In the days after World War II, a convenient story was told of church leaders and ordinary Christians that defied the Nazis from the beginning. Recent research has uncovered a very different story. Rather than resisting, the greater part of the German church saw Hitler's rise in 1933 as an act of God's blessing, a new chapter in the story of God among the German people.
This film, based on ground-breaking research, introduces the viewer to three of the greatest Christian scholars of the twentieth century: Paul Althaus, Emanuel Hirsch, and Gerhard Kittel, men who were also outspoken supporters of Hitler and the Nazi party. In 1933 Althaus spoke of Hitler's rise as "a gift and miracle of God." Hirsch saw 1933 as a "sunrise of divine goodness." And Kittel, the editor of the standard reference work on the Jewish background of the New Testament, began working for the Nazis to find a "moral" rationale for the destruction of European Jewry.
This provocative film asks: how could something like this happen in the heart of Christian Europe? Could it happen again? How does the scholarship of this period affect the church today? Does the church of today retain the ability to recognize profound evil?
Douglas Murray's speciality is in intelligently pointing out the blindingly obvious to all the bone headed careerists within politics, academia and the media. If nothing else the inability of the established classes to deal with this issue has revealed how incapable and unremarkable they are.
China has reminded the world it has a crucial role in any nuclear bomb and missile talks before Kim Jong Un's planned summits with both the South Korean and American Presidents. The North Korean leader's secretive talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing — which were not confirmed until he returned home — appear aimed at improving the leverage of both countries.
Ties between the long-time allies frayed recently as China supported tougher UN sanctions on North Korea and suspended coal and iron ore imports. Over the past couple of days in Beijing, it's all smiles and friendly handshakes.
Presenter: Elizabeth Puranam | Guests: Chad O'Carroll - Director of news site NK News; Einar Tangen - Chinese government adviser; Karl Friedhoff - Chicago Council on Global Affairs
Religious extremists are gaining increasing influence in Bosnia. Social workers are trying to keep young people away from radical Islamist preachers.
Bosnian social worker Vahidin Omanovic warns young people about the dangers of religious extremism, and offers them the vision of a peaceful future. 20 years after the end of the Bosnian War, his country still suffers from high unemployment and political stagnation. He’s worried by conservative Islamist preacher Elvedin Pezić, who's now popular with many young Bosnian Muslims. Pezić rejects violence, but advocates Sharia law and an ultra-conservative interpretation of Islam that has its origins in Saudi Arabia. The Saudis have promoted the spread of this variety of the faith in Bosnia and many other countries by financing the construction of mosques and supporting conservative imams.
Three years after launching air strikes in Yemen, Saudi Arabia is under attack. Houthi rebels targeted Riyadh and three other Saudi cities as they step up their response to the Saudi-led campaign in Yemen.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman defends his country's military intervention in the conflict in 2015, saying "the options are between bad and worse".
After three years the situation could not be any worse. About 10,000 killed in the fighting, thousands more dead from the worst recorded outbreak of cholera, and millions facing famine.
The UN calls Yemen the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. And the complex relationships and divisions of all those involved in the conflict make any hope of a settlement even more remote.
Presenter: Elizabeth Puranam | Guests: Mohammed Jumeh, columnist and editor at the Al Quds newspaper; Adam Baron, visiting fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations; Suze van Meegen, protection and advocacy adviser at the Norwegian Refugee Council
Could the Brexit vote be invalid? Claims by an insider that the Vote Leave campaign may have broken British spending laws could call into question the entire Brexit vote. The CBC’s Wendy Mesley talks to British Labour MP Ben Bradshaw, who says he’s outraged that Theresa May’s government isn’t doing enough about it.
On March 22, Foreign Policy at Brookings hosted the minister of foreign affairs of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, H.E. Adel Al-Jubeir, for an Alan and Jane Batkin International Leaders Forum. In his remarks, the foreign minister provided perspectives on Saudi Arabia’s role as a regional leader for stability and reconstruction.
It was an abrupt end, by tweet. After months of speculation and denial, Donald Trump turned to Twitter to fire America's top diplomat.
Democrats say the loss of Rex Tillerson is yet another sign of chaos in the White House. Trump blames policy differences and lack of "personal chemistry" for the departure of the US Secretary of State.
The president's choice to replace him is CIA Director Mike Pompeo - whom he says, shares the same 'thought process'.
Will Rex Tillerson’s replacement toe the line with the President’s vision for foreign policy?
