An Interview with Tim Llewellyn

                                                             By Vahram Emiyan

                                                                                                      21/06/2007

 ■ Vahram Emiyan :- When did you choose to be a reporter and why?

♦ Tim Llewellyn :- I chose to be a reporter when I was about 18, after I left school largely because, I couldn’t do anything else and I was always interested in writing in English language and in journalism. So, when I left school I decided to work at the local newspaper and that started me. I worked in the local newspaper, traveled to Canada and worked in newspapers there. I returned to England and worked in the news agency, and then I went to Fleet Street and worked in daily newspapers at the Daily Sketch, The Sunday Times, The Times of London. In 1971 I joined the BBC’s foreign staff and became a correspondent. Actually, my fist assignment was in 1974 in Lebanon just before the civil war. Then in 1976, I became a Middle East correspondent. I more or less stayed a Middle East specialist for the BBC. That was part of my duties as a Middle East correspondent. I was based in Lebanon and then during the 80’s in Cyprus when there were kidnappings of westerners and it was rather difficult to leave here. I stayed in the BBC both on the staff and on contract till 2000. But I gave up journalism more or less and decided to write books. Journalism is a young man’s game.

■ V. Emiyan :- As a correspondent of the BBC, which areas of Lebanese life did you cover?

♦ T. Llewellyn :- Mainly politics. I was here during the beginning of the troubles in 1974. But then in 1975 I came back. About the time I came back the civil war was pretty well on the way. So, basically most of the time I was here, we were concerned by what was happening politically and the course of the war. Of course, as Middle East correspondent I had to cover other areas, like the Iranian revolution, events in Iraq and Palestine. So I was moving around the region quite a bit. But Lebanon in those days was our main story and it was basically political.  

■ V. Emiyan :- During that period which event do you consider to be the most important?

♦ T. Llewellyn :- In terms of Lebanese politics, Sabra and Shatila

■ V. Emiyan :- And in terms of regional politics?                                                      

♦ T. Llewellyn :- The Islamic revolution in Iran was probably the most important in terms of the long term effect in the region. In terms of Lebanese politics there were many things. But Sabra and Shatila stood out, because I discovered it. I was one of the first reporters there, and it said much about Israel’s relation with its neighbors, about what was happening in Lebanon and about the Palestinian predicament. But I think in the whole Middle East stories there are many big ones, for example in Palestine of course there’s a big story. But I think that one story; the 1979 Iranian revolution is the most memorable and significant.   

■ V. Emiyan :- If you look at the Media now and compare it with its past, can you say that it has improved?

♦ T. Llewellyn :- I don’t know. It has changed of course because of the fact of 24 hour news. I think it is very difficult now for correspondents and reporters to be thoughtful, to investigate their story and their judgments before they make them. Because instant news, the internet and 24 hours news mean that every thing is happening instantly. There is a lot of celebrity, a lot of sensation and a lot of instant thinking. People don’t have time to reflect and I find watching the news, listening to the news, even on BBC quite trivial. It’s not bad. You get a broad picture of what’s going on. But it’s getting more and more surface, shallow and repetitive rather than deep. But there are good programs and good documentaries, but there are fewer of them. I think the Media is less taught full now. It’s all about impact and speed and people have to find other sources now. We have to go to the internet and find our own resources and search. It’s changed enormously. I don’t particularly like it, but there is not much I can do about it.  

■ V. Emiyan :-  Do you think that reporting generally reflects events objectively or is it simply a reflection of government policy?

♦ T. Llewellyn :- I’m afraid I have to say that certainly in terms of western journalism, I’m sad to say this, because people have less time to think and talk to people on the ground, say here in the Middle East, a lot of the reporting is very much influenced not just by what the government says, but by shallow and instant thinking, reading a piece of news agency, copying and repeating it without thinking about what the words mean. I don’t think there is much original taught and not much deep taught anymore about lets say what’s happening in Palestine? What does it really mean? Why did it happen this way? But people have all sorts of clichés about rivalries, factions and wars between those factions. People don’t have time to think of it and I think that has changed. The government has enormous influence. It’s much more clever now than it used to be in spinning information, convincing organizations that let you think in a certain way, and spreading their word throughout the world in a much more subtle way. So I think there is less independence of taught now. It has changed in that way. In fact we are becoming more Americanized. The American way of doing things has really taken over in the west, whether in France, in Germany, in Italy or in Spain. We’re all becoming Americans in the worst way.  

