Centre Stage

John Mearsheimer is a political scientist and influential scholar in international relations who is best known for his theory of offensive realism. Mearsheimer talks to Al Jazeera’s Rawaa Auge about the wars in Gaza, Ukraine and Lebanon and how global and regional powers support and arm the belligerent parties. Mearsheimer also weighs in on the 2024 US presidential election, and the minefield that...

Jeremy Scahill is an American investigative journalist and author. He co-founded Drop Site News, a non-partisan organisation dedicated to reporting on major stories while focused on accountability and accuracy. Scahill joins Al Jazeera’s Phil Lavelle, to dissect the 2024 US presidential election, American interests in the Middle East, Israel’s war on Gaza and what the future of journalism may look...

Chase Oliver is the Libertarian Party’s presidential candidate in the 2024 US election. He joins Centre Stage to talk to Al Jazeera’s Phil Lavelle about why having more voting options is important, and what the US would be like under Libertarian governance. Oliver also offers his take on US foreign policy, how he’d tackle diplomacy with allies and addresses current conflicts. Connect with us: @AJE...

Arab Americans are expected to play a critical role in the upcoming US presidential election. And, while they’ve traditionally voted Democrat, that seems to be changing, leading some to talk about a political chasm within the Arab American community in the wake of Israel’s war on Gaza, and American support for that war. In this episode: Maya Berry ( @iMayaBerry ), executive director of the Arab Am...

In part 2 of this episode of Centre Stage, we conclude our interview with Clive Stafford Smith, a civil rights lawyer who represents Aafia Siddiqui, a Pakistani American woman serving an 86-year prison sentence — a victim, says Stafford Smith, of the United States’s so-called “war on terror”. In this episode: Clive Stafford Smith ( @CliveSSmith ), civil rights lawyer and legal counsel for many of...

In part 1 of this episode of Centre Stage, our guest is Clive Stafford Smith, a civil rights lawyer and legal counsel for many of the prisoners at Guantanamo Bay. His best-known client is Aafia Siddiqui, who he says is a victim of circumstance, and should never have ended up on the FBI’s Most Wanted list after the 9/11 attacks in the US.  In this episode: Clive Stafford Smith ( @CliveSSmith ), civ...

Refik Hodzic is a journalist, filmmaker and an expert in transitional justice who has also worked as a spokesperson for the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia. Hodzic joins us on Centre Stage, where he draws parallels between the Bosnian genocide and the war in Gaza, discusses the role of Western governments in achieving justice, and explains why young people are his only ho...

In this episode of Centre Stage, our guest is veteran journalist and editor-in-chief of The Middle East Eye, David Hearst. His career spans decades of reporting on Eastern Europe, Russia and the Middle East. Hearst talks about why he thinks we’re currently witnessing the collapse of the Western governance model, and how the mistakes of the West are linked to the war on Gaza.  In this episode: Davi...

The trailblazing leader of Slovenia who became the country’s first female president did it without the backing of a political party. President Natasa Pirc Musar had a diverse career as an attorney, journalist and former information commissioner. A staunch advocate for human rights, President Musar talks about Slovenia’s recent recognition of Palestine, and why a reform of the UN Security Council i...

In this episode of Centre Stage, the former president of Tunisia, Moncef Marzouki, explains how being a medical doctor has helped shape his political career, and why the Arab Spring has been a failure — “everywhere”. Moncef Marzouki was Tunisia’s first president after the Arab Spring uprisings. But less than a decade after he was sworn in, and following a coup, Tunisia’s new government stripped hi...

For six months, people have watched Israel’s war on Gaza and heard words like genocide, apartheid, and ICJ become part of the daily news lexicon. For some, it can be difficult to follow and fully understand. Noura Erakat is a human rights attorney, an associate professor at Rutgers University, and an advocate for justice and equality for Palestinians. Speaking on Centre Stage with host Rawaa Auge,...

Diana Buttu is an international lawyer, a former legal adviser to the PLO, and a staunch defender of the Palestinian cause. Buttu debunks the myth that hostilities in Gaza began only after the October 7 attacks, looks at what’s behind the defunding of UNRWA, and challenges Israel’s often-repeated claim of having the most “moral army in the world.” In this episode: Diana Buttu ( @dianabuttu ), inte...

