The Frontline Club

October this year will mark 12 years since the US-led invasion of Afghanistan and with the 2014 deadline looming join us as we look ahead at the path to troop withdrawal. Are the Afghan Army and the police ready to take on full responsibility for national security? How is the Karzai administration handling the transition and what will we see emerge from the elections in 2014? In 2012 coverage of the situation in Afghanistan has been sparse, the war has become costly and unpopular with the public. We will also be discussing what role the western media should play in covering the transition in the year ahead. Chaired by David Loyn, BBC foreign correspondent and author of Butcher and Bolt and In Afghanistan: Two Hundred Years of British, Russian and American Occupation. The panel: Tamim Ansary is an Afghan American author, his books include Destiny Disrupted: A History of the World through Islamic Eyes, West of Kabul, East of New York and most recently Games without Rules: The Often-Interrupted History of Afghanistan. Freelance journalist Kitty Logan has been reporting on Afghanistan for over a decade. She first worked in the country on a UN project when the Taliban still held power in 2000. From 2002-2004 she was based in Kabul as Afghanistan producer/stringer for Sky News. In January 2013 she will have just returned from covering the latest news in Afghanistan. Author and award-winning journalist Christina Lamb, most recently she was Washington Bureau Chief for The Sunday Times. She also worked as a foreign correspondent for more than 20 years, living in Pakistan, Brazil and South Africa.. She is author of many books including best-sellingThe Africa House, The Sewing Circles of Herat and My Afghan Years. John D McHugh is a multimedia photojournalist and filmmaker. Since 2006 he has worked extensively in Afghanistan, covering the war against the Taliban. He has embedded with US, Canadian, British, Danish and Afghan troops. His work has been published in Newsweek, Time magazine, The New York Times, The Guardian and many others. He has recently made four films on Afghanistan for the People Power strand on Al Jazeera English. Neil Crompton, FCO director for Afghanistan and South Asia Deputy SRAP. He has held many positions at the FCO including counsellor for the foreign and security policy group JIC rep in  Washington, Iran coordinator and deputy director for Iraq and head of the Iraq Policy Unit.

American journalist and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Anne Applebaum has held many posts including Warsaw correspondent for The Economist, foreign editor and deputy editor of the Spectator magazine and political editor of theEvening Standard. She now writes a column for The Washington Post and is author of Gulag: A History and most recently Iron Curtain: The Crushing of Eastern Europe 1944-56. In Iron Curtain Applebaum documents a brutal period in European history and reflects on how fragile free societies are. Exploring how, in the decade after the end of the Second World War, Communism was imposed on previously free societies; how political parties, the church, the media – the institutions of civil society on every level – were all quickly destroyed. Anne Applebaum will be joining us at the Frontline Club in conversation with author, journalist and columnist for The Times, Oliver Kamm to talk about the journey taken in her new book and the lessons that can be learned from that brutal period in history.

American journalist and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Anne Applebaum has held many posts including Warsaw correspondent for The Economist, foreign editor and deputy editor of the Spectator magazine and political editor of the Evening Standard. She now writes a column for The Washington Post and is author of Gulag: A History and most recently Iron Curtain: The Crushing of Eastern Europe 1944-56.In Iron Curtain Applebaum documents a brutal period in European history and reflects on how fragile free societies are. Exploring how, in the decade after the end of the Second World War, Communism was imposed on previously free societies; how political parties, the church, the media -- the institutions of civil society on every level -- were all quickly destroyed.Anne Applebaum will be joining us at the Frontline Club in conversation with author, journalist and columnist for The Times, Oliver Kamm to talk about the journey taken in her new book and the lessons that can be learned from that brutal period in history.With thanks to the Polish Cultural Institute

Thursday 25 April 2013The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) has announced that it has entered into a ‘state of war’ with the US and the Republic of Korea (ROK). The US defence secretary, Chuck Hagel, has declared that DPRK poses “a real and clear danger”. Is this a war of words or could talk of war precipitate a full-blown military conflict?Join us with a panel of experts to break down the escalating rhetoric and examine the intentions of DPRK. We will be asking if Kim Jong-un, the 29-year-old inexperienced leader, is just attempting to bolster his image at home or if there is any weight behind his threats.Chaired by Charles Scanlon, BBC East Asia editor. He was BBC Korea correspondent from 1994 – 1997 and Japan and Korea correspondent 2000 – 2007.With:Dr John Swenson-Wright is Fuji Bank University senior lecturer in Modern Japanese Studies at the East Asia Institute, University of Cambridge. He is a senior consulting fellow at the Asia Programme, Chatham House.Andrea Berger is a research fellow for nuclear analysis at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) and deputy director of the UK project on nuclear issues.John Everard is a retired British diplomat, who served as British Ambassador to North Korea. He is author of Only Beautiful, Please: A British Diplomat in North Korea and is now a consultant for the UN.

