Timeline tyranny

If you haven’t been timelined yet, you eventually will be! Why can’t Facebook let its users choose their page layout? Why is Timeline enforced on hundreds of millions of users? What is Timeline – a perfect way to present one’s biography or a way to get to know the dirty laundry of someone who hasn’t cleaned his/her page yet? Does Facebook violate people’s privacy, and should anyone who chooses...

Healthy money?

­Should financial products be subject to the same kind of consumer protection and quality control as other products like pharmaceuticals? Virtually every product that can be bought and sold is covered by regulations and often there is issues related to social benefits. The crash of 2008 has demonstrated that the current financial system is rife with social detriment. Or, is finance simply...

Indexing happiness

­How legitimate is the Gross National Happiness Index? Is it possible to measure wellbeing? How serious is this index compared to GDP? What’s the use of it? Will a new way of defining progress help find new solutions to the current crises? Or is there no other way of measuring happiness other than the size of one’s pockets? CrossTalking with Saamah Abdallah, Mark Anielski and Chris Snowdon.

Counter-revolution

­Are we seeing a counter-revolution in the Middle East and North Africa? How strong are the counter forces? Will the revolutionary movement actually revive a conservative mood? CrossTalking with Majid Rafizadeh, Vijay Prashad and Suzanna Shah.

Sudan vs Sudan

­Will there be any legal international solution to the current crisis in Sudan? What role does China play in the Sudan conflict? Who else has its eyes on this oil-rich country? And did the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement really encourage peace? CrossTalking with Olivia Warham, Wolf-Christian Paes and Ayo Johnson on April 27.

Adieu Sarkozy?

­Will the French be able to breathe freely if Sarkozy's gone? Do they really want Hollande in power? Would Hollande be able to reinvent a welfare state? Will Sarkozy woo Marine LePen's electorate to win the elections? And if Hollande outdoes him, would it undermine France's commitment to the EU? CrossTalking with Andreas Staab, Robert Oulds and Richard Jomshof on April 25.

Sanctioning Israel

­What goals has the BDS movement achieved so far? Does it aim for a constructive solution to the conflict? How should Israel react to it? Norman Finkelstein and Noam Chomsky agree that the goal of the movement is to destroy Israel – how valid is this judgment? Can the movement reinvent itself and win support from those who criticize it today? CrossTalking with Gilad Atzmon, Eric Walberg and Omar...

Judging Breivik

­What do Breivik and his atrocities tell about multiculturalism in Europe? Has the mass murder weakened the European far-right parties? Or are they gaining even more support among the public? How should Europeans express their fear of change and what policies should be re-examined to encourage mutual respect and understanding? CrossTalking with Rachel Marsden, Roger Griffin and Mohammed Shafiq...

Tehran talking

­Will we see a new level of negotiations in Baghdad? What have we learned from the recent talks in Istanbul? Or will we see a repeat of previous failed discussions over Iran’s uranium enrichment? CrossTalking with Mohammad Marandi, Omri Ceren and Geneive Abdo.

Still Syria?

­How high are the chances that Kofi Annan’s plan will be met? Will Annan’s peace efforts lead to any diplomatic solution? If there is regime change in Syria, who will fill the power vacuum? How fragmented is the Syrian opposition, and will the death toll go up if there’s outside military intervention? CrossTalking with Diana Johnstone, Joshua Landis and Josef Olmert.