175 - Soft Jihad Assignment
In the United States a small but increasingly vocal group of people believe that members of the country's Muslim community are working from within to turn America into an Islamic state. This group of right wing thinkers believe this so-called 'Soft Jihad' is being carried out in schools, universities and other institutions across the country and they want to put a stop to it. In Assignment, Pascale Harter travels to America to find out how this fear is finding a foothold in public opinion there and hears from some of those accused of being the 'soft jihadists'.
Fri, 07 Aug 2020
174 - Brand Cuba part one
In Brand Cuba, Allan Little analyses some of the factors that have kept Cuba alive in the public imagination over such a long period.
Mon, 29 Dec 2008
173 - Too Many Santas
Throughout much of the Christian world Christmas is the time when Santa Claus dominates – a fat jolly chap who is our friend.
Fri, 26 Dec 2008
172 - Assignment In Exile
There are more than 10 million Palestinians living around the world, more than half of whom are stateless. In this year when Israel has been marking its 60th anniversary many Palestinians have been reflecting on the event that for them meant exile. The 'naqba', or catastrophe, is how they describe the destruction of many of their villages and towns and their own dispersal following the creation of the state of Israel in 1948. For Assignment Paul Adams spoke to four Palestinians in exile.
Thu, 25 Dec 2008
171 - Return to White Horse Village part three
While China's economy has boomed over the past 30 years, many of its 700 million farmers have been stuck in poverty. Their only hope of a wage has been far from home in the factories and building sites of the boomtowns.
Tue, 23 Dec 2008
170 - Timeline part three
Timeline is the programme where the past sheds light on recent events though use of archive material.
Fri, 19 Dec 2008
169 - Assignment A Return to Helmand
Last year our correspondent Jill McGivering reported from Helmand Province in southern Afghanistan on the constant violence and the struggle to bring development to the region. Now she's returned, one year on, to see if there's been any progress.
Thu, 18 Dec 2008
168 - Return to White Horse Village part two
While China's economy has boomed over the past 30 years, many of its 700 million farmers have been stuck in poverty.
Wed, 17 Dec 2008
167 - 1968: The year that changed the world?
In this four part series, using archive recordings and music from the time, Sir John Tusa examines what made 1968 such a climactic year. Programme three looks at how race and nationalism finally came to a head in 1968.
Fri, 12 Dec 2008
166 - Assignment Bolivia on the Brink
And now Assignment asks whether Bolivia is on the brink of civil war. In the run-up to next month’s crucial vote on a new constitution, Daniel Schweimler reports from the wealthy and white-dominated city of Santa Cruz, where the dispute over the policies of the country’s indigenous President Evo Morales are spilling over into racial violence.
Wed, 10 Dec 2008
165 - 1968: The year that changed the world?
In this four part series, using archive recordings and music from the time, Sir John Tusa examines what made 1968 such a climactic year. Programme two captures the student unrest around the world.
Fri, 05 Dec 2008
164 - Assignment - Aids and the Caribbean
Five years after doing a series of reports on HIV and AIDS in the Caribbean, Emma Joseph retraces her steps for Assignment to find out whether the region still has one of the highest infection rates in the world, and to meet some of the people she first encountered in 2003.
Thu, 04 Dec 2008
163 - Timeline - part one
In this topical and lively series, contemporary stories and events are explored through the examination of archive material of events that have gone before.
Wed, 03 Dec 2008
162 - 1968: The year that changed the world?
In this four part series, using archive recordings and music from the time, Sir John Tusa examines what made 1968 such a climactic year. Starting with the Vietnam War and the assasination of Bobby Kennedy, this series reflects on why 1968 was significant in world history.
Fri, 28 Nov 2008
161 - Tired of Terror Part Two
Rupa Jha explores what ex-militants in Kashmir and their families expect from the future.
Tue, 25 Nov 2008
160 - Street Art Part One
This series looks at street art in two very different cities: New York and Sao Paulo. Each episode profiles a rising artist, and speaks to people on the street to discover how attitudes to graffiti and street art vary from city to city. Episode 1 looks at New York through the eyes of Elbow-Toe.
