The rest of the world’s response to the rolling wave of “people’s revolutions” across North Africa and the Middle East will be the focus of a public discussion at Flinders University on March 3.

The Facebook and Twitter Revolution in the Middle East: how should the international community respond? will be presented in Lecture Theatre 4 of the Law and Commerce Building at 5pm. See event details.

International law expert Professor Susan Breau (pictured), who will chair the discussion, said unfolding events in Tunisia, Egypt, Bahrain, Libya, Iran, Iraq, Yemen and Palestine raise human rights issues around the right to life, freedom from torture and freedom of association.

“With hundreds of civilian deaths in Libya, we will be asking what it takes to invoke the UN doctrine of Responsibility to Protect, which is a necessary precursor to intervention by the Security Council,” Professor Breau said.

“And, even more fundamentally, we will consider whether there is such a thing as a ‘right to democracy’ in the Middle East.”

Academic specialists in international law, politics and sociology at Flinders will analyse events in a public session that will include discussion of the crucial influence of social media in organising the protest movements, as well as the active role played by women.

Interested members of the media and the public are welcome.