Amanpour

The defense of Ukraine is top of the agenda for European foreign ministers meeting in Brussels today. With a new year ahead, and a new American administration too, the urgent question is how to end the war soon. Few know better what those negotiations would look like, and the cost of any deal, than former Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba, who joins Christiane from Kyiv.  Also on today's sh...

This week on The Amanpour Hour, Chrisitane explores the aftermath of the stunning fall of Syria’s Assad regime, unpacking its geopolitical ripple effects with the view from Europe and what Trump 2.0 might do, featuring EU Foreign Policy Chief Kaja Kallas and former Pentagon official Elbridge Colby. Then on the ground in Syria, Jomana Karadsheh reports from Daraya, the birthplace of Syria's anti-re...

The Syrian people are still celebrating what so many never thought possible, a country free of Bashar al-Assad. But amid the joy, there is much uncertainty about what lies ahead, and also deep pain, as the heinous atrocities from the past decades are coming more and more to light. Stephen Rapp has been laser-focused on bringing Assad to justice for years, gathering and documenting all the evidence...

On Wednesday night the United Nations General Assembly demanded an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire in Gaza, and also condemned a new law in Israel that will ban the operations of the relief agency UNRWA. UNRWA head Philippe Lazzarini is on a tour of capitals that support the agency's work, trying to get that ban reversed. He joins Christiane in London.   Also on today's show: Gold...

Both outgoing and incoming US administrations hope there’s momentum for a ceasefire and hostage deal in Gaza. Qatar has played the central mediator role throughout, and this weekend regional leaders gathered there to discuss an end to this war. Christiane Amanpour spoke in Doha to foreign ministers Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani from Qatar, Espen Bart Eideh from Norway and Subra-Manyam Jaishank...

In the early hours after Syrian strongman Bashar al-Assad's fall, rumors flew of secret prison cells locked by fleeing guards, deprived of inside of food, water and even oxygen. Today, the Association of Detainees and the Missing say that the notorious Saydnaya prison is now empty, with the White Helmet rescuers confirming "no evidence of undiscovered secret cells or basements." But before that co...

There is a new reality in Syria and the road ahead is still unclear. After rebels swept into the capital Damascus in lightening speed and ended half a century of oppressive rule by the Assad family. Rami Jarrah has reported for years on the human toll of violence in his country, often under a pseudonym for his safety. He joins Christiane today from Berlin.  Also on today's show: UN Special Envoy f...

In his first trip abroad as President-elect, Donald Trump attended the reopening of the Notre Dame Cathedral. Dispensing with protocol, world leaders like Emmanuel Macron are eager to meet with him to take the measure of the man they know as a deliberate disruptor to the world stage. One leader who know him very well is former German Chancellor Angela Merkel. She joined Christiane in Washington to...

The challenges in Eastern Europe extend beyond Ukraine’s borders. Romania's constitutional court has annulled the first round of its presidential election amid allegations of Russian interference. In Georgia, a week of anti-government demonstrations has been met by a brutal police response. And one of Ukraine’s most vocal supporters, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis, is leaving o...

The Middle East is in meltdown, and perhaps some of the rawest descriptions aren't coming from aid groups or reporters but from writers. Palestinian poet Mosab Abu Toha was forced to flee his home in Gaza a year ago. Since then, he and his wife say they have lost almost 100 family members in the violence. Watching from afar in the US, Mosab has released an acclaimed collection "Forest of Noise" wh...

Many South Koreans are demanding President Yoon Suk Yeol either resign or be impeached after he sprung a surprise declaration of martial law late last night, shocking the country's allies across the world, particularly the US, which has nearly 30 thousand troops posted in the country. Joining the program to discuss what comes next to is former US Ambassador to South Korea Kathleen Stephens.  Also...

The shocking decision by South Korea's president today to declare martial law spurred protests erupted at the National Assembly, and, within hours, lawmakers unanimously rejected the declaration. Senior American officials say they are "very concerned" by what's happening there. Kenneth Choi is the International Editor for one of South Korea's major newspapers, he joins the program from Seoul.  Als...

