Speakers
Please note: this series has been cancelled. If you are interested in these topics please contact us about future offerings.
Professor Alexander Downer
A federal politician for nearly 24 years, Alexander Downer was Australia’s longest-serving Foreign Minister.
He has an unparalleled grasp of the global community, its countries, governments and peoples, as well as organisations such as the World Bank and the United Nations.
Alexander is currently Special Adviser to the Secretary General of the UN on Cyprus.
His network with governments around the world remains unique and he has a reputation for his keen sensitivity to the cultural issues that can create unseen impediments to anyone trying to work across borders. He has a deep and abiding commitment to the ongoing evolution of aid policy for the benefit of developing nations.
Alexander joined the School of History and Politics at the University of Adelaide as a Visiting Professor in 2009 were he gives lectures on politics and international relations. The School also provides assistance with his work on Cyprus through the Cyprus working group.
 Mr Bill Paterson
Australian Ambassador for Counter-Terrorism
Mr Paterson was Australia’s Ambassador to Thailand from 2004-2008. He has extensive experience in international strategic and security policy, politico‑military affairs, intelligence and regional issues as a senior government official, including as head of DFAT’s Anti-Terrorism Task Force immediately after the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001.
In 2002-03 he was head of the Australian Government’s Iraq Task Force. He has also served as head of the International Security Division and the South-East Asia Division in the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in Canberra.
Mr Paterson served as Chief of Staff and Principal Adviser to the Foreign Minister (2000) and as Assistant Secretary for Asia, APEC and Trade policy in the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (1998-99). Overseas, Mr Paterson has served in Dhaka, Baghdad, Vienna, Washington, Tokyo and Bangkok. Mr Paterson has a Bachelor of Arts degree with honours from the University of Melbourne. He was awarded the Public Service Medal in 2004 and the Humanitarian Overseas Service Medal in 2005.
Dr John Bruni
Director, SAGE International
Dr John Bruni is Director of SAGE International, an Adelaide-based defence consultancy.
He formerly served as Special Military Researcher/Adviser at the Emirates Centre for Strategic Studies and Research (ECSSR). Prior to this appointment, Dr Bruni was Foreign Affairs and Attorney General’s Adviser for the Australian Democrats. From 2001 to mid-2006, he wrote for Janes Sentinel Oceania and was an Adjunct Lecturer (Strategic Studies) at the University of Adelaide’s Centre for Asian Studies. During this time Dr Bruni became a noted national and international commentator on contemporary security affairs. In 2003 Dr Bruni convened Australia’s first national forum on Asymmetric Warfare. This was followed up by other work in Asymmetric Warfare and Interagency Co-operation in the United Arab Emirates in 2004 and again in 2005.
Dr Bruni has published widely in scholarly and defence journals. He holds a BA, Honours and MA from the Flinders University of South Australia. Dr Bruni’s doctoral thesis, (Australian Defence Force Academy, Canberra), published in 2002 in book form, was a critical analysis on modern Australian capital equipment procurement with all its political, bureaucratic and corporate implications.
 Charles Vandepeer
Charles Vandepeer is completing his Doctorate of Philosophy at the University of Adelaide examining analysis in Australia, Great Britain and the United States. Charles has also been employed as an operations research scientist with the Defence Science & Technology Organisation and was involved in the establishment of Project GOA, a post-graduate research initiative into counter-terrorism, intelligence and international relations.
Dr. Christopher Hamilton
Clinical Psychologist
Christopher Hamilton has practiced as a consulting psychologist based in Australia with his work taking him to the U.K., North and South America, South Asia and parts of Southern Africa and the Middle East.
His specialties include: Trauma Counselling; Life & Management Coaching; Psychological Profiling and Assessment; Team and Organisation Development; Facilitation of Strategic Planning.
Two decades ago he was involved in the first national company in Australia which set up trauma counselling and critical incident debriefing for organisations whose employees had suffered results of hold-ups, work related accidents and other personal and professional trauma.
He has taught psychology to post-graduate level at the University of South Australia and the University of Adelaide. In addition, he has supervised many students to become psychologists as required by the South Australian Psychological Board.
In 2007 he was involved in the psychological assessment of nearly 1,000 Emiratis in a project for the Abu Dhabi Emiratisation Council and the Dubai Financial Institution Centre. This required the collation and interpretation and reporting of a full and comprehensive psychometric evaluation and detailed assessment centre.
Chris has become well known throughout the country as a media commentator on the psychological implications of an extensive range of topics from the political, social, cultural and educational arenas.
