Israelis are reeling from a massive Iranian ballistic missile attack which forced over 10 million people to take cover in bomb shelters and threatened to pull both countries into an open war. How will Israel respond to this attack? Can they restore deterrence in the region? And will they have the support of the US and other western nations?

To make sense of the events of the last few weeks we’re joined again on the program by Yossi Klein Halevi. Yossi is a senior fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem, a contributing opinion writer for The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, and the author of the New York Times bestseller, Letters to My Palestinian Neighbor.

The host of this Munk Dialogue is Rudyard Griffiths

Tweet your comments about this episode to @munkdebate or comment on our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/munkdebates/

To support civil and substantive debate on the big questions of the day, consider becoming a Munk Member at https://munkdebates.com/membership

Members receive access to our 15+ year library of great debates in HD video, a free Munk Debates book, and ticketing privileges at our live events.

This podcast is a project of the Munk Debates, a Canadian charitable organization dedicated to fostering civil and substantive public dialogue - https://munkdebates.com/

Executive Producer: Ricki Gurwitz

Editor: Kieran Lynch

Friday Focus provides listeners with a focused, half-hour masterclass on the big issues, events and trends driving the news and current events. The show features Janice Gross Stein, the founding director of the Munk School of Global Affairs and bestselling author, in conversation with Rudyard Griffiths, Chair and moderator of the Munk Debates.

The following is a sample of the Munk Debates’ weekly current affairs podcast, Friday Focus.

Today's Friday Focus begins with Benjamin Netayahu''s decision to push forward in Israel's war with Hezbollah. Why is he antagonizing Washington by changing his mind on their proposal for a ceasefire? Janice asks the same question she did when the war in Gaza first started: what is the endgame in Lebanon? What is the strategy? Rudyard wants to know why the Biden administration is urgeing Israel to de-escalate their wars but paradoxically is providing weapons to Ukraine to escalate their battle with Russia. Why is Israel not getting the same support and consideration being afforded to Ukraine? In the second half of the show Rudyard and Janice discuss the ongoing deliberations by western countries about whether to provide long range missiles to Ukraine to strike inside Russia, which has prompted Putin to rephrase Russia's nuclear doctrine and lower the threshold for the use of nuclear weapons. The hosts worry that we are sleeping on an issue which has the potential to blow up in the most destructive way possible.

To access full-length editions of the Friday Focus podcast consider becoming a donor to the Munk Debates for as little as $25 annually, or $.50 per episode. Canadian donors receive a charitable tax receipt.

This podcast is a project of the Munk Debates, a Canadian charitable organization dedicated to fostering civil and substantive public dialogue.

More information at www.munkdebates.com.

On this Munk Dialogue we are talking about an academic theory that has become ubiquitous with criticism of Israel and to a larger extent, the West.

Adam Kirsch is an editor at the Wall Street Journal and his new book, On Settler Colonialism: Ideology, Violence, and Justice, explains how this concept - which was once relegated to the halls of academia - has spilled out into the public sphere and is now shaping the way many young people understand history. He argues that the modern concept of settler colonialism has become a dangerous ideology which seeks to avenge past injustices rather than trying to reconcile them. And he explains why Israel has become an easy target for protesters who view the world through this particular lens.

The host of this Munk Dialogue is Ricki Gurwitz

Tweet your comments about this episode to @munkdebate or comment on our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/munkdebates/

To support civil and substantive debate on the big questions of the day, consider becoming a Munk Member at https://munkdebates.com/membership

Members receive access to our 15+ year library of great debates in HD video, a free Munk Debates book, and ticketing privileges at our live events.

This podcast is a project of the Munk Debates, a Canadian charitable organization dedicated to fostering civil and substantive public dialogue - https://munkdebates.com/

Executive Producer: Ricki Gurwitz

Editor: Kieran Lynch

Friday Focus provides listeners with a focused, half-hour masterclass on the big issues, events and trends driving the news and current events. The show features Janice Gross Stein, the founding director of the Munk School of Global Affairs and bestselling author, in conversation with Rudyard Griffiths, Chair and moderator of the Munk Debates.

