First Wednesday
FULLY BOOKED First Wednesday: What does the result of Egypt’s Presidential election mean for the country and the region?
Join us with a panel of experts to examine the challenges Egypt’s first democratically elected president, Mohammed Mursi will face at home and abroad and whether he will keep to his promise of being a leader for all Egyptians.
Fifteen months and 15,000 dead: Syria’s tipping point?
By Merryn Johnson In a bloody coincidence with Frontline’s First Wednesday talk about the divisive issue of international intervention in Syria, yet another massacre of women, children, civilians has been charged at the Assad regime. Less than a fortnight after the Houla massacre in the Homs province of Syria, in which 108 people were killed, opposition […]
FULLY BOOKED First Wednesday: Syria – Is this the tipping point?
Again Syria hits our front pages but will the massacre of more than 100 men, women and children in Houla be the final straw for the international community?
What are the options on the table for the international community, the Assad regime and the opposition forces? Join us as we ask whether the deepening crisis in Syria is reaching a tipping point.
First Wednesday: The press, politicians and power – What will we learn from Leveson?
The relationship between the press and politicians is what is now under scrutiny at the Leveson Inquiry and the long awaited testimony from Rupert and James Murdoch has unearthed a relationship that paints an uncomfortable picture for the government.
Following these latest revelations, hosted by BBC Radio 4’s Paddy O’Connell, we will be examining what we have heard and what the ramifications will be for politicians and the press.
Is Invisible Children’s KONY 2012 campaign baloney?
With over one hundred million ‘views’ the Kony 2012 video has started a far-reaching debate on the aims and value of a production seen by many as an over-simplification of complex situation.
FULLY BOOKED First Wednesday: KONY 2012 – A force for good?
The recent KONY 2012 campaign video has been met with strong criticism, but nobody can question its effectiveness in reaching a mass audience.
Despite its inaccuracies this campaign has created wider awareness about Joseph Kony and the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) than any news report or campaign that has come before it, so what can be learned? Join us for April’s First Wednesday as we debate whether the KONY 2012 campaign is a force for good or a worrying development in campaigning.
The Leveson Inquiry comes to Frontline – what have we learned?
By Thomas Lowe Passionate exchanges, heckling from the audience and caustic wit – that’s what you get when a panel of journalists sit down to discuss what Peter Wilby described as the media’s ‘truth and reconciliation commission’. Anne Diamond, who now hosts the Anne Diamond show on Berkshire radio believes she was ‘targeted’ by Rupert […]
FULLY BOOKED First Wednesday: The Leveson Inquiry – what have we learned?
Since the Leveson Inquiry hearings began on 14 November some of the worst of British journalism has been laid bare by the victims of phone hacking, politicians, journalists and editors who have spoken.
As revelations from the phone hacking investigation continue, join us for the first event of 2012 to discuss what has been revealed about the workings of the tabloid press and what the fall out will be for the journalism industry.
A lively public meeting hosted by Paddy O’Connell of BBC Radio 4’s Broadcasting House.
FULLY BOOKED First Wednesday: #Occupy – What do they want?
What began in the financial district of New York City in mid September under the name Occupy Wall Street has become a movement that is spreading across the globe. But what do they want and how do they intend to achieve their goals? Are their aims realistic? Can they have any impact?
Join us at the Frontline Club to debate the aims and objectives of the Occupy movement and to discuss whether it can bring about any change.
First Wednesday: Where has war left the people of Afghanistan?
How do the Afghan people view the last ten years since the US-led invasion and how have their lives have been changed?
Is it just another chapter in nearly half a century of conflict and instability? Is civil war avoidable? Is there any hope for the future and what might that future look like?
Another opportunity to join in a lively public meeting, hosted by Paddy O’Connell of BBC Radio 4’s Broadcasting House, bringing together experts and commentators and mixing their views with contributions from our audience.
FIRST WEDNESDAY SPECIAL: Changing world – conflict, culture and terrorism in the 21st century
#fcbbca
EXTERNAL EVENT HELD AT THE ROYAL INSTITUTION OF GREAT BRITAIN.
To mark ten years since the terrorists attacks on the United States, the Frontline Club is holding a special event to look at the extent to which 9/11 has defined our world today and will continue to shape our future.
