https://soundcloud.com/frontlineclub/first-wednesday-syria-crossing

On 20 August last year President Barack Obama gave a speech declaring that if Bashar al-Assad’s government used chemical weapons it would cross a “red line”. It appears that line has now been crossed. Secretary of State John Kerry has said it is “undeniable” that the Assad government is responsible for the use of chemical weapons after an attack on 21 August left hundreds dead.

With the shadow of Iraq hanging over them, MPs in the UK voted against possible military action in Syria. We will be asking what are the implications of this move towards inaction, and whether it will have any impact on a US-led attack.

As the rhetoric about intervention in Syria escalates, we will be bringing together a panel of experts to examine the arguments for and against, and the implications of action or inaction.

If intervention were to occur, what form would it take? What reaction would we see from Syria’s neighbours and other countries already involved in the conflict?

Chaired by Paddy O’Connell of BBC Radio 4′s Broadcasting House.

With:

Lina Sinjab was the BBC’s correspondent in Syria until a few months ago. She has been reporting for the BBC since 2007 and closely covered the uprising in Syria since it sparked in March 2011.

Scott Lucas is professor of American Studies at the University of Birmingham and editor-in-chief of EA WorldView. He is a specialist in US and British foreign policy and international relations, especially the Middle East and Iran.

Shiraz Maher is a Senior Fellow at the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation, King’s College London, and a contributor to The Spectator. He studies terrorism and Islamic groups in the Middle East, and is currently working on project to map the Syria opposition.

Jonathan Steele is a columnist at The Guardian, roving foreign correspondent and author. He has reported on Afghanistan, Russia, Iraq, and many other countries. He was Washington Bureau Chief, Moscow Bureau Chief, and Chief Foreign Correspondent for The Guardian. He is author of many books, most recently Ghosts of Afghanistan.

Picture courtesy of multimedia journalist Ayman Oghanna.

https://soundcloud.com/frontlineclub/third-party-event-broken

Organised by the Greenpeace Energydesk

With the UK’s Energy bill on the verge of coming before parliament and world leaders preparing for the latest climate summit, this time in Doha; some are worrying about the ability of a struggling media to play an effective role in the debate on energy and the climate.

As the press struggles to recover from a collapse in advertising during the recession and the damage done by the phone hacking scandal and subsequent inquiry the discussion will examine the challenges facing journalists reporting on an area of great scientific and economic complexity. The event will ask what impact those challenges have on the wider policy debate over energy and climate change and what – if anything – should be done to improve the discussion on this crucial area.

Chaired by editor of the Guardian, Alan Rusbridger, an expert panel will be exploring whether our journalism is up to the debate over energy and climate change.

With:

Angus McCrone, chief editor of Bloomberg New Energy Finance. He works closely with BNEF’s 120-strong team of analysts and researchers covering sectors such as wind, solar, biofuels, carbon and energy-smart technologies, also writes and presents on a wide range of topics including overall clean energy investment, project finance, public markets and policy-making.

Ben Webster, media editor of The Times since July 2011. He joined The Times in 1998, working on the newsdesk from 1998-2000 as night news editor and then assistant news editor. He was Transport Correspondent from 2000 to 2009 and Environment Editor from 2009 to 2011.

David Kennedy, the chief executive of the Committee on Climate Change. Previously he worked on energy strategy at the World Bank, and design of infrastructure investment projects at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. He has a PhD in economics from the London School of Economics.

Dr Alice Bell, senior teaching fellow at Imperial College London and writer interested in science in society. She has taught science communication at Imperial College London and UCL and is currently based at the former, running a course on energy and climate change.

Tom Burke CBE, environmental campaigner and founder of E3G (Third Generation Environmentalism). He is environmental policy adviser to Rio Tinto and visiting professor at Imperial College London and University Colleges, London.  He is a Senior Business Advisor to the Foreign Secretary’s Special Representative on Climate Change. He has recently been appointed to the External Review Committee of Shell. He is formerly the executive director of Friends of the Earth and an advisor to three Secretaries of State for the Environment.