UpFront

Has Obama failed Syria?

We speak to US Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes and examine the unfair portrayal of the “greedy Greeks”.

In this episode of UpFront, Mehdi Hasan speaks to US Deputy National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes. He also refutes the stereotype of the “greedy Greeks” and challenges the Hungarian prime minister’s spokesman on the country’s policies toward refugees.

The Headliner: US Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes

Six years ago at the age of 32, Ben Rhodes went from US President Barack Obama’s speechwriter to one of his most trusted advisers. Rhodes is seen as Obama’s right-hand man on foreign affairs and has helped formulate US policy on the Middle East, Pakistan and Cuba. 

In this week’s Headliner, Mehdi Hasan presses Rhodes on the US government’s use of drones, its policy on Syria and the bombing of ISIL.

Reality Check: Are the Greeks all that lazy?

“No! No more billions for greedy Greeks,” was the headline printed inside Europe’s best-selling daily newspaper, BILD, earlier this year.

The caricature of the greedy, lazy and profligate Greeks is often spewed out by German politicians and pundits, but the numbers don’t add up. In this Reality Check, Hasan debunks the myth that Greeks are to blame for their economic woes, and instead points to the real issue: austerity.

The Arena: Hungary fences out refugees

Mehdi Hasan challenges the prime minister’s spokesman on the country’s immigration policy.

Refugees trekking hundreds of kilometres in search of safety and a better life were greeted with tear gas by Hungarian police at the Serbian border, resulting in widespread condemnation.

The country’s leader, Prime Minister Viktor Orban continues to take a controversial stand against refugees. He has voiced opposition to a recent EU plan to resettle 120,000 asylum seekers across Europe and the government built a fence along the Serbian border.

In this week’s Arena, Hasan challenges the prime minister’s spokesman, Zoltan Kovacs, on the country’s strict immigration policy.

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