Thu, 20 Nov 2008
159 - Giving up the gun in Kashmir
Rupa Jha talks to former militants in Kashmir and their families about why they took up arms and the reasons behind giving up violence. What are the challenges of returning to normal society?
Tue, 18 Nov 2008
158 - The world without...copper
You might think that copper is just another metal, but in fact it is a vital substance. Discover why, without this metal, even the evolution of life itself would be radically different.
Fri, 14 Nov 2008
157 - Toxic Trailers - Assignment
Hundreds of thousands of people were made homeless when Hurricane Katrina devastated parts of the southern coast of the United States in 2005. Many survivors were rehoused by the federal government in travel trailers which they claim made them sick. For
Thu, 13 Nov 2008
156 - Hard lessons from Afghanistan Part Two
Former Kabul correspondent Alan Johnston reflects on decades of turmoil in Afghanistan, from the Soviet invasion in 1979 to the intervention by the West.
Wed, 12 Nov 2008
155 - Animal Migration in a Climate of Change - Part Three
Animal Migration in a Climate of Change is a special four-part series that explores the way environmental change is affecting the natural movement of animals all around the world. In Part Three, The Elephant's Journey, Brett Westwood looks at African elephant migration.
Mon, 10 Nov 2008
154 - The world without...cows
Discover just how important cows have been civilisation, all around the world.
Fri, 07 Nov 2008
153 - Hard Lessons from Afghanistan Part One
Former Kabul correspondent Alan Johnston reflects on decades of turmoil in Afghanistan, from the Soviet invasion in 1979 to the intervention by the West.
Wed, 05 Nov 2008
152 - Animal Migration in a Climate of Change
Animal Migration in a Climate of Change is a special four-part series that explores the way environmental change is affecting the natural movement of animals all around the world. In Part One, The Mexican Wave, the focus is on sustaining the Orange Monarch butterfly.
Tue, 04 Nov 2008
151 - The PR battle for the Caucasus
The South Ossetian conflict not only sparked a military war between Russia and Georgia, but a propaganda battle. James Rodgers examines this ongoing media war between Georgia and Russia - featuring archive clips of key events and interviews.
Mon, 03 Nov 2008
150 - Rat Attack
Neil McCarthy pieces together a story of rats, famine and insurrection from the 1950's to present day, in remote hills of North East India.
Fri, 31 Oct 2008
149 - The Lost Veterans
Andrew Purcell investigates the growing homelessness crisis among Iraq and Afghanistan veterans in the United States. The programme looks at how these 'lost veterans' struggle to reintegrate into civilian society, and how they feel abandoned by the US military.
Wed, 29 Oct 2008
148 - America’s First Principles
Allan Little presents an appraisal of the man described as America's Apostle of Freedom: Thomas Jefferson, author of the founding document of the American Republic.
Mon, 27 Oct 2008
147 - Failure or Fraud
As the global banking crisis deepens, a flood of multi-million dollar lawsuits is beginning to shed light into some of the darkest corners of international finance. The BBC's Michael Robinson investigates these cases and what they reveal about the present disaster.
Fri, 24 Oct 2008
146 - Is al-Qaeda winning? Part Four
The Saudi Interior Ministry and the US Military in Iraq have offered al - Qaeda sympathisers and detainees therapy and job training. Owen Bennett-Jones asks if this can really prevent someone from supporting al-Qaeda.
Mon, 20 Oct 2008
145 - Out Of The Ghetto
This special documentary exploring life in Chicago's inner city is based on Ghetto Life 101, an acclaimed 1993 documentary featuring LeAlan Jones and LLoyd Newman, two teenagers who brought US radio listeners face to face with life in of one of Chicago's worst housing projects. Jones has revisited the area to see how it has changed.
Fri, 17 Oct 2008
144 - The View from Kashmir Assignment
A series of protests against Indian rule in Kashmir has left more than 30 people dead since August. Thousands of people have died in the violence there since 1989. For Assignment George Arney travels to Kashmir to speak to young people caught up in the protests and discovers that for the first time the Muslim separatist struggle is embracing non-violence.
Thu, 16 Oct 2008
143 - Is al-Qaeda Winning? Part Three
Owen Bennett-Jones tests the big promises governments have made about the financial war on terror.
