Events
First Wednesday: People, Protest and Democracy in the Middle East and North Africa
As protests continue across the Middle East and North Africa, March’s First Wednesday event will be an opportunity to discuss the Libya crisis and take stock of events elsewhere in the region.
FULLY BOOKED Zimbabwe 2011: An Opportunity for Change?
Zimbabwe’s leaders have been locked in a shaky power sharing coalition since opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai was sworn in as Prime Minister in January 2009. President Mugabe is now pressing for fresh elections in 2011, despite MDC leader Tsvangirai saying that they could not take place without reforms and constitutional review. Join us at the Frontline Club with a panel of experts to discuss what the coming year holds for Zimbabwe – could there be a fair election, or will violence and intimidation again escalate?
FULLY BOOKED Masterclass: The Art of the Interview
Rottweiler or poodle? Good cop or bad cop? What is the best way for journalists to get a good interview?
We will joined by interviewer, film analyst, writer, mentor to screenwriters and conversationalist Warren Etheredge to discuss his thought-provoking ideas and tips about interviewing and his assertion that a great interview needs more than tough questioning.
FULLY BOOKED FIRST WEDNESDAY SPECIAL: What now for Egypt and its neighbours in the Middle East?
View in iTunes Following the tumultuous events in Egypt we are holding a special First Wednesday debate to both take stock and to look at the impact that the ousting of president Hosni Mubarak could have on Egypt and its neighbours in the Middle East. We will be joined by experts on the region […]
How Twitter and Facebook are changing protests and journalism
By Will Spens The recent demonstrations across the Arab world, unrest in Ireland, Greece and France and the student protests in Britain have highlighted what appears to be an unprecedented revolt against power structures around the world. Chaired by Steve Crawshaw, author and international advocacy director for Amnesty International, the discussion focused on […]
FULLY BOOKED The changing nature of protest: does the mainstream media get it?
From regime change in Tunisia, persistent calls for President Mubarak to step down in Egypt, and protests in Jordan and Syria to student demonstrations in Britain and unrest in Ireland, Greece and France – we are witnessing unprecedented revolt against power structures around the world. But are journalists equipped to understand the nature of these protests, what drives them and how they are organised?
FULLY BOOKED Will the internet be the battleground of the 21st Century?
“Whether we like it or not, cyber is going to be part of future warfare, just as tanks and aircraft are today. It’s a cultural change.” These were the words of General Sir David Richards, chief of the defence staff. Join us at the Frontline Club where we will be examining the claims about what has been described as the “fifth domain of warfare” and assessing the threats posed by states launching attacks against another’s military infrastructure, government and communications systems, and financial markets.
David E. Hoffman: Reagan, Gorbachev and the Untold Story of the Cold War Arms Race
By Camilla Groom Watch the event here. With detailed insider knowledge David E Hoffman told the story of how the president of the Soviet Union Mikhail Gorbachev and the US president Ronald Reagan prevented the escalation of the Cold War into a full-blown conflict. As a reporter for the Washington Post Hoffman followed Reagan throughout […]
Insight with David E. Hoffman: Reagan, Gorbachev and the Untold Story of the Cold War Arms Race
David E. Hoffman, who worked for 27 years as a reporter and editor at The Washington Post, will be at the Frontline Club to discuss the relationship between US president Ronald Reagan and Russian leader Mikhail Gorbachev and the dying days of the Cold War.
FULLY BOOKED First Wednesday: The Tunisian domino effect and the Middle East
At February’s First Wednesday we will be bringing together a panel of experts to discuss the recent unrest in the Middle East since demonstrators in Tunisia ousted President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali.
Following unrest in a number of North African and Middle East countries, the world’s attention is now on Egypt, where the next 48 hours are considered crucial in determining the future of this pivotal country.
We hope you will join us to discuss the remarkable events of recent weeks and on the nature of the changes that are taking place in Egypt and what they mean for the future of the region.
Aid and the Media
In the third of this series of events looking at aid and development we will be examining the often troubled relationship between the media and aid agencies. With an expert panel we will be discussing how the media and aid agencies work together and the problems that arise.
Wilbert Rideau: In the Place of Justice
By Shyamalie Satkunanandan Wilbert Rideau’s decision to rob a bank ended in the hostage taking of three employees and the death of a white female bank teller. Amid lynch mobs baying for blood, an all-white jury and a defence team comprised of two real estate lawyers the then 19-year-old was sentenced to death in 1961 […]
Insight with Wilbert Rideau: In the Place of Justice
In 1961 Wilbert Rideau was a nineteen year old African-American living in Louisiana, the deep south of segregated America. An eighth-grade dropout despaired by the dead-end and small-town future his life held for him he set out to rob a local bank. The robbery went very wrong and Rideau found himself sentenced to death row. Award winning journalist Wilbert Rideau will be joining us at the Frontline Club in conversation with Afua Hirsch, the Guardian’s legal affairs correspondent to recount his extraordinary story and the work he now does educating people about the realities of the world behind bars.
WikiLeaks: Holding up a mirror to journalism?
View in iTunes Watch the event here. By Will Spens The Frontline Club’s first ‘On The Media’ event of 2011 was a fascinating discussion focusing on the changing and sometimes wrought relationship between the worlds media and WikiLeaks. The controversial whistle-blowing website has attracted intense worldwide interest following the massive releases of leaked US military […]
On the Media: WikiLeaks – Holding up a mirror to journalism?
Throughout 2010 whistleblower website WikiLeaks and its founder Julian Assange were making headlines with the release of classified documents. Both the leaks and the controversy surrounding Assange have been covered extensively by the media. For the first On the Media discussion of the year we are going to be putting the spotlight on the media and asking what the WikiLeaks operation and the media coverage of it tells us about the press.
