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Postponed

On the Frontlines with Jeremy Bowen and Justin Webb

Politics &
Economics

Jeremy Bowen, the International Editor of the BBC, has been covering the Middle East since 1989. He has reported on all the most significant events that have shaped the region’s recent history – the long and ultimately failed Middle East peace process, the tragic events of 9/11, the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the Arab Spring and the conflict in Syria. His deep understanding of the political, cultural and religious differences of its peoples makes him uniquely placed to explain its complex past and troubled present.

On November 2 he comes to the Intelligence Squared stage to share his insights into this most combustible region. In conversation with Justin Webb, the Today presenter who joined the BBC on the same day as Bowen did in 1984, he will discuss his experiences reporting from countries as diverse as Erdogan’s Turkey, Assad’s Syria and Netanyahu’s Israel, recounting his meetings with ordinary people on the frontlines as well as their politicians and leaders. And he will explain the ethical and practical challenges journalists face in purveying the truth, the difficulty of staying impartial in a harsh world, as well as his own personal stories of dealing with cancer and the loss of a friend and BBC colleague in Lebanon.  

Join us at The Tabernacle for a conversation that will not only shed light on the political and social dynamics that shape the Middle East but also humanise the conflicts that unfold within its borders.

Book Bundles (UK ONLY)

Book bundles include one ticket for the event, plus a paperback copy of The Making of the Modern Middle East: A Personal History  by Jeremy Bowen with free UK P&P. Books will be posted within 1-2 weeks of the event finishing. Click here to purchase a book bundle.

Free: Coming of Age at the End of History (Hardback)

Event Name

On the Frontlines with Jeremy Bowen and Justin Webb



Speaker
  • Jeremy Bowen

    BBC International Editor and author of The Making of the Modern Middle East

Chair
  • Justin Webb

    Presenter on BBC Radio 4's Today programme and author of the memoir The Gift of a Radio: My Childhood and other Train Wrecks


Location
  • The Tabernacle
  • 34-35 Powis Square
  • Notting Hill
  • London
  • W11 2AY





Speakers

Speaker

Jeremy Bowen

BBC International Editor and author of The Making of the Modern Middle East


BBC International Editor. From 1995-2000, he was based in Jerusalem as the BBC’s Middle East Correspondent, winning awards from television festivals in New York and Monte Carlo, as well as a Best Breaking News report from the Royal Television Society on the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin. During the Kosovo crisis of 1999, he reported extensively from the region, often in dangerous conditions, which included being robbed at gunpoint by bandits whilst reporting from the Albanian border. He was BBC Middle East Editor from 2005 to XX. He is the author of several acclaimed books, including Six Days: How the 1967 War Shaped the Middle East, The Arab Uprisings and The Making of the Modern Middle East.   
Chair

Justin Webb

Presenter on BBC Radio 4's Today programme and author of the memoir The Gift of a Radio: My Childhood and other Train Wrecks


One of the presenters of BBC Radio 4’s Today programme. He was the BBC’s North America Editor for eight years, covering the 9/11 attacks and the election of President Obama. He writes regularly for the Radio Times and reviews books for the Sunday Times. His memoir The Gift of a Radio: My Childhood and other Train Wrecks was published in 2022.