This week’s Level Talk looks a global look at East-West tensions, revealing that things perhaps are not quite as bad as they seem. Dr. Tara McCormack, lecturer in politics and international relations at the University of Leicester and Mary Dejevsky, a prominent writer, and journalist based in London take part in this program.

Level Talk with John Harrison

The State of the Game at Year End

The Russian Olympic Committee and their staff are specifically accused of state-sponsored doping. However, there is little evidence to support this claim. What is the real reason?

The Real Reason for Banning the Russia Team From the Winter Olympics

British scientists have studied interplanetary dust that can travel through space at up to 70km per second. They calculate that if bio-particles high in the atmosphere could be dislodged from the Earth's gravity by incoming space dust, the same process could have happened in reverse.

We Are All Aliens?

President Trump threatened to pull out of the TPP during his election, and perhaps to his credit, did exactly that soon after becoming President. Since then, 11 countries mostly in the Pacific Rim have moved on without the US to form another agreement. But does the Asia Pacific region really need another trade agreement?

An 'Overlapping Noodle Bowl of Agreements' and TPP-II

The World Bank has recently issued a report on the influence of the economic development of India and China on the Russian economy. This is important, because what is happening now in terms of bringing the economies of these countries together has global importance. Let's look at some of the major economic alliances between Russia, China and India.

The Age of Economic Alliances Between Russia, China and India

The large-scale demonstrations which took place in Poland on Polish Independence Day on November 11th have not been given much attention in the international press. We are talking about 60,000 people shouting very strong nationalist, anti-Jewish, anti-migrant slogans in the middle of Eastern Europe.

Large Scale Fascist Demonstrations in Warsaw But the World is Silent

Former minister Baroness Shriti Vadera, who is now chairwoman of Santander UK, said that "the underlying promise of western capitalist economies - that a rising tide lifts all boats - has been broken". Can capitalism be fixed? If it can't, then what on earth do we do?

The Inability of Capitalism to Handle Climate Change

Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio has become one of the most popular Popes ever, but inside the Catholic Church, many hate him intensely. He drives a Fiat, pays his own hotel bills and controversially washed the feet of Muslim women refugees. He has provoked a ferocious backlash from conservatives who fear that the Church will split.

Divisions Within the Vatican Threaten Catholic Unity?

Observers may not realize the seriousness of events taking place in Poland. Some think the independence of Poland’s judiciary is under attack, the Polish government is becoming ‘populist,’ and Poland’s foreign policies are being leveraged to support certain autocratic policies.

Poland Heading for Autocracy and Isolation

In the midst of many bold statements about fake news, Donald Trump has threatened to shut down NBC and some other American networks. It seems very unlikely that any networks will actually lose their broadcasting licenses, but has freedom of the press in the United States already been seriously compromised?

How Free Is Speech in the United States?

We are used to describing Kim Jong Un as being psychotic, but are his actions in fact rational if we look at the geopolitical history of the region?

Have We Underestimated Kim Jong Un?

The CIA has applied for authority to conduct drone strikes in Afghanistan. This raises a number of extremely important questions about the politics of drone usage in general.

Ominous Development of the US Drone Program

According to a poll carried out for the Independent newspaper by BMG Research last week, the majority of British people believe that the UK should stay in the UK. If this change in attitude should prevail, is another referendum possible?

Can the UK Change Its Mind About Brexit?

We are used to treating houses as not only places to live in, but also as assets to invest into. The motto: ‘As safe as houses’ holds sway over our collective consciousness, and many see property as the easiest way to accumulate capital. Is this good or bad for our economies?

The Detrimental Effects of Ever Rising House Prices to Our Economies

Hollywood has long been respected as a centre of excellence – the world’s premier film making centre. And perhaps quite rightly so. But there is a mostly unknown aspect to Hollywood – the influence of Washington on scripts and production. The two authors of the new book ‘American Security Cinema’ reveal the extent of this involvement.

The Very Real Connection Between Hollywood and Washington

Level talk – debate program on current events hosted by John Harrison.

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Level Talk with John Harrison

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