Amanpour — "Gender Equality and Historic Movements"

Host: Christiane Amanpour (CNN International)
Date: October 25, 2025

Overview

This episode of Amanpour delves into pivotal movements and stories shaping conversations around gender equality, justice, and world affairs. It opens with a focus on Iceland’s historic 1975 women’s strike for equality, featuring insights from Iceland’s President Hatla Thomas Doltier and filmmaker Pamela Hogan about the legacy and lessons of that day. The program then shifts to explore the Oscar-winning West Bank documentary "No Other Land," followed by features on the world's fastest nonagenarian sprinter, NATO’s past and future, U.S.-Venezuela tensions, and literary reflections with author Philip Pullman.

Iceland’s 1975 Women’s Strike: Lessons in Activism and Unity

[00:07 – 10:20]

Main Points & Insights

• Introduction to the Strike:
  Amanpour sets the stage for the episode, recalling Iceland’s 1975 "Day Off," where 90% of women in the country stopped all work to demonstrate their indispensability. The event is revisited in Pamela Hogan's documentary The Day Iceland Stood Still.

• Economic and Social Case for Equality:
  Amanpour cites Christine Lagarde and World Bank data underlining that gender equality isn’t just a moral issue but one of profit, growth, and societal stability.

  "In finance, in banks that have more women or in supervisory authorities... it is more stable, it is safer, it is more secure. There are less risks taken." — Christiane Amanpour [01:40]

• Personal Memories and Impact:
  President Hatla Thomas Doltier recounts her mother’s participation, expressing the day inspired her own journey to leadership.

  "They wanted to show that they matter. And I think that was maybe the beginning of me thinking that one day I might want to matter, too." — Hatla Thomas Doltier [04:20]

• Systemic Discrimination of the Past (and Present):
  Hogan describes the societal limitations faced by women pre-strike, such as name erasure from doorbells and phone books, and job listings segregated — and unequal — by gender.

  "Jobs were advertised for men or for women. And of course, the women’s jobs were paid less and were lower levels." — Pamela Hogan [06:23]

• Solidarity and Pragmatic Activism:
  The movement bridged divides between “radical” and more “conservative” women by framing the strike as a “day off,” leading to broad-based participation—a feat achieved without modern communication tools.

  "They found a bridge between those words so everybody could participate. And 90% of the women participated and did no work that day." — Hatla Thomas Doltier [07:41]

• The Ongoing Challenge & Men's Role:
  President Doltier underscores that gender equality remains a frontier to conquer and calls for men’s and boys’ active participation in progress.

  "Closing the gender gap isn’t a woman’s issue. It’s really about economic and social progress." — Hatla Thomas Doltier [09:00]

Notable Moment

• Quote:

  "If women don’t work, everything collapses." — Hatla Thomas Doltier [03:22]

Timestamps

• Iceland Strike Segment: [00:07 – 10:20]

"No Other Land": Documentary on Life Under Occupation

[10:22 – 18:55]

Main Points & Insights

• On-the-Ground Reality in the West Bank:
  Palestinian filmmaker Basil Adra and Israeli journalist Yuval Abraham discuss daily settler violence and systematic displacement in Masafar Yatta, drawing from their award-winning documentary.

  "Settlers... stole one of the caves... and started a new illegal outpost. Israeli occupation forces joined them and kick away the families." — Basil Adra [12:31]

• Commemoration and Grief:
  Both co-directors wear shirts memorializing their murdered colleague, Gauda Hadalin, killed by a settler.

  "Awda was filming actually the last moments of his life." — Yuval Abraham [13:41]

• Barriers to U.S. Distribution:
  Adra and Abraham detail U.S. distributors’ reluctance to pick up their film, believing political considerations stymied its reach.

  "I think they’re politically trying to block us from reaching the American audience." — Basil Adra [15:41]
  "We were always told, wait... if you win [the Oscar], we will take the film. We won. And nothing happened." — Yuval Abraham [16:33]

• The Call for International Solidarity:
  Both filmmakers urge more vocal international support and emphasize that change requires exposure and action.

  "People need to see the reality on the ground. They need to see the truth so that it changes." — Yuval Abraham [16:55]

Notable Moments

• Quote:

  "Our ethnic cleansing here in Masafiyat and all over across the West Bank is not stopping... we need like the people who are protesting in the street, politicians to do more." — Basil Adra [18:00]

Timestamps

• Documentary Segment: [10:22 – 18:55]

Spotlight: Emma Mazenga, Age-Defying Sprinter

[20:10 – 23:09]

Key Insights

• Background:
  Italian sprinter Emma Mazenga, age 92, smashed world records—including a 200m indoor record for her age group—and is a subject of scientific study for her extraordinary fitness and longevity.
• Comeback Story:
  Mazenga resumed competitive running at age 53, after a 25-year break for teaching, marriage, and family.
• Science of Longevity:
  Researchers discover her heart and muscle health rival that of people decades younger.

