Date: Tuesday 24 July 2007
Time: 6.30-8pm
Venue: Old Theatre, Main Building
Speakers: Ghaith Abdul-Ahad, Patrick Cockburn, Tim Finch, Baroness Margaret Jay, Professor Mary Kaldor
Chair: Krishnan Guru-Murthy

Following a series of hearings, Channel 4 aired the findings of the Channel 4/ Foreign Policy Centre Iraq Commission in a special programme presented by Jon Snow on Saturday 14 July 2007. The Commission, the equivalent of the US Iraq Study Group, is an independent, cross-party Commission which has produced recommendations on the future of Britain's role in Iraq.

The POLIS event will be the first public debate on the findings of the Iraq Commission. Through incorporative panel debate, it will gauge the response of the press and the public, many of whom will have already viewed the Channel 4 programme or read the report.

It will ask what role the public and press have in carrying out the Commission's findings, and what impact implementing the Commission's findings will have on community cohesion, the terror threat and Muslim/ media relations in the UK.

This will be the backdrop for a wider debate about how the conflict in Iraq has been reported and will continue to be reported, whether the media has facilitated sufficient and healthy public debate, whether the government has listened, and, ultimately, what the story of Iraq will be in the long run.

Ghaith Abdul-Ahad is an Iraqi journalist who writes regularly for The Guardian and The Washington Post. Patrick Cockburn is Middle East correspondent at The Independent and author of 'The Occupation: War, resistance and daily life in Iraq' (2006). Tim Finch is the director of Communications at the Refugee Council. Baroness Jay was formerly Lord Privy Seal, leader of the House of Lords and Minister for Women. She is currently chair of the Overseas Development Institute, and of the Iraq Commission. Professor Mary Kaldor is director of the Centre for the Study of Global Governance at the LSE. Krishnan Guru-Murthy has reported from around the world, and is the main presenter of Channel 4 News at Noon.

This event is free and open to all with no ticket required. Entry is on a first come, first served basis. The event will be followed by a drinks reception in the Senior Common Room.

For more information phone Laura Kyrke-Smith on 020 7107 5249 or email polis@lse.ac.uk

Whilst we are hosting this listing, LSE Events does not take responsibility for the running and administration of this event. While we take responsible measures to ensure that accurate information is given here (for instance by checking that the room has been booked) this event is ultimately the responsibility of the organisation presenting the event.