Fri, 10 Oct 2008
142 - In the Shadow of the Cartel Assignment
In Mexico, the government has deployed thousands of troops in an attempt to break up the powerful drug cartels operating in the country. Emilio San Pedro travels to the border city of Tijuana and profiles a community under pressure from one of Mexico's most violent gangs.
Thu, 09 Oct 2008
141 - Children of the Revolution Part two
In Iran, the constant drugs crisis and loss of skilled workers contrast with a lively internet scene which harbours poets, political dissidents and religious leaders.
Wed, 08 Oct 2008
140 - Is al Qaeda Winning? part two
Owen Bennett-Jones looks at al Qaeda's hard power and military capabilities in its chosen key battlegrounds: Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Iraq.
Fri, 03 Oct 2008
139 - Africa's Guantanamo Assignment
In Assignment, Robert Walker travels to East Africa to investigate a secret detention programme - involving the transfer of suspected terrorists across three countries: Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia.
Thu, 02 Oct 2008
138 - Children of the revolution Part one
This series explores what life offers to Iran's burgeoning young population who are trapped by conservatism and an ailing economy. In the first programme, we hear how the war with Iraq acted as a continuation of the Revolution.
Wed, 01 Oct 2008
137 - Is al Qaeda Winning? Part one
Seven years into the global war on terror, is al-Qaeda winning? It's a deceptively simple question, one Owen Bennett-Jones asked in Riyadh, Peshawar and Baghdad, as well as London, Brussels and Washington for this series in four parts.
Mon, 29 Sep 2008
136 - Pakistan's Tribal areas
Pakistan's government is locked in an intense battle with Islamist militants for control of areas on its northern border with Afghanistan. For Assignment Owen Bennett-Jones visits the Khyber pass - the main supply route for the American and other western forces based in Afghanistan - and discovers that the insurgency has made it vulnerable.
Thu, 25 Sep 2008
135 - My Senator My Vote Part Two
Robin Lustig travels to Phoenix, Arizona, the home of Senator John McCain, to ask two ordinary voters about their most pressing concerns in the forthcoming US presidential election.
Wed, 24 Sep 2008
134 - Looted Art
A tale of a tiny painting, set against a large canvas of war, politics and looted art in Charle's Wheeler quest to solve a 50-year mystery.
Mon, 22 Sep 2008
133 - The Afghan Arms Bazaar Assignment
As the insurgency in Afghanistan grows, Kate Clark travels undercover to investigate who's arming the Taleban. Meeting commanders and arms dealers, she finds the Taleban are getting their weapons from some suprising sources.
Thu, 18 Sep 2008
132 - My Senator My Vote Part One
We know the two US presidential candidates and what they would do in office, but what does the electorate itself want? Robin Lustig travels to the candidates' home states to meet four Americans to find out what issues have determined their choices.
Wed, 17 Sep 2008
131 - The Desert Capitalists Part Two
How are the Marwari traders managing as India goes global? Can a business culture based on traditional values survive as India's economy changes?
Mon, 15 Sep 2008
130 - Tales from the Commonwealth Part One
The Maldives, Sri Lanka, Seychelles and Mauritius are all popular tourist destinations. Robin White tells the stories behind the tourist facades, visiting the Maldives for part one of this series.
Thu, 11 Sep 2008
129 - The Desert Capitalists Part One
Mukhul Devichand finds out how the Marwari trading caste from India's western deserts has become a major global economic and political force.
Mon, 08 Sep 2008
128 - The 66 Club
Ruth Evans tells the extraordinary story of 11 women brought together on the internet by one man's sperm.
Thu, 04 Sep 2008
127 - The Presidential Contenders Part Two
John McCain: a profile of the man who talks of honour and patriotic duty and admits having a legendary short fuse.
Mon, 01 Sep 2008
126 - What Lies Beneath Part two
Win Scutt finds out how the maritime treasure hunting industry has boomed in recent years.
Fri, 29 Aug 2008
125 - Spain's Civil War Breaking the Silence
Following recent legislation in Spain the government has agreed to offer support to families wishing to find the remains of their loved ones killed during the country's brutal civil war of the 1930s. For Assignment, Mike Williams travels to Spain to visit an exhumation of bodies and asks if the government's attempt to end the political silence of that period is working.
