This International Dateline episode includes three segments: The Women of Hamas, a Francis Fukuyama Interview, and The Manila Conspiracy

The Women of Hamas  
The rest of the world may struggle to come to terms with the surprise election victory of Hamas but Palestinian voters have spoken and most notably, Palestinian women have found a voice.  For years, the Islamist group attempted to fill the social void amongst the poor and under represented and this became their platform for victory with more votes coming from women than men. Dateline's Chris Hammer has been to the Gaza Strip to find out why Hamas has such appeal to the Palestinian women. Chris speaks to women from all walks of life to find out what they expect of new government and how they will fare under Hamas.

Francis Fukuyama Interview 
Controversial political economist and writer Francis Fukuyama has recently caused another stir by dramatically defecting from his former neo-con mates and coming out against George Bush, the invasion of Iraq, and the war on terror. This is his latest political bestseller - not The End of History but The End of the Neo-Cons - America at the Crossroads. Dateline's George Negus spoke with Professor Fukuyama via satellite from Washington.

The Manila Conspiracy  
In the Philippines, Dateline examines the impact of one woman in particular; President Gloria Arroyo. In March, the embattled president took drastic action to end growing political unrest and vociferous protests by declaring a state of emergency and military rule. But has Arroyo's government capitalized on the unrest to silence democratic opposition?  Recently, five left-wing congress men and women prepared makeshift beds within the walls of the congress building, which became both their prison and their sanctuary, as they faced arrest for their roles in an alleged coup d'etat. 

About International Dateline 

SBS Dateline, which began in 1984, is Australia's longest-running international current affairs program. It has a well-earned reputation for authoritative and incisive reporting. Dateline has taken the traditional way of producing TV current affairs and turned it on its head. Reporters who used to travel with a cameraperson and sound recordist now travel alone and have the responsibility of both filming and reporting their stories. The reporters became video-journalists, gaining access to people and places that the conventional camera crews cannot.