Building on the success of our past Forums, the Fifth Annual Al Jazeera Forum will take an in-depth look at alternative visions for the Arab and Muslim world from the perspective of socio-political, cultural, and strategic changes as seen through the eyes of emerging movements, non-state actors, governments and civil societies that are changing the power matrix of the region.

The Forum will provide a platform for diverse voices to directly discuss and debate the pressing issues that affect our lives. Featured speakers include Ibrahim Kalin, Chief Advisor to the Prime Minister of Turkey, Azmi Beshara, author and political thinker, Osama Hamdan, Hamas Spokesperson, Hamid Gul, former head of Pakistans Inter-Services Intelligence Agency, Robert Baer, author and intelligence columnist for TIME, and Wakil Ahmad Muttawakil, Former Taliban Foreign Minister.

We will also be holding an exclusive New Media Session which investigates the major impact of the global financial crisis on traditional media. As large media companies are finding it increasingly difficult to meet the skyrocketing costs of running a newsroom, many executives are going back to the drawing board in order to redefine their core strategies, especially in the online space. In addition there will be seminar organized by : Al Jazeera Public Liberties and Human Rights Symposium titled Media Freedom Between the Exercise of Rights and Responsibility