Coming up at the Frontline Club: China’s energy pioneers, African Election and Tunisia and Egypt’s revolutions
Tonight’s event on counterinsurgency in the wake of the 9/11 is now fully booked. But there are still tickets available for September’s First Wednesday special where we will be discussing how 9/11 and the War on Terror has defined our world and will continue to shape the future. Tomorrow evening we will be joined by photographer Toby Smith who has recently returned from […]
FULLY BOOKED First Wednesday: Where now for the people of Syria?
Since mid – March when the Arab Spring reached Syria there have been continuous crack downs on protestors by Syrian forces. There are claims more than 1,700 civilians have been killed. The authorities in Syria claim 500 soldiers and police have been killed by armed gangs, which they also blame for most of the civilian deaths.
Join us with Paddy O’Connell of BBC Radio 4’s Broadcasting House to discuss the situation in Syria and what the future holds for the Syrian people.
The week ahead at the Frontline Club: From Syria to China’s energy pioneers
Tickets for tonight’s First Wednesday have sold out but you can watch the discussion live here. Chaired by the broadcaster Paddy O’Connell, the debate will focus on Syria as the crackdown continues, the death toll rises and the UN Security Council comes under increasing pressure to reach a resolution condemning the violence. Monday’s screening Children of the Revolution tells the […]
The week ahead at the Frontline Club: Paul Mason, Syria and the New York Times
This evening we will be joined by BBC Newsnight’s economics editor Paul Mason, who won acclaim for his coverage of the financial crisis from the collapse in 2008 of Lehman Brothers and all that followed. He will be joining us to discuss a careet that ranges from covering gang violence on Merseyside to the rise of China […]
First Wednesday: Kill/Capture missions in Afghanistan
Following the targeted killing of Osama Bin Laden we will be devoting July’s First Wednesday to the expansion of man hunt missions used in Afghanistan to take out thousands of Al Qaeda and Taliban fighters.
With a panel of experts we will be examining the effects of the kill/capture missions on the ground? How are they are conducted and how is the intelligence obtained? What effect are they having and could they play a definitive role in ending the war?
First Wednesday: Iran’s Green Revolution and the Arab Spring
Two years after Iranians took to the streets to protest against the apparent rigging of the presidential elections we will be examining the impact of the Arab Spring. What has been the response of the government of Iran to the uprisings? Could they inspire further protests among the people? We will also be looking at the power struggle between President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the conservative clerics and asking what it could mean for Iran’s future.
Osama bin Laden’s death: What difference will it make?
Watch the full event here. By Patrick Smith On the day after al Qaeda’s “leader” Osama bin Laden was killed by US forces in a daring raid on a nondescript compound outside Jalalabad, BBC Urdu sent out reporters into four cities across Afghanistan and Pakistan. Not to ask questions, but to observe. To sit at […]
Can the West be trusted to support democracy in the Middle East and North Africa?
What can Western powers do to aid genuine democracy in the Middle East and North Africa and can they be trusted, given the way that authoritarian regimes have been propped up in pursuit of ‘stability’ in the past? These were two themes that emerged from April’s First Wednesday discussion last night, which focused on the way […]
The week ahead at the Frontline Club
For tonight’s First Wednesday we have brought together a panel of experts to discuss the changing nature of foreign policy and diplomacy in the Middle East and North Africa in light of the shifting alignments in the region. The panel for Saturday’s fully booked debate in partnership with the New Statesman has been announced. Next […]
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
First Wednesday: Natural disaster and political turmoil in Pakistan
Paddy O’Connell of BBC Radio 4’s Broadcasting House will be in the chair as the Frontline Club’s First Wednesday discussions return after a summer break. These lively public meetings bring together experts and commentators and mix their views with contributions from our audience.
First Wednesday: Iran, democracy and an international war of words
Join us for another of our First Wednesday discussions: lively public meetings that bring together experts and commentators and mix their views with contributions from our audience. We’ll be discussing the domestic and international challenges facing modern Iran.
First Wednesday: Pre-election night special – is this a “change” election?
Paddy O’Connell of BBC Radio 4’s Broadcasting House will be in the chair for another of our First Wednesday discussions. First Wednesdays are an opportunity to debate with experts and commentators on a wide range of issues from domestic politics to international affairs, climate change and economics.