The Doha Debates

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The Doha Debates are a series of televised debates broadcast from Doha, Qatar, by BBC World. The program addresses Middle Eastern issues in a mock-parliamentary fashion, by proposing a motion (e.g. "This House believes Hezbollah had no right to fight a war on Lebanon's behalf") and having a panel composed of pro-motion and anti-motion debaters argue over it. The debates also feature questions and comments to the panelists from the studio audience who get to vote on the motion after the debate.

The program proposes itself as a "forum for free speech in the Arab world" and is sponsored by the Qatar Foundation, an organisation founded by the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani to promote education and development.

The presenter is Tim Sebastian, known for his aggressive interviewing style from his previous job as host of BBC's Hardtalk. The 4th series of the show began in September 2007.