Gulf citizens pessimistic about Arab Spring. Media Book. Series 4 highlights. Series 5 highlights. Series 6 highlights. Wikileaks: Tim Sebastian Tackles US Wrong-doing Head On. A recent post on this site noted the stunning silence from the mass media on questioning illegal and lethal acts carried out by American diplomats and military forces, as revealed by Wikileaks over the course of 2010. Below is a brief exchange during a televised debate in Doha, Qatar, at the end of January, betweem the veteran journalist, Tim Sebastian, and Carl W. Ford, jr., a former CIA analyst, defense and state department assistant secretary and official. During 2001-03, Ford served the Bush administration's State Department as assistant secretary of state for intelligence and research, playing a significant role in crafting the war on terror and the (false) WMD justification for the illegal US invasion of Iraq. In 2003, Ford joined a consulting firm, Cassidy and associates, that specialised in military issues with special focus on the far east and Middle east.
Carl W. Speaking against the motion (that Wikileaks is good for the world) TIM SEBASTIANCould you come to a close please. Tim Sebastian. A meeting of district executives of Ludhiana Telecom was organised at Bharat Nagar chowk here on Friday in which BSNL workers from all over Punjab took part. Addressing the meeting, NT Sajwani, secretary general of NFTE, said,"The BSNL workers' union will fight against the anti-worker and anti-BSNL polices of the government in power, be it NDA or UPA. " He said that it was their policies which were responsible for BSNL's lagging behind in competition with the private sector. Sajwani said that they would fight for survival of BSNL and its development even as he demanded a thorough probe into the spectrum scam.
He also demanded an early wage revision or an interim relief for at least Rs 5,000 at the earliest and a modified promotion policy after discussion with all the unions in BSNL. Please read our terms of use before posting comments TERMS OF USE: The views expressed in comments published on indianexpress.com are those of the comment writer's alone. Doha Debates homepage. An Insider’s Perspective. The 'Doha Debates' is a brainchild of Tim Sebastian, the BBC award-winning journalist who rose to fame in the last decade as the host of BBC's 'HARDtalk'. It is held in Doha, Qatar, and occurs eight times a year; this year marked the completion of its fifth season.
It discusses and debates – Oxford Union style – topics of relevance in the Middle East, spanning religious, social and political issues. Tim proposes a “motion”, two people debate for it, and two against it. Tim and the audience have the opportunity to grill all four of the speakers, after which the audience votes on the motion, and it either “passes” or “fails” the house. It is aired on BBC, and estimated to have a viewership of a few hundred million people. Four months ago, while attending the Muslim Leaders of Tomorrow (MLT) conference in Doha, some of us were invited to be part of the audience for a debate over the motion, 'This house believes that political Islam is a threat to the West'.
Dr. Dr. Dr. In Doha, I struggle with my elitism. On Saturday night I flew business class to Qatar for the Doha debates. I always fly economy, but as the saying goes, I could get used to this fast. The seats on the Boeing 777 folded down to make a full bed and I was next to a guy from Cesar Pelli’s architectural firm. At the Four Seasons in Doha, I sent my wife an email. “They have Occitane soap in the bathroom.” “Life is good,” she responded. A BMW took me to and from the souk. The debate was over the proposition, Obama is too weak to bring about Middle East peace, and I argued the affirmative along with a guy from American University of Beirut named Ahmed Moussali. He and Cohen clashed a lot during the debate. Moussali talked about the right of return.
Before the debate Cohen and I had met in the Four Seasons lobby and both regretted that we were on opposite sides. Strategizing that afternoon over espresso at the Four Seasons, Moussali had told me to tell the audience that this debate doesn’t happen in the U.S. An Island of Free Speech. Speaking freely in the Middle East | Dennis Hayes. A forgotten theme amid the reporting of the Arab Spring, now the Arab Summer, is that many people in the Arab world support freedom of speech in a way that seems odd to many in the censorious West – and this despite the existence of authoritarian regimes of various forms.
Last December, I had personal experience of the importance of freedom of speech to many in the Arab world while arguing for the proposition ‘Education is worthless without freedom of speech’ at the 50th Doha Debate in Qatar. The Doha Debates began seven years ago with the support of Sheikah Moza bint Nasser Al Missned of Qatar. The aim was to encourage debate in the Arab world without any interference from the authorities, a condition that is an absolute for the debate chair, TV journalist and author Tim Sebastian. The Doha Debates aren’t alone as examples of open and free discussion. So what of the debate, ‘Is education worthless without freedom of speech’? Article continues after advertisement. Wikipedia. The Doha Debates logo The Doha Debates are a forum for free speech in Qatar and tackle the region's most controversial and topical issues.
They are sponsored by Qatar Foundation and their broadcasting rights are sold to BBC World News where they are aired monthly, eight times a year. The Debates entered into their eighth series in October 2011. Qatar Foundation[edit] The Doha Debates are hosted and funded by the Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development - a private, chartered, non-profit organization, founded in 1995 and chaired by Her Highness Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser Al-Missned. The Doha Debates supported the creation of QatarDebate, an independent student debating organization for Qatar, in 2007.
Format[edit] The Doha Debates are chaired by the award-winning, former BBC correspondent and interviewer Tim Sebastian, who founded them in 2004 and secured their editorial independence. Specials[edit] Local and international audience[edit] Past motions[edit] See also[edit] Facebook page.
How does the D-D choose its topics? Arabs, not NATO, dealing with Libya. Monday April 18 2011 MOTION REJECTED by 45% to 55% Arab governments should stay out of the conflict in Libya and leave it to NATO, according to a majority vote at The Doha Debates. In a tense, argumentative session, the mainly-Arab audience heard repeated claims that their own governments lacked both the power and commitment to protect civilians in Libya Aisha Aghliw, from Misrata, scene of heavy fighting between rebel and pro-Gaddafi forces, said, "all Libyans would have liked to see Arabs come to their help. Libyans were crying for help for one month and no one came. We could not have waited another month". The motion: "This House believes Arabs, not NATO, should be dealing with Libya" was rejected by 55 percent.
Dr. He added that Arab governments were enemies of democracy and human rights and had shown indifference towards unrest in other parts of their region. Both speakers claimed Arab interference in Libya would have led to more civilian casualties. Watch online The debate. Watch April18 debate. Opinion poll - April26 - May2. Monday April 18 2011 MOTION REJECTED by 45% to 55% A staggering 75 percent of Arabs want to see the Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi forcibly removed from power, according to an opinion poll commissioned by The Doha Debates. A similar number of respondents support immediate, external intervention in Libya, but insist that Arab governments should mount the operation, without assistance from NATO. In April, by contrast, more than half the mainly-Arab audience at The Doha Debates supported military action led by the Western alliance. The latest opinion survey was conducted between April 26 and May 2 by 1,000 respondents in 16 Arab states.
Only one in 10 Arabs now believe Colonel Gaddafi is legitimate - compared to 41 percent who have thrown their support behind the National Transitional Council based in Benghazi. Polling dates: 26th April - 2nd May 2011 Download the polling data [PDF] Watch online The debate.