The Interview (Interviews)

Paul Kagame is the man who has led Rwanda out of the genocide that took place fifteen years ago. His priority has been to rebuild Rwanda and put the terrible ethnic divisions firmly in the past. His country is now described as bright and promising with a growing economy and a determined workforce. Yet President Kagame faces repeated international criticism for a lack of democracy and freedom of expression inside Rwanda, and his country's actions in Congo. So which view of Rwanda is right?...

President Rafael Correa Delgado is a Western-educated economist who says he is fighting for social justice. He became president of Ecuador in 2007 on a populist message of speaking out for the poor and boosting development, while integrating more with the region -- in particular with the group of left-wing countries that have now emerged in Latin America. He also wants to put environment at the centre of policy. So can he make a difference?

Geraint Anderson worked for twelve years as an analyst in London's financial district, the City. He earned several million pounds before leaving his job a year ago. He's now written a book -- described as fictional but which he says is mostly true -- which reveals a world of wining, dining, drugs and illicit sex. On The Interview he tells Owen Bennett-Jones how the City works.

Mariam Sadiq al-Mahdi is from a political dynasty in Sudan. Her father was the last elected prime minister. Her great great grandfather led the Sudanese in a rebellion against the English colonialists. Now she too is a political figure involved with the main opposition party. She tells Owen Bennett-Jones what it's like to operate in a male-dominated, Muslim society. And gives her view of what lies ahead for Sudan.

Major Reid Sawyer is a leading American authority on Al Qaeda. He is based at the United States Military Academy at West Point and wrote the textbook on counter terrorism methods. On the eve of a major new World Service series about Al Qaeda, Owen Bennett-Jones talks to Major Sawyer about who is winning the war on terror. And gets some surprising answers.