i'm stephen sackur. 0ver welcome to hardtalk. i'm stephen sackur.ver the next 30 years, africa will experience a transformative population africa will experience a tra nsformative population explosion. will it be for good or ill? that depends on whether africa's nations can deliverjobs, depends on whether africa's nations can deliver jobs, housing depends on whether africa's nations can deliverjobs, housing and infrastructure to enable 2 billion people to thrive. it is in a pre— sedans and leadership challenge. mike yesterday as former nigerian president 0lusegun 0basanjo. —— might guest today. he has just published a blueprint for african prosperity. does governance in his own country inspired confidence or scepticism? —— inspire. form of resident 0lusegun 0basanjo, welcome to hardtalk. —— former president. stephen, it is a pleasure to be with you here again. well, it is nice to have you again. let me ask you a simple question. is the potentially explosive population growth we are going to see in africa over the next generation or so, is that the c

stephen sackur speaks to the turkish novelist orhan pamuk.elcome to hardtalk, i'm steven sackur. —— welcome to hardtalk, i'm stephen sackur. in this age of the internet, we've come to expect instant access to knowledge but real deep understanding takes longer to acquire and to share. my guest today is one of the world's most acclaimed novelists, nobel prize winner, orham pamuk. he's lived almost all of his life in istanbul, writing stories about turkey which have, over decades, painted a vivid picture of a country and society pulled between east and west, past and future. what is the key to understanding orham pamuk‘s turkey? orham pamuk, welcome to hardtalk. very pleased to be here. i want to start with the book, the novel that has just been published in english, the red—haired woman, your latest. it is built around relationships between fathers and sons. and ijust wonder why you were so drawn to that theme? in 1988, i was finishing one of my novels, during summer, and in the land next to me, an oldish man and his disciple started digging a

he is attending a summit in italy and stephen sackurfrom attending a summit in italy and stephen sackuring to him. the interview goes out tomorrow on bbc news. mr graham had this rather controversial quote about saying it is tough, but if there were to be a first strike by the us, the people who would die would be in north korea, and therefore we don't feel the same as if we were contemplating something that might mean people dying in the united states. it is not a pleasant idea under any circumstances, but what he has said in response to having' it back at him is, don't this understanding, but if something doesn't change, it is inevitable that america will have to engage in a first military strike because north korea seems hell—bent on developing technology. is there a kind of drumbeat towards this in washington that you are detecting?” don't think there is a significant drumbeat, no more than there has been. there are plenty of people who, and this is particularly true of republicans in congress, who say, we cannot allow north korea to get to the stage where it has a fully functional

now on bbc news it's hardtalk with stephen sackur. welcome to hardtalk. i am stephen sackur. donald trump embraces disruption. what does that mean for america's national security and foreign policy? at first glance it seems to herald a new era of confrontation from the korean peninsular to the mexican border. but are there limits to the president's break with convention? well, may guest is veteran diplomat and adviser to a host of republican members, john negroponte. does this presidency marked a permanent shift in america's global while? —— role? john negroponte, in washington, dc, welcome to hardtalk. thank you. let me start with some words if i may that you wrote or at least you co— site ina that you wrote or at least you co— site in a very public letter during the presidential campaign last year. it was a grim warning about donald trump as future president. you said then, he in your view could be the most reckless president in american history. you had eight months to judge him. how do you feel about it now? let mejust judge him. how do you feel about it now? let me just

i'm stephen sackur.elations between the us and russia are at a post—cold war low point, filled with mistrust, unpredictability and potential danger. in washington, there's a president whose mixed messages tie his own staff in knots. meanwhile, in moscow there's a president who seems intent on exploiting western division. my guest today is konstantin kosachev, chairman of the russian senate's foreign affairs committee and an influential russian voice on foreign affairs. does russia see opportunity in diplomatic chaos? konstantin kosachev, in moscow, welcome to hardtalk. thank you. you have been a diplomat and an experienced observer of international affairs since the 1980s. can you ever remember a time when the russia—us relationship was more dysfunctional, more unpredictable? well, i have studied historical relations between our two countries during the cold war period and definitely, we have had much worse examples of frozen relations between our two countries. so what is happening right now is definite

welcome to hardtalk, i'm stephen sackur. has the eu got its mojo back? after a bleak decade of economic stagnation, internal dysfunction and public discontent, officials in brussels claim the tide has turned, but is there really a renewed appetite for deeper european integration while britain is still fumbling for the exit door? my guest is former italian prime minister, eu commissioner and ardent integrationist mario monti. are reports of the eu's revival somewhat premature? mario monti, welcome to hardtalk. pleasure. why is there a new integrationist spirit abroad in the european union? i don't quite understand it. last year i was writing articles and giving speeches on the process of disintegration of the eu. which looked very real as a prospect. which looked very real. the main reason why it looked real last year was, in my view, the cynical behaviour of most heads of governments of member states concerning the eu. they went to brussels to take together decisions supposedly in the interests of the eu, but really each of them was narrowly minded on hi

