Hardtalk

Nikos Dendias is Greece’s minister for public order. He believes Greece has become the new gateway to Europe, receiving 90 per cent of all illegal immigrants to the EU. He also says the Greek immigration problem may prove even greater than the financial one. Gavin Esler asks him how the years of austerity impacted on Greek society and law and order.

Afghanistan is a country that has huge natural resources, but it is also one of the most corrupt countries in the world. HARDtalk is in Kabul to talk to Afghanistan’s finance minister Dr. Omar Zakhilwal. He has publically accused fellow MPs of corruption, and has had to defend himself against similar charges. There is money to be made in Afghanistan, but will the people who live there see any of it?

International Forces are pulling out of Afghanistan and by the end of 2014 they’ll be gone completely. HARDtalk's Sarah Montague visited Afghanistan to speak to the head of the Afghan National Army, Sher Mohammad Karimi. He and his troops now have the task of keeping the country safe - does he think his men are up to the job?

On Hardtalk, Shaun Ley talks to “the true father of metal” and “the king of the heavy riff”. Tony Iommi’s band is topping the charts again after 43 years. Black Sabbath are better known for the antics of on/off lead singer Ozzy Osborne than the skills of its guitarist. But Iommi is the one original member of the band to have stayed the course. This despite missing finger tips that can make playing painful, the rock and roll lifestyle lived to the full, and now cancer. Still recording and touring around his treatment, what keeps him playing?

South Africa's Constitution has become one of the most admired in the world - progressive, transformative, guaranteeing equality and human rights. But despite the great strides the country has made, the reality is failing to live up to the promise. The legal system, which guarantees the Constitution, has itself come under fire from within the government, the opposition, and from some human rights groups. Gavin Esler speaks to South Africa's Chief Justice, Mogoeng Mogoeng.

Gavin Esler talks to Sergei Guriev, a star Russian economist who has been advocating liberalising economic reform in his country. But after becoming involved in the case of former oil oligarch Mikhail Khodorkovsky, he found himself in trouble with the authorities and decided to go into exile. What does Guriev's extraordinary story tell us about the true face of Vladimir Putin's Russia?

Tim Franks speaks to political philosopher Michael Sandel who argues that markets are increasingly entering all parts of life and are becoming more and more destructive. Are commercial interests and financial incentives really that much more intrusive these days? If so, how do you draw up the rules for the moral limits of markets?

For Hardtalk, Zeinab Badawi is in Ankara to speak to Turkey’s Finance Minister, Mehmet Simsek. Following the response to the anti-government demonstrations, critics at home and abroad are pointing to an increasingly authoritarian style of political leadership in Turkey. Why have protests erupted across the country like never before under the ruling AK party? And did the initial crackdown by the security forces actually strengthen the protesters?

On Hardtalk, Sarah Montague talks to Ayad Allawi, former Prime Minister of Iraq. More than a thousand people were killed in violence in Iraq last month according to the United Nations. The country appears to be dividing along religious lines, not helped by its neighbour Syria's descent into civil war. Ayad Allawi has accused the current Prime Minister, Nouri Al Maliki, of turning into a dictator. So what hope is there now for keeping the peace in Iraq?

Stephen Sackur talks to Martin Amis. Early in his writing career he was pigeonholed as the enfant terrible of the British literary world. Four decades on he remains one of the most successful and closely scrutinised novelists of his generation.

HardTalk's Shaun Ley talks to Ivo Daalder, US Permanent Representative to NATO, at the organisation's headquarters in Brussels. The Alliance was formed to defend western Europe against the Soviet Union, with the United States an enthusiastic member. But today there are increasing divions over money and philosophy. Is it time for this 64 year old veteran security organisation to be pensioned off?

Shaun Ley speaks to Mo Ibrahim, creator of the Ibrahim Prize for Achievement in African Leadership. His Index of African Governance suggests generally things are getting better. But some worry that China's willingness to lend money "no strings attached" is encouraging politicians to revert to their bad old ways. Is Mo Ibrahim's ambition of better governance being undermined from outside?

France is one of the political heavyweights of the European Union, a key world economy and a major global player. HARDtalk speaks to Jean-François Copé, the leader of the UMP, the main opposition party on the centre-right, who has lurched farther to the right on issues like gay marriage. He has also made comments about the French Muslim community which have led to accusations that he is threatening cultural harmony. Is he in danger of consigning his party to the political dustbin at home and on the world stage?

On HARDtalk, Stephen Sackur talks to Pierre Krähenbühl - Director of Operations, International Committee of the Red Cross. The ICRC is pulling some of its international staff out of Afghanistan, following a murderous attack on its Jalalabad compound. It's an unprecedented move in three decades of ICRC operations in Afghanistan. Is the organisation being overwhelmed by the danger and complexity of modern conflict?

Robert Fowler, a senior Canadian diplomat, was held hostage for five months by Al Qaeda in Niger in 2009. He says that since his capture and release, terror attacks and events in the region, such as the brief Islamist takeover of northern Mali, should serve as a wake-up call of a jihadist danger. He believes militants aim to set up a seven thousand kilometre Islamic caliphate stretching from Mauritania to Somalia. Zeinab Badawi asks if he is scaremongering or if his fears are valid.