Presenter: Laura Kyle | Guests: Michael O'Hanlon - Senior Fellow, Brookings Institution; James Moran - Associate Senior Research Fellow, Center of European Policy Studies; Glenn Carle - Former CIA officer
'The Legal Case for Striking North Korea First' and 'To Stop Iran's Bomb, Bomb Iran' are just two of the articles penned by John Bolton in leading US newspapers over the years.
Donald Trump's choice for national security adviser appears to match the President's confrontational views on the rest of the world.
This muscular stance often rejects consensus-building and supports using American economic and military power to punish anyone who doesn't fall in line.
What signal is the White House sending to the rest of the world now?
Presenter: Sohail Rahman | Guests: Jim Walsh, Senior Research Associate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Security Studies Program; Evan Resnick, Coordinator in the United States Programme at the Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies; Ali Fathollah-Nejad - Visiting Fellow at the Brookings Doha Center.
In this week’s UpFront, we discuss reform in Saudi Arabia under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and the country's role in the war in Yemen.
Debating in a Special Arena are self-exiled Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, founder of the Arabia Foundation Ali Shihabi, and the executive director for Human Rights Watch’s Middle East and North Africa division, Sarah Leah Whitson.
And as Donald Trump takes full credit for 2017 economic growth in the United States, we set the record straight with a Reality Check on the “Trump Bump”.
This week's Question Time, filmed in Leeds. Topics include the row over Facebook data being harvested by Cambridge Analytica, and the generational divide over Brexit. Panellists: James Cleverly MP (Conservative Party), Shami Chakrabarti (Labour Party), Stewart McDonald MP (SNP), Peter Hitchens, Paris Lees
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman is reported to have boasted that he has US President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner in his pocket. And leaked documents allege a major fundraiser for the President was offered business deals from the Gulf to influence U.S. policy.
The potential role of foreign money in the Trump White House is attracting the scrutiny of Special Counsel Robert Mueller. Are these lobbying efforts reshaping the Middle East?
Presenter: Jane Dutton | Guests: Mahjoob Zweiri - Director of the Gulf Studies Center, Qatar University; Khalil Jahshan - Executive Director, Arab Center Washington DC; Afshin Shahi - Senior Lecturer of Middle East Politics, University of Bradford
The Saudi Crown Prince is promoting himself as a social and an economic reformer - reinventing his Kingdom for the modern era. But since his rise to power last year, Mohammed bin Salman has been a controversial figure. He has put together a range of reforms at home, including easing restrictions on women's rights, and a more open policy on entertainment and public performances. And he is behind a major anti-corruption drive targeting the Saudi elite, which critics say also removes domestic rivals.
The United Nations says the Saudi bombing campaign in Yemen has contributed to one of the world's worst humanitarian crises. And the Crown Prince has hit out at Iran, comparing the country's Supreme leader to Adolf Hitler. And now reports have emerged of a plan to reshape the political map of the Middle East and fracture the Gulf Cooperation Council.
Presenter: Laura Kyle | Guests: Joe Macaron - Policy analyst at the Arab Center Washington DC; Rami Khouri, a Senior Public Policy Fellow and adjunct professor of journalism at the American University of Beirut; Sami Hamdi, Editor-in-Chief of International Interest
About 110 million voters are given the chance to choose a President for Russia, and the spotlight is on one man - Vladimir Putin. He has led the country for almost two decades - either as President or Prime Minister.
Many voters credit Putin, a 65-year-old former KGB spy, with standing up for Russia’s interests. But others say there's no alternative. The election comes at a time when relations with the US are compared to the Cold War and Moscow's accused of poisoning a spy in Britain.
So what do Russians expect from their leader?
Presenter: Laura Kyle | Guests: Pavel Felgen-haeur - Columnist with Novaya Gazetta; Anna Borsh-chevskaya - Fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy; James Nixey - Head of the Russia and Eurasia programme at the foreign affairs think-tank, Chatham House
As special counsel Robert Mueller continues his probe into Russian meddling in the 2016 election, we take a look back at Washington’s record of meddling in elections across the globe. By one count, the United States has interfered in more than 80 foreign elections between 1946 and 2000. And that doesn’t count U.S.-backed coups and invasions. We speak to former New York Times reporter Stephen Kinzer, author of “Overthrow: America’s Century of Regime Change from Hawaii to Iraq.”
