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Is a Palestinian state the best hope for peace?

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Contents

Issue 11

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9 WIN: Dinner for 2 and cocktail classes at Cannizaro.

THIS MONTH’S DEBATES

5 9

IN- ADDITION 12 Fantasic Facts

Was the War on Terror the right response to 9/11? Are Palestinians right to seek statehood through the UN?

23 Listings 28 Helena’s London Treats

30 Crosswords & Sudukos 30 Let’s Talk 31 This Month’s Competition

14 Has the Government’s response to the riots made the UK safer?

19 Does Amy Winehouse’s posthumous

success glamourise her life and death?

DISCLAIMER: In-Debate’s goal is to offer a balanced platform where both sides of an argument are evenly represented. These views are not In-Debates but a summation of what has been portrayed in the media.

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It’s a little known fact that... THE war in Afghanistan is now the longest war in American history. So far lasting 10 years. AS of July 2010, the total amount spent on both wars exceeded £20bn. AT the end of June 2011 there were 44,000 U.S. troops still in Iraq. All other nations have withdrawn their troops. DURING the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan 149 journalists have been killed - 97 by murder and 52 by acts of war. AS of today UK deaths in Iraq and Afghanistan stand at 561 with 473 of the total killed in action. BRITAIN is the second largest contributor to Nato’s Afghanistan operation and has more than 10,000 soldiers in the country.

NEWS

Was the War on Terror the right response to 9/11? By Andre Langlois

HE War on Terror, like the War on Drugs launched by President Nixon 30 years earlier, is a myriad of national and foreign policies with an aim that is as ambiguous as it is open ended. Nine days after the 9/11 terrorist attacks George W. Bush first uttered the phrase in public, adding: “It will not end until every terrorist group of global reach has been found, stopped and defeated.” Ten years on and the Taliban and Saddam Hussein have been removed from power, yet violence still continues in Afghanistan and Iraq. Even after Osama Bin Laden’s death, where America risked an international incident in Pakistan, the threat posed by al-Qaeda

remains high. While there has been no repeat of 9/11, there continues to be deadly attacks across the world. And in recent times, it is not the War on Terror that has changed the face of the Middle East, rather an Arab Spring driven not by a revulsion to religious extremism but by popular demand for political accountability. As the Americans and British remain bogged down in conflicts that are costing billions of pounds and countless casualties questions linger as to whether the motives of America and its allies were the right ones and whether its results can be considered as “winning” the War on Terror? >> I N -D E BAT E / 5

Was the War on Terror the right response to 9/11?

There was no overreaction

FOR

WRITING in the Wall Street Journal Paul Wolfowitz, Deputy Secretary of Defence at the time of 9/11 and during the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq, argued that the U.S. did not overreact to the attacks. He cites the example of JapaneseAmericans put in concentration camps after Pearl Harbor and says that “there was no comparable overreaction after 9/11”. As the Administration shifted its anti-terrorism policy from law-enforcement to a wartime approach, he argued that the opportunity should be taken to not just tackle al-Qaeda but also Iraq. Though he admits mistakes were made, he defends the U.S. strategy claiming a bombing campaign would not have defeated al-Qaeda and sanctions against Iraq would not have removed Saddam. Furthermore, there were areas in which the War on Terror could be seen as an under reaction. Suspicion that Iran and Saudi Arabia were complicit in 9/11 were not acted on and in 2007 Vice President Dick Cheney made a case for military action against a nuclear reactor in Syria. Bush declined and Israel bombed the site instead.

Al-Qaeda is facing defeat

AFTER Osama Bin Laden was killed by U.S. Navy Seals at a compound in Abottabad, Pakistan, the Obama administration’s chief counter-terrorism advisor John Brennan declared that al-Qaeda’s leadership had been “decimated”. Three of its four senior leaders are now dead and earlier this month the U.S. announced that al-Qaeda’s chief of operations in Pakistan was killed in a drone attack. Speaking at John Hopkins University, Mr Brennan claimed renewed cooperation with the governments of Pakistan and Yemen were putting the terrorist organisation under pressure. Joe Lieberman, current chairman of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, points to the fact that there has not been a repeat of the 9/11 attacks on American soil in 10 years as a result of the War on Terror’s success.

It was the catalyst for the Arab Spring

COLLEEN Graffy, an Assistant Secretary of State during George W. Bush’s second term of office,

6 / I N - D E BAT E

argues that the War on Terror provided the catalyst for the Arab Spring. In an article in The Times she explained that the overthrow of the Taliban and Saddam Hussein showed the people of the Middle East a “crack in the edifice” of military dictatorship. Although neo-conservativism is often painted as a self-interested, inward looking ideology and that the war in Iraq was driven by the lust for oil, it is actually more complex. Central to this ideology is the belief that the spread of democracy is the key to stability and security. By taking the opportunity to introduce democracy to Iraq and Afghanistan, the resulting peace will benefit America and the whole world.

Women now have rights

Western action has not radicalised Muslims

ONE of the greatest benefits of the spread of democracy is the improvement in women’s rights. In Afghanistan under the Taliban women were deprived of education and employment. They were prohibited from appearing in public without wearing a burka and unaccompanied by a male blood relative. Women were not allowed to speak in public, let alone participate politically. Disobeying the Taliban’s laws could result in public punishment, including flogging and even execution. Though equal rights remain a long way off in Afghanistan there is progress. Legislation has provided freedom of education, employment and movement for females. A number of women have served in the National Assembly of Afghanistan and there is a Ministry of Women’s Affairs which works to ensure the Government improves conditions. Unfortunately, despite these improvements, there are still many areas of the country where rule of law is not followed and a patriarchal attitude remains.

FORMER Prime Minister Tony Blair argued on Radio 4’s Today programme that, contrary to public perception, Western military action has not radicalised young Muslims. He claimed the terrorists do what they do because their ideology stems from a distorted and fundamentalist version of Islam. “Military action is necessary to defeat terrorism and until we stop accepting that somehow we, by our actions, are provoking these people to be as they are, we will carry on with this problem,” Mr Blair said.

