Doha Debates Podcast
Episodes
Is everyone paying their fair share of taxes?
14 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
The idea of taxing the rich is hardly new, but the question of whether it creates a fairer world remains highly contested. This debate ask...
Is everyone paying their fair share of taxes?
14 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
The idea of taxing the rich is hardly new, but the question of whether it creates a fairer world remains highly contested. This debate ask...
Fate vs. free will: Do we make our own choices?
07 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Are we truly able to shape our own lives, or are we following a script we can’t rewrite? From Islamic perspectives to groundbreaking neuro...
Are lost ancient civilizations real?
31 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Archaeology textbooks tell a familiar story about human history: Stone tools, cave art, nomadic life, then civilization. But a growing num...
Are we the most intelligent beings in the universe?
24 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
For millennia, we’ve wondered about the possibility of intelligent life beyond Earth. Recently, former U.S. president Barack Obama asserted ...
Is war inevitable?
17 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
This program was recorded in August 2025. The views expressed in this episode are the participants’ own and do not necessarily reflect those of Doha...
Has modern architecture lost touch with humanity?
10 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
What does our architecture say about who we are—and who we want to become? For centuries, architecture has represented our cultural beliefs, ...
Are we on the verge of civilization’s collapse or rebirth?
03 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
The prospect of societal collapse has been examined throughout human history. Thinkers from Ibn Khaldun to Karl Marx have argued that ...
Will tech utopias rescue or ruin humanity?
24 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Would you live in a futuristic, tech-run city? Tech leaders from across the globe are racing to build so-called tech utopias, claiming that...
Are superheroes the moral leaders of our time?
03 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Are superheroes moral leaders—or caped propagandists? From comic books to billion-dollar blockbusters, superheroes have fascinated us for over...
Have universities become bastions of ideology instead of truth?
27 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Over the past decade, critics argue that identity politics and censorship have stifled academic freedom, while others say these concerns are overstate...
After Gaza, who sets the rules of global justice?
20 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Can the West be trusted with global justice after Gaza? Never has global justice faced a greater moral crisis than the destruction of Gaza, ...
Should we embrace aging or try to engineer it away?
13 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Should we accept aging or reverse it? While the search for eternal youth is not new, what does it mean to value youth above all else? What do we ...
Has disagreement become disinformation?
06 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
The battle over online disinformation is usually framed as a fight for truth. But it is also a fight over power. As platforms tighten policies, alg...
A new season of the Doha Debates Podcast 🎙️
30 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Start the year 2026 with us as we discuss the questions shaping our world: What happens when disagreement is labeled disinformation? Can aging be c...
Global order: Which principles should shape our future?
17 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Today, the global order is facing challenges from shifting power and ongoing conflicts around the world. In this moment of rapid change, our latest to...
Narrative Power: Are Western narratives promoting global justice?
16 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
For the greater part of a century, conversations and narratives about global justice and free speech have been dominated by the West. From seminal wor...
Should everything be up for debate?
28 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
At Doha Debates, we believe that debate can help solve some of the world's most challenging problems. But are there limits to what free speech and deb...
Going green: Can the global south develop without fossil fuel?
14 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Climate anxieties—and global temperatures—are on the rise. According to the United Nations, if the planet warms by 1.5 degrees Celsius, we’ll be...
Do race-based policies create a more equitable world?
30 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Dozens of countries have implemented race-based policies, which factor race into hiring decisions or school admissions, in an effort to address histor...
ENCORE: Rise of the Rest: Who should lead in a multipolar world?
16 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
What does a shift in the balance of power mean for the world? For much of the last 100 years, Western countries have dominated the global order. But n...
Digging in: Should we mine in space?
02 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The business of space is booming: Humans are leaving Earth’s atmosphere to mine for precious minerals that could bring trillions of dollars in profi...
ENCORE: Digital dilemma: Does AI help or harm the creative community?
19 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It can write emails, essays and even songs. It has created award-winning pieces of art, and it can take simple text prompts and generate eerily life-l...
Is obesity a choice?
