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.

US Audio Feature: Explaining Independence Day to the Brits --- Scott Lucas with the BBC

EA staff, or at least the Americans among them, enjoyed Independence Day on Wednesday; however, there was still a bit of work to be done. 

It appears that our British friends are still trying to repress the memory that the US made a successful break-away in 1776. (Or is it that they do not want to reveal the secret that they were happy to get rid of the American colonists?)

I had a light-hearted chat with BBC West Midlands about the American Revolution, the sequels (you know, the British burning down the White House in 1814), and today --- will President Obama be celebrating the next 4th of July in office?

The interview starts at the 1:26.20 mark.

Syria Audio: Scott Lucas with the BBC on Political and Military Situation

Destruction in HomsI spoke with BBC West Midlands this afternoon about the latest developments and future prospects in Syria. Included is a discussion of international intervention --- which is already occurring behind the scenes --- in support of the opposition, after Russia and China blocked action by the UN Security Council.

The item starts at the 9:50 mark.

US Politics Audio: Scott Lucas with BBC "Romney Wins in Florida --- Now What?"

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I spoke yesterday with BBC West Midlands about Mitt Romney's win in the Republican primary in Florida. Is the victory decisive for the nomination? (Almost certainly.) Why did Mitt rise and Newt Gingrich fall in the Sunshine State? And what is it about these unusual names for candidates? (Though I guess Mitt is better than Romney's given name...Willard.)

The discussion starts at 2:20.25.

Iran Special: Scott Lucas on BBC "Will There Be a War? (No.)"

I spoke with BBC West Midlands Radio on Tuesday about Iran and the international situation. The presenter sets up the scenario of impending military action against Tehran, and I knock it back, trying to point out the issues that should be in the headlines instead.

The discussion starts soon after the 51:00 mark. 

EA Audio: Scott Lucas with BBC on SOPA & Wikipedia's 24-Hour Strike

In a protest against the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the Protect Intellectual Property Act (PIPA), now working their way through Congress, Wikipedia and hundreds of website are going "dark" on Wednesday.

Jimmy Wales, the co-founder of the on-line encyclopedia, said the legislation would make "something like Wikipedia essentially impossible...if the provider has to police everything that everyone is doing on the site."

Speaking with BBC West Midlands, Scott Lucas explains why SOPA is being proposed and why it is considered by many as a threat to freedom of expression on the Internet.

The discussion starts just after the 1:42.00 mark.

Afghanistan Audio: Scott Lucas with the BBC "The Bonn Conference and the Future"

UPDATE 1300 GMT: At least 54 people were killed and 150 injured in the Kabul explosion, according to the Ministry of Health. Four people died and 21 were injured in the Mazar-e Sharif bomb.

UPDATE 1000 GMT: A senior police officer has said more than 40 people have been killed and more than 100 wounded in the Kabul bombing.

UPDATE 0830 GMT: A bomb has exploded at a Shi'a mosque in central Kabul as worshippers commemorated the religious occasion of Ashura. Journalist Jerome Starkey reported, "Dozens dead. Bodies all over the street." An AFP photographer also counted more than 30 dead.

Another attack has been reported in Mazar-e Sharif in northern Afghanistan.

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Ten years after the fall of the Taliban in Afghanistan --- and ten years after the first Bonn Conference on the country's future --- Afghan leaders and foreign representatives have again convened in Germany. I spoke with BBC West Midlands last night about the conference, the prospects for progress, the absence of the Taliban from the discussion, and the possible motives for Afghan President Hamid Karzai's subsequent visit to London.

The item starts just before the 1:10.00 mark.

US-UK Politics: Scott Lucas with BBC "What is a Great 'Presidential' Speech?"

As Ed Miliband made his first conference address as leader of the opposition Labour Party today, I spoke with BBC West Midlands about the qualities in a "great" speech, looking to the US --- including President Obama --- for examples.

The discussion starts just after the 13:00 mark.

Libya Audio: Scott Lucas on BBC "Assessing Latest in Tripoli...And What's Next"

Photo: ReutersI had a chance to discuss latest developments in Libya, and to look ahead, with BBC West Midlands and BBC Coventry and Warwickshire this morning. As well as picking up the news at that point, we considered questions such as "Where's Muammar Qaddafi?", "What are the prospects for a stable 'new' Libya?", and "How should the US respond to the situation?"

The BBC West Midlands item starts at the 1:53:17 mark. My contribution begins at 1:54.25.

The BBC Coventry and Warwickshire interview begins just before the 1:02 mark. My chat with host Annie Othen starts two minutes later.

Libya LiveBlog: The Last Push Against Former Leader Qaddafi

US Politics & Economy: Scott Lucas on the BBC About the Debt Crisis

Complementing James Miller's summary of the battle in Washington over the Federal Government's debt, with the prospect of a US default next week, I was in a discussion on BBC Radio 2 this lunchtime about the political and economic causes of the problem and on the question, "Does this mean America is on its knees and finished as a superpower?"

(The answer to the question is easy, "That is the wrong way to look at the current situation." Explaining the causes is a lot more complex, although James Miller's "Start with the tax cuts", and the Government spending binge of the last decade is a good beginning.)

The discussion begins just before the 1:11.00 mark. My contribution is from 1:20.45.

And later in the afternoon, I had the chance on BBC West Midlands to offer an introduction to the "debt ceiling", the politics of the crisis, and the question, "Does it really matter if the US defaults next week?"

The chat starts just after the 1:41.30 mark.