Talks
Insight with Tariq Ali on Pakistan
Tariq Ali‘s new book, The Duel: Pakistan on the Flight Path of American Power, weighs the prospects of those contending for power in the aftermath of Benazir Bhutto’s assassination, and demonstrates Pakistan’s unique influence on the emergence of a secure world or global conflagration. Tariq Ali is a writer, journalist and film-maker. He was born […]
Media Talk: Viva la Revolucion: Cuba at 50
View in iTunes Nearly one year on since Raul Castro officially took power from his brother, Fidel, and with a new US president about to take office, the change that has inevitably been creeping up on Cuba looks set to continue into 2009. Amid celebrations of the Cuban Revolution’s 50th anniversary, we remember its achievements […]
Reactive: Mumbai – India’s 9/11
Dubbed as India’s 9/11, the recent attacks in Mumbai left almost 200 dead and the world reeling. While criticism has been levelled at India’s government for their slow response to the attacks as well as their failure to act on intelligence, Lashkar-e-Toiba – a Kashmiri extremist group based in Pakistan – are being blamed for carrying them out.
What will these attacks mean for the ongoing "war on terror" and will India now be seen as a soft target? Will deteriorating relations between Pakistan and India be brought closer by a new co-operation to work together in the aftermath of the attacks and a joint desire to bring the perpetrators to justice? Or will these attacks simply fuel the existing tensions between these two nuclear powers?
HIV / AIDS Season: Have we seen the worst?
There are currently around 33 million people worldwide living with HIV. Almost 2/3 of these are in sub-Saharan Africa where nearly 12 million children have been orphaned. But while huge progress has been made in some areas – including a decline in HIV-related deaths – the current epidemic cannot be reversed without reducing the rate of new HIV infections.
The search for the elusive vaccine continues, but for how long can we justify the millions being spent on this when we are apparently no nearer to finding a vaccine than we were 27 years ago when AIDS was first recognized?
We ask our panel of policy makers, scientists, journalists and community activists where they think the future lies for combating HIV and whether we really have seen the worst.
HIV / AIDS Season – In the picture with Gideon Mendel – Looking AIDS in the Face
Gideon Mendel is an award winning photographer and has been documenting the impact of HIV/Aids in Africa for more than 15 years, working in 10 different countries to show the many ways the disease has devastated the lives of millions of ordinary people.
HIV / AIDS Season: Insight with Elizabeth Pisani: The Wisdom of Whores
Elizabeth Pisani has spent ten years working as a scientist in the bloated AIDS industry. In The Wisdom of Whores, she unfolds a universe of brothels and bureaucracies, of bickering junkies and squabbling charities, of men who sell sex and men who would rather prohibit it. Illustrating solid science with ribald tales from the frontlines of sex and drugs, The Wisdom of Whores explains how we could shut down HIV everywhere except sub-Saharan Africa. We could do it with a few, simple steps. We could do it with less money than we already have. But we won’t.
Insight with Jon Ronson: The Men Who Stare at Goats and Other Stories
Why are Iraqi prisoners of war being forced to listen to Barney the Purple Dinosaur’s theme tune repeatedly, at top volume? Why have 100 de-bleated goats been secretly placed inside the Special Forces command centre at Fort Bragg, North Carolina? Has the US army really enlisted the help of Uri Geller? In The Men Who Stare at Goats, soon to be made into a feature film with an all-star cast, author Jon Ronson searches for answers to these and many other questions, revealing some of the extraordinary beliefs at the core of the War on Terror.
Media Talk: Predicting the Crash
In recent weeks, increasing criticism has been levelled at the media over failure to provide adequate warning of the impending economic turmoil, as well as accusations of sensationalist coverage. Did the media fail in its scrutiny? Or are the workings of international finance now so complex and secretive that the media can no longer provide effective oversight?
Media Talk: The Rise of the British Jihad
MI5 says that some 4000 British Muslim extremists are a threat to national security and that another major terrorist attack is not a question of ‘if’ but ‘when’. The investigative journalist Richard Watson, who has been at the forefront of reporting terrorism and extremism for BBC Newsnight, presents the results of his major investigation into the rise of extremism in Britain, which has just been published by Granta.