News / In-Debate WHILE casualties are inevitable in any conflict, the number of deaths resulting from the War on Terror is huge. The results of a study in June 2011 by the Eisenhower Research Project at Brown University estimated that the death toll for conflicts in Afghanistan, Iraq and Pakistan totals 225,000, with 131,000 civilian casualties. On top of this more than 7.8m refugees have been created. In his monthly global security briefing for the Oxford Research Group Paul Rogers claims that at the time of the Iraq war the Bush administration believed that the Afghan War was over. However, ten years later there continues to be casualties of war in Afghanistan and Pakistan. In Iraq, Rogers writes, recent reports suggest deteriorating security. He continues: “Moreover, the war has left a potent legacy of large numbers of young paramilitaries with experience of insurgency in urban environments against well-trained and well-armed professional U.S. troops.”

Terrorism still continues

AL-QAEDA’S leadership may be on the ropes, but there are plenty of other terrorist groups which continue to operate. Furthermore, while there may have been no successful terrorist attacks on U.S. soil since 9/11, there have been plenty of attempts and America’s allies have not got through unscathed. The London, Bali and Madrid bombings each left large numbers dead. Meanwhile, deadly attacks occur weekly in Pakistan and across the world. In August 2006, UK police foiled a plot that could have brought down a large number of international airliners, perhaps into double figures, to mark the fifth anniversary of 9/11. On the tenth anniversary New York and Washington DC were on high alert after officials warned of a ‘credible threat’. There have certainly been successes in preventing some attacks, but the level of terrorist activity remaining must call into question the wisdom of the War on Terror.

9/11 wasn’t an act of war

BARONESS Manningham-Buller, former Director General of MI5, claimed this year that announcing a war was a mistake. The 9/11 attacks were a crime, not an act of war. “Terrorism is a technique, not a state,” she said. The only difference with other terrorist attacks

was the scale and audacity. By announcing that there was a war the terrorists were legitimised as warriors rather than mere criminals. Writing in the Guardian, David Miliband voiced a similar argument. He said: “The War on Terror implies a unified enemy, the reality is that the motivations and identities of terrorist groups are disparate.” In the same paper Jonathan Freedland argues that this perceived ideological clash of cultures has led to rampant Islamaphobia in the West and fuelled Muslim anger and radicalisation further.

It’s what al-Qaeda wanted

The U.S. ceded the moral high ground

DRAWING the West into war in the Middle East was one of al-Qaeda’s aims. When George W. Bush used the word ‘crusade’, it seemed they had succeeded. If the invasion of Afghanistan was perceived in the Muslim world as understandable, the invasion of Iraq was not. Instead it was viewed by many as the act of an imperialist aggressor. The language of ‘with us or against us’ clarified the battle lines even further and created a situation ripe for terrorist recruitment. H.D.S. Greenway wrote in the New York Times “…Bin Laden was not entirely unsuccessful in driving a wedge between the Islamic world and the West”.

AGAINST

Think of the human cost

ALTHOUGH in the aftermath of 9/11 scenes of jubilant celebration from certain parts of the world were broadcast, these were isolated events. On the whole there was an overwhelming show of sympathy for America and its citizens. This good will, however, was eroded as it became apparent that the Bush administration intended to exploit the situation for its own neo-conservative ends. On September 11th, 2011, the New York Times published a blog on its website from which the following is taken: “What happened after 9/11 — and I think even people on the right know this, whether they admit it or not — was deeply shameful. The atrocity should have been a unifying event, but instead it became a wedge issue. “Fake heroes like Bernie Kerik, Rudy Giuliani, and, yes, George W. Bush raced to cash in on the horror. And then the attack was used to justify an unrelated war the neo-cons wanted to fight, for all the wrong reasons.”

I N -D E BAT E / 7

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It’s a little known fact that... THE State of Israel was founded on May 14th, 1948. AS of 2005, there were more than 719,000 people living in Jerusalem 465,000 Jews and 232,000 Muslims. BY 2007, more than 600 Palestinian people had died during the struggle between Hamas and Fatah. SETTLEMENTS in disputed territories are, as of 2009, home to about 301,000 people. SINCE Israel’s founding there have been 28 peace proposals, with the closest chance of success being the Oslo Accord. TEMPLE MOUNT in Jerusalem is the place where Jews believe Abraham prepared to sacrifice his son Isaac and also the place where Muslims believe the prophet Mohammad rose to heaven.

NEWS

Are Palestinians right to seek statehood through the UN? By Jules Norton Selzer

AST week, 63 years after the United Nations created the state of Israel, the President of the Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO) Mahmood Abbas stood in front of a packed U.N. General Assembly to plead with the world’s nations to give the Palestinian people their own country. It was a moment of dramatic political theatre that, after the Arab Spring, has put the Palestine-Israel conflict firmly back at the centre of the international agenda. The question is: was it the right thing to do? Many argue – especially in the U.S. – that this was a reckless act that undermines the whole foundation of a peace process based

on negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians. Even worse, it dangerously raises expectations of a simple solution to a complicated issue which could fuel more violence and bloodshed on the streets of Gaza and the West Bank. On the other hand, how can world leaders deny the right of Palestinians after so many years of failing them? The U.S. led peace process has been stagnant for years and negotiations are going nowhere. The situation is only getting worse and U.N. recognition would force Israel back to the negotiating table. So is this a backwards or forwards move for the peace process? >> I N -D E BAT E / 9

Are Palestinians right to seek statehood through the UN?