Mustafa Barghouti joins us on Centre Stage. He talks with to us about confronting Israeli oppression, the realities of what he calls Israel’s “system of fascists” and he hints at his political future.  In this episode: Mustafa Barghouti ( @MustafaBarghou1 ), secretary general and co-founder of the Palestinian National Initiative Rawaa Auge ( @Rawaak ), presenter at Al Jazeera Digital Connect with...

In this episode of Centre Stage, our guest is Ilan Pappé. He’s an Israeli historian and professor at the University of Exeter. Pappé is known for his outspoken views on the Israeli-Palestinian question - drawing both praise and criticism. He’s the author of several books including "The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine", in which he challenges the traditional Israeli narrative over the establishment o...

In this episode of Centre Stage, our guest is UN special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories Francesca Albanese. She is an international lawyer with a focus on human rights, migration and the displacement of refugees. Albanese has been vocal and critical of Israel and its partners. Her assessments are blunt. And when describing Israel's actions in war, she does not hold back. In thi...

In this episode of Centre Stage, Harry Hagopian talks about the interfaith mosaic of Islam, Judaism and Christianity within the Israel-Palestine context and describes his role during the Oslo Accords. He also sheds light on the often forgotten, if not also overlooked or neglected, indigenous Christian population of the Holy Land. Harry Hagopian, an Armenian Christian originally from Jordan, is an...

Omar Shakir is the Israel and Palestine director at Human Rights Watch. He has spent years documenting and investigating human rights abuses and Israeli crimes against humanity across Israel and the occupied Palestinian Territories. He joins us to explain the processes and difficulties in carrying out his job as well as provide an overview of the long list of crimes Israel has committed against Pa...

Dr. Omar Suleiman talks about the oppression of pro-Palestinian voices in the West, the growing Islamophobia and how it lends itself to racism. In this episode: Dr. Omar Suleiman ( @omarsuleiman504 ), American Muslim scholar and civil rights leader Dareen Abughaida ( @DareenAG ),  Principal Presenter at Al Jazeera English  This episode is produced in partnership with the Islam and Muslims Initiati...

We sit down with Peter Oborne to discuss the role of the media in shaping the narrative around the war on Gaza and the growing divide in the West between political stance and public opinion. Oborne has authored several books including The Rise of Political Lying and The Triumph of the Political Class. He was also the former chief political commentator of the Daily Telegraph and currently writes a...

We sit down with former Israeli negotiator Daniel Levy to discuss the war in Gaza from historical, inter-faith, and geopolitical perspectives. Levy served under Prime Minister Ehud Barak, and Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin during Oslo B negotiations. He also discusses the Palestinian right of return, the consequences of the Oslo negotiations and addresses anti-Semitism and Islamophobia.  In this epi...

In this episode, we hear from Palestine’s Ambassador to the United Kingdom, Husam Zomlot as he reflects on the war in Gaza, the double standards it exposed, the road to peace and responds to questions about Palestinian leadership and the decades-long aspiration for statehood and self-determination. In this episode: Husam Zomlot ( @hzomlot ), Palestine’s Ambassador to the United Kingdom Sandra Gath...

In this episode of Centre Stage, Dr. Ghassan Abu Sitta shares his experience as a surgeon in different hospitals in Gaza during the ongoing Israeli war. Dr. Ghassan Abu Sitta is one of the world’s leading specialists in plastic and reconstructive surgery. The British-Palestinian surgeon is a passionate and active humanitarian and has worked as a war surgeon in numerous war zones including Iraq, Le...

In this episode, Dr. Rania Awaad explores modern psychology concepts in Islamic tradition, modern psychology and spirituality, and psychology in traditional Islamic medical literature. She is a recognized leader in Muslim mental health in the United States. She has pioneered by establishing the first Muslim Mental Health Community Advisory Board (BAMMH CAB) in the U.S. Dr. Awaad has also establish...

In this episode of Centre Stage, Sarah Joseph explores issues related to the representation of Muslim women in mainstream media. We discuss the common tropes and stereotypes, and what needs to be done to alter this image in media. Sarah Joseph is an influential powerhouse in Muslim Media who is the founder, editor, and CEO of EMEL Media Group - a platform that has created a shift in the way Muslim...

Baroness Sayeeda Warsi talks with Jamal Elshayyal about her Pakistani heritage and her illustrious career at the heart of British politics. They cover a wide range of subjects, from her humble Yorkshire beginnings to the many rights of women in Islam, and why she chose to join the centre-right Conservative Party. Baroness Warsi is a member of the House of Lords and the UK’s first Muslim Cabinet Mi...