The Interview

French Minister of Economy, Emmanuel Macron. A millionaire former banker, he is spearheading reforms that are unpopular with supporters of the ruling socialist party.(Photo: French Minister of Economy, Emmanuel Macron. Credit: AFP/Getty Images)

28 Sep 201523min

HARDtalk is in Hungary for an exclusive interview with the Foreign Minister, Péter Szijjártó. Hungary is facing a migration crisis; already this year nearly 250,000 migrants have entered the country. Hungary’s response has included razor wire, tear gas and threats of imprisonment. The Prime Minister says that the refugees are a threat to security and cultural identity but is Hungary defending or betraying European values?(Photo: Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk (L) welcoming to Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó prior their talks in Kiev. Credit: Andrew Kravchenko/AFP/Getting Images)

25 Sep 201523min

The British Government wants parliamentary authorisation to bomb the jihadists of IS in Syria. That same Government adamantly does not want to offer refuge to any of the many tens of thousands of Syrian refugees now homeless and desperate inside Europe. Does David Cameron's position make sense? Stephen Sackur talks to the UK Government’s Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee, Conservative MP Crispin Blunt.(Photo: Syrian Vice President Faruq al-Shara meets with British MP Crispin Blunt. Credit: Getty Images)

23 Sep 201523min

Georgia wants to join Nato. Its Defence Minister, Tinatin Khidasheli, has been touring European Union countries making the case for the former Soviet state to join the club of western nations who vow to defend each other's borders. But It was only a few months ago that Russia extended its control over South Ossetia and Abkhazia, which the United Nations still recognises as Georgian territory. Hardtalk’s Sarah Montague asks whether Nato is prepared to face up to Russia over Georgia?(Photo: Georgian Defence Minister Tinatin Khidasheli. Credit: AFP/Getty Images)

21 Sep 201523min

Australian politics has turned backstabbing into an art form. Thanks to yet another internal party coup, Malcom Turnbull has become the country's fifth Prime Minister since 2010. The political turbulence comes at a tough time - the Australian economy is being hit hard by the slowdown in China and the slump in global commodity prices. Stephen Sackur talks to the billionaire mining magnate Andrew Forrest. Has Australia squandered the riches that came with the resources boom of the early 21st Century?(Photo: Andrew Forrest, chairman of Fortescue Metals Group)

18 Sep 201523min

Libya is close to forming a national unity government and Aref Ali Nayed is a nominee to be prime minister. Can Libya's warring parties join forces to save the country?(Photo: Aref Ali Nayed, Libya's Ambassador to United Arab Emirates. Credit: AFP)

16 Sep 201523min

The guests on Hardtalk are people who do much to shape our world. More often than not they are a testament to the talent and potential of the human species. But what if we are living on the cusp of a new era shaped not by mankind but by machines using Artificial Intelligence to build a post-human world. Science fiction? Not according to scientist and philosopher Nick Bostrom who runs the Future of Humanity Institute. Stephen Sackur asks, when truly intelligent machines arrive, what happens to us?(Photo: Nick Bostrom, director of The Future of Humanity Institute)

14 Sep 201523min

HARDtalk's Stephen Sackur speaks to a man who is currently involved in an election campaign which promises to have a profound impact on the future of Spain and significant reverberations around the whole of Europe. Raul Romeva is a champion of independence for Catalonia – he leads a coalition of pro-secession parties who are attempting to turn regional elections in late September into a de facto referendum on breaking away from the rest of Spain. It’s a cause which has united pro-independence forces on the right, the left and in Romeva’s case the Green wing of Catalan politics. He says that a resounding vote for Yes in this regional poll will put Catalonia on a path to independence within 18 months; but that may well be wishful thinking. The Madrid Governemnt is adamant that any moves toward secession will be unconstitutional. Spain faces a prolonged period of bitter argument. And even if the secessionists in Catalonioa got their way what kind of future would their land of 7.5 million have? Would it be allowed into the EU? Would the prosperous local economy thrive or collapse? These are issues which mirror the arguments heard during the Scottish referendum on independence. In an age of great uncertainty for all Europeans the Scots backed away from going it alone – will Catalans ultimately do the same?

11 Sep 201523min