Seminars focus on conflict in the modern era

Police with riot equipment at the G8 protests in Geneva 2003. A new seminar series at the University of Adelaide, Statecraft + Strategy, will explore the use of force in conflict.
Photo by Richard Simpson.
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Thursday, 28 May 2009

A new seminar series at the University of Adelaide will explore the use of military force and its implications for governments, the military and society.

The three-day series - being held next month (8-10 July) - aims to open up high-level discussion about when the use of force is appropriate, and provide new thinking for practitioners and policy makers in government, defence, emergency services and other related professions.

Called Statecraft + Strategy, this professional development seminar series will feature specialist speakers with experience in providing political and government advice, diplomacy and military field craft, as well as backgrounds in psychology, philosophy, terrorism, history, nuclear power, and governance.

The event is a joint venture between the University of Adelaide's Centre for Professional and Continuing Education (PCE) and SAGE International, a defence consultancy established by former University of Adelaide academic Dr John Bruni.

"The implications of using the military are great, but for decades international relations and strategic studies have been treated as different spheres of thought," says Dr Bruni, who is the Chair of the series.

"While the diplomat may have some peripheral knowledge on the nature of force, diplomacy, in itself, is usually about conflict avoidance. For the military, strength through force is generally considered the absolute arbiter of national power.

"For politicians and policymakers, these often mutually conflicting spheres of national endeavour can lead to inconsistent and ineffective outcomes.

"In an age where many traditional barriers between diplomacy and national security are being eroded, it is important that those in either field know and appreciate the perspective of the other," Dr Bruni says.

Key topics to be investigated over the three days include: the reality of the current international strategic environment; ethics and morality of modern conflict; institutional mindsets in the bureaucracy; civil-military relations; interrogation techniques; psychological operations; interagency cooperation.

Dr Bruni is well known to Australian media as a commentator on asymmetric warfare. After leaving the University of Adelaide in 2006, he worked in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as Special Military Advisor/Researcher at the Emirates Center for Strategic Studies & Research (ECSSR).

For more information about Statecraft + Strategy, visit: www.adelaide.edu.au/statecraft

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