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Richard Beeston, Foreign Editor, The Times
Richard Beeston joined The Times in 1986 and has worked for the foreign department ever since. He reported on the Iran-Iraq war, where he was with the first group of journalists to visit the Kurdish town of Halabja, where thousands died in an Iraqi chemical weapons attack. He also covered the release of Nelson Mandela, the funeral of Ayatollah Khomeini and the Western hostage crisis in Lebanon. He was promoted to Foreign Editor at the beginning of this year. Before joining The Times, Richard worked as a freelance correspondent in Beirut covering the civil war. He started his career in South Africa on the Financial Mail news magazine.
New developments in the Middle East in recent times have forced a rethinking of many assumptions hitherto considered unchangeable facts. The reverses suffered by the US in the War on Terror, its inability to influence recent events in Lebanon, its failure to achieve international consensus on Iran’s nuclear programme and its inability to see through meaningful developments in the occupied territories are influencing public perception in the region against the superpower. What is the shape of the future Middle East? Will a new US president continue the same engagement with the region? or will he opt for a different course of action and work to enhance US image in the world? The discussion to be led by Richard Beeston, the Foreign Editor of The Times will focus some attention on the Middle East today, with possibly some future perspectives.
Date: Tuesday, 24th June 08
Time: 6.30- 8.30
Venue: 45 Crawford Place, Edgware Road, W1H 4LP
Dinner will be served
Admission is Free. However, please register by sending an email to info@open-discussions.com or sending a text to 07795 660 438.