Thu, 28 Aug 2008
124 - Al-Qaeda's Internal Debate
BBC Security Correspondent Frank Gardner talks to former allies of Osama bin Laden who are now engaged in countering the terrorist leader's agenda.
Tue, 26 Aug 2008
123 - The Presidential Contenders
Barack Obama:the profile of one of the two individuals who are the presumptive nominees in the US presidential election.
Mon, 25 Aug 2008
122 - What Lies Beneath Part One
International seas are largely unregulated, meaning most underwater archaeological wealth can be retrieved and sold without any obstacle. Can a new UNESCO convention bring some order?
Thu, 21 Aug 2008
121 - Why they're dying in the Congo Part Two
BBC World Affairs correspondent Mark Doyle continues travelling from the west to the east of the DR Congo on a journey to find out why so many people have died and continue to die in that country.
Wed, 20 Aug 2008
120 - Rehearsing for War
The extraordinary US military base at the heart of a vast shift in American military strategy, aiming for nation-building and peacekeeping.
Mon, 18 Aug 2008
119 - Secrets in the Family Assignment
During Argentina's Dirty War of the seventies and eighties thousands of leftists and dissidents vanished after being abducted by the security forces. Many of the women detained gave birth in detention centres before being killed and their babies were given to military families to bring up. Now, as Daniel Schweimler reports for Assignment, those babies have come of age in Argentina and some are trying to seek justice for what happened to them.
Thu, 14 Aug 2008
118 - Why they're dying in the Congo Part One
BBC World Affairs Correspondent Mark Doyle explores why over five million people have died in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in the past decade.
Wed, 13 Aug 2008
117 - The Billion Dollar Election Part 2 Ambassadors
Prestigious job. Exotic location. Stately home, fine food and wine, and many other perks thrown in. Yours for only $200,000. The position a US ambassadorship. Around a third of all US ambassadors are not career diplomats; they're political appointees and almost all of them are major donors, wealthy businessmen. Is this really the way for the US to run its foreign policy?
Fri, 08 Aug 2008
116 - The Right to Know Part 1
Freedom of information is well on the way to being seen as an essential prerequisite for a modern democracy. But there's almost always a backlash from politicians and officials.
Thu, 07 Aug 2008
115 - The Trouble with Money Part Two
Will there be a return to the dreaded days of "stagflation" with weak growth and rising inflation. Can economic policymakers find a way to deal with this double danger? Or is further pain inevitable?
Wed, 06 Aug 2008
114 - The Billion Dollar Election Part One 527s
The United States is due to have the first billion-dollar election in its history. The BBC's Steve Evans presents this two-part investigation into election spending done in collaboration with the Centre for Public Integrity in Washington DC.
Fri, 01 Aug 2008
113 - South Africa's Promised Land: Assignment
After the ending of apartheid in South Africa, the transfer of land from white to black was a key ANC promise - a proud calling card to correct the injustices of apartheid. But many critics argue that the reform programme has gone badly wrong. For Assignment Rosie Goldsmith reports on the struggle for South Africa's promised land, which is driving a political, economic and racist wedge down the middle of an already tense country.
Thu, 31 Jul 2008
112 - The Trouble with Money Part 1
With the world's economy now threatened by what some believe is the most dangerous crisis since the depression of the 1930s, Michael Robinson looks at the deepening international financial turmoil.
Tue, 29 Jul 2008
111 - Secrets in the Blood Part Two
In this two-part investigation, Matt McGrath sets out to expose corruption, drug use and cover-ups at the highest levels in sport.
Fri, 25 Jul 2008
110 - Building Better Health Part Two
Jill McGivering explores whether China is doing enough to provide healthcare to 1.3 billion people and what it can learn from the struggles of the developed world.
Wed, 23 Jul 2008
109 - Secrets in the Blood Part One
In this two-part investigation, Matt McGrath sets out to expose corruption, drug use and cover-ups at the highest levels in sport.
Fri, 18 Jul 2008
108 - Football's Conmen Assignment
An undercover BBC investigation has exposed how young African footballers are being defrauded by conmen posing as talent scouts from English Premiership clubs. Victims are duped into parting with thousands of pounds in the false belief that they are paying an official fee for a trial to play with their favourite teams. Gavin Lee reports from Nigeria for Assignment.
