EA Audio Analysis: Responding to The Bombs at the Boston Marathon --- Scott Lucas with the BBC

I have done six interviews today with BBC outlets, including BBC Radio 5 Live, about Monday's bombs at the Boston Marathon.

BBC Radio 5 Live: The interview begins at 2:43.25
BBC West Midlands: The discussion starts at 2:12.16
BBC London: The interview starts at 7:19
BBC Three Counties: The discussion starts at 1:16.50
BBC Scotland: The interview begins at 1:10.20.
BBC Coventry and Warwickshire: The chat starts at 2:07.38

I found some of the discussion to be the most personal I have had with media outlets. After dealing with questions about how the authorities are responding to the crisis and after criticising unfounded --- and thus dangerous --- speculation about who carried out the double bombing, I faced questions about the significance of the attacks coming on Patriots' Day and what has it meant for people in Boston, where I lived for two years.

See also US Opinion: The Bombs at the Marathon --- What Patriots' Day Means to a Bostonian

My answer was that I hoped that the response of Bostonians --- and others --- would be a firm reply to terrorism, not by a call for retribution without knowing exactly who attacked, but through the community recovering and showing that it would not intimidated by violence.

I had to fight a bit to get that message out. While Radio 5 Live was admirable in how it handled the interview, BBC London's host was trying to insist that the Boston attacks would intimidate those in the British capital from attending this Sunday's Marathon. My interview on BBC Three Counties followed a "counter-terrorism expert" who wanted to declare that Al Qa'eda was clearly responsible for Monday's bombs. And BBC Scotland kept pressing the case that America should be "more hawkish".

Still, I hope at least an element of my thoughts came across.

Iraq Audio Analysis: The 2003 War...and What Came Next --- Scott Lucas with the BBC

I did a series of BBC interviews yesterday, on the 10th anniversary of the Iraq War, complementing my written analysis of the conflict and its consequences.

BBC Hereford and Worcester: The discussion begins at the 2:06.30 mark.
BBC Coventry and Warwickshire: The item starts at the 1:04.53 mark.
BBC WM: The discussion starts at the 54:13 mark.

US and Britain: Scott Lucas on BBC "Does London Need America?"

More chat with Sky TV and with several British radio stations today, as President Obama continued his visit --- the concern here, at least in these discussions, was "Does Britain Need America?" Two examples:

BBC Radio Wales: the item starts at the 1:07.18 mark.

BBC Radio Hereford and Worcester: the audio starts around the 38.00 mark.

See also Obama and Britain: Scott Lucas on the BBC

Beyond the Death of Bin Laden: Scott Lucas on the BBC

A couple more interviews are now on-line, with discussion ranging from the significance of Al Qa'eda after the death of Osama bin Laden to the threat of reprisals. Most interesting for me was the final part of the discussion with BBC Hereford and Worcester, when I was asked, "Do you feel less safe than you did on Sunday?", and I had to respond, "I felt safe Sunday. I felt safe yesterday. And I feel safe today" --- for me, the culture of fear has become a permanent spectre matching the supposed importance of bin Laden.

BBC West Midlands: Audio starts at the 37:25 mark

BBC Hereford and Worcester: Audio starts at the 3:20 mark

See also Assessing the Death of Bin Laden: Scott Lucas on the BBC and Al Jazeera English