It is a moral imperative

FOR

BENEATH all the discussion about the timing and strategy of the Palestinians’ application for statehood, there lies a simple moral truth. The Palestinians deserve a state. In the Huffington Post, the former Foreign Secretary David Miliband argued that “the failure to establish a Palestinian state living alongside a secure Israel was the greatest diplomatic failure in forty years”. Just as Israel got statehood through the U.N. in 1948, so the PLO is trying to rid itself from what Mahmood Abbas has called “the nightmare of occupation” by doing the same in 2011. After the world supported the Arab Spring it would be a moral travesty for the U.S. – and any other country – to deny the Palestinians statehood. What would it say to the world when the democratic aspirations of people in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and Syria are supported by the international community, but not the Palestinians?

The U.S. led peace process has failed

THE P.L.O. has been forced to turn to the U.N. due to the decades-long failure of the U.S. sponsored peace process to deliver a two-state solution. What other choice do they have? Avi Shlaim, an Israeli scholar, points out that Israel continues to illegally expand settlements across the West Bank while paying lip service to negotiations that are going nowhere. Despite much early promise, the Obama administration has offered nothing but further Israeli prevarication. Husam Zomlot, a senior official in Fatah’s Department of Foreign Relations, says the status quo suits Israel precisely because they are negotiating from a position of strength. Throughout the history of this conflict, the basis of negotiations has always been on Israel’s terms – this is a notable attempt by PLO leader Mahmood Abbas to reverse this trend and change the rules.

It will force negotiations to restart

THE decision by the PLO to appeal to the U.N. is a clever move to widen international engagement on the issue and put the ball back in Israel’s court. Ahron Bregman, an Israeli-British political scientist, argues that history shows that Israel only tends to budge when it is under pressure.

10 / I N - D E BAT E

Yitzhak Rabin signed the Oslo Accords (1993) due to increased security concerns after the Gulf War, while the recent pause in settlement expansion came about only through intense American pressure. And it has worked. In his speech to the U.N., Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu pleaded with Mahmood Abbas to engage in dialogue. President Sarkozy is now calling for a Palestinian state to be created within a year, while Tony Blair admitted that if the statehood bid was being used as a means to build pressure on Israel to restart negotiations it had “worked brilliantly”.

The symbolism of international legitimacy

The Palestinians are ready

THE decision to go to the U.N. has already been justified. Diana Buttu, a former Palestinian negotiator who has since been critical of Abbas’s leadership, said: “This is the first time since 1974 that Palestine has captured international attention at the United Nations in this way.” The vote at the U.N. illustrates the world’s support for the spirit of self-determination that has driven the Arab Spring. The PLO’s demand for statehood will change the dynamic in a very symbolic way. A policy document by the European Council on Foreign Relations called “Why Europeans Should Vote Yes” suggests the PLO’s actions actually support the idea of Israel alongside a Palestinian state, thereby entrenching Israel’s legitimacy and its permanence. The decision is a move forward for peace.

ONE of the most important reasons for why the Palestinians are right to seek statehood is also one of the most simple – they are ready. According to reports from World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and U.N. organisations, Palestine has all the tools of a functioning state – taxation, schools, hospitals, resources, the rule of law, government. It just needs the recognition of the international community. One PLO official pointed out the legal and strategic motivation – legal parity as a state will allow Palestine to defend itself from an attack. “Legally, a Palestinian state is a deterrent weapon,” he said. The decision to go to the U.N. – the ultimate arbiter of the international community – is the logical progression of something Palestinians have been working for since the 1988 Algiers conference.

News / In-Debate

THE PLO might be attracted by the political theatre of the U.N. but, in reality, it will not solve their problems. President Obama reiterated this in an address to the U.N. General Assembly two weeks ago. “Peace will not come through statements and resolutions at the U.N. Ultimately, it is Israelis and Palestinians – not us – who must reach agreement on the issues that divide them: on borders and security, on refugees and Jerusalem,” he said. A U.N. vote is no substitute for a peace process founded on direct negotiations. The unilateral approach by the PLO simply distracts from the importance of these negotiations and threatens to set the whole peace process back from an already moribund position. Dan Gillerman, the former Israeli ambassador to the U.N., argues that “what we are witnessing is speech-making taking over from peacemaking... turning from a peace process into a press process”.

It is a backwards move

WHILE the peace process has certainly slowed down in the last couple of years, we should not lose sight of the long term trajectory of success. Despite some difficult issues over borders, settlements and refugees, both sides actually agree on a remarkable amount. Daniel Levy, a former adviser to Israeli Cabinet ministers, points to the gradually increasing consensus at Camp David (2000), the Clinton Parameters (2001) and Annapolis (2007) where 95 per cent of an agreement had been worked out. The risk is that, by going to the U.N., the Palestinians will undo all the groundwork over the previous decade and take them back to the drawing board. While Mahmood Abbas got a rousing applause from the U.N. General Assembly after his speech it is worth remembering that Israel contributes significantly to Palestine’s very ability to exist as a functioning country.

It will lead to more violence

OVER the last two decades there has been a growing consensus that a Palestinian state will be borne from negotiations. Richard Beeston, however, argues in The Times that the most likely consequence of the PLO’s appeal to the U.N. is that it will unnecessarily raise expectations and deliver little. After the drama at the U.N. is played

out, the vote changes nothing on the ground. It will increase tensions on both sides and shatter the relative peace in Israel and Palestinian territories. Noura Ekrat, a human rights lawyer, illustrates this point: “The average Palestinian in Nablus or Ramallah or Jenin will wake up, look around him, and realise nothing has changed and will be very frustrated. That frustration could lead to violence and the derailment of any Palestinian prospect of returning to the negotiating table and continuing the peace process.”

There is little international support

There is no partner for peace

WHILE the U.S. opposition to the Palestinian bid has captured the media’s attention, there is a huge amount of background diplomacy being done by numerous countries that fear the ramifications of its demand for statehood. Although President Sarkozy offered sympathetic words to the Palestinian cause before the submission for statehood, he – like many others nations – advised Abbas to hold off from going to the Security Council. As the Financial Times states, there is a difference between tactics and a strategy, and there is no strategic vision or “end game” to what the Palestinians are doing. Even the Palestinian Prime Minister himself Salman Fayyad thinks it is a bad idea.