The rhetoric of the Cold War appears to be back - with strong words at the UN Security Council and the expulsion of 23 Russian diplomats from Britain.
The US, France and Germany along with the UK have issued a joint statement blaming Moscow for the poisoning of former spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter in the UK.
The apparent unity in the West though comes at a time of friction over Brexit and an unpredictable White House. Russia says the accusations are 'insane' - and that Britain is refusing to cooperate with Moscow in the investigation of the incident.
Is there a rush to judgment by western powers on Russia?
Presenter: Adrian Finighan | Guests: Vyacheslav Matuzov, a former Russian diplomat; Matthew Goodwin, Senior Visiting Fellow in the Europe Programme at Chatham House; Fabrice Pothier, Former Director of Policy Planning for NATO
When the blockade against Qatar began in June last year, the question on everyone's lips was: why!? A new Al Jazeera investigation suggests the answer does not lie in events of eight months ago, but those of more than two decades ago.
The report reveals new evidence of an attempt by Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt and Bahrain, to overthrow the Qatari government in 1996. It includes interviews with coup leaders who conspired to remove the Emir of Qatar at the time - Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani. He is the father of the current Emir.
The investigation implicates leaders from all four blockading countries. It says the committee formed to organise the 1996 coup was led by many who are the helm of power in some of the blockading countries On Inside Story, an in-depth discussion on why the anti-Qatar quartet has been targeting the regime in Doha. />
Media reports say the U.S. is considering selling nuclear reactors to Saudi Arabia. Analyst Ali al-Ahmed is skeptical, and says Trump has just removed the fig leaf of concern for human rights abuses by the Gulf dictatorship.
The red carpet has been rolled out at Buckingham Palace and Number 10 Downing Street in London for Mohammed Bin Salman on his first trip abroad since he became Saudi Crown Prince.
The 32-year old became heir to the throne after a palace crisis last June. Since then, he's continued his country's involvement in the war in Yemen, launched the blockade of Qatar and began what his government calls an anti-corruption drive. Dozens of high profile princes and businessmen were arrested and held in a hotel accused of corruption.
His country is accused by human rights organisations of widespread abuses, and has been criticised for its conduct of the war in Yemen, a conflict which has caused a humanitarian catastrophe. So what will be the impact of his visit, both for Saudi Arabia and the UK?
Presenter: Richelle Carey | Guests: David Hearst - Editor-in-chief of Middle East Eye; Khalil Jahshan - Executive Director of Arab Center Washington DC; Anas Altkriti - President of the Muslim Association of Britain
As Italians head to the polls on 4 March 2018, discontent over immigration and persistent economic problems dominate the agenda. Mark Urban reports on an unpredictable election.
Italy may be the next Western democracy to witness a populist uprising, spurred by a young political party called the Five Star Movement. Ahead of elections in early March, the party's candidate for prime minister, Luigi Di Maio, is championing tax cuts and anti-immigrant rhetoric while vowing to clean up Italy's bureaucracy. NewsHour Weekend Special Correspondent Christopher Livesay reports.
He is considered the shining star of a grass roots movement called 5 star that has shaken up the Italian political landscape. Luigi di Maio, 31, in just five years has gone from unemployed university dropout to the front-runner candidate for Prime Minister. The anti-establishment movement he leads is now Italy’s most popular party. His rise to power was as meteoric as that of the Five Star Movement.
Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner has a reputation for being one of the president’s closest and well listened to advisers.
But his role in the White House is being scrutinised because of US media reports about the impact his business ties are having on US policy. Questions are being asked whether or not he’s misused his influence to secure money for his family's business from foreign countries.
Another concern is whether he helped Russian interference in Trump's election campaign.
All that while the president’s appointed Middle East peace broker had his top level security clearance downgraded last week.
Is that a sign of more chaos in the president's inner circle?
Presenter: Mohamed Jamjoom | Guests: Clyde Wilcox - Professor of Government, Georgetown University; Bruce Fein - Former US Associate Deputy Attorney General; Rami Khouri - Senior Fellow, Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy, American University of Beirut
Theresa May acknowledged in her speech today that Britain will have less access to EU markets after Brexit. However, she also asked for some special rules to apply to the UK after Brexit. Meanwhile, Brussels says it will not accept cherry-picking. Also, Silvio Berlusconi returned to the political center stage in Italy ahead of elections on Sunday. And Donald Trump caused an international uproar over steel and aluminium tariffs.
