Qatar Foundation's Doha Debates to Release 20 Podcast Episodes Weekly for New Season

Doha Debates, of the Qatar Foundation, has launched a new season of the Doha Debates Podcast, with 20 episodes scheduled to be broadcast weekly until February 16, 2027. This series brings together world-class scholars to discuss the world's most complex and difficult problems.

Continuing the themes raised in major debates and town hall meetings through in-depth conversational formats, this podcast explores global issues by respecting diverse perspectives and capturing deep nuances, reflecting the platform for open and truth-seeking dialogue pursued by Doha Debates.

The first episode, ‘Will China or the West lead the world into the future?’, is hosted by Soraya Salam and explores competition surrounding influence, technology, and the international order, featuring guests including Renata Ávila, CEO of the Open Knowledge Foundation, entrepreneur Arnaud Bertrand, Isabel Hilton, visiting professor at the Lau China Institute, King's College London, and Henry Wang, founder and president of the Center for China and Globalization.

Over the past century, Western powers have played an excessively large role in shaping the order. The growing economic, technological, and diplomatic influence of China is challenging this balance.

This episode asks whether Western influence is declining. Does China offer an alternative, or does it provide a different form of dependency? As the geopolitical landscape is reshaped by tensions surrounding Taiwan, the war in Ukraine, and the artificial intelligence race, can visions of different world orders coexist?

Director Wang stated that we stand at a "critical crossroads" as the world order is "transitioning from a unipolar system to a multipolar system."

He added, "But a multipolar system has not yet arrived. I believe the most difficult challenge right now is getting the major players to cooperate."

Professor Hilton cautioned against reducing the debate to moral dichotomies, saying, "I believe seeing the world as one side being good and the other being evil does not help in true dialogue."

Arnaud Bertrand argues that the differences between China and the West are not necessarily irreconcilable. He said, "We must find ways to coexist and accept each other as we are."

Renata Ávila expects a different form of multilateral arrangement that goes beyond great powers, similar to the "former Non-Aligned Movement, which had enough influence to tame the great powers."

The new podcast season explores how cultural, social, and political changes shape our identities, covering various topics such as international law, the state of journalism, labor and childcare, new technologies, and the legacy of war and empire.

The episode ‘Will China or the West lead the world into the future?’ can be viewed on podcast platforms, YouTube, and DohaDebates.com. New episodes will be released weekly.

About Doha Debates

Doha Debates is a space where pioneering truth-seekers with intellectual curiosity gather to engage in constructive debate about their differences to build a better future. We emphasize integration over division and encourage dialogue that brings us together rather than pulling us apart.

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◆ At a Glance

· Issuing Organization: Doha Debates

· Category: General Education, Broadcasting, Doha Debates

· Distribution: September 26, 2026, 12:25 PM

Source: Doha Debates Press Release (Newswire)

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