World Questions

World Questions visits Armenia at a crucial time in the country’s history. Following a popular and peaceful uprising last year, the country’s new Prime Minister, Nikol Pashinyan, won over 70% of the vote at recent elections. He says his political bloc will now lead an economic revolution that will help pull many of its people out of poverty. How will the new government deliver this transformation?...

The cannabis industry, reparations for slavery, how to tackle the fourth highest murder rate in the world: World Questions is in Jamaica to debate the big issues of a country which despite its problems has a host of successes in fields as diverse as academia, athletics, literature and reggae music. Chairing the debate in the capital, Kingston, is the BBC’s Jonny Dymond. His panel of guests are: Ka...

Brazil’s burning issues are discussed with an audience of Brazilians at the Cultura Inglesa in São Paulo. Jonny Dymond and a panel of leading politicians and commentators tackle the recent election of President-elect Jair Bolsonaro, the environment, racism and crime. On the panel: Luiz Philippe de Orléans e Bragança of the Social Liberal Party Margarida Salomão of the Workers’ Party Mércia Silva o...

India’s key issues are hotly debated with a Delhi audience at the British Council’s HQ. Anu Anand and a panel of leading politicians and commentators tackle jobs, pollution, fake news and the controversy over spending $430m building the world’s tallest statue. On the panel: Sambit Patra: National spokesperson for the Bharatiya Janata Party Saba Naqvi: Political journalist and author of Shades of S...

Following a swing to the right in elections last year, Austria is governed by a coalition between the ruling Conservative People’s Party and the far-right Freedom Party. It has taken over the presidency of the Council of the European Union with the motto, “A Europe that protects”, with a focus on efforts to prevent illegal immigration into the EU. Jonathan Dimbleby chairs a public debate on Austri...

BBC World Questions is in Copenhagen to host a debate on Denmark's future. It has a reputation for being one of the happiest places on the planet but for many that has always felt like a bit of a myth. Increasingly the challenges of immigration, integration, and high taxes are causing some Danes to question whether their country can still afford a generous welfare state. Others feel that new laws...

From Zimbabwe to Hong Kong, Washington to Seoul, World Questions showcases the views of a vast array of panellists and audiences from around the world. No two programmes are the same – yet the questions asked are often similar. Immigration, the environment, the rise of populism, wealth distribution and corruption - the themes are of universal concern. Jonathan Dimbleby highlights some of World Que...

In a highly charged debate, an audience of Zimbabweans debates the upcoming presidential elections, land reform, the economic crisis and the legacy of the former President, Robert Mugabe. Allan Little chairs the public debate with Paul Mangwana of Zanu PF, Welshman Ncube of the MDC Alliance, Fadzayi Mahere – independent parliamentary candidate, and Trevor Ncube – the journalist and publisher. BBC...

At a packed event in Seoul, a Korean audience debates unification, nuclear weapons and the cancellation of war games in the wake of the Singapore Summit between President Trump and Chairman Kim. Jonny Dymond chairs a public debate with Professor Moon Chung-in, the South Korean President's Special Advisor for Foreign Affairs and Distinguished Professor of Yonsei University; General Hwang Jin Ha, fo...

This month’s World Questions comes from the Czech Republic and tackles some of the big questions facing the country. In the capital, Prague, Allan Little brings politicians and commentators together to answer questions from the public. There was heated debate about billionaire Prime Minister Andrej Babis who has been struggling for months to form a coalition government. Which political direction s...

This month’s World Questions come to Ghana and tackles some of the big questions facing different countries across the globe - defence, the environment, religion, relations between women and men. In the capital Accra, Jonathan Dimbleby brings politicians, business leaders and other guests together to answer questions from the public in an exceptionally lively and exciting debate. These tough quest...

BBC World Questions is in Belgrade, the capital of Serbia - a pivotal country between East and West - for a heated debate at Bitef Theatre. Jonathan Dimbleby discusses Kosovo, the European Union, Russian sanctions and Serbian democracy with a diverse panel: Nebojša Stefanović, Interior Minister and Deputy Prime Minister of Serbia; Marija Janjušević, Member of the National Assembly for the right wi...