05 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Globally, 650 million people meet the threshold for obesity. With those numbers on the rise, we ask: Is obesity a matter of individual choice, or is i...
ENCORE: Driving change: Is it time to ban gasoline cars?
20 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This week, we’re airing one of our favorite past episodes. This debate is spirited, informative and centered on a question that remains intensely re...
Equal Education: How can we ensure AI access for all?
06 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Let's face it. Artificial intelligence is everywhere around us—on our phones, in our homes, in our cars and in our schools. But that doesn't mean th...
Living to work: Is hustle culture healthy?
23 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Do you live to work, or work to live? The World Happiness Report says that factors such as social support, economic security and work-life balance all...
Peacekeeping power: Can the UN prevent wars?
09 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Since its inception in 1945, the United Nations has committed to preventing world wars. However, recent and devastating conflicts, like the wars in Ga...
The maestro of mediation
26 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week on the Doha Debates Podcast, we’re thrilled to share an episode from one of our other podcasts, The Negotiators. William Ury is one of ...
Rise of the Rest: Who should lead in a multipolar world?
12 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
What does a shift in the balance of power mean for the world? For much of the last 100 years, Western countries have dominated the global order. But n...
Orientalism Demystified: Eastern insights on Western myths | Doha Debates Town Hall
28 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
How much influence can a 19th century European art movement really have on the modern Arab world? Orientalism, an aesthetic movement depicting the Eas...
School of thought: Is AI helping us cheat or learn?
14 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Generative AI has changed the way that some students approach their schoolwork. What does it mean for the state of education when students can ask Cha...
State of scrutiny: Is mass surveillance justified?
31 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Facial recognition software. CCTV cameras. License plate readers. Wiretapping. These are all ways that governments employ mass surveillance. Supporter...
Ethics of editing: Is genetic engineering worth the risk?
17 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
If you could prevent your future child from having a life-threatening disease, would you do it? What if you could prevent addictions or the developmen...
Shifting superpowers: Has the US peaked?
03 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Has the US peaked? For much of the 20th century, the United States of America led the world economically, militarily and even culturally. But is its i...
Modern men: Is masculinity in crisis?
19 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Ken ventured out into the “real world” from Barbieland and returned with a new definition of masculinity. Andrew Tate’s influence on teen boys h...
Digital dilemma: Does AI help or harm the creative community?
05 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
It can write emails, essays and even songs. It has created award-winning pieces of art, and it’s one reason that Hollywood is on strike. That’s ri...
Foreign Policy Live: Has China peaked?
22 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week, enjoy a special episode from our friends at Foreign Policy Magazine from their podcast FP Live. Has China peaked? After decades of record e...
Testing our ethics: Should we ban animal experiments?
08 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Do you think it’s OK to sacrifice a mouse’s life to cure a disease? What if it were a monkey? A cow? Or a dog? For a long time, research on animal...
Financial Future: Is it time to cancel Africa's debts?
25 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Is it time to cancel the debts of low-income countries in the global south? It’s estimated that three out of five low-income countries are strugglin...
Driving change: Is it time to ban gasoline cars?
11 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Is it time to ban gasoline-powered vehicles? Climate activist and author Aakash Ranison says that while electric vehicles may not be a silver-bulle...
High impact: Are some sports too violent for children?
27 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Are some sports too violent for children? Kids and teens who play full- or high-contact sports like rugby, American football and mixed martial arts ha...
Food for thought: Is eating meat cruel?
13 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
About 1.5 billion people in the world eat a plant-based diet. For most of them, it’s a necessity, because meat is either too expensive or unavailabl...
Culture theft: Should museums return disputed artifacts?
30 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Who does art belong to? Where should it live? And how can—or should—it be shared with the world? These are some of the questions at the heart of t...
Virtual violence: Do video games change our behavior?
16 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Video games are built on creative storytelling and intricate worldbuilding, but what happens when the violence depicted in video games starts to spill...
Doha Debates Podcast Trailer
09 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Introducing the Doha Debates Podcast: A new debate every two weeks. Tackling the world’s most pressing issues, the podcast brings together people wi...
