The Frontline Club

August 23, 2011

As we approach the 10-year anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks we will be bringing together a panel of experts to discuss the “war on terror” that was launched by the United States government in their wake.

What has been achieved in Afghanistan and Iraq and, ten years on, what could be learnt from the Arab Spring about change in the region? Less than five months into a new campaign in Libya, is it time that we reassess our involvement in the Arab world?

We will also be examining the doctrine of counterinsurgency - or COIN – that was advocated so strongly in both Afghanistan and Iraq and asking what lessons can be learnt that could shape future policy.

Chaired by David Loyn, BBC’s international development correspondent

With:

Frank Ledwidge, served in the Balkan wars and Iraq as a military intelligence officer and in Afghanistan as a civilian advisor. Former lecturer at the RAF College, Cranwell and author of Losing Small Wars: British Military Failure in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Jean MacKenzie, senior correspondent for GlobalPost and former program director for the Institute for War & Peace Reporting in Kabul. She has reported from Afghanistan since 2004 and written extensively about the war. She is currently working on a chapter on counterinsurgency in Afghanistan for a book project being sponsored by NYU.

Malte Roschinski, security consultant, political analyst and author based in Germany. As journalist with AFP news agency, he reported from post-Taliban Afghanistan in late 2001. Lived for eight months in Afghanistan between 2009 and 2010, working as intelligence analyst for clients in the humanitarian sector.

October 10, 2012

The humanitarian situation in Syria has dramatically worsened over the past weeks and the plight of the Syrian people has drawn international attention and concern as well as condemnation of the Syrian regime. Access to the country for humanitarian organisations has been restricted by violence and insecurity that has killed five Syrian Arab Red Crescent volunteers and staff members in the past 12 months.

There is clearly an obligation for humanitarian agencies and journalists to share their perspectives on the humanitarian situation on the ground to ensure it is understood as clearly as is possible and decisive action can be taken. This must, however, be weighed by many actors against their own concerns of security, access and safety.

Join us to discuss the humanitarian efforts being made in Syria and the many challenges that are faced. How do journalists and humanitarian agencies share information in such a complex conflict situation? We will analyse the balance between openness and the ability to continue to provide vital assistance on the ground in a conflict such as that in Syria.

Chaired by Lindsey Hilsum, Channel 4 News’ International Editor and author of Sandstorm, Libya in the Time of Revolution,

With:

Hicham Hassan, the International Committee of the Red Cross spokesperson for the Middle East.

Lyse Doucet, BBC Chief International Correspondent.

Ben Parker, the head of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Syria.

Fadi Haddad, director of the Mosaic Initiative for Syria, a non-governmental, not-for-profit organisation working directly with human rights defenders and NGOs inside Syria and neighbouring countries.

October 10, 2012

The humanitarian situation in Syria has dramatically worsened over the past weeks and the plight of the Syrian people has drawn international attention and concern as well as condemnation of the Syrian regime. Access to the country for humanitarian organisations has been restricted by violence and insecurity that has killed five Syrian Arab Red Crescent volunteers and staff members in the past 12 months.

There is clearly an obligation for humanitarian agencies and journalists to share their perspectives on the humanitarian situation on the ground to ensure it is understood as clearly as is possible and decisive action can be taken. This must, however, be weighed by many actors against their own concerns of security, access and safety.

Join us to discuss the humanitarian efforts being made in Syria and the many challenges that are faced. How do journalists and humanitarian agencies share information in such a complex conflict situation? We will analyse the balance between openness and the ability to continue to provide vital assistance on the ground in a conflict such as that in Syria.

Chaired by Lindsey Hilsum, Channel 4 News’ International Editor and author of Sandstorm, Libya in the Time of Revolution,

With:

Hicham Hassan, the International Committee of the Red Cross spokesperson for the Middle East.

Lyse Doucet, BBC Chief International Correspondent.

Ben Parker, the head of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Syria.

Fadi Haddad, director of the Mosaic Initiative for Syria, a non-governmental, not-for-profit organisation working directly with human rights defenders and NGOs inside Syria and neighbouring countries.

Tuesday 30th August, 2011

With the world watching the latest uprisings in Syria and the continued intervention in Libya, the media has largely turned its attention away from the catalyst of the Arab spring, Tunisia and the next country to oust its president, Egypt. But what does the future hold for these fledgeling democracies?

The combination of Tunisia’s ‘gerontocracy’ and its high youth demographic has been a diminishing trust in the new government. There is also a constant conflict between the idealists, who want all traces of the former regime erased, and the realists, who are concerned that further political upheaval will result in an increase in military power.

