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There are more signs that the United States is disengaging from the global order established after World War II.

President Donald Trump has ordered his administration to pull out of more than 60 agencies, half of them part of the United Nations.

Trump argues that being a member of these organisations is contrary to his country’s interests.

The secretary of state went as far as saying they’re useless or wasteful.

This move has prompted global outrage, with the UN saying its ‘responsibility to deliver’ will not waver.

So, where does this all leave the multilateral global order?

Presenter: James Bays

Guests:

Adolfo Franco – Republican strategist and former adviser to US Senator John McCain

Andrew Gilmour – Former UN assistant secretary-general for human rights

Matthew Duss – Executive VP of the Center for International Policy and a former foreign policy adviser to Senator Bernie Sanders

The United States’ abduction of Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro has been sharply criticised by his allies – but not by Western nations, despite questions about its legality.

So, does the operation signal a new aggressive US strategy? And what might the global impact be?

Presenter: Adrian Finighan

Guests:

Charles Shapiro – Former US ambassador to Venezuela under President George W Bush

Stefan Wolff – Professor of International Security at the University of Birmingham in the United Kingdom

Ernesto Castaneda – Director of the Center for Latin American and Latino Studies at the American University in Washington, DC

This film explores how the Spanish empire built its global dominance by fusing military conquest, religious conversion and imperial wealth.

At the heart of the Spanish expansion was the close alliance between crown, church and conquest. Military campaigns were inseparable from missionary efforts as conversion to Christianity became both a justification for empire and a tool of control. Faith and force advanced together, reshaping societies across the Americas.

Through the conquests of the Aztec and Incan empires, the documentary shows how Spanish power was established through violence, alliances and religious authority. The mission system spread across the Americas, reorganising Indigenous life around churches, labour regimes and colonial administration. Conversion promised salvation but enforced obedience and cultural destruction.

The film also examines the economic foundations of Spanish imperial power. Vast quantities of gold and silver were extracted from the Americas alongside the exploitation of Indigenous and enslaved labour. These resources fuelled European economies, financed global trade and helped integrate the Americas into an emerging world system built on extraction and inequality.

By tracing how faith, conquest and wealth operated together, the documentary reveals how Spanish colonialism shaped global capitalism, religious power and imperial governance. It shows how the legacies of conquest, forced conversion and resource extraction continue to influence social inequality, cultural identity and economic structures in the modern world and how current global superpowers like the United States and China adopt this model to their benefit. It also draws on the parallels between the erasure of cultural artefacts then and today’s “algorithmic colonisation”.

As global crises multiply and trust in international institutions erodes, the United Nations faces growing questions about its relevance and authority. Thirty years after pledges to end hunger and reduce inequality, progress is stalling, wars are spreading, and UN Security Council vetoes are paralysing action.

In this episode of Talk to Al Jazeera, UN General Assembly President Annalena Baerbock reflects on the UN’s credibility, the limits of the UNSC, and whether a more assertive UNGA can drive reform before the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals deadline.

US special forces seized Venezuela’s president, Nicolas Maduro, in an attack that has taken the country and the world by surprise.

Maduro has long denied accusations by US President Donald Trump of heading a narcotics cartel.

So, what are the implications of Washington’s actions?

Presenter: James Bays

Guests:

Phil Gunson – senior analyst for the Andes Project at the International Crisis Group

Richard Weitz – US security analyst and senior fellow at the NATO Defense College

Temir Porras – foreign policy adviser to former Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and former chief of staff to Maduro

Millions of Americans are facing a huge increase in the amount they have to pay for health insurance.

A dispute about government subsides for healthcare was one of the major issues that led to a 43-day shutdown of the US government last year – the longest in history.

But even when the shutdown ended, Republicans and Democrats failed to agree on and extension of the the subsidies.

As the clock struck midnight on January 1 – the health costs for 24 million people rose dramatically

So, what’s the impact for those in need? And how much politics is involved?

