Media

Press Release

BBC debate assesses Iraq's prospects

4 August 2006

Chatham House hosted a debate on Iraq's future recorded for the BBC Radio 4 series, Hecklers. During the discussion, Professor Brendan O'Leary, University of Pennsylvania, defended Iraq's newly agreed constitution and predicted that it laid the foundation for the country's prospects for success.

Professor O'Leary argued that Iraq's federalist constitution, linked with a strong centralized government, holds the necessary recipe for future success. He argued that Iraq's constitution laid the groundwork for a future democratic state similar to the state system seen currently in countries such as Switzerland and Belgium.

In response four appointed specialists scrutinised Professor O'Leary and offered numerous ripostes to the proposal before the Chatham House audience were given the opportunity to challenge Professor O'Leary's propositions.

The four appointed scrutiners were Dr Rosemary Hollis, Director of Research, Chatham House; Patrick Cockburn, journalist, The Independent, and author, The Occupation; Isam Al Khafaji, former member of the Iraqi Reconstruction and Development Council; and Dr Toby Dodge, Queen Mary College, London and author of Inventing Iraq: The Failure of Nation Building and a History Denied. The event was chaired by Evan Davis (pictured above), Economics Editor, BBC.

The programme was recorded on Thursday 3 August and will be aired on BBC Radio 4 at 20.00 on Wednesday 16 August and repeated at 22.15 on Saturday 19 August.

Notes for editors:

For more information please contact:
Sam Hardy
Press Office, Chatham House
+44 (0) 20 7957 5739
+44 (0) 7946 642 205

ENDS