Insight: Russia Resurgent?
Recent events in the Caucasus have highlighted the growing self-confidence of a newly resurgent Russia, that appears to be seeking to revive much of the old Soviet influence at home and abroad.
Should the West accept that Russia will continue to dominate in its sphere of influence or does it pose a renewed threat to Nato and its allies? And does the West have double-standards when it comes to dealing with Russia?
Insight: Lula of Brazil – with Richard Bourne
Richard Bourne’s Lula of Brazil is an objective study of one man set against the contemporary history of a major emerging power. From climate change to inequality, Lula and his country are grappling with the greatest challenges facing the modern world.
Insight with David Loyn: Afghanistan – 200 Years of Intervention
Afghanistan has been a strategic prize for foreign empires for more than 200 years. The British, Russians and Americans have all fought across its beautiful and inhospitable terrain, in conflicts variously ruthless, misguided and bloody. A century ago, the common sneer about how British soldiers treated Afghan tribesmen was that they would ‘butcher’ them, then ‘bolt’. This violent history is the subject of David Loyn’s book.
Insight with Abdul Bari Atwan – From the Refugee Camp to the Front Page
In this revealing memoir, A Country of Words, newspaper editor Abdul Bari Atwan recounts with humour and honesty his journey from Palestinian refugee camps to the front page. He depicts both the horror of camp massacres and the unexpected consequences of Britain’s involvement in the region.
Media Talk: Countdown to November 4th
The upcoming US election has been dubbed the most important in a generation. Will we see the first female vice-President in the White House, or will Barack Obama become the first African-American President? What are the major issues that will decide the American vote, and what can we expect to see in the final month of the campaign?
Media Talk – All Change in the Caucasus
After the recent conflict in the Caucasus and Russia’s recognition of both South Ossetia and Abkhazia as independent states, Russia continues to defy the West and the pledges made in the ceasefire agreement, by planning to keep about 8000 troops in the region.
Is the West being hypocritical in refusing to recognise South Ossetia and Abkhazia as independent states, after its recent support and recognition of Kosovo’s independence? Should Georgia be encouraged to join NATO? And how concerned should we be over the frosty relationship that’s developing between Russia and the West?
Insight with Philippe Sands: Torture Team
Philippe Sands investigates in his new book Torture Team – how the Rumsfeld Memo – a Memo signed by Donald Rumsfeld in 2002 that listed eighteen techniques of interrogation which defied international definitions of torture – set the stage for a divergence from the Geneva Convention and the Torture Convention.
Insight with Lord Malloch-Brown: An Unlikely Diplomat
Unlikely diplomat Lord Mark Malloch-Brown has never been afraid to speak his mind on Britain’s role on foreign policy and continues to divide opinion in his current role as Minister for Africa, Asia and the Middle East.
Media Talk: Is Somalia the new Front in the War on Terror?
Since 1991, Somalia has been a dangerous, violent and lawless place, home to numerous conflicts and civil war, as well as increasingly a third theatre of operations for the US in its global war on terror. From localised inter-tribal and clan warfare, to regional tensions and international disputes, Somalia remains a highly complex battleground. Will the recent Djibouti peace agreements between the Transitional Federal Government and the opposition Alliance for the Re-liberation of Somalia result in anything concrete? And is Somalia really the next front in the War on Terror?
Insight: Somaliland – Getting it Right in Africa
In May 1991 Somaliland declared independence from the rest of Somalia and over the past 17 years the government there has restored law and order to make it one of the must democratic and functioning societies in the Horn of Africa. In stark contrast to its neighbour Somalia, Somaliland has become an oasis of peace, stability and progress and a haven for thousands of Somalis fleeing from their war-torn country.
In the Picture with Jehad Nga: Somalia through a lens
Jehad Nga is one of the most talented emerging photographers on the international scene and for the last three years has worked intensely in and around Mogadishu. For one night only he will present a selection of images from his portfolio and talk about operating as a photographer in one of the world’s most dangerous environments.