As Asia prepares for a whole new America under Donald Trump, Christiane speaks with US Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel. Plus, no women in combat and ditching diversity issues. Is this the future under Trump's unconventional defense pick? We dig into the real-world impact with former US Defense Secretary William Cohen. And as the great American play "Our Town" returns to Broadway, Michel Martin sp...

This Thanksgiving, The Amanpour Hour focuses on the power of bridge-building. Following a contentious election, America feels more divided than ever. Renowned political scientist Robert Putnam joins Christiane to reflect on the reasons driving Americans apart and how to rebuild those communities. Former Israeli and Palestinian leaders Ehud Olmert and Nasser al-Kidwa join forces and discuss their s...

Syrian rebels say they've entered Aleppo for the first time since 2016. We bring you the latest from the region. Then, Pakistan's capital is turned upside down by anti-government protests. We speak to the former Pakistani ambassador to the US. Plus, "Sugar Cane" is a new documentary exploring the horrific abuse at indigenous boarding schools run by the Catholic church. The filmmakers join us to di...

Some governors, led by J-B Pritzker of Illinois and Jared Polis in Colorado, are trying to strengthen their own state-level institutions to protect against the promised retribution of President Trump. Colorado Governor Jared Polis joins Christiane from Boulder.   Also on today's show: former Ukrainian Defense Minister Andriy Zagorodnyuk; James Beard Award-winning Chef Bryant Terry, author of "Blac...

A ceasefire deal between Israel and Hezbollah appears within reach. A spokesman for Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing Likud party says they have approved it, and Lebanon's government has agreed to the US-backed proposal, after the speaker of Lebanese Parliament Nabih Berry received Hezbollah's approval to move forward. Elias Bou Saab is the deputy speaker of Parliament, and he joins Christiane from...

It's been one year since the only hostage and ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas led to the release of over 100 captives taken on October 7th. Around 100 hostages are still believed to be held inside Gaza today. Aviva Siegel was released as part of that deal last November, but her husband Keith, an American-Israeli citizen, remains in captivity. Aviva Siegel joins the show from Israel.  Also...

The show opens with Bianna Golodryga speaking to David Scheffer, former U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for War Crimes Issues, about the legal implications of the International Criminal Court’s unprecedented arrest warrants for Israeli leaders over alleged war crimes. Plus, Bianna interviews Dan Osborn, a union steamfitter and former Senate candidate from Nebraska on why working-class Americans abandoned...

Vladimir Putin's assault on Ukraine, which now includes new medium range ballistic missiles, now appears to be getting a boost from Kim John Un. North Korean fighters are showing up alongside Russian forces, and the Kremlin is using North Korean-made missiles, but as correspondent Nick Paton Walsh reports, they're reliant on American components.  Also on today's show: Laila El-Haddad, Palestinian-...

In a groundbreaking move, the International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza, the first time the ICC has targeted the leader of a democratic country and a close ally of the United States. Israeli author and journalist for Haaretz Amir Tibon join...

"We have a very real opportunity to bring this conflict to an end" was the assessment of US envoy Amos Hochstein, who is bringing a ceasefire proposal to Lebanon and Israel. Both the Lebanese government and Hezbollah are said to have responded positively. In the meantime, Israel has been intensifying its air strikes, even inside Beirut. Nabih Bulos is Middle East Bureau Chief for the LA Times, bas...

Today marks 1,000 days of war in Ukraine and for the first time ever, Ukraine has fired long-range missiles into Russia. Meanwhile, the Kremlin is escalating its own campaign against Ukraine, blanketing the country with drone and missile attacks. Former Republican congressman Adam Kinzinger is concerned about what Donald Trump's return to the White House could mean for Kyiv and for American democr...

The stakes in Ukraine have again been laid bare. A Russian ballistic missile hit Odesa today, killing at least eight people, with children among the seriously injured. So the news that President Biden will allow the use of powerful long-range American weapons inside Russia may feel timely, although Russia says the decision will throw "oil on the fire." Dara Massicot is a senior fellow in the Russi...

As President Trump transitions into the White House for a second term, some of his cabinet appointments—stacked with MAGA loyalists—are shocking even Republicans and raising questions about their implications for U.S. policy at home and abroad. This week Christiane examines how these staffing decisions could reshape America’s role on the global stage, with Richard Haass weighing in on the risks Tr...