Course Correction S3 Part VI: Finding Acceptance
26 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Note: This episode discusses suicide. In the final installment of our six-part series about the refugee experience, host Nelufar Hedayat talks to weig...
Course Correction S3 Part V: The Path to Permanence
19 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
More than 85 percent of refugees and asylum-seekers are hosted in developing countries, many of which neighbor the countries being fled. In this episo...
Bonus: Malala Yousafzai Town Hall
14 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week, a bonus episode: A town-hall-style discussion with Malala Yousafzai on the future of women's and girls' education in Afghanistan and other ...
Course Correction S3 Part IV: Pursuing Education
12 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Jennifer Roberts, a senior education officer with UNHCR, talks to host Nelufar Hedayat about the 10 million refugee children worldwide who lack access...
Course Correction S3 Part III: Healing the Mind
05 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In Part III of our season on refugees, we look at the mental-health toll of living as a refugee or an internally displaced person. Host Nelufar Hedaya...
Course Correction S3 Part II: Healing the Body
29 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of our season chronicling the refugee experience, we’re focusing on bodily harm. What kinds of injuries do displaced people suffer, ...
Course Correction S3 Part I: Escaping Conflict
22 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In the premiere episode of our season on the refugee journey, we'll take a closer look at the moment of displacement and its immediate aftermath. Hear...
Course Correction S3 Trailer: The Refugee Journey
15 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
For the past two seasons of the Course Correction podcast, we’ve challenged ourselves to find ways to change the world. In season one, host Nelufar ...
Introducing The Long Game
08 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Course Correction is proud to introduce listeners to The Long Game, a new sports-themed podcast that highlights stories of courage and conviction on a...
Course Correction S2: Refugees and the fight against populism
09 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Violence, unrest and the coronavirus pandemic have displaced an unprecedented number of people globally. Yet instead of offering shelter to refugees, ...
Course Correction S2: Palestine, Israel and the courage of dialogue
02 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, host Nelufar Hedayat examines the power and limitations of dialogue with three people working to create justice and equality in Israe...
Course Correction S2: Masculinity, feminism and the fight for gender equality
26 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Host Nelufar Hedayat looks at the evolution of masculinity and what — if any — role men have in within the feminist movements. First she hears fro...
Course Correction S2: Fixing the generational wealth gap
19 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Host Nelufar Hedayat begins this episode with a trip to her old London neighborhood of Hampstead ,where she and her younger sister Fatema go apartment...
Course Correction S2: Fear the robots? AI, automation and equity
12 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Host Nelufar Hedayat explores the economic and social considerations around automation and artificial intelligence. She talks to three guests with dif...
Course Correction S2: Does French secularism promote freedom or stoke Islamophobia?
05 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, host Nelufar Hedayat examines France's Laïcite or "secularism" laws, which discourage religious involvement in public life. First sh...
Course Correction S2: How alarmist should we be about climate change?
28 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
How do we work together to address climate change when there's no consensus on the solution? Host Nelufar Hedayat explores multiple solutions to clima...
Course Correction S2: Can "cancel culture" go too far?
20 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Host Nelufar Hedayat talks about being called out online, and speaks to a crisis management expert about the best way to handle such situations. She t...
Course Correction S2: The Disrupters: Using free speech for good and evil
14 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Social media has made it easier than ever to share ideas around the world and galvanize people into action. Host Nelufar Hedayat looks at the double-e...
Course Correction S2: Disinformation: How can we beat "fake news"?
07 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Why does it matter that different people have different perceptions of the truth? If you're trying to run a country, it can make a big difference. In ...
Course Correction S2: Reparations: Can we right historical wrongs?
31 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Can reparations help repair generations of systemic racism? Beginning in the late 1940s, the British government invited Caribbean citizens to immigrat...
Course Correction S2: COVID-19: When is the cure worse than the pandemic?
24 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
How have different countries have dealt with the pandemic? What is best for society when we do things with shared interests in mind, versus looking ou...
Course Correction Season 2 Trailer
17 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In the second season of Course Correction, host Nelufar Hedayat is taking on a new challenge: Listening to people she disagrees with. Each episode add...