AGAINST

A two-state solution requires a two-sided compromise

BEFORE the Palestinians seek international support to be a state, they must get their own house in order. The most under reported element in this story is the corrosive divide between the ruling Fatah party in the West Bank and the Hamascontrolled Gaza Strip. Firstly, Hamas and Fatah cannot agree on a common approach to deal with Israel. Daniel Taub, Israeli Ambassador to the UK, argues that the PLO should not be seeking statehood while Hamas, an internationally-recognised terrorist organisation, continues to fire rockets into Israel and refuses to acknowledge its existence as a sovereign state. Applying for statehood by a government in which terrorists would undoubtedly play a great role hardly seems like the way to bring stability to the region. The whole process has emboldened Hamas and its intransigent position, whereas Israel’s security concerns are overlooked.

I N -D E BAT E / 11

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It’s a little known fact that... OF the 315 rioters sentenced so far, the average prison term was 5.1 months - 2.6 months longer than for similar offences. THE most common offence during the riots was burglary, followed by violent disorder and theft. DATA has shown that 73 percent of rioters had previous criminal convictions. THE 1985 Broadwater Farm riot saw the first police officer since 1833 killed in a UK riot in. EMERGENCY calls to police on Monday night’s riot were 20,800 - compared to 5,400 normally. A 400% increase. AT the end of July 2011, the Met police employed 49,534 (full-time) personnel.

NEWS

Has the response to the riots made the UK safer? By Dr Nicola Davies

N THURSDAY, August 4th, 2011, 29-year old black father-of-four Mark Duggan was shot dead by police in Tottenham, London. The fatal shooting was the result of Operation Trident, set up in 1998 to investigate gun crime in London’s black community. Duggan was shot twice by the Metropolitan Police’s specialist firearms team after they suspected he was carrying a blank-firing gun rigged to shoot live rounds. Eyewitnesses say no shots had come from Duggan, raising the question of whether this was a racial issue. What ensued was supposed to be a peaceful demonstration against the police, but turned into days of riots and unrest all over the capital.

Windows were smashes, shops and houses were burnt to a cinder and police cars were attacked and vandalised. These events have been described by David Cameron as representing “broken Britain”, and judges have dealt out purposely harsh punishments as a result of public pressure and in a hope that these events will not be seen again. So is Britain “broken”? Did the looting highlight weaknesses in police manpower, social services and the UK penal system? And more importantly, are the harsh punishments fair? Will they teach the rioters a lesson or just push them further towards crime? And is the Government’s response to the riots now making the UK a safer place? >> I N -D E BAT E / 15

Has the response to the riots made the UK safer?

Rioters and looters have been brought to justice

FOR

THE number of arrests (3,100), court appearances (1,715) and convictions (1,000) shows the Government and police are making efforts to bring as many rioters to justice as possible. These are impressive figures that will serve to evaporate any beliefs that this type of behaviour will be tolerated or left unpunished. Punishment has included the deporting of foreign rioters and council housing eviction notices. On North West Tonight, David Cameron spoke of evicting looters from council houses as a way of achieving “speedy justice.” He said: “We have got to find ways of enforcing responsibility.” Ravi Govindia, leader of Wandsworth Council, which saw the first eviction notice being given, said: “In Wandsworth we are determined to take the strongest possible action against any tenant or member of their household responsible for the truly shocking behaviour perpetrated on local homes and businesses.”

The force of the police has been shown

AT ONE point, the number of police officers on London’s streets was 16,000 from forces around the country. It has been demonstrated that sheer numbers can eradicate all but isolated disturbances. Although the police did lose control of the streets at one stage, when the loss of control became apparent they set about ensuring that – through manpower – the control was taken back. David Cameron gave carte blanche for the police to use “any means necessary”, including the use of water cannons. And in the aftermath of the riots police warned looters: “We are coming for you.” These words have rung true and show the police can muster the manpower to restore law and order.

Action was taken against those who incited rioting

ARRESTS and convictions have been made against people who used social networks to incite riots. Jordan Blackshaw and Perry Sutcliffe-Keenan, who posted messages on Facebook encouraging people to riot in their home towns, have both been jailed for 4 years. No riots took place as a result of their incitements and Sutcliffe-Keenan of Warrington even apologised

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the next morning and deleted his message. The sentencing of these two young men provides a strong signal that even indirect involvement will not be tolerated. When Blackshaw was sentenced, Judge Elgan Edwards QC said he had committed an “evil act”. He said: “This happened at a time when collective insanity gripped the nation. Your conduct was quite disgraceful and the title of the message you posted on Facebook chills the blood.” The title in question was “Smash Down in Northwich”.

Public reaction to the riots will dissuade future disorder THE public reaction to the riots is likely to have a deterrent effect on future disorder. This was made abundantly clear via a number of methods. Firstly, many social media groups were set up to express disdain. One Facebook group: ‘Petition to get the Army in to sort this mess out’ currently stands at 117,709 members. Meanwhile, an e-petition was set up to prompt Parliament to debate whether convicted rioters should lose all benefits. To action this it required over 100,000 signatories, it currently has 245,933. And finally, the hundreds of citizens who took to the streets in what has become known as a ‘broom army’ to clean up the debris of the riots shows that the average person is disgusted by such behaviour.

Harsh punishments will deter rioters

HARSH punishments such as longer than normal prison sentences as well as calls to withhold benefits and evict residents of council houses sends a clear message to anyone thinking there are no consequences to looting. Furthermore, these punishments were handed out without hesitation, with cases being put before courts in an efficient manner which saw rioters prisoned within days of arrest. Rajinder Claire, who represented rioters, said defendants who would normally be released on bail were being routinely remanded in custody. At Camberwell Green magistrates, Nicholas Robinson, 23, a student with no previous convictions, was jailed for 6-months after pleading guilty to stealing bottles of water worth £3.50 from Lidl in Brixton. The prosecution said: “This defendant has contributed through his action to criminal activities that led to chaos and sheer lawlessness.”