As Obama embarks on his second term in office, he faces major challenges at home and abroad. With a fiscal cliff narrowly avoided and the Republicans and Democrats at loggerheads in Congress, at home Obama faces major challenges on the economy. Abroad he must forge relations with Arab countries that have elected new political leaders, whilst maintaining allies in the Gulf. Following the recent outbreak of violence between Israel and Gaza, he will be re-engaging with the peace process. He also faces an ultimatum with Iran over their nuclear programme, the deteriorating situation in Syria and frustration over his many unfulfilled promises such as the closing of Guantanamo. On the eve of his inauguration, join us with a panel of experts and commentators to examine the challenges that lie ahead for Barack Obama. Chaired by author, journalist and broadcaster Michael Goldfarb. He has worked for NPR and the BBC, and has written for The Guardian, The New York Times and The Washington Post. The panel: Nick Schifrin is a foreign correspondent for ABC News based in London. Previously he was the ABC News Afghanistan-Pakistan correspondent and bureau chief based in both Kabul and Islamabad, from 2008 until 2012. Felicity Spector writes about US politics for Channel 4 News. She has been covering US politics for more than 15 years including the 2000, 2008 and 2012 campaigns for Channel 4 News. Robert Carolina the chair of Democrats Abroad UK, the official arm of the Democratic National Committee for Americans living outside the US and its territories. He started his support of the Obama campaign in 2007, and went on to lead a number of Obama campaign efforts in the UK in 2008.

In a career that has spanned nearly half a century, the BBC’s world affairs editor John Simpson has borne witness to change and upheaval in all corners of the globe. He will be joining us in conversation with Vin Ray, to look back on an unmatched lifelong career covering world events at the BBC. He joined the BBC at 25 and in the 1970s was appointed political editor, but he soon realised his calling lay as a foreign correspondent. One of his first assignments was reporting on the civil war in Angola, from which he went on to cover many of the defining moments of the late 20th and early 21st century. He has written several books, including five volumes of autobiography, and he has twice won the title of Royal Television Society’s Journalist of the Year, along with countless other major television awards.

In a career that has spanned nearly half a century, the BBC's world affairs editor John Simpson has borne witness to change and upheaval in all corners of the globe. He will be joining us in conversation with Vin Ray, to look back on an unmatched lifelong career covering world events at the BBC.He joined the BBC at 25 and in the 1970s was appointed political editor, but he soon realised his calling lay as a foreign correspondent. One of his first assignments was reporting on the civil war in Angola, from which he went on to cover many of the defining moments of the late 20th and early 21st century.He has written several books, including five volumes of autobiography, and he has twice won the title of Royal Television Society's Journalist of the Year, along with countless other major television awards.In association with: BBC CoJ

March 2013 will mark two years since the conflict in Syria began. The UN has said it believes the fighting has now cost the lives of at least 60,000 people. We will be bringing together an expert panel to update you on the situation in the country, and to look ahead at the prospects for 2013. We will be examining the refugee situation, the possibility of foreign intervention and whether the conflict shows any signs of coming to an end. Chaired by Paddy O’Connell of BBC Radio 4′sBroadcasting House. The panel: Melissa Fleming is the chief communications and spokesperson at the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Ausama Monajed is the executive director of London-based Strategic Research and Communication Centre. Patrick Seale is a journalist and author who specialises in Middle East affairs. He is author of a number of books including Asad of Syria: The Struggle for the Middle Eastand The Struggle for Syria. Jon Lee Anderson is foreign correspondent for The New Yorker, and is the author of many books including The Fall of Baghdad and Guerrillas: Journeys in the Insurgent World.

March 2013 will mark two years since the conflict in Syria began. The UN has said it believes the fighting has now cost the lives of at least 60,000 people.We will be bringing together an expert panel to update you on the situation in the country, and to look ahead at the prospects for 2013. We will be examining the refugee situation, the possibility of foreign intervention and whether the conflict shows any signs of coming to an end.Chaired by Paddy O’Connell of BBC Radio 4′s Broadcasting House.The panel:Melissa Fleming is the chief communications and spokesperson at the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).Ausama Monajed is the executive director of London-based Strategic Research and Communication Centre.Patrick Seale is a journalist and author who specialises in Middle East affairs. He is author of a number of books including Asad of Syria: The Struggle for the Middle East and The Struggle for Syria.Jon Lee Anderson is foreign correspondent for The New Yorker, and is the author of many books including The Fall of Baghdad and Guerrillas: Journeys in the Insurgent World.

