Lyse Doucet in conversation before the FPA Currents lecture.<br /> (Photo: Chris Roussakis)
International Correspondent says Universities Can Play a Role in Repairing Broken Societies.
Award-winning journalist Lyse Doucet called on politicians, university researchers, and individuals to find more effective ways to heal war-torn societies as part of the FPA Currents lecture on September 1st.
“I’ve never seen a crisis where the policies we have to deal with it have so little connection to the reality on the ground,” said Doucet, who has spent almost 30 years reporting on the Middle East. “The staggering reality is that we still don’t know how to put countries back together.”
Doucet drew on her experiences living and working in Syria and Afghanistan to describe the impetus for the current “tsunami” of refugees fleeing into Europe.
“You see fathers sobbing and clutching their children as they cross the border,” said Doucet. “They keep coming because they have nothing to lose. They’ve already lost everything. All they have left are their children.”
Citing the power of individuals, Doucet described the heroism of Italian Coast Guard officers who saved hundreds of refugees on an unmanned ship last December, sailing towards the Italian coast.
But she argues the global situation can only improve through political efforts: “International aid can slow the dying, but only politics can stop the killing.”
As the BBC’s Chief International Correspondent, Doucet is regularly dispatched to unfolding events around the globe. Just prior to her visit to Ottawa, she was in Cairo to cover the sentencing of Canadian journalist Mohamed Fahmy.
More than 250 people attended the FPA Currents lecture. Afterwards, Doucet deftly fielded questions about issues regarding Syria, the Kurds, India, Eritrea, the UK, ISIS and more.
FPA Currents is an annual lecture featuring a well-known speaker who works within the areas of politics, policy, journalism, and current affairs.
The FPA Currents lecture with Lyse Doucet will be aired on Rogers television on Tuesday, September 8 at 7 pm.
Thursday, September 3, 2015 in Currents Lecture, News
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