Security

When War Is Over – Photography and the Memory of War

When war is over, how do we remember, commemorate and represent suffering, courage and loss? As events around the world mark the centenary of the First World War, we look at the work of two photographers who are exploring different forms of commemoration.

America’s Secret Drone Wars: What is the Cost?

Days after the September 11 attacks, a CIA Predator in Afghanistan executed the world’s first lethal drone strike. The CIA claims that its armed drones are ‘the most precise weapon ever invented’, but what is the true cost? In a new book, Sudden Justice, investigative journalist Chris Woods explores the secretive history of the United States’ use of armed drones. He will be joining us with a panel of experts to explore that history and the key role they play on today’s battlefields and in covert targeted killings.

Gun Baby Gun: A Bloody Journey into the World of the Gun

There are 12 billion bullets produced every year – almost two bullets for every person on the planet. Guns kill as many as 500,000 people every year. Tearing lives apart, they impact not only the dead, the wounded, the suicidal and the mourning, but have far-reaching effects on society and communities. In a hard-hitting exploration, award-winning investigative journalist Iain Overton journeyed to over 25 countries, from South Africa to Iceland, Honduras to Cambodia, to try and understand the true impact of gun crime. He will be joining us in conversation with writer and author of The Shadow World: Inside the Global Arms Trade, Andrew Feinstein, to discuss what he has learnt about the impact of gun crime, the relationships we have with guns and the place they occupy in every day life.

Terror in France

France is in mourning after three days of violence that saw 17 of its citizens killed. Violent events began on Wednesday 7 January with the brutal attack on the offices of satirical French magazine Charlie Hebdo and ended two days later with sieges on two hostage sites.

As the country begins to come to terms with what has happened, we will be joined by a panel to take a view of events and to discuss the repercussions for society and security in France. We will also be tackling the arguments around the use of freedom of expression.

Kidnap, Ransom and Blackouts

The scale of journalist and aid-worker kidnappings in Syria has raised questions about government policies on paying ransoms and the use of media blackouts. We will be bringing together a panel to debate the current policies towards ransom and blackouts. We will be asking if they need to be reformed, and if so, what they should look like in the future.

This event is off the record, please refrain from filming and reporting the discussion.

The Fate of Foreign Fighters Returning from Syria and Iraq

Foreign fighters are travelling to Syria and Iraq on an ‘unprecedented scale’ according to a recent United Nations report. In the UK a new Counter-Terrorism and Security Bill proposing new counter-terror powers, including temporary exclusion orders and the powers to seize passports of terror suspects, has been met by concern that it threatens civil liberties. We will be joined by a panel of experts to debate this new bill and the measures it sets out.

From Al Qaeda to ISIS: Terrorists Tactics

Thirteen years on from the 9/11 terrorist attack on the US by Al Qaeda, how has the organisation evolved around the world and what are its links with developing groups such a ISIS and al-Shabaab? A panel of experts will be joining us to examine the tactics and strategies these affiliated groups have developed and what is being done to combat them.

The Fog of Peace

In war there is rarely a single action or answer that will bring peace. As we are seeing with the conflict in Syria, the process of negotiation and resolution is incredibly complex. We will be joined by the authors of a new book, The Fog of Peace: The Human Face of Conflict Resolution, to offer an insight into psychological theories, geopolitical realities and first-hand peace-making experience.

The future of British military engagement with the media

In light of more than ten years of conflict overseas, we examine the nature of the engagement between the British military and the media. As we see changes in the British military, the media, and the nature of conflict zones, how will this relationship develop?

FULLY BOOKED Counterinsurgency and the “War on Terror”: Doomed to fail?

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? 5 months into a new campaign in Libya, is it time that we reassess our involvement in the Arab world?

Insight with Stuart Tootal: Afghanistan

An opportunity to hear Stuart Tootal discuss the war in Afghanistan and hear his views on strategy, the human cost, treatment of the wounded and lack of equipment. Stuart Tootal will be in conversation with Patrick Bishop, veteran foreign correspondent who is now one of Britain’s foremost military historians

Insight with Lt Col Stuart Tootal and Patrick Bishop: Can the British win in Afghanistan?

Commander of 3 Para Battle Group in Afghanistan, Lt Col Tootal, talks about the challenges the Group faced in Helmand: the fighting and the casualties, the logistics and the ongoing fight to win ‘hearts and minds’.