The following is a sample of the Munk Debates’ weekly current affairs podcast, Friday Focus.

Today's show is all about Israel's pager and walkie talkie attacks on Hezbollah members in Lebanon. Rudyard argues that you can't continuously fire rockets at civilian neighbourhoods in northern Israel without expecting a response. But Hezboallah is not Hamas: its army has a vast and sophisticated weapons arsenal that has the potential to overwhelm Israel's defense capabilities. Janice and Rudyard disagree over Iran's level of influence over Hamas and Hezbollah. Are they puppets of Tehran, or partners with similar objectives? In the second half of the show Rudyard and Janice discuss the long term global ramifications of using this type of advanced technology in warfare. How does international law apply? Both worry that in the age of AI, civilian infrastructure has become part of the battlefield and anybody with access to code can weaponise everything from our phones to our fridges.

To access full-length editions of the Friday Focus podcast consider becoming a donor to the Munk Debates for as little as $25 annually, or $.50 per episode. Canadian donors receive a charitable tax receipt.

This podcast is a project of the Munk Debates, a Canadian charitable organization dedicated to fostering civil and substantive public dialogue.

More information at www.munkdebates.com.

Thanks to their sheer numbers, Baby Boomers have always had an outsize effect on politics and policy. When they were young and liberal, society became more liberal. As they got older and more conservative, conservatism made a comeback.

So, given their power over the decades, how much blame do Boomers deserve for society’s current problems?

Many younger people look at the political and economic choices Boomers have made over the course of their lives, and they see a selfish generation that has taken care of itself at the expense of everyone else.

They point to many examples: Housing policy that has increased Boomer wealth but left homes out of reach for young people; governments that opened up the coffers when Boomers were in school but now cry poor, leaving today’s students riddled with debt; and a purging of the planet's resources that has accelerated the effects of climate change.

But Boomers are fighting back against the attacks on their record. Many of them argue that their critics conveniently forget some of the challenges Boomers faced when they were young and life back then wasn’t nearly as rosy as millennials seem to think. Boomers fought hard for social and political changes that today’s youth take for granted.

Arguing in favour of the resolution is Eric Lombardi. He's an opinion writer and contributor to The Hub and the Toronto Star.

Arguing against the resolution is Sean O’Grady. He is the Associate Editor of the Independent UK, where he writes editorials and columns about politics and economics.

SOURCES: MSNBC, Five-Thirty-Eight

The host of the Munk Debates is Rudyard Griffiths

Vote on who you think won this debate on our website www.munkdebates.com.

To sign up for a weekly email reminder for this podcast, send an email to podcast@munkdebates.com.

To support civil and substantive debate on the big questions of the day, consider becoming a Munk Member at https://munkdebates.com/membership

Members receive access to our 50+ year library of great debates in HD video, a free Munk Debates book, newsletter and ticketing privileges at our live events.

This podcast is a project of the Munk Debates, a Canadian charitable organization dedicated to fostering civil and substantive public dialogue - https://munkdebates.com/

Senior Producer: Ricki Gurwitz

Producer: Daniel Kitts

Editor: Kieran Lynch

Friday Focus provides listeners with a focused, half-hour masterclass on the big issues, events and trends driving the news and current events. The show features Janice Gross Stein, the founding director of the Munk School of Global Affairs and bestselling author, in conversation with Rudyard Griffiths, Chair and moderator of the Munk Debates.

The following is a sample of the Munk Debates’ weekly current affairs podcast, Friday Focus.