Presenter: James Bays

Guests:

Lindsay Allen – Health Economist and Policy Researcher at the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University

Neel Shah – Physician and Chief Medical Officer of Maven Clinic

Rinah Shah – Political Strategist and Geopolitical analyst

Thousands of people in Iran have been protesting as a dire economic crisis takes a heavy toll on their daily livelihood.

From a sharp fall in the currency’s value to a steep rise in inflation, Iran’s economy has reached what many describe as a breaking point.

This time, the government has adopted a different approach as protests continue, calling for a dialogue mechanism.

But as the country reels from longstanding sanctions, what does the leadership have to offer?

And what would the consequences be if the protests escalate?

Presenter: James Bays

Guests:

Ali Akbar Dareini – Researcher at the Center for Strategic Studies

Marzie Khalilian – Political analyst and academic researcher

Stephen Zunes – Professor of politics and founding chair of Middle Eastern studies at the University of San Francisco

It all began more than a decade ago. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates were the pillars of a coalition created to fight the Houthis who had taken control in Yemen.

Over the years, that mission failed. Then the UAE set out to pursue its own long-term interests by supporting and arming a group called the Southern Transitional Council (STC) in the south of Yemen.

But Riyadh stepped in to disrupt what it saw as a national security threat after the STC seized control of areas close to its borders.

The UAE was given 24 hours’ notice to withdraw – an ultimatum it agreed to.

So what does all this mean for the future of Yemen?

Presenter: James Bays

Guests:

Abdul-aziz Al Ghashian – Senior non-resident fellow at Gulf International Forum

Alkharder Sulaiman – Southern Transitional Council spokesman

Andreas Krieg – Associate professor at the School of Security Studies, King’s College London

Syria’s new leader has been trying to stabilise his country and reintegrate it globally since he took office in January.

But outbreaks of sectarian violence are threatening President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s efforts to rebuild the country after 14 years of civil war.

The latest flare-up on Sunday saw protesters from the Alawite minority group come face to face with supporters of the government in the coastal cities of Latakia and Tartous. Government troops sent to stop the violence were attacked. The once-powerful community says it is being marginalised.

How big a security threat are the protests and violence?

How can President al-Sharaa calm tensions?

Presenter: Adrian Finighan

Guests:

Fadel Abdulghany – Founder and executive director of the Syrian Network for Human Rights.

Gamal Mansour – Specialist in comparative politics and international relations

Labib Nahhas – Director of the Syrian Association for Citizens’ Dignity

A diplomatic breakthrough after more than 30 years of international isolation, following its break-up from Somalia.

But Israel’s recognition of Somaliland as an independent state is drawing widespread condemnation.

Somaliland is strategically located near the Bab al Mandeb, through which a third of the world’s shipping crosses into the Red sea.

That makes it vital for maritime security and intelligence operations in a volatile region.

Will more countries follow Israel and recognise Somaliland?

Presenter: Adrian Finighan

Guests: Adam Matan, Independent Horn of Africa Consultant.

Alon Pinkas, Former Ambassador and Consul General of Israel in New York.

Xavier Abu Eid, Political Scientist specialising in Palestine and Israel.

Months after being attacked by the United States and Israel, Iran finds itself in the crosshairs again, with Israeli officials lobbying US President Donald Trump to address Tehran’s ballistic missiles.

Veteran Iranian diplomat Javad Zarif tells host Steve Clemons that “everybody lost any faith in diplomacy” after Israel and the US attacked Iran following five rounds of reconciliation talks between Washington and Tehran.

Zarif added that Israel has historically thwarted every opportunity for reconciliation between Iran and the US, and that Trump’s style of diplomacy is disastrous, as it creates “negotiations that end up in war”.

In today’s conflicts, women and girls are facing escalating violence with near-total impunity. From mass rapes in Sudan to attacks on schools and shelters in Gaza and Syria, and the segregation of women in Afghanistan, protection is collapsing as wars intensify. Speaking to Talk to Al Jazeera, UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed warns that violence against women is not a side issue but a front-line threat to peace and development. With funding shrinking and the political will faltering, she confronts hard questions about the world’s failure to protect those most at risk.

