The Frontline Club

Will the internet be the battleground of the 21st Century?

Insight with David E. Hoffman: Reagan, Gorbachev and the Untold Story of the Cold War Arms Race

Frontline Club Exclusive: Julian Assange in conversation with Slavoj Žižek moderated by Democracy Now!'s Amy GoodmanLast year, whistleblower website WikiLeaks released three of the biggest ever leaks of classified information in history: the Iraq War Logs, the Afghanistan War Logs and Cablegate.Since then the world has undoubtedly changed. Ambassadors have resigned amid scandals exposed by leaked cables; the UK government has ordered a review of computer security; and, at the same time, a huge wave of protest has swept the Middle East and North Africa -- in part fuelled, some believe, by WikiLeaks revelations.Discussing the impact of WikiLeaks on the world and what it means for the future, for this very special event WikiLeaks editor-in-chief Julian Assange will be in conversation with renowned Slovenian philosopher, Slavoj Žižek.Focusing on the ethics and philosophy behind WikiLeaks' work, the talk will provide a rare opportunity to hear two of the world's most prominent thinkers discuss some of the most pressing issues of our time.It will also mark the publication of the paperback edition of Living in the End Times, in which Žižek argues that new ways of using and sharing information, in particular WikiLeaks, are one of a number of harbingers of the end of global capitalism as we know it.The event will be chaired by Amy Goodman, the award-winning investigative journalist and host of Democracy Now!, a daily, independent news hour which airs on the internet and more than 900 public television and radio stations worldwide.

Frontline Club Exclusive: Julian Assange in conversation with Slavoj Žižek moderated by Democracy Now!'s Amy GoodmanLast year, whistleblower website WikiLeaks released three of the biggest ever leaks of classified information in history: the Iraq War Logs, the Afghanistan War Logs and Cablegate.Since then the world has undoubtedly changed. Ambassadors have resigned amid scandals exposed by leaked cables; the UK government has ordered a review of computer security; and, at the same time, a huge wave of protest has swept the Middle East and North Africa -- in part fuelled, some believe, by WikiLeaks revelations.Discussing the impact of WikiLeaks on the world and what it means for the future, for this very special event WikiLeaks editor-in-chief Julian Assange will be in conversation with renowned Slovenian philosopher, Slavoj Žižek.Focusing on the ethics and philosophy behind WikiLeaks' work, the talk will provide a rare opportunity to hear two of the world's most prominent thinkers discuss some of the most pressing issues of our time.It will also mark the publication of the paperback edition of Living in the End Times, in which Žižek argues that new ways of using and sharing information, in particular WikiLeaks, are one of a number of harbingers of the end of global capitalism as we know it.The event will be chaired by Amy Goodman, the award-winning investigative journalist and host of Democracy Now!, a daily, independent news hour which airs on the internet and more than 900 public television and radio stations worldwide.

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. Chaired by Paddy O'Connell of BBC Radio 4's Broadcasting House. With: Mustafa Abulhimal, Research Fellow, Quilliam Foundation; Jane Kinninmont, the associate director for Middle East and Africa at the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU); Tarek Osman, author of Egypt on the Brink: From Nasser to Mubarak (via Skype, subject to internet connection in Cairo); Mohamed Yehia, BBC Arabic Online Editor; Davis Lewin, head of programmes at the Henry Jackson Society, a foreign policy think tank based in London.

This event will be moderated by Laurie Taylor. Cartoonist Martin Rowson will be speaking at the Club in his own entertaining fashion about the power of satire, how he uses cartoons to create acerbic critiques of the world of politics and politicians and explaining how he goes about his work. Rowson has colourfully caricatured the political climate since 1982. His recent depictions of Nick Clegg as Pinnochio have brought him praise and awards (including Political Cartoonist of the Year 2010). In 2001 Ken Livingstone appointed him London’s first Cartoonist Laureate in exchange for one pint of London Pride per annum. This payment is still six pints in arrears, and despite being apparently reappointed by Boris Johnson, not a single pint has been forthcoming from the current mayor. Rowson's work has appeared regularly in The Guardian, The Times, The Independent on Sunday, The Daily Mirror, The Spectator, The New Statesman, Tribune and The Morning Star, as well as many other publications. He has penned comic books, a novel Snatches and a memoir Stuff. Rowson won the Cartoon Art Trust’s Political Cartoonist of the Year Award in 2000 and 2004, and the Political Cartoon Society’s Cartoon of the Year in 2003 and 2007. He also won the prestigious Premio Satiri de Forte di Marmi International Satire Award in 2006. Laurie Taylor, who will moderate the event, is a sociologist and broadcaster. He regularly presents Thinking Allowed on BBC Radio 4 and is the commissioning editor for New Humanist.

