Date/Time: 3rd February 2015

The creation of the Islamic State is one of the most important developments in the Middle East for half a century. It has spread religious hate and civil war in a region destabilised by internal strife and foreign intervention.

Having reported from the region for over 30 years, one of the most respected journalists on the subject asks: what can be done to stop it?

Speaker biography

Patrick Cockburn is currently Middle East correspondent for The Independent and worked previously for the Financial Times. His reporting on the country has won him many accolades including the Martha Gellhorn Award (2005) and the James Cameron Award (2006).

He has written three books on Iraq’s recent history as well as a memoir, The Broken Boy and, with his son, a book on schizophrenia, Henry’s Demons, which was shortlisted for a Costa Award. He also won the Orwell Prize for Journalism in 2009. He was awarded Foreign Commentator of the Year at the 2013 Editorial Intelligence Comment Awards.