Thu, 17 Jul 2008
107 - Building Better Health
Part One: Jill McGivering compares two very different free health systems in the developed world: the British NHS and that of the US state of Massachusetts.
Tue, 15 Jul 2008
106 - Policing the Poppy Fields Part Two
In the second part of this series, Kate Clark reports from those provinces where an opium ban is in force, but farmers are feeling the pressure.
Fri, 11 Jul 2008
105 - Congo's Contract of the Century
In a multi billion dollar deal China has promised to rebuild DR Congo's crumbling infrastructure in exchange for a valuable slice of Congo's vast mineral wealth. What's being called the Contract of the Century was negotiated in secret and has left some people in the country wondering who stands to benefit most from the deal - for Assignment Tim Whewell travels to the DR Congo to find out.
Thu, 10 Jul 2008
104 - Countdown to the Olympics Part Two
China says hosting the Olympics has accelerated national reforms, technological advances and greater freedoms overall but Gerry Northam investigates claims that life has gotten worse for China's poor.
Wed, 09 Jul 2008
103 - Policing the Poppy Fields Part One
Kate Clark gains rare access to the fight against the Afghan opium trade and asks how effective attempts to control it have been.
Mon, 07 Jul 2008
102 - Health for All
Campaigners for improving maternal health have been lobbying the G8 to get the topic on the agenda for the next meeting in Japan. In programme two of the series Health for All, Uduak Amimo asks is there enough political will to combat maternal mortality?
Fri, 04 Jul 2008
101 - Countdown to the Olympics Part One
As the world counts down to the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, Gerry Northam investigates China's claims of 'vigorous growth in the public practice of religion' but he discovers people are still being persecuted and oppressed for practising religion.
Wed, 02 Jul 2008
100 - Race and Reconciliation Part Three
In the third part of this series, Audrey Brown travels to Atteridgeville, a township outside the capital, Pretoria, to explore what really lay behind the recent attacks by South Africans on foreigners.
Fri, 27 Jun 2008
99 - Health for All
Is health for all a fact or just fiction? Helen Sharp asks if the world has the will, people and money to deliver basic good health to everyone.
Fri, 27 Jun 2008
98 - Burma Reporting the Cyclone: Assignment
This week's Assignment tells the story of the Burmese cyclone through the eyes and ears of the few BBC journalists who managed to get into the country after the disaster. Hear the story of the cyclone unfold told by those who witnessed it first hand. That's Reporting The Cyclone, from Assignment this week.
Thu, 26 Jun 2008
97 - Race and Reconciliation Part Two
In the second part of this series, Audrey Brown travels to South Africa to explore how privilege and access to resources is increasingly being seen as an issue of colour.
Mon, 23 Jun 2008
96 - Feeding the Spirit of New Orleans
Sheila Dillon reports on the work of restaurateurs, farmers, fishermen and activists to restore the culinary heritage of a devastated city.
Fri, 20 Jun 2008
95 - The Baseball Factory
Baseball may be the United States' national sport - but this year, 2008, almost half of all its professional players come from overseas - and some 40 per cent of them from the Dominican Republic, which shares the Caribbean island of Hispaniola with Haiti. For Assignment David Goldblatt visits Haiti to report on what has become a significant export industry for this country of nine million people.
Thu, 19 Jun 2008
94 - Age of Terror Part 3
In the third part of this series, Peter Taylor investigates The Paris Plot, the hijacking of a plane in Algiers on its way to Paris; a plan to use a plane as a weapon of mass destruction.
Wed, 18 Jun 2008
93 - Race and Reconciliation Part One
Fourteen years after liberation and 60 years since the beginning of what was then 'apartheid', Audrey Brown explores and uncovers the extent to which race still plays a part in everyday life for those living in South Africa.
Fri, 13 Jun 2008
92 - Bomb Hunters
More than 30 years after the end of the Vietnam War, Bomb Hunters, tells the stories of the people living in Xieng Khuang in Laos and how they survive in a land still littered with unexploded ordnance.