News / In-Debate

THE police approach of standing back and appearing to allow the looting to go on, which has been recognised as a failing by the police themselves, has given the message that control of the streets can be lost. Ex-senior policeman David Gilbertson went as far as to call the lack of leadership and strategy a “disgrace”. Now people intent on disorder are aware that this has happened once, they will think it can happen again. Indeed one of the “Nine Principles of Policing”, published in 1829 at the very founding of the Metropolitan Police, states that the police should “use physical force only when the exercise of persuasion, advice and warning is found to be insufficient…and to use only the minimum degree of physical force which is necessary on any particular occasion.” This outdated policy was used during the recent student fees protest, which also turned violent.

Social media facilitates organised disturbances

THE Government have failed to reach any substantial agreement with Blackberry and other social media on the use of social networking sites during organised disturbances. Initially, David Cameron informed that he was considering stopping people communicating if it was known to be used to organise disorder or criminality. Twitter, Facebook and Research in Motion (RIM) met with Home Secretary Theresa May to discuss restricting access to social networks in periods of civil unrest. However, “The Government did not seek any additional powers to close social media networks,” said a Home Office spokesman. These sites fuel anger and are a key logistical tool for rioters.

The underlying issues cannot be solved overnight

THE underlying issues of the disorder are complex and varied, including poverty, disaffected youth, criminality, gang culture, social exclusion, poor parenting, spending cuts, weak policing, consumerism, and schooling, amongst others. Acadmeic Dr William Oddie goes as far to say that schooling, in particular, is a major factor. He said: “Someone should do a study to see if there is

a correlation between the areas in which the rioting originated, and the state of school discipline in those areas: I bet the correlation is 100 per cent.” The reality is that all of these factors are likely to have played a role in the riots, and yet none of them is easy to resolve. Forecasts that we are heading for an economic downturn that could last a decade suggests that these problems are likely to be even greater in the near future.

Police numbers are to be cut

The UK penal system is critically failing

WITH a record peacetime budget deficit, major cuts to the police force were on the cards even before the riots. According to the Labour party, the cuts will amount to 20 per cent in real terms. And despite the police manpower issues highlighted in the riots the Coalition Government have made it clear planned cuts will still go ahead. Ed Miliband, leader of the opposition, has expressed concern, saying: “Today we are launching a campaign to force this reckless government to think again on police cuts that can only weaken the forces of law and order on our streets when there is such widespread concern over the safety of our communities.” Boris Johnson has also broken ranks to criticise the Government’s “frail” case for cutting police budgets. “This is not a time to think about making substantial cuts in police numbers” he said.

AGAINST

The police have shown a lack of control

ACCORDING to Justice Secretary Ken Clarke, three quarters of those arrested for the riots and looting had criminal convictions. Clarke has blamed the “broken penal system”, arguing that the riots have “reaffirmed the central point of any sane criminal justice policy: where crimes have been committed, offenders must be properly punished and pay back to the communities they have damaged.” The Chief Inspector of Prisons has also warned that the overflow of imprisoned rioters has led to “some young people who previously did not have gang affiliations to join for self-protection as well as new gangs being established”. Further to this, we must add the known issue that prisons can act as a school of criminality, where knowledge of best practice for criminal activity is spread by word of mouth.

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It’s a little known fact that... AMY Winehouse was only 5’ft 2’ inches tall. HER famous hair beehive was as high as 6 inches. AMY was the first British singer to win five Grammys. AMY joins the list of stars who died aged 27, including Kurt Cobain, Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix. AT the age of 14, she was expelled from the Sylvia Young Theater School for piercing her nose. AMY got her first tattoo, a small Betty Boop on her back, at age15. She said “My parents pretty much realised I would do whatever I wanted, and that was it, really.”

E N T E R TA I N M E N T

Does Amy Winehouse’s success glamourise her life and death? By Lucy Mapstone

MY Winehouse was as famous for her personal problems as she was for her distinctive, soulful voice. Her death at age 27 in July was sad for all those who appreciated her music, yet it was somewhat expected as many had witnessed her deteriorate in the public eye from years of drug and alcohol abuse, depression, erratic relationships and eating disorders. Whether or not her death was directly linked to her selfdestructive behaviour is irrelevant (toxicology reports are inconclusive as to whether there were illegal substances in her body) – it is evident she would probably still be alive today if she hadn’t been

consumed by her addictions and afflictions. As is to be expected from the untimely death of such a gifted musician, sales of her albums and singles have sky-rocketed. Countless admirers have praised her God-given gift and contribution to music. But will her monumental success in both life and now in death cover up the fact that she was a damaged person with a problematic existence who failed to sort herself out before it was too late? And will young people look to her life as a glamorous existence and try to repicate it or will her tragic end act as a warning to those who may be heading down a similar path? >>

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Does Amy Winehouse’s success glamourise her life and death?

Children are influenced by figures they see in the media

FOR

AMY Winehouse was painted as both a success and a failure in equal measure, which could be puzzling to young people. Case in point: a damning and repeatedly used image of her was from that fateful night she was photographed with then-husband Blake FielderCivil running through the streets with bruises on her face and bloodied feet. Amy’s public demise began in 2006, the year her multi-award winning album Back To Black was released. Her success was simultaneous with her personal downfall, provoking mixed messages from journalists who praised her talent whilst regaling tales of her binge drinking and drug demons. It’s also concerning that in 2008 she was voted a top role model by British youths in a poll for Sky. She had an indefinite impact on many.

