Dr Hans Blix, the former UN weapons inspector who led the hunt for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, will speak on 鈥淭ruth, Lies and WMDs鈥 at a conference in Cambridge later this month.

探花直播conference, entitled Debating 探花直播Evidence: Freedom of Information? will also feature contributions from Sir Jeremy Greenstock, Britain鈥檚 former ambassador to the UN and former UK special representative in Iraq; and the outspoken left-wing politician Tony Benn, who openly opposed the Iraq war.

Members of the public are invited to book a place at the event, which will be hosted by the 探花直播 of Cambridge鈥檚 Centre for Research in the Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities (CRASSH) in conjunction with the Churchill Archives Centre. It will use Iraq as a case study to discuss freedom of information and what counts as sufficient 鈥渆vidence鈥 in the world of the political policy-maker.

鈥 探花直播events leading up to the Iraq war and its legacy have raised important questions about freedom of information,鈥 CRASSH Director Mary Jacobus said. 鈥淔or example, how does the evidence for the existence of weapons of mass destruction 鈥 or lack of it 鈥 affect how we should be gathering or interpreting evidence?

鈥淒oes arms inspection offer a case-study for the uses and abuse of evidence? How much does expert evidence influence political decision making? And how much do we now know, or not know, about the circumstances surrounding the invasion of Iraq and its aftermath?鈥

Broader issues, including whether the public is entitled to full disclosure of information and whether the government has a right to withhold information from the public, will also come under scrutiny. 探花直播conference will also examine how historians struggle with restricted access when drawing on archival resources, potentially compromising their ability to tell the truth.

探花直播conference will take place on November 24 at Wolfson Hall, Churchill College, Storey鈥檚 Way, Cambridge. There will be four panel-based discussions in all, each examining a different aspect of 鈥渇reedom of information鈥 in the context of the Iraq war:

鈥 Government Responsibility vs. 探花直播Right to Know. Chair: Professor Tony Badger (Master of Clare College, Mellon Professor of American History, 探花直播 of Cambridge). With: 探花直播Rt. Hon. Tony Benn and Lord Wilson of Dinton (Master of Emmanuel College and former Cabinet Secretary).

鈥 Secrecy and the Historical Record. Chair: Mr Allen Packwood (Director, Churchill Archives Centre). With: Ms Gill Bennett (Former Head of Foreigh and Commonwealth Office Historians); Professor David Edgerton (Author of Warfare State and Hans Rausing Professor of History of Science and Technology at Imperial College, London); Dr Piers Brendon (Former Keeper, Churchill Archives Centre).

鈥 Truth, Lies and WMD. Chair: Bridget Kendall (BBC Diplomatic Correspondent). With: Dr Hans Blix (Chairman, Weapons of Mass Destruction Commission) and Sir Jeremy Greenstock (Director, Ditchley Foundation and former UK Representative to the UN and to Iraq).

鈥 探花直播Iraq War and After. Chair: Mary Jacobus (Director of CRASSH and Grace 2 Professor of English, 探花直播 of Cambridge). With: Mr Oliver Miles (former UK Ambassador to Libya and to Greece); Patrick Cockburn (Author of 探花直播Occupation: War and Resistance in Iraq and Foreign Correspondent, 探花直播Independent); Bridget Kendall (BBC Diplomatic Correspondent).

A full programme of events and booking information are available by following the appropriate link at the size of this page.

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