We take a look back at some of the UN’s key challenges and achievements over the last 75 years. #UnitedNations

75 Years of the UN | Bigger Than Five

Since 1948, the UN has deployed more than 70 peacekeeping operations. Today, about 90,000 UN Blue Helmets and police officers are deployed in 13 UN peacekeeping operations, some as old as the UN itself. The UN has been involved in today’s Democratic Republic of the Congo since the sixties. Its peacekeeping operation has been active since 1999. We traveled to Kinshasa, the capital of the DRC, to hear a view of the Mission, known by its French acronym MONUSCO.

Has MONUSCO Been Effective? | Bigger Than Five

75 years after the establishment of the United Nations to ‘save succeeding generations from the scourge of war’, has the UN lived up to its ideals? The United Nations marks its 75th anniversary this year. The organization has faced many crises over its three-quarter century-long history. But this September, because of the pandemic, the annual session of the General Assembly won’t be held at UN headquarters. Instead of flying to NY for this ritual, Heads of State and Government, will deliver their speeches online under the theme: “reaffirming our collective commitment to multilateralism”. With growing trends towards isolationism and unilateralism in some parts of the world, including the host country, the United States, will this amount to little more than diplomatic talk? Guests: Tijjani Muhammed-Bande President of the United Nations General Assembly Shashi Tharoor Former UN Under-Secretary General for Communications and Public Information

The UN at 75 | Bigger Than Five

When it comes to reparations, the United States has attempted to pay before. Bigger Than Five takes a look at prior efforts by the American government to offer reparations.

Reparations in US History | Bigger Than Five

Haiti fought a 12 year war led by slaves and defeated Napoleon Bonaparte’s forces, gaining independence from France in 1804. Haiti was the first independent nation from Latin America and the Caribbean, but it was forced to pay a crippling debt to France. Today, it is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, with a per-capita income of $350, while France is one of the wealthiest nations in the world. Bigger Than Five went to Port-au-Prince to meet anti-corruption activist and economist, Emmanuela Douyon, who says it’s time for France to pay back the $21 billion she says it extorted from her country.

Reparations for Haiti | Bigger Than Five

As the calls for racial justice get louder throughout the world, is it time for colonial powers and slave trading countries to atone for their sins by paying reparations? Mobilized since the death of George Floyd, a black man killed by a white police officer in the US, the world has witnessed a reawakening over systemic racism. Growing demands for racial justice have renewed the debate about apologies and reparations by former colonial powers and slave-trading countries to make amends for their crimes and past injustices. Many countries are now grappling with their history. In France, protesters are calling for an end to discrimination against nonwhite descendants from former colonies. In the US, symbols of slavery and colonialism have been brought down, from statues of Confederate leaders to colonizer Christopher Columbus. The name of a former transit point for the transnational slave trade on Senegal's Goree Island, was changed from Europe Square to Freedom and Human Dignity Square. In Nigeria, Lagos State Assembly voted to rename all sites that still bear the names of colonial masters. But this racial reckoning is evolving into a debate over what true reconciliation looks like. So are former colonial powers and slave-trading countries ready and willing to pay? Guests: Andrew Young Former US Ambassador to the United Nations Shirley Weber California Assemblymember for District 79 Thomas Piketty Economist, Paris School of Economics

The Case for Reparations | Bigger Than Five

This week we are looking at: -Lawyer, politician, artist receive death threats from Nazis as police are allegedly involved -Hundreds of parents say their kids are taken by the state unjustly -Questions loom over Merkel's successor -Man strips four policemen of their weapons, runs into forest -Lakes become favorite holiday spots for Germans due to Covid-19 Our show 5 Things in 5 Minutes in #Germany brings you up to speed on what’s happening in the country with the most interesting five stories of that week. Our Germany correspondent Yunus Paksoy reports.​​​ #NeoNazi #terror

Neo-Nazi terror group back in Germany? | 5 Things in 5 Minutes in Germany

Facing mounting international pressure, will the Israeli government push ahead with its annexation plan with the full backing of the United States? And at what cost? The Secretary General of the United Nations has warned that this would constitute ‘a most serious violation of international law’ and called on the Israeli government to abandon its annexation plans. Meanwhile, more than 1000 members of European Parliaments signed a letter denouncing Israel’s plans. Ahead of its July 1st target date, the Netanyahu government is holding talks with the Trump administration on a ‘gradual annexation’. In retaliation, the Palestinian government is threatening to withdraw from all bilateral agreements with Israel. Will Netanyahu follow through on his threat? And what impact will it have on Palestinians? Guests: Robert Malley President and CEO of The International Crisis Group Diana Buttu Former Legal Adviser to The Palestinian Authority

Annexing Palestine | Bigger Than Five

A kindergarten teacher in Kabul tells Bigger Than Five why she's not optimistic about the future of Afghanistan. Watch the full show: https://youtu.be/leKVQL02A2Q

Afghanistan's Future | Bigger Than Five

Founder of the #MyRedLine campaign tells Bigger Than Five who she believes needs to be part of the peace talks in Afghanistan.

Voices for Peace in Afghanistan | Bigger Than Five

A ceasefire, a peace deal and a power-sharing agreement. Is Afghanistan ready for lasting peace? Or will a US troop withdrawal spark new conflict? Afghanistan remains on edge as a tenuous peace deal between the United States and the Taliban is expected to bring an end to nearly two decades of war. There was some hope over the Eid holiday, when a 3-day ceasefire was observed by both the Afghan government and the Taliban. This came on the heels of a power-sharing agreement between President Ashraf Ghani and his long-time rival Abdullah Abdullah, after both men claimed victory in last September’s election. After months of violence, the government and the Taliban began exchanging hundreds of prisoners, as stipulated in the US/Taliban deal signed in Doha in February; the insurgent group agreed to free 1000, mostly Afghan security forces, in exchange for 5000 Taliban prisoners. This paves the way for intra-Afghan negotiations, a much-delayed but critical phase of the Doha agreement. On the US side, the military drawdown is moving ahead of schedule, with 8600 American troops in Afghanistan and all US forces set to leave by July 2021. But President Trump could order all troops out earlier —before the US elections in November. So, is the US withdrawal a victory for the Taliban? And can Afghans work together towards a common goal? Guests: Fawzia Koofi Former Deputy Speaker of Afghanistan's Parliament Kimberly Field Former Brigadier General in the US Army ​ Mariam Wardak Co-Founder of Her Afghanistan

Afghanistan's Long Road to Peace | Bigger Than Five

The old global order is being shaken up and Bigger Than Five is here to make sense of it all - with tough questions for those in power and sharp analysis about the people and politics that are changing our world.

hubhopper

Bigger Than Five

hubhopper