On air: Is President Karzai the biggest barrier to peace in Afghanistan?

The US Ambassador to Kabul is advising President Barack Obama not to send thousands more troops to Afghanistan, until President Karzai’s government proves it will tackle corruption.

ON AIR: Should you be forced to vote?

The team is on it’s way to Dublin for tonight’s programme… 

TN2020 participant Gabriella Kessler from New York suggested we talk about compulsory voting today.

Talking Points for July 28

Good Morning from Priya in London. Thank you ZK and Katharina for the weekends massive blank page.

A few ideas for today’s programme:

On air: Is democracy for all inevitable?

In the early 1970s only 40 countries were democratic, today that has trebled. At this rate every country in the world will be democratic by 2100.

Talking Points for 4th July

It’s Priya with you this morning. Thanks to Will for stepping in last night. So what shall we talk about today?

Is Democracy for all inevitable?

We’ve been discussing it all week, graphs and all, Thomas has blogged about it here.

He reckons that by 2100, if the current trend continues, every country in the world will be democratic… but only if this trend continues.

ON AIR: Should 16-year olds be allowed to vote?

This debate came second in this morning’s vote in Glasgow, so we are going to talk about it tonight. Keep posting your comments below…

Bryony from Zimbabwe argued for this. More here.

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: Can the internet make democracy work better?

We’ve invited Phil Noble, the leading expert in the States on politics and the internet, to take part in World Have Your Say on Friday. He believes that the internet will revolutionise democracy. Do you agree?

Good governance

Thanks to Hannah and Will for excellent work at the weekend, and you managed to keep the agenda broad despite some attempts to railroad it. I’d be interested to hear from you both (and Brett and Lubna) about whether the experience makes you feel differently about the WHYS “community”. 

Democracy in Africa

Here’s an interesting piece I came across in this morning’s Independent newspaper.

 William Gumede looks ahead to the presedential election in Zimbabwe this weekend, and says that African leaders must overcome their obsession of a divine right to rule forever.