Doha Debates Podcast

Some critics argue that contemporary art has lost touch with the principles and traditions that define artistic greatness. Others see its break with tradition as liberating; a move toward more inclusion, experimentation and personal and political expression.  This episode explores what makes great art in the 21st century. Is it adherence to tradition, or disruption and reinvention? Is artistic beauty understood across time and culture, or does each generation need to redefine it? And with the AI era upon us, what even constitutes art in the first place?  💬 Join the conversation in the comments.   Featuring:   Wafaa Bilal: Artist; professor, Tisch School at New York University  Molly Crabapple: Artist, writer and journalist  Fen de Villiers: Fine art sculptor  Samar Younes: Quantum culture artist  Moderated by presenter, filmmaker and producer Nadir Nahdi

This episode was recorded on December 6th, 2025.  In recent decades, traditional religious frameworks have steadily lost influence in Western societies. At the same time, we’ve seen the emergence of social justice movements focused on uncovering and dismantling systemic forms of oppression. Some argue that these secular movements are a replacement for faith. Others say they don’t offer the same moral depth, cohesion and forgiveness provided by traditional religion.    In this episode, our guests debate whether today's social justice movements effectively replace religion in the West—and whether they share similar ethical principles with the traditions they often want to move beyond.    💬 Join the conversation in the comments.   Featuring:   Joshua Mitchell: Professor of political theory, Georgetown University  Khaled A. Beydoun: Professor of law, Arizona State University  Michael Eric Dyson: Professor of African American and diaspora studies, Vanderbilt University  Moderated by international presenter and host Mohamed Hassan

Conspiracy theories used to be dismissed as paranoid fringe thinking, found only in the far corners of the internet or every day hearsay. But today, they've migrated to the mainstream. Claims about election meddling, the real origins of COVID-19, and the deep state circulate widely and are even repeated by government officials.   This episode asks whether conspiracy theories have any actual value in a world where uncertainty is high and institutional accountability is low. Do they only make the spread of misinformation and disinformation worse? Or are they a way for people to express real suspicion toward systems that often feel hidden or unaccountable?  💬 Join the conversation in the comments.   Featuring:   Heather Berlin: Associate professor of psychiatry and neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai  Alex Berenson: Novelist; journalist; author, Unreported Truths Substack   Nuurrianti Jalli: Assistant professor of professional practice, Oklahoma State University   Andrea Kitta: Professor of folklore, department of English at East Carolina University  Moderated by international presenter and host Dareen Abughaida

Will AI unite or divide us?  Artificial intelligence systems often reflect the priorities, biases and beliefs of the people who designed and created them. It’s critical to determine the sources of its worldview as it continues to influence how we think, learn and even love.  This episode explores whether AI will bring us together or widen social divides. Can we create AI models that truly reflect cultural and ideological diversity? Or are we heading into an era of “AI tribes” that leads us in different directions?   💬 Join the conversation in the comments.  Featuring:   James Brusseau: Professor of philosophy and computer science, Pace University  Evgeny Morozov: Theorist and publisher, The Syllabus  Elina Noor: Senior fellow, Asia Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace  Robert Wright: Publisher, Nonzero Newsletter; host, Nonzero Podcast  Moderated by award-winning journalist and writer Mohamed Hassan

The idea of taxing the rich is hardly new, but the question of whether it creates a fairer world remains highly contested.  This debate asks what would happen if we increased taxation on the billionaire class. Would it actually create greater economic stability and social equity? Or would it make things worse? Are taxes even aneffective way to redistribute wealth, or should we be looking at other models?  💬 Join the conversation in the comments.  Featuring:  Sanjit Dhami: Professor of economics, University of Leicester  Gustavo Flores-Macías: Dean of the School of Public Policy, University of Maryland  Martín Krause: Visiting professor, Francisco Marroquín University (Guatemala)  Pedro Solimano: Journalist, DL News

Are we truly able to shape our own lives, or are we following a script we can’t rewrite?   From Islamic perspectives to groundbreaking neuroscientific research, this episode examines how differing theories about free will shape the way we look at morality, responsibility and justice.  💬 Join the conversation in the comments.  Featuring:  Heather Berlin: Associate professor of psychiatry and neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai  Gregg Caruso: Professor of ethics and director of the Patrick J. Waide Center for Applied Ethics, Fairfield University  Shadi Hamid: Columnist, the Washington Post Peter Tse: Cognitive neuroscientist, professor and chair of the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Dartmouth College

