as race diplomacy is the only way out of the stalemate as sanctions will dominate all sides the oil prices now have increased this comes at a time where birth europe and the year we're witnessing a very very dire economic situation economic problems both in the u.s. and europe and this latest step taken against iran will only of course said the president for increasing economic problems for the west in general escalation won't serve any side whatsoever we've seen the the economic situation in europe they'll be somewhat i believe very soon between the french leader and the german chancellor angela merkel to discuss the economic situation and so it's in nobody's interest to continue with this and i have to head back to the negotiating table the european union has agreed in principle i repeat it in principle for no for an embargo on iranian soil now will that happen in effect will they take this measure in practice june will will see a meeting on january the thirtieth for the european union regarding this matter i

doubt that that will happen i believe in from now until the end of this month until the end of january we might see some kind of a solution with players like turkey coming in trying to bring about a solution. and you can always share your take on this developing story so our web sites to tell us what you think of new sanctions on iran and so far over half of those who responded say ron will be pushed into a corner and see new sanctions as an act so next nineteen percent of you believe the u.s. measures simply won't walk sixty eight percent say sanctions will harm the world economy as all prices skyrocket and the minority think that sanctions will buy state iranian people instead of their government so cost you about it all to dot com. and also on our web site find out what you need for success in the pastry game as a world say they create heads for moscow to make some check out our new series on the foreign businesses forging their way in russia that's poz find this at all cheat

dot com. damascus has criticised the u.s. for sending an envoy to cairo for talks with the arab league about ending the assad regime squat down on dissent syria's foreign ministry says the u.s. is intense interfering in affairs that had none of its business damascus has pulled out heavy weapons and times from says after pressure from the arab league which says that security forces however are still killing civilians protesters london based political analyst chris bambery says america's actions indicate it's preparing for military intervention in syria. they have had this meeting with the arab league they are concerned actions against syria and the key ally in the sense of brize turkey has been involved in arming the free syrian free syrian army and training them and we know there are also american advisors in those camps in turkey training and i think when you combine. that all together. deploy the diplomatic route but also the involved with the free syrian army it begins to create

a dynamic with actually american one for the moment to be involved in military operation in syria be comparable not typo in that direction where you support it is clear that you have. and on to the support of the security forces and is not in immediate danger of toppling from power it also does not look like the free syrian army have the ability at the moment to overthrow or defeat the security forces in an open conflict and therefore more if they want to keep going down this road war western intervention via talk in jordan that we needed that is a very dangerous dangerous dangerous road as we know from previous history of a conflict going on in viet nam once you send advisors and trainers into a country it's very often the case that troops will force i think america is in danger of going a slippery slope which could lead to western intervention. paper says of finding a single republican kind of that represents the policy in the two thousand and twelve american presidential election officially gotten away in the state of iowa the results however were anything but decisive big spend may try many these are his

strongly conservative rival rick santorum by just eight trailing the two by a very small margin was long poll the only candidate who was against a war with iran and always before the by many people was still undecided after a republican election run up by sex scandals. and tape for tots pietà but despite all of that former congressional aide and diplomat joe rogan believes it's wrong poor shine's demise. in his foreign policy is very distinct from the other candidates in that he has a more isolationist viewpoint he wants the united states to retreat from international conflicts of international affairs in some areas that can be good he's opposed to military action with the ron he was opposed to the iraq war but the other candidates are all extremely hawkish on foreign policy very neo conservative and ron paul does stand out amongst them he makes voters want to support him but

inspire is leading the party in getting other republicans on board to really change the agenda no he hasn't done that he's someone who says i am a free american and i can make it on my own and that's what ron paul really embodies but republicans also understand that kind of positioning will not win the general election against president obama. as the republican campaign develops there's a growing question of just how much of a challenge obama can still pose to them and having come to power on a wave of hope four years ago his chances are beginning to look dana was many previously odd and supporters expressing frustration with this broken promises and corporate influence arena for small. three years ago one historic campaign turned u.s. politics into a pop culture phenomenon here. except for the democratic candidate achieved unprecedented support international fame and