i am stephen sackur. to pigeonhole creative types: writer, musician, actor — they get a label. i talk to a guest who defies simple description — punk is perhaps the only word that captures the spirit of henry rollins. he first found success in the punk band black flag back in the early eighties. since then he's variously made a name as a non—conforming writer, broadcaster, actor and intrepid traveller. how hard is it to swim against the cultural tide in the united states? henry rollins, welcome to hardtalk. thank you sir. i want to talk about punk. can you still have a punk sensibility in your 50s? i think so. for me punk rock is different for everyone you asked to define it. it was always the idea of questioning authority and cutting through it getting to the what is it of the things. the older i get, the more important it becomes. the early days of punk rock i think of the sex pistols, and i think of anger and rebellion against what was and the status quo. were you full of anger as a kid? full of anger

i'm stephen sackur.e african national congress, the iconic movement of south africa's liberation struggle, close to the end of its productive life? if so, will its demise be quick, or slow and painful? at the end of this year, the current party leader and president of the country, jacob zuma, will quit as party chief. a host of candidates, including his ex—wife, are vying to replace him. my guest is former interim president of south africa and anc stalwart, kgalema motlanthe. are the most respected anc members ready to contemplate a new political home? kgalema motlanthe, welcome to hardtalk. thank you. thank you, stephen. thanks to the viewers. it's a pleasure to have you here. and if i may, i'll start with some of your own very well chosen words, from a year ago. back then, you said "if the anc is no longer addressing the problems of our people, well, we may as well begin writing its obituary." have you written its obituary? not yet. not yet, you know, because the obituary really is to be written by the

now on bbc news, stephen sackur speaks to the turkish author

i'm stephen sackur. if the african national congress, the economic movement of south africa's liberation struggle, close to the end of its productive life? so, close to the end of its productive life? s0, will its demise be quick, or slow and painful? at the end of this year, the current party leader, jacob zuma, will quit as party chief. a host of candidates, including his ex—wife, are vying to replace him. my guest is former interim president of south africa and anc store water, kgalema motlanthe. are the most respected anc members ready to contemplate a new political home? —— anc stalwart. kgalema motlanthe, new political home? —— anc stalwart. kgalema motla nthe, welcome new political home? —— anc stalwart. kgalema motlanthe, welcome to hardtalk. in kew. thank you stephen. thank you to the viewers. —— thank you. i will start with some of your own very words. you said if the anc is no longer addressing the problems of our people, we may as well begin writing its obituary. have you written that obituar

stephen sackur speaks to the turkish novelist 0rhan pamuk.

i am stephen sackur.here is a special breed of business leaders who acquire a public profile far beyond their core business. think of donald trump, richard branson, and many others. is a flamboyant richard branson, and many others. is a fla m boya nt style richard branson, and many others. is a flamboyant style and versification into sport and media necessarily good for the bottom line? my guest todayis good for the bottom line? my guest today is one of asia's best—known businessmen, tony fernandes, boss of airasia, formula 1 investor, football owner, and dabbler in reality tv. is it easy to lose sight of what matters most to the success of what matters most to the success of business? tony fernandes, welcome to hardtalk. thank you very much. you have been in business for three decades now. is the tony fernandes that does business today different from the young man who set out?” business today different from the young man who set out? i had to think a little bit smarter, a little bit older and wiser, but

i‘m stephen sackur.

i am stephen sackur.re is a special breed of business leaders who acquire a public profile far beyond their core business. think trump, branson, and a host of others. but is a flamboyant style and diversification into sports or media necessarily good for the bottom line? my guest today is one of asia's best—known businessmen, tony fernandes, boss of airasia, football club owner, one—time formula 1 investor, and a dabbler in reality tv. is it easy to lose sight of what matters most to business success? tony fernandes, welcome to hardtalk. thanks very much. thanks for having me. you have been in business for, what, three decades now. is the tony fernandes that does business today different from the young man who set out? i hope to think a little bit smarter, a little bit older and wiser, but in principle the same, the same tony fernandes from 30 years ago. what about attitude to risk? umm, maybe a little bit more cautious, maybe thinking a little bit more. but overall, i don't see much difference. i think d