 Mr. Colin Brooks
Exploration Consultant – Geologist
Mr Colin Brooks has worked in the mining industry since he commenced Mining Engineering at Adelaide in 1953. During the 1950s, Mr Brooks was heavily involved in uranium mining and exploration in Australia before moving offshore to pursue field management in West Papua (Indonesia), the Philippines and Latin America. During the 1970s he accepted a directorship in the Australian Atomic Energy Agency (AAEC).
Mr Brooks has maintained an active interest in the geology and geophysics of radioactivity in exploration, while taking managerial and consulting roles in several countries covering base and precious metals.
Mr Brooks’ expertise includes understanding the nuclear fuel cycle, the vulnerabilities of nuclear power plants and has closely followed Iran’s nuclear aspirations. He also has an enduring interest in studying the global debate on climate change and its geologic versus anthropogenic (man-made) origins. His background in understanding geology and geophysics allows him to speak with some authority on how the landmasses evolved and will continue to evolve – a critical determinant in attempting to clarify the best way governments should respond to the fear climate change elicits as a current national security/public policy issue.
Mr. David Olney
Assoc. Lect. University of Adelaide, School of Politics & History
David Olney's areas of research include international terrorism, alienation, and asymmetric warfare. He is particularly interested in radical political philosophies and the psychology of violence, and the links between intense beliefs and the extreme actions they can engender.
At present David is a PhD candidate in the School of History and Politics at the University of Adelaide, and is undertaking research into Existential philosophy and literature — including psychological and psychiatric responses to this material. David has taught Comparative Politics and International Studies for the last seven years, and has co-convened an Honours/Masters subject on strategic culture and unconventional conflict. He has guest lectured on terrorism, alienation, European security, strategic culture, and Samuel P. Huntington.
Conference and Project Experience:
GOA Intelligence Video Conference (July 4, 2009). A roundtable conference between Oxford and Adelaide on the topics of Intelligence and Counter Terrorism.
Future Operating Environment Study Workshop: Strategic Shock and Emerging Technologies (January 14, 2009, DSTO).
Globalising Religions And Culture In The Asia Pacific (December 1-5, 2008). Paper title: Managing Violence: The Soldier, The Group, And The State.
Intelligence Analysis In The Asia Pacific: Intelligence Culture And Practice (September 17-18, 2007, Adelaide). Paper title: Comprehending Violence To Improve Intelligence.
Intelligence Gathering In The Asia Pacific: Threat Perception In A Complex Environment (September 18-19, 2006, Adelaide). Paper title: Political Philosophies Of Threat.
Asymmetric Warfare Symposium (April 2004, United Arab Emirates). Paper title: The Alienation of the Individual as a Prime Motivator for Terrorist Action.
Ms. Gargi Pawar
Specialist, Islamic Law & Terrorism
Gargi Pawar is a recent graduate who has completed her MA from the University of Adelaide in International Studies. She followed this with a Graduate Diploma in International Relations focusing on the Middle East as a regional specialisation including Islamic law.
Gargi Pawar, in her home country of India, completed her BA in Psychology and English Literature as well as her MA in Clinical Psychology. She worked as a counsellor for two Non-Government Organisations. She also had practical experience working in the Psychiatric Department of the Armed Forces Medical College and Command Hospital (Pune) dealing with military personnel.
Ms Pawar comes from a defence background and has lived for a considerable time in Kashmir which also influenced her decision to pursue International Studies. Her special interest is in the Middle East and Islam, an area in which she wants to pursue her academic work.
Conference and Project Experience:
GOA Intelligence Video Conference (4 July, 2009). A roundtable conference between Oxford and Adelaide on the topics of Intelligence and Counter Terrorism.
Major–General Vikram Madan
Indian Army (Retd.) VISHISHT SEVA MEDAL (VSM) & BAR
Major-General Madan served 38 years in the Indian Army as an Infantry Officer with the elite Gurkha Regiment. More than half of his service has been in the combat and operational environments. He has played an active role in counter-insurgency operations in the North-East of India, Sri Lanka and Kashmir. He has been twice decorated by the President of India for services of exceptional order.
General Madan has post-graduate degrees in Defence and Strategic Studies, Management and a Master of Philosophy in International Relations. He was a prolific writer on military matters in India. The General speaks English, Hindi, Urdu, Punjabi and Nepalese fluently.
After his Army service, General Madan turned to the pursuit of his other core interests and retired into a senior position with a major Indian corporate. Since 2007, following his marriage to an Australian national, General Madan moved and settled in Adelaide. He has researched Islamic Militancy diligently for the past 6 years and has been a guest speaker at a number of forums in Australia.
Trekking in Nepal is one of General Madan’s passions and he has covered almost 3,000km on foot in Nepal over past three decades. Golf is the General’s other passion with the never ending struggle to improve his handicap.
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Speakers
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