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. Extensive humanitarian disasters attract a large amount of media attention whilst smaller and on going disasters often go unreported. Should the media be more receptive to aid agencies that try to bring attention to these causes? Or should aid agencies be more PR driven and utilise new media in order to attract the media spotlight? Chaired by Mark Galloway, director of the International Broadcasting Trust an educational and media charity which works on a range of projects to promote media coverage of the developing world. With: Andrew Hogg, Christian Aid news/campaigns editor and former news editor of the Sunday Times and Observer and was editor of The Sunday Times Insight investigative unit; Benjamin Chesterton, radio documentary and photofilm producer, co-founder of the production company duckrabbit and the website A Developing Story; Fran Unsworth, head of BBC newsgathering; Independent writer and consultant, Michael Green who was director of communications at DFID from 2003 to 2007 and co-author of Philanthrocapitalism and The Road From Ruin.

This event will be moderated by Sue Steward and special guest Alice Fay will speak on behalf of Save the Children. "Orphans are Africa's tsunami" claims photographer Carol Allen Storey, who has documented the lives of orphans in Sub Saharan Africa. Two key groups of children provide a focal point for her work. One, a gang of Ugandan youngsters known as the 'Dustbin tribe' who live and play on a rubbish tip, the other, lucky enough to be in school in Tanzania, are marked out from their classmates with red badges to signify their HIV positive status. Carol Allen Storey is a committed photojournalist who specialises in chronicling complex humanitarian and social issues, especially amongst women and children. Storey’s work has been exhibited and published internationally. She was a finalist in the Taylor Wessing Portrait Awards at the National Portrait Gallery, a finalist at the New York Photography Festival, and a finalist in the Spider Awards. In 2008 she was selected for the Press Photographer’s Year exhibition. She has showcased three solo exhibitions in London: Anything is Possible at the AOP, The Vanishing Assets of Africa at Inmarsat Gallery, and The savagery and poetry of Africa at Proud Gallery. In 2009 she was appointed a UNICEF ambassador. Sue Steward will act as moderator for the event. Steward is a writer, radio broadcaster, photo-editor and curator who specialises in visual arts and world music. She is Photography Critic for The Evening Standard and for BBC Radio 2’s Arts Magazine with Claudia Winkleman, as well as a regular critic on the Radio 3’s World Routes programme. She is a founder member of the (Sony) World Photography Awards, a Trustee for the charity PhotoVoice, and a member of the Steering Committee for the March 2011 FORMAT International Photography Festival in Derby. In addition, she is a contributor to the British Journal of Photography and Eye magazine, and a feature writer for the Daily Telegraph and Observer.

Rudolf Elmer, the man who blew the whistle on the conduct of Julius Baer Bank in the Cayman Islands addresses the press at the Frontline Club, handing over two disks of private information to Julian Assange. London, United Kingdom.

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 lead to Rideau killing a young white female bank teller, he was arrested and gave a full confession as an angry white mob gathered outside chanting 'kill that nigger'. He was sentenced to death row. The forty four years he spent behind bars form an extraordinary story through decades of racial unrest and monumental change, of how Rideau overcame insurmountable odds to redeem himself and to later be described as 'the most rehabilitated prisoner in the country'. He went on to edit the prison news magazine The Angolite the first prison publication to be nominated for a National Magazine Award. It was nominated seven times under his editorship. He also co-directed the documentary The Farm, which was nominated for an Oscar. He worked with prisoners and officers to improve the lives of his fellow inmates, lecturing and co-writing a prison text book on how to manage prisoners and meeting with disadvantaged groups to speak about prison life. Yet in spite of his tremendous efforts Rideau remained behind bars, whereas many with longer prison sentences and worse prison records were released sooner. With the help of his wife Linda Labranche, Rideau’s murder conviction was reversed a third time in 2000 and he was found guilty of a lesser charge of manslaughter in January 2005. 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.

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. How have journalists responded to this new kid on the block? The future will no doubt see the emergence of similar organisations, but what impact will this have on the culture of journalism? How will the media adapt and how will this currently uncomfortable relationship develop? Chaired by Richard Gizbert, presenter of The Listening Post on Al Jazeera English. David Aaronovitch, writer, broadcaster, commentator and regular columnist for The Times; Mark Stephens, media lawyer with Finers Stephens Innocent and Julian Assange's solicitor; Ian Katz, deputy editor of the Guardian; Gavin MacFayden, director of the Centre for Investigative Journalism. In association with the BBC College of Journalism.