Encompassing powerful images from the 1956 Hungarian Uprising to the recent Arab Spring, Magnum Revolution: 65 Years of Fighting for Freedom brings together hundreds of photographs from Magnum members depicting historic events. To mark the recent release, Magnum photographers Ian Berry and Peter Marlow will speak about their careers and experiences photographing war and peace with the book’s co-author, Jon Lee Anderson. Chaired by Monica Allende, picture editor of the Sunday Times Magazine. Ian Berry cut his teeth photographing South Africa during apartheid and in 1964 moved to London to become the first contract photographer for the Observer Magazine. He joined Magnum in 1962 and documented Russia’s invasion of Czechoslovakia; conflicts in Israel, Ireland, Vietnam and Congo and famine in Ethiopia for a wide range of publications. Peter Marlow covered Lebanon and Northern Ireland as a news photographer in the late 1970s for the Paris-based Sygma agency. After joining Magnum in 1980, Marlow developed his photography away from war zones, by focusing first on Liverpool and later on Amiens. Jon Lee Anderson is foreign correspondent for The New Yorker, and is the author of many books including The Fall of Baghdad. Copies of Magnum Revolution: 65 Years of Fighting for Freedom will be on sale at a special discounted price of £30 on the night and the speakers will be available for a signing after the talk, with complimentary drinks made available courtesy of Prestel.

EXTERNAL EVENT HELD AT THE LONDON SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS, SHEIKH ZAYED THEATRE As he is about to embark on his second term, President Barack Obama’s relationship with Israel is already being tested. But while all eyes are on events in Gaza, Obama is facing major decisions that could lead to the beginning of a new conflict. Israel’s threat of military action against Iran has already raised tensions in the Middle East and in the summer of 2013, the US and its allies will decide whether or not to attack Iran’s nuclear sites and if Israel should be given the go ahead to start a war. While leaders of these countries continue their brinkmanship, recent and increasingly biting sanctions imposed by the United States and the European Union have had a significant impact, choking the country’s economy and provoking growing unrest on the streets. Iranians are facing ever increasing hardship as a result of the devaluation of the currency, food shortages and lack of medical supplies. Join us to discuss what the future holds for relations between Iran, Israel and the US in the year ahead. Chaired by Channel 4 News presenter Jon Snow. With: Meir Javedanfar, an Iranian – Israeli Middle East analyst. He teaches the contemporary Iranian politics course at the Interdisciplinary Center (IDC) in Herzliya. He is also the co-author of president Ahmadinejad’s biography The Nuclear Sphinx of Tehranand a regular contributor to The Diplomat, Al Monitor, as well as BBC Persian. Azadeh Moaveni, a former Middle East correspondent for Timemagazine, and has reported on Iran since 1999. She is the author ofLipstick Jihad, Honeymoon in Tehran, and co-author, with Nobel Peace Laureate Shirin Ebadi, of Iran Awakening. She writes widely on Iran and the Middle East for Foreign Policy, the Washington Post, and other publications. Scott Peterson, the Istanbul Bureau Chief for The Christian Science Monitor, a photographer for Getty Images and author of Let the Swords Encircle Me: Iran – A Journey Behind the Headlines. He has reported and photographed conflict and human narratives across three continents for more than two decades, which include thirty extended reporting trips to Iran since 1996. Abdel Bari Atwan, the editor of London-based al-Quds al-Arabi, an independent, pan-Arab daily newspaper since 1989. He is the author of The Secret History of al-Qa’ida, A Country of Words, his memoir and his new book Al-Qa’ida, the Next Generation. He was born in Gaza but has lived in London since 1979.

EXTERNAL EVENT HELD AT THE LONDON SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS, SHEIKH ZAYED THEATREAs he is about to embark on his second term, President Barack Obama’s relationship with Israel is already being tested. But while all eyes are on events in Gaza, Obama is facing major decisions that could lead to the beginning of a new conflict.Israel’s threat of military action against Iran has already raised tensions in the Middle East and in the summer of 2013, the US and its allies will decide whether or not to attack Iran’s nuclear sites and if Israel should be given the go ahead to start a war.While leaders of these countries continue their brinkmanship, recent and increasingly biting sanctions imposed by the United States and the European Union have had a significant impact, choking the country’s economy and provoking growing unrest on the streets. Iranians are facing ever increasing hardship as a result of the devaluation of the currency, food shortages and lack of medical supplies.Join us to discuss what the future holds for relations between Iran, Israel and the US in the year ahead.Chaired by Channel 4 News presenter Jon Snow.With:Meir Javedanfar, an Iranian – Israeli Middle East analyst. He teaches the contemporary Iranian politics course at the Interdisciplinary Center (IDC) in Herzliya. He is also the co-author of president Ahmadinejad’s biography The Nuclear Sphinx of Tehran and a regular contributor to The Diplomat, Al Monitor, as well as BBC Persian.Azadeh Moaveni, a former Middle East correspondent for Time magazine, and has reported on Iran since 1999. She is the author of Lipstick Jihad, Honeymoon in Tehran, and co-author, with Nobel Peace Laureate Shirin Ebadi, of Iran Awakening. She writes widely on Iran and the Middle East for Foreign Policy, the Washington Post, and other publications.Scott Peterson, the Istanbul Bureau Chief for The Christian Science Monitor, a photographer for Getty Images and author of Let the Swords Encircle Me: Iran – A Journey Behind the Headlines. He has reported and photographed conflict and human narratives across three continents for more than two decades, which include thirty extended reporting trips to Iran since 1996.Abdel Bari Atwan, the editor of London-based al-Quds al-Arabi, an independent, pan-Arab daily newspaper since 1989. He is the author of The Secret History of al-Qa’ida, A Country of Words, his memoir and his new book Al-Qa’ida, the Next Generation. He was born in Gaza but has lived in London since 1979.