a record breaking six hundred fifty million dollars in donations. thousands of new yorkers celebrated the victory clutching an enormous american flag hand sewn by obama supporters but the winds have changed and the very same democratic symbol waved in honor of the president elect in no way each strayed from a cherished right has been donated to them lou find that became a phenomenon in two thousand and eleven there are twenty people holding out david mulford out organize the flag project after being inspired by obama rhetoric a dream shattered by the subsequent years of politics as usual curly what's inspiring me is up as a lot of us like that that's the thing that's inspiring you know like that's why i brought the fight o.-w. us and the thing that inspired me about it is the fact that it's a grassroots movement. that had a like a very clear and transparent process artist shepard fairey seems similarly

disenchanted releasing an updated version of his iconic hope poster replacing obama with his now clear support for occupy wall street with an economy still in crisis wall street largely unregulated social programs slashed and over forty five million citizens on food stamps it all starts with making a decision to get in obama's familiar prose may not be enough to win back his familiar fan base who didn't produce what people wanted him to produce in two thousand and eight perfessor an offer dr cornel west was one of obama's biggest supporters i think you get the beers you got the new season. at the freshness taking part in more than one hundred campaign events but last april the prominent intellectual told r.t. that obama has failed he's the friendly face of the american empire abroad he's in the process actually of becoming very sadly

a pawn of big finance and a puppet of big business and any politician here knows they are in trouble when the hollywood a listers start turning their backs are you happy with the way that obama has been running the country. you know. and i think i really think he misinterpreted his. his mandate yet the approval ratings show voters are even more turned off with the alternatives leaving obama seemingly the lesser of two evils america's president clearly enters the twenty twelve race amid a growing band of disillusioned democrats most will still back barack obama over his republican rivals arguably with heavy hearts in two thousand needs he was the unassailable candidate of choice this time mr obama is likely to stay in by default. artsy new york. greece has warned it could ditch the year and leave

the euro zone in as little as three months unless the you must fund it with a second one hundred thirty billion euro bailout socials from both organizations and the european central bank visit the country in mid january to review how it's trying to cut its massive debts through austerity measures from minister lucas papademos has a stiff fine to union leaders to agree on cuts say positive reviews crucial talks over the bailout have stalled for months with credits as demanding an overhaul of greece's economy which they see as ultimately doomed to belgium business journalists your husband all of these that the game is already out of greece's exit from the euro zone is out of order for. the greek economy is going down like a storm. g.d.p. contracted by four percent in two thousand and ten by six percent in two thousand and eleven and there is probably worse to come in two thousand and twelve and i

think we are now at the point where everybody's research realizes that we can now go online live and. even the country is becoming so much of a threat that some drastic things need to be done and my reading of what the greek government is doing is that they are trying to they are looking for an alibi to offer to their public buy would say well it's not. our fault is the international community that pushes this towards the exits of the euro zone and i think also here in europe at the brussels headquarters of the european commission people start to realize they really are at the end of the road there is no other option left for them they're in a deadlock they cannot rewind the greek economy and so they are facing in a big black hole. it's seen as one of the biggest clients in modern day britain talking down violence there is perving difficult with the government seeing a firm response as the only means of dealing with it but there's growing criticism

that the times prove the city on the dressing their roots of the problem. is old. enough to know. the dark underbelly of life in britain's inner cities gang culture dramatized here for a television series for gavin it was real life he got into a gang to escape a feeling of powerlessness an abusive home life where money was a constant struggle. so. over the top. name for the crazy. people. at his lowest ebb gavin admits to having

stabbed a girl and his story isn't unusual in deprived areas nowhere is the question of how to solve the gang problem in london more relevant than new it lies in the shadow of london's two thousand and twelve olympic park but it's also got more gangs than almost anywhere else in london around here young people say you start just by hanging out with your friends on the streets and you end up in a spiral of gang violence and fear. in you and more than half of the kids are living below the poverty line and they don't feel the government's doing anything to help them how can you hold me. you have to have a. i don't. know in a bar or. in london and the neighbor. and the neighbor.