People imitate troubled stars, even dead ones

LAURENT Le Pierres, columnist at The Chronicle Herald, agreed that Amy’s impact on her fans was more than just her art: “While Winehouse was under the influence of alcohol, many of her fans were also under her influence. People will always want to emulate icons.” This is certainly true of other artists that died young, like Kurt Cobain, Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix. Kurt allegedly wanted to die young like his heroes before his suicide in 1994, and if one person can be influenced by the behaviour of their idols, then who’s to say others won’t be too? Music is a powerful medium and a musician with prominence like Amy is worshipped to the point of imitation. One fan proved this shortly after her death, when they wrote on a Winehouse forum: “Who cares if she took drugs? It was probably more fun than being sober in this god-awful world!”

Her success may be seen to stem from her issues

DESPITE all the overdoses, the self-destructive behaviour, and the yo-yoing in and out of rehab, Amy was considered a contemporary classic. And although she only released two studio albums and had no music out for the last five years many regard her to have had an outstanding career. Could it be that her talent stemmed from her

2 0 / I N - D E BAT E

inherent issues? It’s often said that some of the best music comes from dark places so it stands to reason that her astounding success (so far she has the biggest-selling album of the 21st Century) is linked to her wild lifestyle. During a particularly low point in 2007, after Amy had been spiraling further out of control, her representative claimed: “It’s a really difficult time and she’s been channelling it into her music.” Some may see this as reason enough to take drugs or let themselves suffer if it can lead to creating such marvellous music.

She needs to be made an example of, not lauded

SHE may not have had illegal substances in her body when she died, but that doesn’t mean her death was unconnected to her years of drug abuse. Let’s not forget she was also a criminal and a rather violent person – she had been charged more than once for striking out at others. Perhaps she should have been penalised more for her actions and made an example of. Amy chose to be a famous singer. She knew what she was getting in to and must have been aware of the effect she had on her fans who followed her example that it’s OK to live such a reckless lifestyle.

Young people may think it’s “cool” now to use drugs and go to rehab IT’S worrying that so many celebrities are shown to attend rehabilitation centres – they make it acceptable to pop in and out of institutions like The Priory, without ever really getting better. Amy not only sang about rehab in her hit song, but she was in and out frequently, her latest spell being in May this year. We saw her try, and fail, numerous times to get clean. But what message is this sending to the young and impressionable? When famous people collectively start doing something, whether that’s being impossibly skinny, wearing a certain style of shoe or checking in and out of rehab, the showbiz-loving public will eventually accept this as the norm. “Celebrities and their destructive often deadly drug use are exploited in documentaries, on reality TV and gossiped about all over the media. It’s practically a cliché,” says a rep for U.S. treatment centre The Canyon.

Entertainment / In-Debate

THE only lasting influence that Amy Winehouse will ever have is the impact she made on the British music scene. To say that her popularity will make children think it’s OK to adopt her lifestyle is baseless. Also, Amy’s ‘lifestyle’ was not a choice – very few people choose to become addicted to drugs and spend their days in and out of hospital. Addiction has been scientifically proven to be largely uncontrollable. In an interview following her daughter’s death, Amy’s mother Janis admitted how vulnerable the singer really was: “She was always calling me [Mummy] and telling me she loved me. Amy never really grew up. She was like a little girl, permanently fixed in time as a kiddie.” Amy wasn’t trying to be a bad person, she was in the clutches of an illness. Schools invest a lot of time and money into educating young people about the dangers of substance abuse and, if anything, Amy will be used as an example why they shouldn’t dabble with drugs and alcohol.

People idolise musicians for their music, not their problems “AMY Winehouse was never a role model,” claims pop journalist Rees Johnson. “She was not the type to tell those who flocked to see her that life was a beautiful, precious thing and through her music she told a much darker story.” Some paint Amy as a scoundrel, someone who should be slated for her flaws instead of rated for her music, but Amy wasn’t trying to be anything more than an emotive singer. She won Grammys, a Brit award, a MOBO, Ivor Novello awards and earned the respect of her peers as well as her idols, including Tony Bennett and Quincy Jones. That’s unique and something to be praised, not marred by her disease. She never chose to be ill and she never opted to appear a bad influence. She actively sought help through her whole career; she did try.

Her issues hindered her career, not helped it

AMY’s performance earlier this year in Serbia summed up her whole career – the singer was booed after wobbling around on stage, barely

singing a note, clearly unwell. She, and the people looking out for her, should have waited until she was better before returning to the spotlight. That long-awaited follow-up to her hit second album Back To Black was years in the making, but never happened. Was it delayed because she was too troubled? Music journalist Paul Connolly, suggests: “Why did she not simply walk away [from fame]? Perhaps that’s why progress on her third album was so slow. Maybe she didn’t want the attention focused back on her again.”

Her death highlights issues surrounding drug abuse

The age of over-drunk, overdrugged celebs is ending

ASIDE from her lasting musical legacy, Amy’s death has not been completely in vain. Swiftly after she passed, her father Mitch set up a foundation in her name. “The Amy Winehouse Foundation is being set up in Amy’s memory to support charitable activities in both the UK and abroad that provide help, support or care for young people, especially those who are in need by reason of ill health, disability, ﬁnancial disadvantage or addiction,” he explained. A lot is said of celebrities being role models, but in Amy’s case it’s clear she struggled with fame. It would have been better for her to keep her complications away from the showbiz media, and perhaps it was the paparazzi and gossip columnists who are to blame for Amy’s “influence” on young people – they’re the ones who showed her repeatedly at her worst.

AGAINST

Kids are taught about the dangers of drugs and alcohol

AMY was quite unique in her turbulence – in recent years musicians are becoming cleaner and proud. Stars like Jessie J, Leona Lewis and Calvin Harris steer clear of alcohol and drugs, and it’s with great hope these luminaries are more persuasive to young people than Amy. Gone are the days of sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll, in their place is a cleaner-looking music industry. Of course, not all are saintly, but the overall scene and its individuals are improving. Friend Russell Brand so fittingly described her illness: “All we can do is adapt the way we view this condition, not as a crime or a romantic affectation but as a disease that will kill. We need to review the way society treats addicts, not as criminals but as sick people in need of care.”