Thu, 12 Jun 2008
91 - Rome's New Wolf Assignment
The new mayor of Rome Gianni Alemanno was once a so-called neo-fascist - a supporter of anti-democratic, right wing radicalism. And his election has come at a time of mounting ethnic tension in Italy. As Christian Fraser now discovers in Assignment, there are fears that Rome could be about to suffer the return of hard right, authoritarian rule.
Thu, 12 Jun 2008
90 - Age of Terror part 2
In the second part of this series, Peter Taylor investigates how two events in 1987 contributed to the beginnings of the road to peace in Northern Ireland.
Wed, 11 Jun 2008
89 - Leila's Story
The powerful story of a young Iranian woman called Leila, sold into prostitution at the age of nine by her own family and sentenced to hang aged 18.
Fri, 06 Jun 2008
88 - Argentina; Dancing To The Music Of The Mind
Argentinian film director, writer and tango enthusiast, Edgardo Cozarinsky, talks to artists, dancers, novelists and other Argentinians about why psychotherapy and tango have such a pervasive hold on the Argentine mind and soul.
Thu, 05 Jun 2008
87 - Taxi to the Dark Side
In Taxi To The Dark Side, American film-maker Alex Gibney reports on the use of torture by American soldiers in Afghanistan. Was the torture the work of a few rogue soldiers, or officially approved by the Pentagon?
Fri, 30 May 2008
86 - Kidnapped - part two
Dr Thomas Hargrove, an American scientist kidnapped by FARC, is reunited with the family's German neighbour, who was part of 'Team Tom' which organized the negotiations.
Fri, 30 May 2008
85 - Assignment
Lucy Ash finds out if new trade deals and diplomatic dialogue with Libya can encourage them to abandon torture and oppression for political reform and human rights improvements.
Thu, 29 May 2008
84 - Assignment
The Commodities Bubble: Michael Robinson investigates and reveals how the commodities markets are attracting major players now looking for somewhere to invest other than the dollar, banking or shares and how this has affected the price of food products around the world.
Thu, 29 May 2008
83 - What Next For Kenya? - Part Two
In this two-part series, former BBC East Africa Correspondent Mike Wooldridge travels from the bustling capital, Nairobi, to the Rift Valley to report on the issues behind the conflict that erupted in Kenya at the turn of the year.
Tue, 27 May 2008
82 - Failure at the Central Bank
For the last six decades, central bankers have run the international financial system with the aid of a powerful set of economic levers handed to them after the World War 2. Last year, these levers came off in their hands. In this two-part series Robert Peston examines how the former supermen of global financial economy became pathetic weaklings.
Fri, 23 May 2008
81 - Kidnapped: Part One
Presenter Ritula Shah reunites former hostage Norman Kember - kidnapped in Iraq - with the people who were personally involved in negotiations to free him, and who put their lives on hold to get him back.
Fri, 23 May 2008
80 - What Next For Kenya? - Part One
In this two-part series, former BBC East Africa Correspondent Mike Wooldridge travels from the bustling capital, Nairobi, to the Rift Valley to report on the issues behind the conflict that erupted in Kenya at the turn of the year.
Tue, 20 May 2008
79 - How Crime Took on the World
Cyber-crime is the fastest-growing sector of global-organised crime, worth about US$100 billion a year. Misha Glenny travels to Sao Paulo to find out why Brazil is the cyber-crime capital of the world.
Fri, 16 May 2008
78 - Escape from Time
Who wouldn't like to escape the relentless march of time? Find out about the routes from those who attempt to escape the tyranny of time.
Thu, 15 May 2008
77 - Assignment - Beyond Mark Weil
Last September, Mark Weil, the radical theatre director of the Ilkhom theatre in Uzbekistan, was stabbed to death while returning home from a rehearsal. As the regime in Tashkent hardened it's line Mark Weil continued to challenge the authorities with his work. For Assignment Natalya Antelava asks whether this radical endeavour can survive without its director in an environment that is becoming more and more repressive.
Thu, 15 May 2008
76 - Living With Chico Mendes
To mark the 20th anniversary of his assassination, Nick Maes looks at the life of Chico Mendes, the highly significant green activist who helped to galvanise the race to preserve the Amazon. Nick investigates what Chico Mendes achieved and gains exclusive access to his family.
Tue, 13 May 2008