Lord Justice Leveson’s 2,000 page report into the culture, practices and ethics of the press has been met with mixed reactions from the press, politicians and the public. The most divisive suggestion, that the press should have an independent self-regulatory body underpinned by statute has spilt the government. Join us for a reactive debate to discuss the findings and examine what action may be taken, and what implications it would have on the future of the British press. Chaired by Torin Douglas, BBC media correspondent. With: Martin Moore, director of the Media Standards Trust and a founder of the Hacked Off campaign. Rich Peppiatt, writer, broadcaster and former journalist at the Daily Star. His One Rogue Reporter has just shown at the Soho Theatre. Mick Hume, editor-at-large of the online magazine Spiked and author of There Is No Such Thing As A Free Press …and we need one more than ever. Kirsty Hughes, the Chief Executive of Index on Censorship – an international freedom of expression non-governmental organisation. In association with Index on Censorship

Alex Crawford's coverage in Libya won her widespread acclaim after she travelled into the conflict with rebel forces. The first journalist to make it into the city of Tripoli after it fell to rebel forces, she coloured her career further with the occasional arrest, detainment, bullet, IED, tear-gassing and mortar shell.One of the most decorated journalists in the field, Alex Crawford, is the only person to be awarded three Royal Television Society journalist of the Year awards and has recently been presented the James Cameron Memorial Award 2011 for her coverage of the fighting in Libya and the Middle East.Brought up in Nigeria and Zambia she began her journalistic career working on the Wokingham Times and later joined Sky News in 1989 where she has worked ever since, and is now their Special Correspondent.She will be joining us at the Frontline Club in conversation with former BBC executive Vin Ray to take a look back over her career as a foreign correspondent.

From the Second World War to the War on Terror, via Kenya and Northern Ireland award-winning investigative journalist Ian Cobain's new book Cruel Britannia explores Britain's role in the development and use of torture. Drawing on previously unseen official documents, and the accounts of witnesses, victims and experts Cobain reveals some stark truths. With the High Court judgement that a group of Kenyans can claim damages from British government for abuses suffered during the Mau Mau rebellion, and on-going enquiries into the abuse of terror suspects, we will be joined by Cobain and a panel of experts to discuss Britain's record on involvement in the use of torture. We will be asking whether it is to time to challenge the official line that the UK does not 'participate in, solicit, encourage or condone' torture. Chaired by Humphrey Hawksley, leading BBC foreign correspondent, author and commentator on world affairs. With: Ian Cobain, an investigative journalist with the Guardian and author of Cruel Britannia: A Secret History of Torture. His inquiries into the UK's involvement with torture since 9/11 have won the Martha Gellhorn Prize and the Paul Foot Award for investigative journalism, and has been shortlisted for the Orwell Prize. He has also won several Amnesty International Media awards and a Liberty award. Clive Baldwin, the Senior Legal Advisor for the Legal and Policy office at Human Rights Watch, where he has been working on issues of international law since 2007. His areas of focus include the Middle East, north and west Africa and discrimination law. Rt Hon David Davis MP, Member of Parliament for Haltemprice and Howden since 1997 and former Shadow Home Secretary. As a Minister in the last Conservative government he served in the Cabinet Office and the Foreign Office. In the latter, he was responsible for Security Policy and European Policy, overseeing the majority of the country's international negotiations. Dr Ruth Blakeley, a senior lecturer in International Relations at the University of Kent. Her research focuses on state violence and terrorism, particularly by liberal democratic states. Her current project, funded by the UK’s Economic and Social Research Council, focuses on analysing the global system of rendition and secret detention. She is the author of State Terrorism and Neoliberalism, and she has published widely on state violence and torture.