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I N D E B AT E . C O M

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LISTINGS / Brain Food L I V E TA L K S , E V E N T S , D E B AT E S & I N S P I R AT I O N A L L I S T I N G S

October is here with all the institutions returning with a full line up of fantastic things to do. We have fine combed next months upcoming events and brought them all together here. Every one is guaranteed to get your blood pumping and your brain ticking. Feed your mind and get stuck in! For information on any event please visit the event providers website.

Business

The last man made ideology: Islamism and the rise of Al-Qaeda

Does neuromarketing work?

New Turn - Queen Mary University - 11th Oct, 6.15pm

The Royal Institution –12th Oct, £10

A marriage of market research and neuroscience that uses brain-imaging technology to peek into people’s heads and discover what they really want. Is neuromarketing rubbish or does it actually work? Graham Lawton and Mike Page discuss the results of a neuromarketing experiment conducted using the New Scientist and its implications.

How to Make your First Million? LSE – 10th Oct, New Theatre, 6.30-8pm

The lecture talks about establishing a prosperous business and seeks to present the crucial factors for success: a good idea, sound financing and a devoted team. These three ingredients working harmoniously together can make a company truly exceptional. Leszek Czarnecki is chairman of the Supervisory Board of Getin Holding and Getin Noble Bank.

The Mountain Within: Leadership lessons from Kilimanjaro LSE – 13th Oct, 6.30-8pm, Free

Herta von Stiegel presents The Mountain Within, the story of her climb up Kilimanjaro with 28 disabled climbers. She shares the leadership lessons she learned, as well as her 25 years in international finance; lessons of enormous value for aspiring business leaders. Herta von Stiegel established Ariya Capital and was MD at AIG Financial Products.

Re-imagining Business: The transition to the circular economy

RSA – 12th Oct, Hong Kong Theatre, 6pm In spite of the shock of the financial crisis, it seems it is still business as usual for many companies. But for many leading business figures this old model, based on debt-fuelled consumerism and endless natural resources, is broken. Speakers include: Stef Kranendijk, CEO, Desso; Dame Ellen MacArthur; and Penny Shepherd MBE, CEO, UKSIF.

‘Making Rich People Richer Doesn’t Make the Rest of Us Richer’ LSE – 4th Oct, Old Theatre, 6.30-8pm, If we are to overcome this current crisis and build a better world, we need to part with this myth – that making rich people richer will make all of us richer – Ha-Joon Chang has worked as a consultant for many international organisations, including various UN and the World Bank. He was awarded the 2005 Wassily Leontief Prize for Advancing the Frontiers of Economic Thought.

Politics/Society Hellenism, Universal Rights and Apartheid

LSE – 5th Oct, Old Theatre, 6.30pm George Bizos will speak about defending human rights under apartheid in SouthAfrica, drawing on his own career as a human rights lawyer. George Bizos has had a distinguished legal career struggling against apartheid and promoting universal human rights. He has defended the likes of Nelson Mandela, Govan Mbeki and Morgan Tsvangirai.

Much has been made in the last few years to define the rise of “Islamism” as nothing more than a violent reaction to “Western imperialism.” What if however, rather than just being an expression of wanton hatred “Islamism” was in fact a manifestation of a coherent and advanced ideology? Maajid Nawaz, the Chair and cofounder of the world’s only antiterrorism think-tank Quilliam, shall chart the rise of what he believes is the ideology of Islamism and how this rise led to the creation of Al-Qaeda.

The Aid/Trade Debate: Africa and globalisation

LSE - Wolfson Theatre - 31st Oct, 6.30-8pm Professor Devarajan will give his perspective on Africa and globalisation. Shanta Devarajan is the chief economist of the World Bank’s Africa Region. Eric-Vincent Guichard is the chairman and CEO of GRAVITAS Capital Advisors, Inc.

‘An Unbreakable Friendship’? Where next for Britain and Pakistan? RSA - 10th Oct, 6.30pm

Pakistan is a young country with an old history but what is the future for modern Pakistan after Osama Bin Laden was killed on their soil, and what can the diaspora networks in the UK do to support it? Conservative Chairman Baroness Warsi will discuss contemporary Pakistan and its close and involved relationship with Britain.

Are child soldiers the future of African conflict?

New Turn - Queen Mary University - 4th Oct, 6.15pm Mark Waddington, the CEO of War Child, shall be giving an impassioned and informative speech on the changing nature of the conflict that has engulfed Central Africa for many decades and will outline how children have become tools for the purposes of war.

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LISTINGS / Mind Fuel L I V E TA L K S , E V E N T S , D E B AT E S & I N S P I R AT I O N A L L I S T I N G S

Art + Literature Will Self: What’s My Leitmotifation? Kings Place – Hall One, 8th Oct, 5pm, £12.50

Will Self will be arguing that in fact key innovations in literature have resulted from the absorption and recasting of musical form, and that just as the programme music of the late nineteenth century was an enormous catalyst to the atonal revolutions of the twentieth, so these revolutions were in turn hugely implicated in literary modernism.’

Andre Gregory and Wallace Shawn in Conversation

South Bank Centre – Hall One, 2nd Oct, 7.15pm, £15/£12 30 years on from their groundbreaking film My Dinner With Andre, Andre Gregory and Wallace Shawn meet together again to mark the anniversary and to honour the memory of master filmmaker Louis Malle. Exploring meaning, values, personal and social histories and cultural and political questions, this unique world event reunites Gregory with Shawn.

