Past Programs
Politics - International - 2008
2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003
Italian job
23/11/2008
We get the inside story of how the Italian diaspora was harvested for political votes, and how the little Italies found a way to make - and break - governments in Rome. Reporter: James Panichi
Food futures
03/08/2008
Prices at the shops may be rising because billions of Indians and Chinese are eating more, and using cars - and it could be that some well funded gamers are playing the commodities market like a casino in cyberspace. Take our quiz. Reporter Stan Correy
Free trade vs fair trade
13/07/2008
It's an ideological battle between those who want a fairer, better deal for the poor farmers in the developing world - and those who say the best way to get that is having a world wide free market. There are fault lines in both arguments. Reporter Jane Shields.
The climate engineers
06/07/2008
For years it's been one of the science community's great taboos but the idea of global climate control is starting to be openly discussed. Ideas like placing giant mirrors in space or firing sulphur particles into the stratosphere to cool the planet are no longer just in the domain of science fiction. Many scientists now believe the time for these ideas will come. Reporter, Wendy Carlisle (This program was originally broadcast on 6th April 2008.)
Read the following articles:
Albedo Enhancement by Stratospheric Sulfur Injections
Climate Change: The Uncertainties, the Certainties, and what they Imply About Action
Policy Implications of Greenhouse Warming
Organised crime around the world
11/05/2008
Organised crime is said to be the biggest and most influential business in the world, and it got bigger and richer when the cold war ended. In some countries it is part of government, in others authorities are struggling against the tide. BBC World Service Documentaries.
Due to copyright restrictions there will be no podcast or transcript available for this program. You can listen to and download the original BBC programs on the BBC website below.
Israel: selling out secularism?
13/04/2008
The Olmert government is dependent on the support of the extremist, ultra orthodox religious movement in Israel. They now make up 10 per cent of the population, and make no secret of their desire for Israel to become a religiously based state. Reporter Hagar Cohen
The climate engineers
06/04/2008
For years it's been one of the science community's great taboos but the idea of global climate control is starting to be openly discussed. Ideas like placing giant mirrors in space or firing sulphur particles into the stratosphere to cool the planet are no longer just in the domain of science fiction. Many scientists now believe the time for these ideas will come. Reporter, Wendy Carlisle
Read the following articles:
Albedo Enhancement by Stratospheric Sulfur Injections
Climate Change: The Uncertainties, the Certainties, and what they Imply About Action
Policy Implications of Greenhouse Warming
The three trillion dollar war
30/03/2008
Nobel prize winning economist Joseph Stiglitz, and co-author Linda Bilmes, argue the Iraq war has led directly to America's current economic crisis. The price of a barrel of oil has quadrupled since the war began and the total cost of the invasion is staggering. Stiglitz and Bilmes describe how they came to the figure of three trillion dollars, and how difficult such an estimate is to achieve in the face of the Pentagon's accounting procedures.
This talk was recorded at the Commonwealth Club in California.
Sovereign wealth funds
02/03/2008
As the effects of the subprime credit crunch continue to be felt around the world, the new global investors bailing out Wall Street banks are the sovereign wealth funds. These are the investment vehicles of cashed up Arab and Asian governments which are also buying into the mining boom in Australia. While their money is welcomed, are there political motivations behind the investments? Reporter: Stan Correy
