Hardtalk

When the Nobel Committee awarded this year's Peace Prize to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), its staff was on the ground in Syria overseeing the removal and destruction of the country's chemical weapons. Sarah Montague travelled to Oslo to speak to the Director General of the OPCW, Ahmet Uzumcu as he collected the prize. Does the work of his organisation mean peace is more likely in Syria?

HARDtalk is in Cape Town to meet Francois Pienaar who captained the South African rugby team when it won the World Cup in 1995. Before the game Nelson Mandela walked into the stadium in Johannesburg wearing the Springbok rugby jersey, which was once seen as a symbol of white minority rule. It came to be viewed as a defining moment for the emerging ‘Rainbow Nation.’ Francois Pienaar went on to develop a friendship with Nelson Mandela. George Alagiah asks him whether the hope and optimism generated that day is still alive today?

Stephen Sackur talks to Senator Marco Rubio, Republican Senator for Florida. Viewed from across the Atlantic American politics is a mess. A stand off between Congressional Republicans and President Obama temporarily shut down the federal Govt. Healthcare reform is a battleground, immigration reform is blocked. Senator Rubio is widely seen as a possible contender for the White house in 2016. Do the Republicans have what it takes to win a national election?

For the last few years the EU has been under enormous strain. Amid the bail outs, austerity and rising unemployment some Europeans have come to see the EU as part of the problem, not the solution. HARDtalk speaks to Martin Schulz, the President of the European Parliament. He’s one of Europe’s most powerful advocates of more integration, but is he out of tune with Europe’s mood?

Is the stability and unity of the European Union threatened by internal migration? Over the past decade millions of people from the accession countries of Eastern Europe have taken advantage of the EU's integrated economic space to live and work in the union's richer countries. But now there are signs of a political backlash, not least here in Britain. Stephen Sackur speaks to the EU commissioner for Employment and Social Affairs, Laszlo Andor. Has Europe's freedom of movement gone too far?

Thanks to Edward Snowden's leaking of American intelligence secrets the whole world now knows the extent of US-UK surveillance of global phone and internet traffic. Have the revelations flagged up a corrosive infringement of individual liberty, or undermined efforts to protect the world from terrorism? HARDtalk speaks to journalist, Glenn Greenwald - he broke the Snowden story. His mission, he says, is to hold power to account. Is this a journalistic crusade that's gone too far?

Ukraine had an historic opportunity this week to move toward full integration with the European Union. EU leaders wanted to seal an association agreement which would have drawn one of Europe's largest nations firmly into Brussels' orbit. But Ukraine's president walked away from the deal, in favour of closer ties with Russia. Why? HARDtalk speaks to Petro Poroshenko, billionaire Ukrainian businessman and former minister. East or West - where do Ukraine's real interests lie?

From genetic engineering to bioscience, human beings are close to acquiring the ability not just to combat disease, but to enhance and perfect our species. But should we seek to do it, or should we shy away from a path that led to Nazi eugenics? HARDtalk speaks to the Australian born, Oxford based medical ethicist Julian Savulescu. Can we trust ourselves to be wise masters of our own biology?

Mental illness is the invisible scourge of modern life, and it comes with a stigma. To admit to depression, or another illness of the mind, has been to risk being labelled as weak, self-indulgent or mad. Ruby Wax wants to change that. She made her name as a comedian and TV entertainer; long experience of depression eventually took her into neuroscience and psychotherapy. Mental illness raises difficult questions, where did she find answers?

What exactly is progressive politics? In the rich world it’s identified with the centre left, with a faith in the state's ability to ameliorate the perceived excesses of market capitalism. HARDtalk speaks to Roberto Unger, an influential Brazilian political philosopher who has a much more ambitious take on what it means to be progressive. He calls himself a revolutionary, but is the world - rich or poor - ready for his progressive revolution?

In India, producing surrogate babies is a booming business. Reproductive technology allows childless, wealthy couples to hire impoverished Indian women as surrogate mothers - pregnancy and childbirth have become commercial transactions. HARDtalk speaks to Dr Nayna Patel, a pioneer in the field. Her clinic has been recruiting surrogates and delivering babies to order for a decade. Is this 21st century way of making babies irresponsible and exploitative, or a positive public service?

Stephen Sackur talks to Paolo Scaroni, boss of one of Europe's energy giants, the Italian oil company ENI. While the US benefits from massive investment in shale gas production, Europeans focus on decarbonising their economy while bickering about the relative merits of fracking, nuclear, and renewable energy. How can Europe best safeguard its energy future?

HardTalk's Stephen Sackur talks to Paul Massara, the Chief Exec of Npower, one of Britain's biggest energy suppliers. Rising gas and electricity bills are putting an enormous strain on millions of households and the energy companies stand accused of unjustifiable profiteering. It has become one of Britain's hottest political issues. Why are prices so high and is it time for an overhaul of the energy market?

The high price of oil is powering Nigeria's economy to new heights. This year, it's predicted to have grown by over six per cent. So why do some experts say it's more vulnerable now than it was during the global economic meltdown of five years ago? The Governor of Nigeria's Central Bank, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi has accused politicians of flooding the country with dollars to lubricate election campaigning for a presidential poll that's still 18 months away. By then, Governor Sanusi's term of office at the bank will be over. Could he have his eye on a new one - in the presidential palace?

HARDtalk travels to Jerusalem to speak to Yuval Steinitz, Israel’s Minister for intelligence affairs and international relations. There is an unmistakable sense of diplomatic apprehension in Israel right now – at the heart if it a recognition that on a number of key issues, from Iran to peace talks with the Palestinians, the Israeli Government is out of step with its key strategic ally the Unites States. In strategic terms, can Israel afford to go it alone?