if the government really knew and understood would be happening. when gavin met sheldon thomas an ex gangster himself he turned a corner and they're now working in a team to get young people out of gangs the government claims it wants the same thing and having laid the blame for august's riots firmly at the door of gangs their solution the carrot and stick method are if you found some excellent police work to identify and manage the highest risk members through a combination of targeted surveillance enforcement and arrest for any offense however minor and positive offers of training employment and drugs treatment for those who want a different life. but for those not prepared to break away from violence they will face harsher and tougher punishments but this isn't going to work according to sheldon thomas who feels the government is forcing him at every turn what they do. the manifestation of gangs gun violence. gang rape drug

that's just a manifestation. of it to him from family breakdown moles on the window from the hole while the government rhetoric sounds encouraging other policies will undermine both carrot stick economic austerity cuts will mean sixteen thousand fewer police officers on the streets and services that deal directly with gangs now will have their funding cut by between twenty and ninety percent in some areas that means young people like gavin in the future will have nowhere to go but the st lawrence smith r t london. and the british government plans for the crown downs and criminal gangs some are already feeling the full force of the law in the u.k. to have been sentenced to fourteen and fifteen years behind bars for the racist murder of a black teenager almost two decades ago the judge said the punishment would have been much tougher if the men had been adults at the time the brutal stabbing of stephen

lawrence shocked the country as a starter example of racial division. also a landslide in the southern philippines has killed at least twenty five people with more than one hundred still buried in the rubble officials say days of heavy rains have caused the disaster troops are heading to they seem to try to rescue those trapped or missing and it's the same area where flash floods triggered by a tropical storm killed more than twelve hundred people last month. argentina's fifty eight year old president cristina fernandez de christian era has had a successful operation for the son of god per se but has left office four months to recover doctors predict a complete your with no meat cleaver sarup says the cancer has not spread just before surgery two hundred over power temporarily to the vice president fernando is one of reelection in october last year but was found to have just after starting her second four year term. in egypt the muslim brotherhood party is leading up to

the final third round of parliamentary elections with results due to balance next week the poll is the first democratic election in more than half a century and follows the void ousting the mubarak dictatorship in february earlier rounds were marred by clashes between protesters and the army it serving military generals remain in power despite the poll and face growing anger over the protests that have killed almost sixty eight since mid november. developments in egypt and elsewhere in the our world come into sharper focus next door now see as we talk to professor middle east politics jeremy.

thank you jeremy for joining us here on our team as well as call put it when it comes to the middle east the west talks i gently sickly and brutally if it's true if you agree with this what should be. what can be done to prevent syria from falling into these patterns look at what's been happening in the middle east and the policies the western governments of followed since the beginning of this year they have always had the the noble motive we're doing this for this very very good reason but we don't have to be terribly skeptical or cynical to understand that actually behind the noble motive is self-interest if we look at what happened in egypt the west backed mubarak right to the very last and there was no longer

possible to back him when it was indefensible they dumped him and with him with the president of tunisia and then they moved very very quickly on libya what was happening in libya. absolutely terrible in any case in the name of human rights they kind of attacked libya the same with syria you know it's kind of it's it's a protest movement it's democratic change and reform which are very worthwhile motives to support but there is another agenda there which has to do with broader global and regional strategies what has the libyan scenario failed in syria will the western powers change their tactics i think that libya was the template for syria kind of went to the u.n. they got the no fly zone was lucian and that opened up libya to aerial attack and i think they thought that they could repeat this in syria but it didn't prove to be possible largely because of russia actually because russia made it plain that it would not support another no fly and no fly zone resolution in the security council

so this left the government of britain france and the u.s. in particular with you know they had to work out what policy they were going to pursue you know still think they would like to intervene in syria but they realize it's not so much little or nothing as libya is a different situation altogether stakes are much higher the risk is much greater the danger is a much greater because intervention in syria how would you describe that whether you're talking about a buffer zone or you talk american military humanitarian call as a friend from. minister does it still adds up to the same thing as the invasion of another country and syria would resist that iran would get involved actively get involved it's hard to take the fall back position i think is to support. certain activities inside syria which are calculated in the downfall of the assad government and its replacement by. government will be formed presumably from. we presume to take take over in your book the unmaking of the middle east you