Rudyard and Janice dedicate the entire Friday Focus episode to the very dangerous showdown taking place between Putin and the West. In what could be the tipping point in the war in Ukraine, western powers are contemplating giving Ukraine permission to use their long range missiles to strike deep within Russia. Rudyard and Janice worry that in Zelensky's desperation he is forgetting that nuclear powers like Russia get to play by different rules to restore credible deterrence. Is the West prepared to enter into a NATO-Russia war? And why are western leaders not taking these potentially civilization-ending decisions with the seriousness they require? And finally, how did get to this dangerous precipice of history? In an era of dual use technology, we would all benefit from less hubris and more humility.

To access full-length editions of the Friday Focus podcast consider becoming a donor to the Munk Debates for as little as $25 annually, or $.50 per episode. Canadian donors receive a charitable tax receipt.

This podcast is a project of the Munk Debates, a Canadian charitable organization dedicated to fostering civil and substantive public dialogue.

More information at www.munkdebates.com.

Following the execution of six Israeli hostages in Gaza, Israeli protesters are demanding Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agree to a cease-fire deal that would guarantee the release of the remaining hostages. The deal on the table, however, would force Israel to concede to Hamas’s central demand: that the IDF withdraw from the Philadlphi Corridor which separates Gaza from Egypt. Those calling for a ceasefire argue that saving the remaining hostages should be the highest priority for Israel, which can always re-occupy the corridor in the future should it present another security risk. Others argue that Benjamin Netanyahu is right and any deal that allows Hamas to retake this essential strip – whose tunnels operate as the supply line for weapons being smuggled into Gaza – presents a major security risk that Israel cannot tolerate. Striking a deal now will allow Hamas to recapture Gaza and guarantee that this war, which has cost too many lives on both sides of the border, will soon have to be fought again.

Arguing in favour of the resolution is Barak Medina, a Professor of Human Rights Law at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Arguing against the resolution is Gadi Taub. He’s an Israeli historian, author, political commentator, and co-host of the popular Tablet Magazine podcast, Israel Update.

The host of this Munk Debates podcast episode is Rudyard Griffiths

Tweet your comments about this episode to @munkdebate or comment on our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/munkdebates/

To sign up for a weekly email reminder for this podcast, send an email to podcast@munkdebates.com.

To support civil and substantive debate on the big questions of the day, consider becoming a Munk Member at https://munkdebates.com/membership

Members receive access to our 15+ year library of great debates in HD video, a free Munk Debates book, newsletter and ticketing privileges at our live events.

This podcast is a project of the Munk Debates, a Canadian charitable organization dedicated to fostering civil and substantive public dialogue - https://munkdebates.com/

Senior Producer: Ricki Gurwitz

Editor: Kieran Lynch

Friday Focus provides listeners with a focused, half-hour masterclass on the big issues, events and trends driving the news and current events. The show features Janice Gross Stein, the founding director of the Munk School of Global Affairs and bestselling author, in conversation with Rudyard Griffiths, Chair and moderator of the Munk Debates.

The following is a sample of the Munk Debates’ weekly current affairs podcast, Friday Focus.

Rudyard and Janice start off the show talking about the significant judicial reforms underway in Mexico, and why they will affect Canada and our important trade agreements. On the second half of the show they turn to Canadian politics where the NDP, under the leadership of Jagmeet Singh, have ended their supply agreement with the Liberal government which had been keeping Justin Trudeau's party in power. Is this move setting us up for a federal election? In Ukraine a reorganization of Zelensky's cabinet has caught westerners off guard and is raising eyebrows about the timing of this shuffle. Rudyard and Janice round out the show by discussing Putin's decision to change his nuclear doctrine. Will this increase the scope of the country's nuclear deterrence, thereby increasing the risk that these dangerous weapons will be used?

To access full-length editions of the Friday Focus podcast consider becoming a donor to the Munk Debates for as little as $25 annually, or $.50 per episode. Canadian donors receive a charitable tax receipt.

This podcast is a project of the Munk Debates, a Canadian charitable organization dedicated to fostering civil and substantive public dialogue.

More information at www.munkdebates.com.