“More to come”: Those are the words of United States Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth after his country carried out a wave of air strikes against ISIL (ISIS) in northwestern Nigeria.

Hegseth said the aim is to stop the group’s killing of what he called “innocent Christians”.

Back in November, President Donald Trump warned the US would take action against the group if the Nigerian government continued to allow what he claimed was the targeting of Christians.

Many say Trump was pressured by his right-wing Christian base in the US to carry out the recent attacks in Nigeria. But what could be the fallout on the African country with a highly complex religious makeup?

Presenter: Adrian Finighan

Guests:

Malik Samuel – Senior researcher at Good Governance Africa

Ebenezer Obadare – Senior fellow for Africa studies at the Council on Foreign Relations

David Otto – Deputy director of counterterrorism training at the International Academy for the Fight Against Terrorism

As 2025 comes to an end, there is still no sign of peace in Sudan.

The conflict between the army and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) began more than two and a half years ago and has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced millions.

This week, the prime minister presented a peace plan to the United Nations Security Council. It would see the RSF give up its weapons and the territory it controls.

The RSF says the plan is “closer to fantasy than to politics”.

Where does this leave Sudan’s future?

Presenter: Sami Zeidan

Guests:

Ahmad Ibrahim – independent Sudan analyst

Cameron Hudson – former director of African affairs at the United States National Security Council

Khalid Medani – chairperson of the African studies programme at Canada’s McGill University

Beyond armies and violence, France built its empire through language, schooling and cultural influence. This film explores how assimilation became a method of rule and a source of resistance.

At the heart of French colonial rule was the mission “civilisatrice”, a doctrine that claimed to lift up colonised societies through education, administration and the French language. In practice, this system sought to reshape colonised people’s identities, loyalties and cultures, replacing local traditions with French norms while maintaining strict political and economic control. Schools, legal systems and bureaucracies became tools of empire as powerful as armies.

Through case studies in Algeria, Indochina and West Africa, the documentary shows how colonial administrations operated on the ground. In Algeria, settler colonialism and mass repression led to war. In Indochina, education and bureaucracy coexisted with exploitation and nationalist resistance. In West Africa, language policy and indirect rule reshaped social hierarchies and governance.

This episode examines how resistance movements challenged the promise of civilisation, forcing France to confront the contradictions at the heart of its empire. Anticolonial struggles, intellectual movements and armed uprisings not only weakened imperial rule but reshaped French politics, culture and identity itself.

The documentary also places French colonial strategies in a broader modern context. In the contemporary world, the United States projects influence less through formal empire and more through soft power. Hollywood cinema, television and digital platforms circulate American values, lifestyles and narratives globally, shaping cultural imagination in ways that echo earlier imperial projects. At the same time, US dominance in higher education, academic publishing and institutional standards helps define what knowledge is valued, taught and legitimised worldwide.

It also draws direct connections between French colonialism and the modern world. Contemporary debates over language, immigration, secularism and inequality are deeply rooted in colonial systems designed to classify, discipline and extract. Many modern state institutions, education models and economic relationships reflect structures first imposed under empire.

By tracing how cultural control, education and administration functioned as instruments of power, the documentary reveals how the legacy of French colonialism continues to shape modern capitalism, global inequality and postcolonial relations today.

As the year comes to an end, a deal between the Syrian government and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces was expected to come into force.

Instead, fighting has erupted between the two sides in the northern city of Aleppo.

They later agreed to stop the fighting, while blaming each other for the violence.

That deal was supposed to lead to the SDF integrating with the army, but it is stalling on how that should be implemented.

This renewed tension comes as Damascus faces other threats, ranging from ISIL (ISIS) to recurrent conflicts with the Druze community and continuing attacks by Israel.

So what does this complex security situation mean for Syria, a year after the fall of Bashar al-Assad?