Archaeology textbooks tell a familiar story about human history: Stone tools, cave art, nomadic life, then civilization.   But a growing number of voices think we're missing a chapter—signs of an earlier advanced culture, lost to time.   This episode explores the question underneath it all: Is there really a forgotten era of human ingenuity, or are we inventing a more epic past because it makes the human story feel bigger?  💬 Join the conversation in the comments.    Featuring:  Eduardo Góes Neves: Professor of archeology, University of Sao Paulo   Edwin Barnhart: Director, Maya Exploration Center  Flint Dibble: Teacher in archaeology, Cardiff University  Sarah Parcak: Professor of anthropology, University of Alabama at Birmingham

For millennia, we’ve wondered about the possibility of intelligent life beyond Earth. Recently, former U.S. president Barack Obama asserted that aliens are, in fact, real, and the Trump administration has pushed to declassify government files on UAPs and UFOs, leaving us with even more questions.   In this episode, we explore what might happen if we discovered that we are not alone in the universe. What if our morality, spirituality and intelligence was not unique? How would the discovery of extraterrestrials reshape our understanding of ourselves and our role in the cosmos?    💬 Join the conversation in the comments.  Featuring:  Matthias Determann:  Historian, Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar  David Grinspoon: Senior scientist, Planetary Science Institute  Shaykh Hamza Karamali: Founder of Basira Education  Nick Pope: UAP investigator, UK Ministry of Defense (retired

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 Debates.  Is war inevitable, or preventable? This episode examines whether we’re capable of breaking the cycle of war.   💬 Join the conversation in the comments.    Featuring:  Charli Carpenter: Author and professor of political science and legal studies  Ian Morris: Historian, archaeologist and classics professor  R. Brian Ferguson: Professor, author and specialist in Indigenous conflict studies   Noha Aboueldahab: Author, professor and transitional justice specialist

What does our architecture say about who we are—and who we want to become?  For centuries, architecture has represented our cultural beliefs, traditions and needs. It’s shaped how we live, how we relate to each other and even our mood.  But modern architecture’s critics say it has a big problem. They argue it’s disconnected from human expression and context, with uniform or minimalist buildings that erase uniqueness, ignore the landscape and even increase stress. Modern architects, however, praise it for functionality and efficiency, saying it addresses global problems like climate change and affordable housing.   In this episode, we explore whether architecture in the modern age has lost touch with humanity, or whether it is just as expressive and responsive as in any other era.    💬 Join the conversation in the comments.  Featuring:  Marwa Al-Sabouni: Architect, urbanist and author  Bidisha Sinha: Associate director at Zaha Hadid Architects   Lucien Steil: Author, professor and architect

The prospect of societal collapse has been examined throughout human history. Thinkers from Ibn Khaldun to Karl Marx have argued that civilization carries the seeds of its own downfall.   This episode asks whether we are witnessing modern-day civilization’s collapse or renewal. Will our modern-day focus on individualism, technology and comfort lead to decline or a revolutionary new beginning? Or are we living in a transitional moment where terms like “civilization” fail to capture our global reality altogether?    💬 Join the conversation in the comments. Featuring:  Aurora Payal: Author, professor and digital anthropologist  Jonathan Brown: Author, professor and scholar of Islamic studies  Faisal Devji: Professor of global and Iimperial history  Joseph Tainter: Author, anthropologist and historian

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 they’re a new societal blueprint for humanity. But will this approach actually uplift us all or leave most of us behind?  This debate explores whether tech-run cities like Praxis or Próspera truly offer a brighter future for all, or whether they are exclusive enclaves for the elite.  💬 Join the conversation in the comments.  Featuring:  Gökçe Günel: Author and professor of anthropology at Rice University  Titus Gebel: Tech entrepreneur; founder and president of the Free Cities Foundation  Evgeny Morozov: Theorist and publisher of The Syllabus

Are superheroes moral leaders—or caped propagandists?  From comic books to billion-dollar blockbusters, superheroes have fascinated us for over a century. But what do these stories really teach us? Are they our moral guides or do they reinforce Western ideals, individualism and even militarism?  This debate explores why anti-heroes like the Joker captivate us, what it means when our moral icons are billionaires or kings created by entertainment giants, and whether superhero stories shape a new moral compass or uphold the status quo.   💬 Join the conversation in the comments.  Featuring:  Nnedi Okorafor:  Award-winning novelist, Black Panther comics author  Hussein Rashid: Independent scholar of religion and pop culture  Keith Spencer: Author and social critic focused on culture, media, and tech

