

The Inquiry
BBC World Service
The Inquiry gets beyond the headlines to explore the trends, forces and ideas shaping the world.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Jul 16, 2020 • 24min
Is China versus India the most important rivalry of the 21st century?
The recent border clash between China and India is seen as a watershed moment in the two nuclear nations’ relationship. How will its repercussions affect Asia, and the rest of the world? Contributors:
. Chris Dougherty - a senior fellow with the Defence Programme at the Centre for New American Securities.
. Ananth Krishnan – a correspondent for the Hindu newspaper. And the author of “India’s China Challenge”
. Tanvi Madan – a senior fellow in the Foreign Policy programme at the Brookings Institution.
. Yu Jie - a Senior Research Fellow on China at Chatham House. Presenter: Tanya Beckett
Series Producer: Estelle Doyle(Chinese President Leader Xi Jinping with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the 2017 BRICS Summit. Photo: Kenzaburo Fukuhara/Getty images)

Jul 9, 2020 • 23min
Why are Covid cases rising in the US?
Why are Covid cases dramatically increasing in some U.S. states, where rates had been low? The number of new coronavirus infections in a single day has passed fifty five thousand. Is it because of more testing, or is something else going on?(Demonstrators outside the State Capitol in Auston.Texas protesting against Coronavirus restrictions. Credit: Gary Miller/Getty Images)

Jul 2, 2020 • 24min
What does Putin want?
President Vladimir Putin has been in power for 20 years. The Russian people have been voting on a change to the constitution that could keep him in the Kremlin until 2036. While world leaders and opponents struggle to second guess him, some objectives appear to be clear: stability at home, respect abroad and power maintained for his inner circle. Presented by Charmaine Cozier(President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, February 2020. Credit: Mikhail Svetlov/Getty Images)

Jun 25, 2020 • 24min
Why do we care about statues?
The killing of African American George Floyd ignited anti-racist protests around the world - many centred on statues associated with colonialism and slavery. Why do these figures of bronze and stone generate such strong feelings? And what do they tell us about how countries deal with their past? Contributors:
Sarah Beetham Chair of Liberal Arts at the Pennsylvania Academy in the Fine Arts.
Ghaith Abdul-Ahad journalist for The Guardian newspaper.
AGK Menon, architect, urban planner and founder of the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage.
Daniel Libeskind, architect.Presenter: Kavita Puri(Protesters attempt to pull down the statue of Andrew Jackson near the White House June 22, 2020 in Washington, DC. Credit: Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Jun 18, 2020 • 24min
How will Hollywood respond to the Black Lives Matter and Me Too movements?
Why is the movie business having trouble representing the world’s population on and behind the big screen? A rising share of the U.S. population are black, more than half of the demographic are female – so why is it so difficult to translate this into cinema?Hollywood has found itself red-faced in an era of Black Lives Matter and MeToo movements. From #OscarsSoWhite to criticism of who’s behind the films we see, the pressure to change is stacking up. Charmaine Cozier discovers the issues within the industry and what movie bosses prioritise over diversity. But will activists, actors and data be enough to convince big studios that the revolution is here – or will it just be business as usual?Guests:
April Reign, Diversity and Inclusion Advocate and creator of the #OscarsSoWhite movement
Naomi McDougall-Jones, a film producer, writer and women in film activist
Darnell Hunt, Dean of Social Sciences at UCLA and Professor of Sociology in African American Studies. He is co-author of the UCLA Hollywood Diversity report
Bonnie Greer, a writer and criticPresenter: Charmaine Cozier/ Producer: Bethan Head(Actor John Boyega raises his fist in protest at a Black Lives Matter march in London, UK (Credit: Daniel Leal-Olivas /Getty Images)

Jun 11, 2020 • 24min
Will Covid-19 change cities?
From the bubonic plague and cholera to tuberculosis, pandemics have changed the ways cities have been designed and built. The coronavirus has been no different: with cities all over the world on lockdown, our cities have changed to become quieter, greener, with wildlife returning on an unprecedented scale. Now, with the lockdowns beginning to ease, Kavita Puri asks: what is the future of our cities? Will they return to the way they were - and do we want them to? Producer: Eleanor Biggs
Presenter: Kavita Puri(Parisians cycle through the streets of Paris on the Rue de Rivoli, which has been made almost entirely cycleable. Photo:Samuel Boivin/Getty Images)

Jun 3, 2020 • 23min
Why do US cops keep killing unarmed black men?
Why is George Floyd the latest in a long line of unarmed black men killed by US police? Studies show black men are three times more likely to be killed by police in America than white people. With Helena Merriman.(A man speaks into a bullhorn as demonstrators march in Los Angeles, California. 2 June 2020. Brent Stirton/Getty Images)

May 28, 2020 • 24min
How far can the Chinese government be blamed for Covid-19?
Ever since a mysterious virus was reported in December 2019 in the Chinese city of Wuhan, the world has been watching China.Silenced whistleblowers, unregulated wildlife trade in wet markets, limited international cooperation, and even a local biosafety lab have been held up as examples of how China mishandled the crisis. But how far can it be blamed for Covid-19 becoming a pandemic?This week on The Inquiry, Kavita Puri asks what the Chinese government could, or should, have done differently to prevent a global catastrophe.Producer: Eleanor Biggs
Presenter: Kavita Puri (A man drags a handcart across an emptied road on February 5, 2020 during lockdown in Wuhan, Hubei province, China. Getty Images)

May 21, 2020 • 24min
How will the world pay for Covid-19?
As governments spend huge sums to get through the coronavirus crisis, how will they fund it all? Slash spending, raise taxes or just accept debt is here to stay? With Tanya Beckett.(Photo: Variety of world currency notes: Credit: Getty images)

May 14, 2020 • 24min
Why does Germany have such a low number of deaths from Covid-19?
To date, 7500 people have lost their lives in Germany in a population of 80 million. Other comparably sized European countries like the UK, France, Italy and Spain – some with smaller populations have deaths far exceeding Germany several times over. In this week’s Inquiry Kavita Puri tries to find out why. Producer Jim Frank(People walk at Kurfürstendamm, Berlin's popular shopping area during the coronavirus crisis May 2020 Germany. Credit: Maja Hitij /Getty Images)