On Air: Has Iraq turned the corner at last?

You may have noticed recently that Iraq has been appearing far less in the news than it did a year ago. Last month there were fewer American casualties in the country than at any time since the 2003 invasion.

On Air: Has President Bush made the world a better place?

Today we’ll be discussing what’s very much on George Bush’s mind at the moment… how he’ll be remembered. On his farewell trip to Europe, President George W Bush has been thinking about his legacy

At the weekend, in an interview with the Times, he expressed regret of his legacy as a man who wanted war. And wonders if his “gun-slinging rhetoric” didn’t help him be thought of a man of peace. Today Max Hastings in the Daily Mail says that Bush has been the most disastrous president of modern times.

What will his legacy be? Is he the most disastrous president of modern times?  Or has President Bush made the world a better place?  

On air: Is this the biggest moment in modern black history?

Hi there. Hillary Clinton may not have acknowledged defeat yet, but the rest of the world is talking about Barack Obama’s victory in the fight to be the Democratic nominee. Its significance in the context of who’ll be the next President of America is obvious, but what about in the context of the history of African Americans and of black people the world over?

Hillary, Barack and Brett

So it’s the last two big primaries in Hillary v Barack. We’ll all be in bed by the time the results start coming through but Brett in Virginia won’t. So he’s going to moderate this post. But of course you don’t have to wait until then, as finding talking points has never been a big problem with this story. Over to you, and particularly to Brett. Get the latest on North Carolina and Indiana here.

Talking points for April 16

Good morning, Pope Benedict XVI has arrived in the United States for his first visit as leader of the Catholic Church and received an unprecedented presidential greeting at the airport. He started his six-day tour by telling the media that the sexual abuse scandal involving Catholic clergy in the US caused him shame, but the abuse scandal is only one of several controversial issues likely to come up during Benedict’s trip.

Is it good for America to talk about race?

Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama says race is an issue that America cannot ignore. Yesterday he made a speech that some would say was a political gamble, others believe he had little option. Obama sought to dispel the furore over inflammatory statements by his former pastor the Rev Jeremiah Wright, who criticised America for being racist and said the September the 11th attacks were revenge for American foreign policy.

Can you justify cross-border interventions?

Look around the world, and this issue is playing out again and again – most recently in Ecuador, Somalia and Gaza this week, on an ongoing basis in Iraq, Afghanistan, and DR Congo to name but three examples.

Just today, the leaders of Ecuador and Venezuela have called for clear international condemnation of Colombia for its raid against rebels inside Ecuador. If FARC were operating in Ecuador, does Colombia deserve to be condemned?

Sign that things in Iraq aren’t going well

Hi. I’m Dwight. I’m a regular here on the WHYS blog and would like to run my thoughts on Iraq by you. I’d welcome your comments.

Not so fair trade?

Here’s some of a press release we’ve been sent by the Adam Smith Institute. A new report claims to highlight ‘inconvenient truths about ‘Fair’ trade’. See if you agree with it…

Romney over and out

Here’s the latest… what do you think?