Media Talk: Understanding Somalia
Somalia is a country beset by violence, instability and famine. Ranked 161 out of 163 countries on the Human Development Index and without an effective government since 1991, clan politics dominate this so-called "failed state". The humanitarian crisis has reached record levels in recent months, exacerbated by the global food crisis and the constant danger that aid agencies face in distributing food.
What is the future of this war-ravaged and poverty-stricken country and what are its chances for an effective government? And what can be done to ensure that a humanitarian crisis on a massive scale is avoided and that Somalia remains open to aid workers and international assistance?
Reactive: Karadzic to the Hague
After more than a decade on the run Radovan Karadzic has finally been caught and is expected to be sent to the Hague where he will face charges of genocide, complicity in genocide, extermination, murder, willful killing, persecutions, deportation, inhumane acts, terror against civilians and hostage-taking.
Insight with Andrew Mueller: I Wouldn’t Start from Here
I Wouldn’t Start from Here is the result of Mueller’s curiosity to go to some of the most troubled places on earth. An alternative guidebook to the modern world, with dispatches from Africa, Europe, America and the Middle East his book offers snapshots of civil wars, religious conflicts, terrorism and tyrannical dictatorships. He hangs out with the IRA, is arrested for espionage in Cameroon, goes on night patrol in Basra and has hundreds of enlightening (and less enlightening) encounters with the locals.
Insight – Five Writers on Zimbabwe
With no solution in sight to the current crisis in Zimbabwe, we ask five Zimbabwean writers and journalists for their reflections on where their country is heading and what should be done. Will the violence against the civilian population stop? What does the recent agreement mean between the MDC and Robert Mugabe? How long can Mugabe continue to preside over such chaos and how are ordinary Zimbabweans surviving amid rampant inflation, shortages and political violence?
Media Talk: Guns for Hire – The Good, the Bad and the Unregulated
In a world of shrinking defence budgets, smaller standing armies and increased threats from terrorism, the space for freelance soldiering is growing. Since 9/11, the number of Private Military and Security Companies (PMSCs) has rocketed – in Iraq alone, there are now an estimated 180,000 private contractors, outnumbering serving military personnel. Since 2003, the British government alone has spent an estimated £225 million on security contracts in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Media Talk: Iraq – A Fragile Sovereignty
As Iraq’s roller coaster ride continues, the next six months will be crucial in determining the future shape of the nation. The two forthcoming elections, the US election in November and the Iraqi provincial elections in October, along with US-Iraqi agreements over long-term commitments and legal status for military personnel and contactors, have major implications for the besieged state and its people.
Media Talk: Is This the End for FARC?
Will the release of Ingrid Bettancourt – arguably the world’s most famous hostage, and FARC’s main bargaining chip – along with 14 other hostages – mean the end of FARC and the beginning of serious peace negotiations with the Colombian government?
In what is perhaps the mortal blow in a series of declining fortunes for the 44 year old insurgency movement – the release of the hostages has left the already weakened FARC with no negotiating power and has vindicated President Uribe in his hard line policy against the movement.
Insight with Misha Glenny: McMafia
McMafia is a fearless, encompassing, wholly authoritative investigation of the now proven ability of organized crime worldwide to find and service markets driven by a seemingly insatiable demand for illegal wares. Whether discussing the Russian mafia, Colombian drug cartels, or Chinese labor smugglers, Misha Glenny makes clear how organized crime feeds off the poverty of the developing world, how it exploits new technology in the forms of cybercrime and identity theft, and how both global crime and terror are fueled by an identical source: the triumphant material affluence of the West.
Insight with Ahmed Rashid: The War against Islamic Extremism
Ahmed Rashid talks about his latest book – Descent Into Chaos – How the War Against Islamic Extremism is being lost in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Central Asia.
Frontline Confidential: Adam Hochschild on King Leopold’s Ghost
When Does a 100-year-old Scandal Become News? Writing and Publishing King Leopold’s Ghost – the definitive account of Belgian’s conquest and colonisation of the Congo from 1885 – 1908.