King’s Talks
Under the leadership of Mr Owen Moelwyn-Hughes, Head of Politics, the aim of The King’s Talks is to broaden intellectual horizons and develop wider concern, particularly with regard to global affairs. The new talks season has been launched by two distinguished guests.
Michael Stephens, Research Fellow for Middle Eastern Studies at the RUSI (Royal United Services Institute) talked on ‘The Middle East and our Security. He was recently seconded into the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, serving as the Senior Research Analyst for Syria and Lebanon. His research has focused on Iraqi Kurdistan, and the Kurdish regions of Syria, their social composition and responses to the threat from the Islamic State; Arab Shia identity across the Middle East and its relationship with Iran, which included co-authoring a Whitehall report focusing on regional responses to Iran’s nuclear programme. He is also a specialist in Gulf security.
A week later Jonathan Rugman, Foreign Affairs correspondent at Channel 4 news and recipient of a BAFTA in 2016 for his reporting on the Paris terrorist attacks, gave a fascinating talk ‘Tales from the Frontline’. He included evocative film clips of recent reports on shootings in Gaza, the referendum in Catalonia and the dramatic rescue by helicopter of Yazidis on Mount Sinjar from ISIS amidst thought provoking insights into recent world events, especially in terms of the mechanics of television news and creating a narrative. In answer to a question in the lively Q and A session asked on how one should deal with ‘fake news’, he suggested relying on ‘a King’s education which should equip one with the critical faculties to interrogate and challenge the validity of evidence and arguments’.