■ V. Emiyan :- When you look at recent events in the Middle East which do you think is the most interesting development?

♦ T. Llewellyn :- I don’t know whether interesting is the right word. Obviously the situation in Iraq is the most disastrous, and is affecting the whole region in many ways, not just in terms of the tragedy of Iraq, but in the impact on the whole region and the spreading of the rift between Shias and Sunnis, the nervousness in the Golf, the feelings about American interference in the region, quiet justifiably, the great rivalry between Iran and the US which is growing over time and affecting all of us, even in Lebanon. The Americans got involved in Iraq thinking they could take it over when in fact they made it possible for Iran and Syria to increase their power and influence there. So they had the reverse effect. Quiet apart of killing thousands of people they actually damaged their own interests. I think this is the big story now because it has ramifications every where, in Lebanon, in Palestine and throughout the world.

 ■ V. Emiyan :- In the 1950’s Egypt was the leader of the Arabic world. After the Arabic summit in Riadh there is a feeling that Saudi Arabia is trying to assume that role. Do you think it can succeed?

 ♦ T. Llewellyn :- Obviously it is very important if Saudi Arabia could assert itself  in the Arab interests. I think the agreement between Saudi Arabia and Iran over Palestine was a good idea and a good beginning. Even here in Lebanon one can see how perhaps the Saudi Arabian-Iranian initiative might be of some help. But whether Saudi Arabia has the courage and the commitment to be an independent Arab leader, independent of other influences and speak out on behalf of the Arabs it’s still a very big question. Nasser was unafraid, he may have made some mistakes, but he was a strong man who captivated his own people and captured a lot of imagination throughout the Middle East. He had a lot of charisma and he was even admired in the west, not by governments but by people, because he spoke for the Arabs as a whole. I can’t see at the moment that there is a Saudi leader who’s got that kind of ability, charisma or strength. But may be there is one waiting in the wings.

 ■ V. Emiyan :- Over the last decade or so, over twenty counties have recognized the Armenian Genocide. How do you see that process evolving? Do you think that Turkey will eventually recognize the Armenian Genocide?

♦ T. Llewellyn :- I don’t know. The Turks are very obstinate about this, I think it has become a thing of pride for them, they feel beleaguered and they don’t like that. Obviously it’s going to be a big test for Turkey. If it is to join the EU it’s going to have to change its attitude on a number of issues and I suspect the Armenian Genocide will be one of them. But we are talking about a nation’s pride and identity. And which Turkey are we talking about? The Turkey of generals? The Turkey of ordinary people? The Turks of Istanbul? The middle classes? Its obviously a very divided and a very complicated country. But it seems to me, of what I have seen, that the Armenian Genocide question or the recognition of it has made enormous progress in the last two years in France and in the US where there has been resistance. So, one is hopeful. I don’t see how one can go on denying it. I think the historical evidence is quite clear. It always surprises me that anybody can deny this without been held up as a kind of pariah. Whereas if you even suggest that the numbers may be wrong in the Jewish Holocaust you can be sent to jail. It’s completely inequitable.  

■ V. Emiyan :- I here you are writing a book. What areas of Lebanese life and which period will it cover?

♦ T. Llewellyn :- Basically it’s a book about Lebanon now. A series of snap shots, if you like, of people, places and events from which one hopes to expand and develop a story and through that reach into the past of Lebanon and try to explain to the people outside to the English speaking foreign audience, who don’t know much about Lebanon but may be interested in Lebanon and the Middle East, how the Lebanese have reached the situation they are in, why they are the way they are constituted and the historical facts of Lebanon which actually don’t change that much over the years. This isn’t the first time that the Lebanese are buffeted about between international powers using their factional differences to play one side against the other. It may be worst now, but it’s nothing new to the Lebanese. The book will try to put the modern Lebanon into its proper context of how the place has developed and how complicated the country is. And give some of the feel, the flavor and the smell of Lebanon. It is a great country and it is terribly tragic that it has to go through these upheavals, it seems regularly, but on the other hand it may not be Lebanon without that.

■ V. Emiyan :- Will your book be referring to the Armenian community?

 ♦ T. Llewellyn :- Well, I am hopping to go to Anjar. Because it is where one of my snap shots will be as a way of getting into the Armenian community of Lebanon and trying to get a look into the story of Anjar, why it is an Armenian area and why it became that. All these things fit into the jigsaw puzzle of Lebanon.