In Egypt, protesters have returned to Tahrir Square in a bid to salvage the revolution with a fresh set of demands including the curbing of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces’ powers, an end to military trials and scrapping of new anti-protest laws.

Join us at the Frontline club with a panel of experts to discuss what the future holds for Tunisia and Egypt.

Chaired by Steve Crawshaw, international advocacy director, Amnesty International and co-author of Small Acts of Resistance How courage, tenacity and ingenuity can change the world.

With:

Khalid Abdalla, is a British-Egyptian actor, producer and activist. His films include United 93, The Kite Runner, Green Zone, and the upcoming Egyptian film In the Last Days of the City, filmed during the last two years of Mubarak’s Rule. Co-founder of Zero Production, an independent film and documentary production house based in Cairo, earlier this year he launched Mosireen, a non-profit media centre in downtown Cairo to support filmmakers and citizen journalists through the revolution.

Rosemary Hollis, professor of Middle East policy studies and director of the Olive Tree Programme at City University.

Dr Maha Azzam, Associate Fellow of the Middle East and North Africa Programme at Chatham House.

Brian Whitaker, journalist for The Guardian since 1987 and its Middle East editor from 2000-2007. He is currently an editor on the paper’s "Comment Is Free" section. Author of What’s Really Wrong with the Middle East.

Tuesday 30th August, 2011

With the world watching the latest uprisings in Syria and the continued intervention in Libya, the media has largely turned its attention away from the catalyst of the Arab spring, Tunisia and the next country to oust its president, Egypt. But what does the future hold for these fledgeling democracies?

The combination of Tunisia’s ‘gerontocracy’ and its high youth demographic has been a diminishing trust in the new government. There is also a constant conflict between the idealists, who want all traces of the former regime erased, and the realists, who are concerned that further political upheaval will result in an increase in military power.

In Egypt, protesters have returned to Tahrir Square in a bid to salvage the revolution with a fresh set of demands including the curbing of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces’ powers, an end to military trials and scrapping of new anti-protest laws.

Join us at the Frontline club with a panel of experts to discuss what the future holds for Tunisia and Egypt.

Chaired by Steve Crawshaw, international advocacy director, Amnesty International and co-author of Small Acts of Resistance How courage, tenacity and ingenuity can change the world.

With:

Khalid Abdalla, is a British-Egyptian actor, producer and activist. His films include United 93, The Kite Runner, Green Zone, and the upcoming Egyptian film In the Last Days of the City, filmed during the last two years of Mubarak’s Rule. Co-founder of Zero Production, an independent film and documentary production house based in Cairo, earlier this year he launched Mosireen, a non-profit media centre in downtown Cairo to support filmmakers and citizen journalists through the revolution.

Rosemary Hollis, professor of Middle East policy studies and director of the Olive Tree Programme at City University.

Dr Maha Azzam, Associate Fellow of the Middle East and North Africa Programme at Chatham House.

Brian Whitaker, journalist for The Guardian since 1987 and its Middle East editor from 2000-2007. He is currently an editor on the paper’s "Comment Is Free" section. Author of What’s Really Wrong with the Middle East.

Wednesday 4th May, 2011

After the tracking down and killing of Osama bin Laden by a U.S. special operations team the questions have come thick and fast. At our May First Wednesday we are hoping to throw light on some of them:

What impact will the death of Osama bin Laden have on Al Qaeda and on the people who support its cause? We will be bringing together a panel of experts to discuss what impact his death will have on extremist Islamic groups and to look at the implications for Pakistan now that it has emerged that the Al Qaeda leader was hiding in Abbotabad.

We will also be discussing what Osama bin Laden’s discovery so close to Pakistan’s capital means for Afghanistan where the ‘War on Terror’ was launched.

The operation to kill bin Laden will improve President Obama’s standing in the US and the West, but what does it mean for US foreign policy? How it will play out on the ground, particularly in Asia and the Middle East?

Chaired by Humphrey Hawksley, leading BBC foreign correspondent, author and commentator on world affairs.

With:

Lynne O’Donnell, former bureau chief in Kabul for AFP, and the author of High Tea in Mosul: The True Story of Two Englishwomen in War-torn Iraq. She is the recipient of a 2010 Human Rights Press Award for coverage of the plight of Afghan women;

Dr Farzana Shaikh, associate fellow of the Asia Programme, at Chatham House and author of Making Sense of Pakistan;

Aamer Ahmed Khan, head of BBC Urdu Service;

Rosemary Hollis, professor of Middle East policy studies and director of the Olive Tree Programme at City University;

Zaki Chehab, Arab journalist, editor-in-chief of ArabsToday.net, the largest Arabic-language news website and author of Iraq Ablaze: Inside the Insurgency and Inside Hamas: The Untold Story of the Militant Islamic Movement.

