Abdel Bari Atwan to speak at UNSW

UK-based al-Qa'ida expert Abdel Bari Atwan - the last western journalist to interview Osama bin Laden - will give a public lecture at UNSW on Monday 17 September.

Mr Atwan is in Australia to attend the Brisbane Writers' Festival and promote his new book The Secret History of al-Qa'ida, (Little, Brown). He is a guest of the UNSW Bookshop and the School of Social Sciences and International Studies at UNSW.

Mr Atwan made headlines this week when he accused the federal government of racism over a delay in issuing him an Australian visa. The delay forced him to miss several of his engagements in Brisbane, but he has advised he will meet his UNSW commitment.

Mr Atwan argues that current events in the Middle East represent watershed moments for the region with oil, water and terrorism remaining key issues.

As editor-in-chief of London-based Arabic newspaper al-Quds al-Arabi, Mr Atwan has cultivated uniquely well-placed sources and amassed a wealth of information about the politics of the Middle East and about al-Qa'ida's origins, masterminds and plans for the future.

He provides a clear warning to the West that current responses are misdirected and offers suggestions on how the West might best respond to the challenge that this phenomenon poses.

"Dr Atwan's conversation with UNSW promises to be a fascinating and rare opportunity to gain insight into one of the most important challenges confronting the world today," says UNSW International Relations lecturer Anthony Billingsley.

RSVP 9385 6688 or email wendy@bookshop.unsw.edu.au

What: Public lecture Politics of the Middle East in 2020 - Oil, Water and Wars, followed by a book signing - ALL WELCOME When: Monday 17 September, at 6pmWhere: The UNSW Bookshop, Kensington campus

MEDIA CONTACTS: Wendy Walls, UNSW Bookshop 9385 6688, Steve Offner, UNSW Media Office, 9385 1583, 0424 580 208.