Over the past decade, critics argue that identity politics and censorship have stifled academic freedom, while others say these concerns are overstated. This debate explores whether initiatives for justice and inclusion of historically excluded voices actually strengthen academia’s truth-seeking mission or risk replacing critical inquiry with moral conformity—and what kind of intellectual culture universities should build for the future.  💬 Join the conversation in the comments.  Featuring:  Dorian Abbot: Professor of Geophysics at the University of Chicago  Pablo Avelluto: Former Minister of Culture of Argentina  Omer Bartov: Professor of Holocaust and Genocide Studies at Brown University  Mohammad Fadel: Professor of Law at the University of Toronto

Can the West be trusted with global justice after Gaza?    Never has global justice faced a greater moral crisis than the destruction of Gaza, with the post-World-War-II moral order facing intense scrutiny. While Western-led institutions claim to champion human rights, when it comes to Gaza, do these institutions live up to their own ideals? In this episode of the Doha Debates Podcast, global experts debate whether the West can be trusted to promote global justice, and who should decide instead what moral framework guides the future of justice in a multipolar world.     💬 Join the conversation in the comments.  Featuring:  Bruno Maçães: Author and member of the European Council on Foreign Relations   David Oldroyd-Bolt: Historian and broadcaster, specializing in Anglosphere relations  Dr. Randa Slim: Foreign policy expert and non-resident fellow with Middle East Institute  Wadah Khanfar: Palestinian journalist and former director general of Al Jazeera

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 lose in the process?    Many argue that science should extend our lives and reduce suffering. Others believe there must be limits. In this episode, experts debate whether we should handle the aging process with acceptance or with scientific intervention.

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, algorithms quietly shape visibility and experts step in as arbiters of credibility, a deeper question emerges: are these systems protecting open discourse or controlling it?  In this episode of the Doha Debates Podcast, we explore the rise of digital censorship and the growing assumption that the public cannot be trusted to think critically without supervision. Can harmful falsehoods be reduced without eroding the right to freely exchange ideas? And who decides where the line between protection and control is drawn?  Experts join moderator Mohamed Hassan to debate how truth is defined, who gets to define it and what ethical responsibilities come with that authority.  💬 Join the conversation in the comments.  Featuring:  Renée DiResta: Author and associate research professor at Georgetown University's McCourt School of Public Policy   Glenn Greenwald: Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, former constitutional lawyer and New York Times bestselling author  Siva Vaidhyanathan: Professor of Media Studies and director of the Center for Media and Citizenship at the University of Virginia

Start the year 2026 with us as we discuss the questions shaping our world: What happens when disagreement is labeled disinformation? Can aging be cured — and should it be? After Gaza, who decides what justice looks like?  The Doha Debates Podcast returns with a bold, reimagined season, featuring Majlis-style debates that challenge you to think differently. Each week, our moderators sit down with experts to explore these big issues through a wide range of perspectives.   🗓️ First episode premieres Tuesday, January 6 🎧 New episodes every Tuesday 🔔 Subscribe and join the conversation!

Today, the global order is facing challenges from shifting power and ongoing conflicts around the world. In this moment of rapid change, our latest town hall sought to examine the competing values and principles that underpin our societies—and uncover fundamental truths about which philosophical building blocks are most essential to building a better, more equitable and peaceful world. Expert guests Victor Gao, Hina Khar and Vali Nasr, together with an onstage audience of students and recent graduates, joined us to explore this urgent question: which principles should shape our future? This Doha Debates town hall was moderated by journalist Femi Oke and produced in partnership with Doha Forum. It was filmed in Doha, Qatar on December 6, 2024.

For the greater part of a century, conversations and narratives about global justice and free speech have been dominated by the West. From seminal works of history to newspapers of record to media networks to politics to public discourse, Western voices have often been louder than the rest. And while the West has long claimed to act in the name of democracy, equality and freedom, some wonder whether it always lives up to its own ideals. Can the world rely on Western media, politics and public rhetoric to promote global justice, or is it simply furthering its own interests? At the tenth Bradford Literature Festival, speakers Fatima Bhutto, Steve Clemons and Konstantin Kisin came together alongside an onstage audience of students and recent graduates for a lively town hall exploring how this narrative control plays out on the world stage. This Doha Debates town hall was moderated by journalist Remona Aly and produced in partnership with Bradford Literature Festival. It was filmed at University of Bradford in Bradford, England on July 6, 2024.