After an historic election, Nepal has chosen a communist coalition to run the country. Could this landslide victory for the Left Alliance mark a turning point for the country, and deliver a long awaited period of political stability and peace? Nepal has been through turmoil in recent years. A decade-long insurgency led by Maoist rebels left more than 17,000 people dead before a 2006 peace deal ush...

BBC World Questions comes to Madrid to discuss the future of Spain at a moment of high crisis. As the new parliament of the province of Catalonia takes its seats, Jonathan Dimbleby and a panel of politicians and thinkers debate the prospect of Catalonia breaking away from Spain. They also address the role of the monarchy and how the country addresses its past history of violence with a public audi...

With a general election on the horizon, Mexicans will soon decide who will become their new President - and which direction the country should now take. How should Mexico engage with the USA and President Trump? Will the wall between the two nations ever be built? What will happen to the Nafta trade agreement? And what positions will the presidential candidates take on drugs issues, inequality, co...

BBC World Questions comes to Nairobi to discuss the future of Kenya after two disputed elections. Kenya has the largest economy in Central and Eastern Africa. It is a proud democracy with a liberal economy, but the country is going through troubled times. After months of divisive legal and political processes it is experiencing its worst crisis for a decade. From the University of Nairobi with a l...

BBC World Questions comes to Moscow to discuss the future of Russia 100 years after the Russian Revolution of 1917. From the Digital October building, in the heart of the capital, BBC presenter Allan Little and a panel of politicians and thinkers debate the key issues facing the nation, with a lively audience. The state of democracy in Russia, Russia’s role in the world, the 2018 Presidential elec...

BBC World Questions, comes to Beirut to discuss the future of Lebanon and at a crucial moment in the history of the Middle East. From the American University of Beirut a panel of politicians and thinkers debate the key issues facing the nation, with a lively audience. The ongoing legacy of sectarianism and the civil war, how the nation can best achieve political change, Lebanon’s role in the Syria...

Opposition parties have pushed for a vote of no confidence in President Jacob Zuma, and later in the year, the ANC will vote on who will replace him as party leader. While President Zuma may have narrowly survived this week - South Africa's political future is far from settled. BBC presenter Nancy Kacungira is joined by a panel of leading politicians and a lively audience in Johannesburg to discus...

Hong Kong, on China’s Pearl River Delta, is one of the most densely populated territories on earth. It regularly ranks as the most developed financial centre globally, and the world’s most economically competitive place. On 1 July 1997 the sovereignty of Hong Kong was transferred from the United Kingdom to the People’s Republic of China. It was a landmark event that marked the end of British rule...

BBC World Questions comes to Paris following a dramatic presidential election. Support for the traditional parties of the left and right melted away and French voters were left with the stark choice between the politics of the Front National and the new centrist movement En Marche - led by 39-year-old former Socialist minister Emmanuel Macron. They chose Macron. But can he solve France’s many pres...

BBC World Questions is in Amsterdam in the aftermath of a fiercely fought election. Immigration, national identity and the role of the EU continue to divide Dutch society. The ruling party held back a surge of support for what they called the “wrong kind of populism” and a wave of small parties did well in the election, but immigration and assimilation are still matters of great debate. Jonny Dymo...

Jonathan Dimbleby hosts a panel discussion as President Trump’s administration starts to reshape the American political landscape. To his supporters, his promise to make America great again means more jobs, more security, controlled immigration and a foreign policy based upon putting America first. To his critics, he is plunging the country into an era of isolationism and prejudice. The country re...

BBC World Questions comes to Warsaw as Poland is in the midst of a new era of political change. Poland’s opposition leaders claim the ruling party, Law and Justice, is restricting democratic freedom and hobbling the nation’s highest court, the Constitutional Tribunal. Jaroslaw Kaczynski, the party's leader, says the opposition refuses to accept his party's victory in the 2015 election and its cont...

BBC World Questions comes to Rome to discuss the future for Italy at a key moment in its history. Paolo Gentiloni has recently been appointed as Italy's 7th Prime Minister in 10 years, but it is not only political stability that threatens the country. A banking crisis and economic conditions have the potential to impact the lives of all Italians and could even destroy the Euro. Youth unemployment...