welcome to hardtalk, i'm stephen sackur.y guest today is a hugely influential contemporary music maker, once styled the brainiest man in pop. except the word "pop" doesn't fit brian eno. he was a member of the achingly cool roxy music in the early ‘70s, but he went his own way, developing ambient music, creating audiovisual installations, and collaborating with a host of big names, including bowie, u2 and coldplay. his output has been prolific and varied, but what is he? musician, composer or an artist impossible to label? brian eno, welcome to hardtalk. you have got a body of work, musical creativity that spans almost five decades. and yet you have in the past described yourself as an non—musician. what do you mean by that? when i started using that term, i had appeared at a point where there was a huge stress on musicianship, and there were bands playing, very things with their backs turned to the audience. —— very complicated. i didn't come into music from that route, i did not come into music from learning an instrument

he spoke hardtalk‘s stephen sackur in 2009.guest today has been a hugely influentialfigure in the performing arts for more than 50 years. sir peter hall has directed stage greats from olivier to gielgud. as boss of the royal shakespeare company and then the national theatre, he's always championed state funding for the arts. but with economic hard times come tough questions — are taxpayer subsidies really necessary to foster creative excellence? sir peter hall, welcome to hardtalk. thank you. you have had a long career, more than 50 years in the theatre. you've worked through good times and bad times, what is the state of the theatre today do you think? well, first of all one must use the word subsidy and say, you know, with less subsidy things would be healthier. i've even heard that said from the right. but the thing that worries me is if we stop subsidy next week, there's still a subsidy, and it's a subsidy that the artists give. i don't think the public has any understanding whatsoever that although a few great stars may be

i'm stephen sackur. is the way we use words changing? us probably write less than we used to, read less than we used to, and spend far more time staring at screens and tapping out messages. does it matter to our relationships, our politics, our culture? well, my guest today is conviced it does. howard jacobson‘s meditations on life, love, jewishness, and a whole lot more have won him awards, including the man booker prize. but is he an artist swimming against an irresistible cultural tide? howard jacobson, welcome to hardtalk. i am delighted to be here. thank you for having me on. i want to ask you to reflect on a long writing career. how long, do you think, it took to you to find your own authentic writers‘ voice? 20 years. 20 years from being — from finishing university, and thinking i'm out in the world, and now i'm going to write, and 20 years before i could write anything that looked to me like a book. i'm tempted to ask, then, what kept you. that is what many people asked. especially those who thought i would never be a novelist an

i'm stephen sackur.o pigeonhole creative types — writer, musician, actor, whatever, they get the label. except my guest today defies simple description. punk is perhaps the only word which captures the spirit of henry rollins. he first found success in the punk band black flag, back in the early ‘80s. since then, he's variously made a name as a nonconforming writer, broadcaster, actor and intrepid traveller. how hard is it to swim against the cultural tide in the united states? henry rollins, welcome to hardtalk. thank you, sir. i want to start with that word ijust used — punk. can you still have a punk mindset, a punk sensibility, in your 50s, which you now are? i think so. for me, i think punk rock is different perhaps to anyone whom you ask to define it. for me, it was always the idea of questioning authority, looking for truth, and cutting through it, basically, and getting to the what is it of the thing. and the older i get, the more important that becomes to me. the word i always think of when i th

i'm stephen sackur.t today has one of the most distinctive voices in all of rock music, and a record of success going back to the 1980s. chrissy hynde‘s band, the pretenders, first made it big in the era of punk. she is still making music some three decades on, but is she still in love with rock and roll? chrissie hynde, welcome to hardtalk. is music as big a part of your life now as it's ever been? no, not at all. because? well, because when i was a teenager listening to the radio, it was really the only thing i was interested in, and now it's... for many reasons, that's changed. maybe because there's not so many bands... i would love bands, but now it has all changed a lot. technology has changed it too. i can't access things so simply any more, so i've got a bit out of touch, i think. so that you as a consumer of music, but for you as a performer, a songwriter, and a performer as well, is there is much of a buzz about that as there ever was? yes, i think so. that part of it, that's... that's always a

he spoke to hardtalk‘s stephen sackur in 2009.y my guest today has been a hugely influential figure my guest today has been a hugely influentialfigure in my guest today has been a hugely influential figure in the my guest today has been a hugely influentialfigure in the performing a rts influentialfigure in the performing arts for more than 50 years. sir peter hall has directed stage greats from 0livier to gielgud. as boss of the royal shakespeare company then the royal shakespeare company then the national theatre, he's always championed state funding for the arts. but with economic hard times come tough questions, our taxpayer subsidies really necessary to foster creative excellence? sir peter hall, welcome to hardtalk. thank you. you have had a long career, more than 50 years in the theatre. you work through good times and bad times, what is the state of the theatre today do you think? well, first of all one must use the word subsidy and say, you know, with less subsidy things would be healthier. i've even heard that said from