Miranda July on Strangers

The School of Life – 25 Red Lion Square, 23rd Oct, 11.30am, £12.50 Miranda July is a filmmaker, artist, and writer. Her videos, performances, and web-based projects have been presented at sites such as the Museum of Modern Art, the Guggenheim Museum and in two Whitney Biennials. July wrote, directed and starred in her first feature-length film, Me and You and Everyone We Know(2005), which won a special jury prize at the Sundance Film Festival and four prizes at the Cannes Film Festival.

Meet the Author: Anne Sebba English Speaking Union – 18th Oct, 6.30pm

Anne Sebba comes to the ESU to discuss her new biography of Wallis Simpson. Anne Sebba is a biographer, lecturer and former Reuters foreign correspondent. She has written eight books, mostly about women, including Mother Teresa and Jennie Churchill (Winston’s American Mother).

Terry Jones & Neville Brody V&A – 21st Oct, 7pm, £9/£6

Listen as the founder, creative director and editor-in-chief of style magazine i-D talks with designer Neville Brody about their innovative approach to design.

Science + Tech New Mobile Technologies: privacy and policy, threats and opportunities LSE – 17th Oct, Sheikh Zayed Theatre, 6.30pm, Free

Lifeblood: How to Change the World, One Dead Mosquito at a Time Chatham House – 5th Oct, 5pm

Alex Perry, author and Africa Bureau Chief, Time magazine will discuss his new book, which documents two years on the trail of a campaign to eradicate malaria. Drawing on the history of efforts to combat malaria, Mr Perry will explore the complex politics of eradication projects, development and aid in Africa. He will argue that whilst there have been successes in the fight against malaria, considerable challenges remain.

New LSE research on Oyster Cards and other applications of near field communication technologies shows how the economics and acceptability of mobile transaction systems impact business and governance practices. But some critical questions need to be considered sooner rather than later. Speakers feature Mark Selby the VP of Industry Collaborations at Nokia.

Health in the Headlines: Making Sense of the Science? British Library – 18th Oct, 6.30pm, Free

Does increasing free access to medical information online lead to a better informed public? We are bombarded by health news, advice columns, medical websites and health products, but whose responsibility is it to ensure the public have access to the evidence – or lack of it - behind them? Tracey Brown is Director of the charitable trust Sense about Science, which equips people to make sense of science and evidence on issues that matter to society.

Darkmarket: Cyberthieves, Cybercops and You British Library – 7th Oct, 6.30pm, £7.50/£5

In a world where we shop, bank, work and live online, security has become a nightmare for law enforcement agencies, as those who keep us safe on the street struggle to keep up with ever-changing nature of the online realm and a highly intelligent and ever-morphing new breed of criminal, the hacker. Distinguished journalist and historian Misha Glenny, author of the acclaimed McMafia, presents a compelling account of the challenge.

Humanity 2.0

RSA – 6th Oct, 7pm How will we ascribe status to human life in a ‘post-human’ world? Should we take posthumanism seriously? If so, how do we define and value our humanity in the face of a future that will only otherwise confer advantage on the few? Speakers include Professor Steve Fuller, Auguste Comte Chair in Social Epistemology; Dr Rachel Armstrong, Senior TED Fellow and co-director, AVATAR (Advanced Virtual and Technological Architectural Research); China Miéville, author of several works of fiction and non-fiction; and John Harris, Lord Alliance Professor of Bioethics.

LISTINGS / Inspirational L I V E TA L K S , E V E N T S , D E B AT E S & I N S P I R AT I O N A L L I S T I N G S

Inspirational Inspiring Entrepreneurs: Media Maestros

British Library – 12th Oct, 6pm, £10/£7 Discover how you can maximise your media coverage for your business. Our special guests from PR, print and online press will offer advice on how it can be done. A host of experts will share their experiences on the best way to get media interest for your business.

Entrepreneurs, innovation and growth

Four Thought

Interviews I Shall Never Forget

With big ideas and evocative storytelling - speakers will be invited to take to the stage ready to air their latest thinking on the trends, ideas, interests and passions that affect our culture and society. Talks will be unscripted, thought-provoking and entertaining, with a personal dimension. Speakers include: Tim Smit, on re-imagining a co-operative movement for the 21st century; Jim Lange, on how watching YouTube can aid science; Aza Raskin, on why medicine needs a design renaissance.

Among the many world figures Sir David Frost has interviewed are the eight most recent British Prime Ministers; seven of the most recent Presidents of the United States, and many others outside the world of politics, including Muhammad Ali and the Beatles. Mr Frost will draw upon his experience of different British and world leaders to give a talk full of anecdotes and insights.

RSA – 19th Oct, Benjamin Franklin Room, 6pm,

Chatham House – 13th Oct, Hall One, 6pm, £22.50

LSE – 3rd Oct, Old Theatre, 6.30pm

Luke Johnson will talk about how new firms and their founders create jobs and wealth, and what we can do to stimulate an enterprise economy. Luke Johnson is the Chairman of Risk Capital Partners, a private equity firm. He has served as Chairman of Channel 4 and is Chairman/part owner of Giraffe and of Patisserie Valerie. As Chairman of Signature Restaurants he built up the Strada owned various classic London restaurants including The Ivy, Le Caprice and J Sheekey.

Reporting conflict: competition, pressures and risks Front Line Club – 19th Oct, 7pm, £12.50/£8

After the headlines trumpeting that Alex Crawford and Sky News were clear winners of the battle for reporting Tripoli, we will be taking stock of this recent chapter in covering modern warfare. With a panel of newsroom executives we will discuss how the conflict in Libya was reported and what its legacy is likely to be.

Supper Salon: Future Food

Wellcome Collection – 26th Oct, 7.30pm, £25 What does the future of food look like – and, more importantly, taste like? According to Stefan Gates, broadcaster, author and food adventurer, it will feature grasshopper burgers, algae bolognese, synthetic meatballs…and a new national dish of jellyfish and chips. This may sounds like science fiction, but some of these things are not far off – or even already here.