Presenter: Dareen Abughaida

Guests

Haid Haid – Researcher at Chatham House

Steven Heydemann – Professor and Middle East Studies programme director at Smith College

Omer Ozkizilcik – Nonresident fellow for the Syria project in the Atlantic Council’s Middle East programme

Fighting has escalated between Cambodia and Thailand, forcing hundreds of thousands of civilians to flee their homes on both sides of the neighbouring countries’ border.

Now, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is taking the lead in attempts to end the violence and reach a peace deal.

All this comes after an attempt by United States President Donald Trump to end the war failed.

The Thai and Cambodian foreign ministers are set to meet in the coming days in hopes of reaching what Thailand has called a “true ceasefire”.

But without any letup in the long-running conflict, what will it take to bring it to an end?

Presenter: Dareen Abughaida

Guests:

Chheang Vannarith – Chairman of Angkor Social Innovation Park and a former assistant to Cambodia’s defence minister in 2011 and 2012

Ilango Karuppannan – Adjunct senior fellow at the Nanyang Technological University and former Malaysian High Commissioner to Singapore

Phil Robertson – Director of Asia Human Rights Labour Advocates and former deputy director of Human Rights Watch’s Asia Division

Tensions are growing in Bangladesh after the killing of a student leader of last year’s uprising that ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Elections for a new government are due in February.

So, how volatile is the political situation?

Presenter: Dareen Abughaida

Guests:

Taqbir Huda – human rights lawyer and Clarendon Scholar at Oxford University

Asif Shahan – professor of development studies at the University of Dhaka

Fahmida Khatun – executive director at the Centre for Policy Dialogue in Bangladesh

After years of support from the United States for the Ukraine war to continue “as long as it takes”, the Trump administration is now pushing to end Europe’s war – quickly and imperfectly.

While details are still under negotiation, they include issues such as ensuring Ukraine never joins NATO and Russia’s control over about 20 percent of Ukraine.

To understand the implications for Europe, the US and their relations, host Steve Clemons speaks with Kurt Volker, Trump’s former special representative for Ukraine negotiations, and retired Colonel Heino Klinck, former director of US Army international affairs.

In 2017, a reckoning over sexual violence called “#MeToo” swept the globe. Eight years later, has the movement done enough for survivors? And what will it take for some of the world’s most powerful men accused of sexual misconduct to face consequences?

This week on UpFront Marc Lamont Hill speaks to founder of the Me Too movement, Tarana Burke.

The Department of Justice has released files related to the late convicted sex offender and financier Jeffrey Epstein after mounting pressure led President Donald Trump to sign the Epstein Files Transparency Act last month. Trump, who himself has been accused dozens of times of sexual assault and misconduct, has already appeared in photos, emails and other documents in connection with Epstein, causing a rift in his base. Other business elites, academics, politicians and world leaders have also been named in connection to Epstein. While some have faced minor consequences, only Ghislaine Maxwell has been criminally convicted as part of Epstein’s sex trafficking of minors. Will newly released documents lead to new convictions and genuine accountability for survivors?

European farmers are protesting against the EU-Mercosur deal.

That is as signing has been postponed until January, due to disagreements in Europe.

The European-South American deal, planned for more than 25 years, would create the world’s largest free-trade zone.

So, why is there division?

Presenter: Folly Bah Thibault

Guests:

Pieter Cleppe – Editor-in-chief at BrusselsReport.eu
Ciaran Mullooly – Member of the European Parliament for the Independent Ireland group
Gustavo Ribeiro – Founder and editor-in-chief of the Brazilian Report online newspaper

The United States is reviving a policy first set out in the 1800s that treats Latin America as its strategic sphere of influence. As Washington expands maritime operations in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific, critics warn of legal violations and rising regional instability.

Uruguay’s Foreign Minister Mario Lubetkin joins Talk to Al Jazeera to discuss US strikes, Venezuela, migration pressures, and China’s growing role in the region — and whether diplomacy can still prevent escalation in a hemisphere shaped once again by power politics.