First Wednesday: Inside Al-Qaeda
Another opportunity to join in a lively public meeting, hosted by Paddy O’Connell of BBC Radio 4’s Broadcasting House. We will be beginning the year by bringing together a panel of experts and commentators to discuss the inner workings of Al-Qaeda with our audience.
Looking back at 2010: Wikileaks at the Frontline Club
By Will Spens WikiLeaks, the whistle-blowing website that is in the process of releasing tens of thousands of classified documents relating to US military and diplomatic affairs, has been the subject of intense media scrutiny in recent months. Now under arrest following allegations of sexual assault, Julian Assange and his legal team is now fighting his possible […]
First Wednesday: WikiLeaks – The US embassy cables
Following the release this weekend of 251,287 confidential United States embassy cables, this month’s First Wednesday debate will focus on the revelations of this latest leak from whistle-blower website WikiLeaks. We will be joined by WikiLeaks spokesperson Kristinn Hrafnsson and an expert panel.
Aid and Accountability
Humanitarianism has become a multi billion dollar business, but who is holding it to account? Join us at the Frontline Club with an expert panel to discuss where the money goes. Is there a need for a greater level of transparency and accountability? What systems are in place for this and are they working? To what extent are there levels of corruption in the system and how can this be addressed? Is aid targeted to the greatest effectiveness?
Insight with James Brabazon: My Friend the Mercenary
This event has been rescheduled from 27 October
Mercenaries, gunships and a foiled coup, it reads like a Hollywood script but is in fact the real life story that frontline journalist, documentary filmmaker and long standing Frontline Club member James Brabazon became embroiled in. He will be joining us to recount the inside story of the most infamous coup attempt in recent history; from his journey into the Liberian war to the imprisonment of his friend, body guard and mercenary Nick du Toit in Black Beach Prison, Africa’s most notorious jail.
On the Media: Mort Rosenblum – Little Bunch of Madmen
Since 1965 Mort Rosenblum has covered war and peace on seven continents: civil strife, velvet revolution, climate chaos, and everything in between. As Associated Press special correspondent, he’s been shot at, locked up, lied to and shaken down. Rosenblum will be joining us to look back on the last forty years that form the lessons and stories of Little Bunch of Madmen. He will be joined on stage by celebrated foreign correspondent Jon Swain, the discussion will be chaired by author and broadcaster Tom Fenton. If you are a young aspiring journalist this is an event and a book not to be missed.
Insight with Leah Chishugi: A Long Way From Paradise
Leah Chishugi describes herself as a survivor of the Rwandan genocide and it is what she calls the ‘survivor’s guilt’ that compelled her to return to her native Congo where she set up the charity Everything is a Benefit to help those affected by the region’s conflict.
She will be joining us at the Frontline Club to tell her story and the stories of the women and children in the eastern part of Congo that she now dedicates herself to helping.
Insight with Tariq Ali: The Obama Syndrome
Two years since the White House changed hands, how has the American empire altered? Very little, argues Tariq Ali, apart from the mood music. Ali will be at the Frontline Club in conversation with Al Jazeera’s senior political analyst, Marwan Bishara, to discuss his new book The Obama Syndrome: Surrender at Home, War Abroad in which he slices through Obama-mania, demystifying the narrative arc of redemption.
First Wednesday: US midterms – the reckoning and Yemen, what happens next?
Another opportunity to join in a lively public meeting, hosted by Paddy O’Connell of BBC Radio 4’s Broadcasting House, which brings together experts and commentators and mixes their views with contributions from our audience.
Insight with Gareth Peirce: Dispatches from the Dark Side
Gareth Peirce is an acclaimed human rights lawyer who has appeared for the Birmingham Six, the family of Jean Charles de Menezes and Moazzam Begg, amongst many others. Peirce will be at the Frontline Club in conversation with the Guardian’s legal affairs correspondent Afua Hirsch. She will be discussing her work and Dispatches from the Dark Side: On Torture and the Death of Justice, her new comprehensive set of essays which analyses the corruption of legal principles and practices in both the US and the UK.
THIRD PARTY EVENT Iran today: Let the Swords Encircle Me
Based on more than thirty extended reporting trips by Scott Peterson to Iran, including the turbulent aftermath of the disputed June 2009 election, Let the Swords Encircle Me: Iran – A Journey Behind the Headlines is the definitive guide to this enigmatic nation, from the roots of its incendiary internal struggles to the rise and slide of Iran’s earthshaking 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Forget about projects, give money to the people instead
By Gianluca Mezzofiore Experts on international aid marked yesterday the importance of effectiveness and risk-taking in delivering money to countries in need of help. In a panel discussion chaired by Humphrey Hawksley, leading BBC foreign correspondent, four professionals on humanitarian issues admitted the failure of project-based development and stressed on the major role of local […]
What now for the international development budget?
In the first of a series of events looking at international development and the aid industry we will be examining the UK international development budget and the implications for foreign aid. What is the coalition government’s policy towards the development budget and what impact will the proposed changes have on countries around the world?
Paul Mason in conversation with Sir David Hare: Has capitalism learned its lesson?
Join us for what should prove to be a fascinating discussion between BBC Newsnight’s Paul Mason and acclaimed playwright Sir David Hare, whose recent play The Power of Yes wrestled with the causes of the 2008 financial crisis.
WikiLeaks: Julian Assange and Daniel Ellsberg in conversation
Following the leak by whistle-blowing website WikiLeaks of almost 400,000 secret US army field reports from the Iraq war between 2004 and 2009. Join Julian Assange at the Frontline Club this evening in conversation with one of the most famous whistle blowers in history, Daniel Ellsberg, who was responsible for the leak of the Pentagon Papers in 1971.