Course Correction S1: How Course Correction Changed My Life
20 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In the final episode of the season, Nelufar speaks with conflict resolution expert and friend Dr. Govinda Clayton about how to listen, how to be heard...
Course Correction S1: Targeted for Telling the Truth
13 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This special episode is a live recording from the Sundance Film Festival, with Filipino journalist Maria Ressa and filmmaker Ramona S. Diaz. Diaz’s ...
Course Correction S1: Ending Period Poverty
06 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Menstruation is normal — so why is it still taboo to talk about in some parts of the world? Nelufar has a heart-to-heart with her childhood friends ...
Course Correction S1: Joy Buolamwini: Artificial Intelligence For All
29 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Artificial intelligence has as much racial and gender bias as the people who create it. Joy Buolamwini, a computer scientist and digital activist at t...
Course Correction S1: Standing up to Big Data
22 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Your phone is tracking you all the time. Tech companies are monetizing your personal data. Is there anything that you can do about it? Nelufar talks t...
Course Correction S1: Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein: In Defense of Human Rights
15 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The public’s trust in governments is at an all-time low. Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein is a veteran diplomat and former United Nations High Commissioner f...
Course Correction S1: Sal Khan: Real Lessons on Virtual Learning
08 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
As the coronavirus rages, 89 percent of students around the world are out of school and turning to online platforms to keep studying. That has its lim...
Course Correction S1: Love, Hate and the Power of Listening
01 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
While confronting a friend who voted for Brexit, Nelufar goes on an ego-dampening journey that takes her from a conflict circle in Iraq to a prison in...
Course Correction S1: COVID-19 Will Change the World Forever
26 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What do our decisions about COVID-19 say about who we are as societies and the systems we take for granted? This week, we chat with global strategy ex...
Course Correction S1: Marc Lamont Hill: Racism & Refugees
18 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
How do we solve a problem that has displaced 25 million people globally? Nelufar talks to journalist Marc Lamont Hill about the role racism plays in t...
Course Correction S1: Shrinking Our Carbon Footprint
11 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Nelufar gets an unpleasant surprise when she finds out how much carbon she’s personally responsible for emitting into the atmosphere. But even if we...
Course Correction S1: Anand Giridharadas: Speaking Truth to Billionaires
04 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The gap between rich and poor is widening at an unsustainable rate. Author Anand Giridharadas says that to really change the world, we need to challen...
Course Correction S1: Is Globalization Good for Us?
26 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What would it take to live without globalization — and is that even possible? Host Nelufar Hedayat attempts to go hyper local in London and talks to...
Course Correction S1: Veena Sahajwalla: Turning Trash into Treasure
19 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Garbage is Veena Sahajwalla’s passion. And the trash is piling up: The more stuff we consume, the more waste we create. She’s inventing new ways t...
Course Correction S1: Kicking Our Plastic Habit
12 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Is it possible to live without single-use plastics? Host Nelufar Hedayat learns that recycling our forks, bags and coffee cup lids just isn’t enough...
Course Correction S1: This Isn't a Game: The Fight for Equal Pay in Soccer
05 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
“Equal Pay!” was the chant that rang through the 2019 Women’s World Cup. Although women players often bring in more money for their soccer or fo...
Course Correction S1: Georgie Badiel: Journey to the Well
29 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
As a girl, Georgie Badiel walked three hours every morning to get clean water for her family in Burkina Faso. Host Nelufar Hedayat talks to Badiel, wh...
Course Correction S1: My Refugee Story: The Toughest Conversation I’ve Ever Had with My Mom
21 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Host Nelufar Hedayat’s family fled Afghanistan as refugees 25 years ago, when Nelufar was a young child. Nelufar's mother tells her story for the fi...
Course Correction S1: Cape Town: What Happens When a City Runs Dry?
21 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Could you live on only 50 liters (13 gallons) of water a day? To better understand the water shortages threatening more and more cities around the wor...
Course Correction — Season 1 Trailer
08 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
From living on less than 50 liters of water a day to collecting all the plastic she uses in a week, host Nelufar Hedayat puts herself through the pace...