chronicled alone in a bloody history of western invasions in arab lands with all the efforts by the u.n. and arab league the dayton row of arab league is the threat of foreign military invasion for syria is in the past right or not yet of course is still a possibility of course as to the possibly. because it's risky for intervention would be risky however it was done would be to kind of maintain the support for what's happening inside syria on the part of the opposition like calculation would be that sooner or later these precious if they were interned would result in the collapse of the assad government well as compare syria with the lead and iraq to what extent the syrian national council similar to libya's national transitional council or iraqi national congress rocky national congress was almost a fiction the leader no support inside iraq whatsoever could live outside iraq for

a long long time and he was pumped up because they wanted to create this exiled body called the iraqi national congress so there was an iraqi voice in the propaganda war against saddam hussein the libyan situation the lives of the libyan transitional council as you know basically would affect us from the government tripoli they jump ship when it got too hot they took the lead in forming the then went to benghazi and the transitional national council for all of whom we didn't know we knew someone pulled over we can't say the syrian national council is largely composed or to mixture of people who have the roots who are inside syria but the dominant i think part exiles. has been in paris for a long time. washington has very very close ties with the state department you know what kind of clout what part of holder these people have inside

syria i would say not much so there are similarities between these councils and of course you know that the transitional national council when national transitional council in libya. recognized the syrian national council as a legitimate representative the syrian people it's not this is simple as that so it's kind of part of the campaign against syria of which that that now the loop is now the libyan government is now part elections at various levels country and to go in in syria with more had so what do you think will bashar al assad remain in power as a result and we have a very very dangerous situation in syria which could have exploded into a very very nasty. part of breakdown inside the country and could lead to a regional war. in this context let's see if this is given a few months and see how the process works does have. a base of support so i don't think you can say that the party would be doomed the moment they call free

elections that could do well. the close some team has been to die new stuff first plays to the most ambitious football club in the world. now r g goes to the far east where the tumor industry attracts the legendary siberian tigers where the ancient native community loses its way in the modern world. and

where the country's mineral wealth starts its way across the ocean. welcome to the mars creature russia blows up on our t.v. this is our time to reclaim the american dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth that out of many we are one that wall we breathe that we hope. to me the american dream is to live in peace and prosperity and freedom and a government under socialism is not a government afraid. to. have very motivated out cross the country who are activists who are willing to fight for what they think is right for themselves but in fact this border corporate agenda. i.

think. we are counting. properly drowning and i think it's spread out why it's cutting off our. it's making real democracy. all but impossible. right. from funds to. family. nice community wasn't which was an upscale it was just like you know archie bunker society ok then they started showing up what happened was my company

decided i could get cheap labor and they got rid of. negroes illegally legally we have to get up every morning we have to go to work and you know we have to pay our bills and we have to do it and that's just the american dream and if you want the american dream you have to go by the last. few years one of them to the united states. i watch and they run down my property and about this noise. all these people. from coming over the wire is protecting the country and the kind of guy who doesn't mind goodness sturdy so i come out here you know we're all immigrants as well that we all carry some sort.

loop.

welcome back this is also the headline it's. the ripples of tension from the passion of god by now being felt world wide as oil prices have jumped in response to the standoff between iran and the was over naval exercises on terror threats to supply routes for a new american sanctions this week to you is expected to formalize a binary imports of the reigning crude oil and later this. week from he wins the iowa caucuses by a whisker picking up the republican race to pick a challenger to oppose brought the bottom up for the white house the campaign trail moves next to new hampshire where the posse membership will be focusing on to be the strongest. allies on does

a mission and with the current president. and rees schools that may have to ditch the euro and leave the eurozone in march if it doesn't get a second bailout from the e.u. on the french european central bank troika the country needs one hundred thirty billion euros talk up the shoals come to inspect there's a story see measures to reduce its massive does which face huge public opposition. as the main headlines up next also the spotlight with all good will stay with us. hello again to welcome to spotlight the interview show on our since i now you know of and today my guest in the studio is blair ruben. all the big cities around the globe experience common problems like traffic jams pollution.