Who was to blame for Sri Lanka’s crisis? | Head to Head

When Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled the country in 2022 – amidst mass protests and an economic crisis– parliament elected veteran politician and six-time Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. As President, Wickremesinghe negotiated the country’s biggest bail-out, but his critics say…

Inequality, corruption and police brutality in Kenya: Mehdi Hasan & Kimani Ichung’wah | Head to Head

In 2024, thousands of young Kenyans took to the streets to protest the country’s deepening cost-of-living crisis and the controversial finance bill proposed by the government of President William Ruto. Authorities responded to the protests with a brutal crackdown that killed dozens of Kenyans and …

Is China a threat or a partner to the West? | Head to Head

Since the outbreak of COVID-19, tensions have mounted between China and the United States. In this special edition of Head to Head, we ask if the West is heading towards a new Cold War with China. In part one, we challenge retired US Brigadier General Robert Spalding, a former senior director for…

US healthcare: A cure worse than disease? | Head to Head

In this episode, Mehdi Hasan goes Head to Head with two guests with opposing views. In part one, he challenges Lanhee Chen, chief architect of former Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney's campaign. Chen argues that "the employer-sponsored system ... has been the linchpin of a quality sys…

US coronavirus catastrophe: Who is to blame? | Head to Head

With more than 146,000 deaths and counting, the United States has been the hardest hit country by COVID-19. In this first episode of a special Head to Head series, we challenge prominent members of the Republican and Democratic parties on their handling of the crisis. In part one, Mehdi Hasan cha…

Blackwater's Erik Prince: Iraq, privatising wars, and Trump | Head to Head

In this episode of Head to Head, Mehdi Hasan challenges Erik Prince, the founder and former CEO of Blackwater, on his security firm’s performance during the Iraq war, the “exit strategy” he’s proposing for the war in Afghanistan, and his support for US President Donald Trump. During the early year…

Has #MeToo failed? | Head to Head

In this episode of Head to Head, Mehdi Hasan challenges public intellectual and feminist icon Germaine Greer on why she criticises the #MeToo movement against sexual harassment and assault. When the Harvey Weinstein scandal erupted in Hollywood in October 2017, a tsunami of accusations of sexual h…

Is it time to rethink democracy? | Head to Head

In this episode of Head to Head, Mehdi Hasan challenges the renowned economist and thinker Dambisa Moyo on why she believes liberal democracy is under siege and requires a radical overhaul. The best-selling author first made waves with her book Dead Aid where she argued that foreign aid was preser…

Trump: Global threat or new world order? | Head to Head

In this episode of Head to Head, Mehdi Hasan challenges former Trump campaign national security director, JD Gordon, on allegations of collusion with Russia, the US president's foreign policy agenda and what it was like to work for the former reality TV star. While advising Donald Trump, Gordon h…

Gaza Killings: Who is to blame? | Head to Head

In this episode of Head to Head, Mehdi Hasan challenges Danny Ayalon on whether Israel is responsible for the recent killings of Palestinians following months of protests along the Gaza fence. Formerly a deputy foreign minister to Israel and ambassador to the United States, Ayalon has been a key …