Our 2011 events get off to a flying start with a look at the inner workings of the extremist network Al-Qaeda. Paddy O'Connell of BBC Radio 4's Broadcasting House will be hosting our First Wednesday discussion of the year. With an expert panel we will be examining how the operation works. Where is it geographically strongest? What form does the organisation take and what tactics does it employ? How has it evolved and how will it evolve in the future? To address these questions, joining us will be: Dr Maha Azzam, Associate Fellow, Chatham House. Investigative journalist and Al-Qaeda expert Camille Tawil. Tawil has covered Islamic militant groups for Al-Hayat Arabic daily in London since the early 1990s and is the author of The Armed Islamic Movement in Algeria - from the FIS to the GIA and Brothers in Arms - the Story of al-Qaeda and the Arab jihadists. Deepak Tripathi, historian, journalist, researcher and author of Breeding Ground: Afghanistan and the Origins of Islamist Terrorism and Overcoming the Bush Legacy in Iraq and Afghanistan. Noman Benotman, a senior analyst at Quilliam. He was previously a leader of the jihadist Libyan Islamic Fighting Group (LIFG) and an associate of senior al-Qaeda leaders in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Sudan. In September 2010, he published an open letter to his former colleague Osama bin Laden calling on him to abandon violence. Join us in the New Year for a lively public meeting which will mix the views of the experts and commentators with contributions from our audience.

Humanitarianism has become a multi billion dollar business, but who is holding it to account? When a catastrophic disaster hits; the 2004 Tsunami, the floods in Pakistan, the public reach into their pockets and give. But when all the television cameras have packed up and gone home who is left to monitor how that money is spent? 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? Chaired by Paddy Coulter, Oxford Global Media partner and communications director of Oxford Poverty Human Development Initiative (OPHI) at Oxford University's Department of International Development, With: Vicki Peaple, international development professional who has been working in the sector for the past 6 years currently for the STARS Foundation managing a programme of funding and consultancy support to local organisations working in Kenya, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Ghana, Ethiopia and Somaliland. Judith Randel, co-founder and director of Development Initiatives (DI). She provides strategic direction and expert advice across all DI’s programmes, including aidinfo and Global Humanitarian Assistance, following on from the success of the Reality of Aid reports. Giles Bolton, closely involved in Africa and its development for more than ten years as a civil servant, diplomat and aid worker. From 1996 until 2004 he worked for the British Government’s Department for International Development (DFID), in countries such as Kenya, Rwanda and Iraq. Author of Aid and Other Dirty Business: An Insider Uncovers How Globalisation and Good Intentions Have Failed the World's Poor. Jonathan Glennie, research fellow at the Centre for Aid and Public Expenditure (CAPE) at the Overseas Development Institute (ODI). Previously, he managed Christian Aid's aid programme in Colombia and worked on several international campaigns, including Make Poverty History and the Jubilee Debt Campaign. He is the author of The Trouble with Aid: Why less could mean more for Africa.

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. As in his book My Friend the Mercenary Brabazon will be recalling how his unlikely friendship with Nick du Toit came into being on the bloody battlefields of the Liberian civil war and how this led to him becoming involved in the 2004 attempted overthrow of the government of Equatorial Guinea. James Brabazon will be in conversation with Andrew Mueller, rock critic, travel writer, foreign correspondent, columnist and author.

"A rare blend of great storytelling and pure wisdom, Little Bunch of Madmen: Elements of Global Reporting is the best thing yet written about the state of modern journalism by one of its few true living masters, and every reporter working today should go out and buy it and read it." — Jon Lee Anderson, staff writer, The New Yorker 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. He ran AP bureaus in the Congo, West Africa, Southeast Asia, Argentina, and France. As editor of the International Herald Tribune in Paris, Rosenblum dispatched correspondents and decided what made news. Now, in vivid detail, he explains what he learned the hard way in this gem of a guide to global reporting. “This is the manual I wish I’d had back in the 1960s when I was dropped into the Congolese mayhem, clueless, sleepless, and scared witless,” Rosenblum writes. “It’s also the primer I wish people backhome could have had at hand to understand what they were reading and watching.” 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. This event is part of our monthly On the Media series, produced in association with the BBC College of Journalism.