Notable Moment

• Statistic:
  Mazenga’s cardiorespiratory fitness is akin to someone in their 50s; her muscle mitochondria, to a 20-year-old.

Timestamps

• Emma Mazenga Segment: [20:10 – 23:09]

Jens Stoltenberg: Reflections from 10 Years Leading NATO

[23:09 – 30:41]

Main Points & Insights

• Critical Moments in NATO:
  Stoltenberg shares how close NATO came to unraveling under Trump’s threats to quit unless defense funding increased at the 2018 summit.

  "If the US President had left a NATO summit and declared that he was no longer willing to defend NATO allies, then NATO would have ceased to exist." — Jens Stoltenberg [23:26]

• On Ukraine:
  Stoltenberg expresses regret NATO didn’t deliver decisive support earlier, believing more could have been done to save Ukrainian lives and territories.

  "Had we provided more support earlier on, many Ukrainian lives could have been saved." — Jens Stoltenberg [24:47]

• Leadership and Diplomacy:
  He describes President Zelenskyy’s growth into a historic leader and candidly recounts difficult meetings with Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov.

  "[Zelenskyy] turned out to be... a strong political leader with personal courage and also the skills to inspire a whole nation." — Jens Stoltenberg [26:01]
  "[Lavrov] insulted you at one point... 'Why am I even sitting here? You have no opinions of your own, Stoltenberg.'" — Christiane Amanpour [26:45]

• Navigating Political Contradictions:
  Stoltenberg reveals his tightrope-walking during post-summit interviews, needing to hold the alliance together without publicly contradicting world leaders.

  "When you’re Secretary General, NATO, there is one main responsibility... to keep this alliance together." — Jens Stoltenberg [30:13]

Notable Moments

• Summit Emergency:

  "He [Trump] had packed their luggages... stated that if you don't promise to pay more now, immediately, I will leave, and you need NATO more than I do." — Jens Stoltenberg [27:57]

• Behind-the-Scenes Tension:

  "Amanpour asked clear and precise questions and received vague and unclear answers from you. As you know, that's been a big complaint of mine through your 10 years of NATO." — Christiane Amanpour [30:07]

Timestamps

• NATO Segment: [23:09 – 30:41]

Venezuela on the Brink: Excerpts from Past Interview with President Maduro

[31:58 – 34:07]

Key Points

• Perceived U.S. Threats:
  Maduro contends the U.S. seeks to control Latin America economically, politically, and militarily.

  "They want first of all the economic control... regrettably, the US elite, they have a project try to establish the hegemony and the control." — Nicolas Maduro [31:58]

• Democracy in Question:
  Amanpour challenges Maduro on election legitimacy, concentration of executive power, and press freedom. Maduro insists on the strength of Venezuelan democracy:

  "We have a democracy strengthened at all levels... none of those were the leaders of these powers." — Nicolas Maduro [33:40]

Timestamps

• Venezuela Segment: [31:58 – 34:07]

Philip Pullman: Honoring Tragedy Through Literature

[35:31 – 37:17]

Highlights

• Character Inspired by Grenfell Victim:
  Pullman describes naming a key character in his series after Noor Huda Al Wahabi, a victim of the Grenfell fire, at the request of her family.

  "Noor Huda will have a part in the second part of the Book of Dust, which I'm writing now." — Philip Pullman [35:31]

• Returning to Lyra’s Story:
  Pullman shares how the unresolved arc of Lyra, heroine of His Dark Materials, drew him back to extend her adventures for new generations.

  "I had a sense that that wasn't the last I was going to know about Lyra..." — Philip Pullman [36:22]

Timestamps

• Pullman Segment: [35:31 – 37:17]

Memorable Quotes

• "If women don't work, everything collapses." — Hatla Thomas Doltier [03:22]
• "People need to see the reality on the ground. They need to see the truth so that it changes." — Yuval Abraham [16:55]
• "If the US President had left a NATO summit and declared that he was no longer willing to defend NATO allies, then NATO would have ceased to exist." — Jens Stoltenberg [23:26]
• "Noor Huda will have a part in my in the second part of the Book of Dust, which I'm writing now." — Philip Pullman [35:31]

Takeaway

This episode is a compelling tour across social movements, international crises, personal triumph, and cultural memory. It demonstrates the enduring relevance of collective action, the dangers and possibilities of political power, and the profound impact of stories both real and imagined. For those seeking inspiration and insight into ongoing struggles for justice and recognition, Amanpour serves up an enlightening, heartfelt, and thought-provoking hour.