Wednesday 4th May, 2011

After the tracking down and killing of Osama bin Laden by a U.S. special operations team the questions have come thick and fast. At our May First Wednesday we are hoping to throw light on some of them:

What impact will the death of Osama bin Laden have on Al Qaeda and on the people who support its cause? We will be bringing together a panel of experts to discuss what impact his death will have on extremist Islamic groups and to look at the implications for Pakistan now that it has emerged that the Al Qaeda leader was hiding in Abbotabad.

We will also be discussing what Osama bin Laden’s discovery so close to Pakistan’s capital means for Afghanistan where the ‘War on Terror’ was launched.

The operation to kill bin Laden will improve President Obama’s standing in the US and the West, but what does it mean for US foreign policy? How it will play out on the ground, particularly in Asia and the Middle East?

Chaired by Humphrey Hawksley, leading BBC foreign correspondent, author and commentator on world affairs.

With:

Lynne O’Donnell, former bureau chief in Kabul for AFP, and the author of High Tea in Mosul: The True Story of Two Englishwomen in War-torn Iraq. She is the recipient of a 2010 Human Rights Press Award for coverage of the plight of Afghan women;

Dr Farzana Shaikh, associate fellow of the Asia Programme, at Chatham House and author of Making Sense of Pakistan;

Aamer Ahmed Khan, head of BBC Urdu Service;

Rosemary Hollis, professor of Middle East policy studies and director of the Olive Tree Programme at City University;

Zaki Chehab, Arab journalist, editor-in-chief of ArabsToday.net, the largest Arabic-language news website and author of Iraq Ablaze: Inside the Insurgency and Inside Hamas: The Untold Story of the Militant Islamic Movement.

Orania is situated in South Africa’s Northern Cape province. All of the 800 inhabitants are white Afrikaans people, also referred to as Boers. They refuse to be part of the “Rainbow Nation”. With their own flag and currency the inhabitants create a cultural homeland to preserve their heritage and live independently from the state.

Director Tobias Lindner carefully observes this culturally homogeneous society situated in the middle of a multicultural country, and explores the mechanisms behind the societal experiment. It would be easy to play on the town’s eccentricities, instead Lindner thoughtfully portrays a community where the lines are blurred between open discrimination and the right to self-determination and preservation of tradition.

Directed by Tobias Lindner

Duration: 94′

Year: 2012

Orania is situated in South Africa’s Northern Cape province. All of the 800 inhabitants are white Afrikaans people, also referred to as Boers. They refuse to be part of the “Rainbow Nation”. With their own flag and currency the inhabitants create a cultural homeland to preserve their heritage and live independently from the state.

Director Tobias Lindner carefully observes this culturally homogeneous society situated in the middle of a multicultural country, and explores the mechanisms behind the societal experiment. It would be easy to play on the town’s eccentricities, instead Lindner thoughtfully portrays a community where the lines are blurred between open discrimination and the right to self-determination and preservation of tradition.

Directed by Tobias Lindner

Duration: 94′

Year: 2012

25/10/11

Overfishing and dying oceans are in the media spotlight as never before. Will it change anything?

'End of the Line', the film about overfishing, has been screened across the globe. Channel 4's "Fish Fight' series this year prompted a huge public response in the UK. London department store Selfridges' "Project Ocean" event mixed scientists and royalty in discussing ocean issues. Celebrity chefs have taken up the cause, and stories about the dying oceans now seem to dominate environmental reporting by the media.

Will the increased spotlight on marine damage bring real change? Or is the ocean just the latest 'fad', as climate change issues fall out of favour with editors and politicians? Media, campaigning and policy experts will discuss the growing focus on 'blue' issues.

The event is part of a series this year sponsored by Communications Inc focusing on the global ocean, its vital services for humans and what solutions are needed to combat the serious threats it faces.

Chaired by Helen Scales, a marine biologist, writer, and a long-standing member of the award-winning science communication collective, The Naked Scientists which aims to make science accessible for the widest audience. She writes for the popular Seamonster ocean science blog, and is a regular science contributor to Radio 4 programmes such as Home Planet and Saving Species.

With:

Will Anderson, double Bafta winner and producer/director of Keo Films and Channel 4's Fish Fight

Quentin Clark, head of sustainability and ethical sourcing at Waitrose

Ian Campbell, OCEAN2012 UK co-ordinator working on the 2012 reform of the Common Fisheries Policy

Mike Kaiser, professor of ocean sciences at the University of Bangor