The Doha Debates at the Cambridge UnionOn the eve of crucial Middle East peace talks in Annapolis, a special Doha Debates held in the UK examined Britain's role and influence in the region. During the debate held at the world-famous Cambridge Union on November 26th, 2007 a former Israeli foreign minister accused Britain of feeling its way in the dark in the Middle East and dismissed prime minister Gordon Brown's policy as "a state of confusion." Shlomo Ben-Ami, a leading player in the last Camp David peace talks, told the audience that "Britain's Middle East role has been taken over by the United States." "Only the United States is capable of launching a peace process." He added: "This is a tough area. Inspiration without intimidation will not work." Mr. Ben-Ami made the comments while supporting the motion 'This House believes Britain's role in the Middle East is in terminal decline.' His co-speaker for the motion, Liberal Democrat Baroness Kishwar Falkner slammed what she called Britain's lost credibility in the aftermath of the Iraq war. "Britain is at best irrelevant, at worst incompetent, and at the very least in decline," she said. Former UK Foreign Secretary Sir Malcolm Rifkind disagreed. He argued that Britain continues to have influence in the Middle East despite what he called "gross mistakes in Iraq". Joining him to argue against the motion, leading Arab commentator Raghida Dergham said that Britain still had the opportunity to influence events in the Middle East - but it was up to the British government whether it chose to use it. "If you leave the Palestinians to the US and Israel alone" she said, "they will never see a Palestinian state. That is why it is very important to have Britain playing a role". Two thirds of the audience rejected the motion, agreeing that Britain still has a role to play in the region. Students based in Qatar but representing 10 countries in the Middle East were among those questioning the speakers. A group of 15 students traveled to the UK with the Doha Debates to attend the event, participate in debating skills workshops and to meet and exchange ideas with Cambridge students. This Debate was broadcast on BBC World on December 1st and 2nd, 2007 The Doha Debates at the Oxford UnionThe Doha Debates were invited by the Oxford Union to stage an event on May 1st, 2007 in their debating chamber at Oxford University in the UK. The Oxford Union is one of the most famous debating societies in the world where past guest speakers have included Richard Nixon, Malcolm X, Mother Teresa, the Dalai Lama and Yasser Arafat amongst others. Its stated aims are 'to promote debate and discussion, not just in Oxford University but across the globe' and as the Doha Debates are modeled on the Oxford Union debates, it was a fitting location for the first ever Doha Debate to be held outside Qatar. A group of 15 students and recent graduates from high schools and universities in Doha traveled to the United Kingdom for the event. They joined students from Oxford in the audience to question the speakers. The Doha students also attended a series of educational and cultural events including debating skill workshops held by the Oxford Union members. Summary of the Debate: The motion debated was: "This House believes the pro-Israeli lobby has successfully stifled Western debate about Israel's actions" and it was passed by two-thirds of the audience. The Debate took place amid mounting controversy over the role of the pro-Israel lobby in the United States and accusations that it has suppressed criticism of Israel - a charge that the lobby vigorously denies. Norman Finkelstein, an American academic and a leading critic of Israeli policies, argued in favour of the motion claiming that the pro-Israel lobby sows confusion to avoid being held to account. The journalist and writer Andrew Cockburn also supported this view, claiming there are 'red lines' in discussing Israel that no politician or journalist in the US would dare cross for fear of being demonised or driven out of public life. Dr Martin Indyk, former US Ambassador to Israel and Director of the Saban Center for Middle East Policy, argued strongly against the motion, saying that the recent 'firestorms' around President Carter's book and the Walt and Mearsheimer report on the Israel lobby are proof of a lively debate on the subject . His fellow panellist David Aaronovitch, the British journalist and broadcaster, dismissed accusations of conspiracy around the lobby and said that there simply isn't a lobby in the UK in the same way that there is in the United States. |
