What future for 'Greater Israel'?
The Middle East 'peace process' is seriously deadlocked. Israel is determined to press ahead with the expansion of settlements. Palestinians refuse to accept anything less than their total freeze, but they are divided on the best way forward - diplomacy or resistance. The diplomatic vacuum leads to more unilateral policies and radicalisation. So how can the international community help? Is a two-state solution still possible, or one state or no state?
More from 2009
Episode 1
Obama's Middle East Challenge
In his new series analysing global powers and their agendas Al Jazeera's chief political analyst Marwan Bishara focuses on the challenges facing the new US president. With such antipathy towards George Bush's foreign policy, what can the world expect from Obama and his new team?
Episode 2
Israel and the US
"In this episode of Empire, Marwan Bishara, Al Jazeera's senior political analyst, and his guests zero in on the special relationship between the US and Israel. They explore who benefits from the special relationship and whether the status quo will prevail."
Episode 3
Arab unity in the shadows
Marwan Bishara and his guests examine the past, present and future of Arab Unity in view of the historical processes, and geopolitical realities of the Arab World in the shadow of Empires.
Episode 4
Obama and Afghanistan
Empire examines the path from Iraq to Afghanistan and into Pakistan. With the Iraq operation apparently drawing to a close and a mini-surge underway in Afghanistan, people in the region are wondering what this will all mean on the ground and what will the repercussions be for the region. As locals worry that they will be caught in the crossfire or killed by drones, experts question whether the strategy is the correct one or if it is too little, too late. Empire investigates what went wrong and the plan to fix it.
Episode 5
Sarkozy's France
Marwan Bishara and guests discuss whether president Nicolas Sarkozy's plans to make France a key player on the world stage are all bubble and no fizz.
Episode 6
Iran: Influence or Threat
"Whatever the outcome of the recent troubles, Iran sees itself as a natural leader in the region. It is determined to follow an independent foreign policy, and regards the nuclear question as a matter of national pride, and nobody elses business. With war raging all around it, we ask: is Iran a regional influence, or an international threat? Empire examines a country torn between traditional values and modernity, between its imperial past and its relations with the region, between its universal pretentions and its moderate means, between its highly educated and globalised urban youth and its more conservative hinterland."
