IQ Debates
The Future of Iraq
11th December, 2007PLEASE NOTE: The debate will now take place at the:
Central Hall Westminster
Storey's Gate
London
SW1H 9NH
Doors open at 6pm. The debate starts at 6.45pm and finishes at 8.30pm.
A debate on the future of Iraq.
Unlike our traditional debates which have a "For" and "Against" motion, six distinguished speakers will each advocate what they see as the best solution to the crisis in Iraq, ranging from "staying until the job is done" to "immediate withdrawal of US and UK forces".
As usual, audience members will be able to put questions to the speakers and debate the issues with them. At the end of the evening, you will be invited to vote on the proposed solution you most support.
Speakers will include:
Ali Allawi
Minister for Trade and Defence in the Interim Iraq Governing Council, Finance Minister in the Iraqi Transitional Government, Author of "Iraq: Winning the War, Losing the Peace".
Tony BennFormer Labour cabinet minister and peace activist, who interviewed Saddam Hussein in Baghdad shortly before the start of the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
Liz Cheney
Attorney and specialist in the areas of U.S. Middle East policy and reform in the Arab world. She served most recently as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs (2005-2006), making her the second ranking most senior US diplomat in the Middle East. Ms. Cheney also served previously as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Near Eastern Affairs (2002-2004), from which she resigned to serve in her father's re-election campaign as Vice President of the United States. She left the State Department in 2006 and now works for former Senator Fred Thompson, a Republican candidate for the 2008 Presidential election.
Sir Christopher MeyerBritish Ambassador to Washington in the lead up to and during the Iraq war. Sir Christopher was the main link between President George W Bush and former Prime Minister Tony Blair. He is also the author of the bestselling book "DC Confidential". Sir Christopher is now Chairman of the Press Complaints Commission.
William Shawcross
An internationally renowned writer and broadcaster. His book “Deliver us from Evil – Warlords, Peacekeepers and the World of Endless Conflict”, dealt with war, peace and peacekeeping throughout the 1990s, including the problems of policing and disarming Iraq after the end of the Gulf War. He is a founder member of the International Crisis Group of which he is on the board and the Executive Committee.
Rory Stewart
Served in the British Embassy in Indonesia 1997-1999, as the British Representative to Montenegro in the wake of the Kosovo campaign and as Coalition Deputy Governor of Amarah and Nasiriyah in Iraq during 2003–2004. From 2004, he was a Fellow at the Carr Centre for Human Rights Policy, Harvard. Author of The Places in Between a critically applauded account of his experiences in Afghanistan and Occupational Hazards: My Time Governing in Iraq.
The debate will be chaired by Andrew Neil.
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We were wrong to recognise Kosovo's Declaration of Independence
Paths to Peace: Proposals to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
