Zero chance? Aiming for zero in weapons control
These seminars were run by the Oxford Martin School (formerly the James Martin 21st Century School) in association with the Oxford Institute for Ethics, Law and Armed Conflict. Three intersecting considerations will be examined for their relevance in assessing the wisdom of adopting 'zero' as the goal for an international initiative: 1) Tactics: Whether and how framing an issue in terms of getting to zero can be a successful technique for issue advocates? 2) Diplomatic strategy: What is the wisd
War 2.0: Political Violence and New Media symposium (Day one)
Today, war is conducted not only by the dispatch of Tomahawks in the air or Kalashnikovs and suicide attacks on the ground but also by means of bytes, tweets, digital images, and social networking forums. (New) media technology, in other words, has become a medium of war and diplomacy.
This multidisciplinary two-day symposium on 7-8 October hosted by the Department of International Relations at the ANU mapped the shifting arena of war, conflict, terrorism, and violence in an intensely mediated a
War 2.0: Political Violence and New Media symposium (Day two)
Today, war is conducted not only by the dispatch of Tomahawks in the air or Kalashnikovs and suicide attacks on the ground but also by means of bytes, tweets, digital images, and social networking forums. (New) media technology, in other words, has become a medium of war and diplomacy.
This multidisciplinary two-day symposium on 7-8 October hosted by the Department of International Relations at the ANU mapped the shifting arena of war, conflict, terrorism, and violence in an intensely mediated a
La domination de l'espace et les réseaux de satellite (audio)
La technologie de ce siècle évolue désormais en suivant la loi de Moore, selon laquelle les performances des composants électroniques évoluent exponentiellement avec une constante de temps de deux ans. De là découlent d'abord la percée des micro-ordinateurs puis, plus inattendue, la croissance également exponentielle des réseaux de communication. Quels sont les facteurs de cette expansion qui crée la société de l'information ? L'espace est le moyen global de transfert et distrib
Thailand in Crisis- Episode 6
In the final Thailand in Crisis vodcast, ANU PhD students Nattakant Akarapongpisak, Pongphisoot Busbarat and Preedee Hongsaton join host Nicholas Farrelly for a panel discussion about Thailand's political present and future. Farrelly is also joined by regular Andrew Walker who discusses the upcoming by-election in Bangkok.Thailand in Crisis is a series of six vod and podcasts from The Australian National University's College of Asia and the Pacific. The series draws upon the university's experti
Iran: An Islamic Government in Crisis
The Islamic government of oil-rich Iran is faced with its worst legitimacy crisis since the Iranian revolution that toppled the Shah's pro-Western monarchy and replaced it with an Islamic regime thirty years ago. While it has the capacity to survive the crisis, it may find itself weakened to the extent that it may not be able to cope effectively with mounting domestic problems and foreign policy pressures. Not only is the Iranian population bitterly polarised for and against it, but a serious sp
Lost Opportunities and Possibilities in Australian Foreign Policy
Bruce Haigh argues that Australian foreign policy has been, and remains, inept in advancing Australia's national interest. Given the limited independence of Australia's Foreign Minister, and the trend of governments to be perpetually in election mode, Australian foreign policy is too often managed to maximum domestic political gain by the Prime Minister, with negative fallout reserved for Ministers. What has changed since the election of the Rudd Government? How does Australia manage the dual ri
Obesity as a Complex Problem
Obesity has increased dramatically across the world, and there is currently no solution to its control. While obesity is easily understood as the positive imbalance of energy intake and expenditure, this does not explain why it is easy to overeat and underexercise. Explanatory models that feed into energy balance include those of obesogenic environments, thrifty genotype, obesogenic behaviour, obesogenic culture, nutrition transition, political economic structures and biocultural interactions of
Rudd’s Concept of an Asia Pacific Community
In June 2008, the Australian Prime Minister, the Hon. Kevin Rudd, spoke of the need to begin a "regional debate about where we want to be in 2020". In particular, he outlined the need for an Asia Pacific Community, in which there would be "dialogue, cooperation and action on economic and political matters and future challenges related to security." This speech, delivered to the Asia Society AustralAsia Centre in Sydney, certainly began a debate in Australia. During the speech, he appointed Richa
President Obama’s ‘New’ Afghanistan-Pakistan Strategy: Why it is Unlikely to Work
Shifting resources from Iraq to the so called ‘war of necessity' in Afghanistan by President Obama, while significant, is unlikely to be effective. This is largely because the fundamental assumptions long held by the Bush administration policy makers about the nature of the conflict in Afghanistan and Pakistan, their conception of terrorism and how to defeat it, and how to reclaim American and global security remain unchanged. Without honest reconsideration of such assumptions within the b
The Next 100 Years - A Forecast for the 21st Century
In his book The Next 100 Years, George Friedman offers a lucid, highly readable forecast of the changes we can expect around the world during the twenty-first century. He explains where and why future wars will erupt (and how they will be fought), which nations will gain and lose economic and political power, and how new technologies and cultural trends will alter the way we live in the new century.
Drawing on history and geopolitical patterns dating back hundreds of years, Friedman shows that w
Jane Waldfogel - Early Years Child Development and Social Mobility
Social Mobility has become a major political discussion point in recent years, here Professor Jane Waldfogel from Columbia University, New York, a leading expert on early years child development, discuss the importance of the early years of childhood for life chances and the evidence that policy intervention can make a difference to poor children's development.
Realism and the Value of Peace
In this lecture, Professor White discusses the morality and ethical
challenges of war, as examined by Professor Coady in his new book, Morality & Political Violence.
Political violence, in the form of wars, insurgencies, violent
revolutions and counter-revolutions, and terrorism constitutes a major
human challenge today as so often in the past. The challenge is not
only to life and limb, but also to morality itself. Professor Coady
puts the problems posed by this challenge into the fram
Life (Stories) in Transition
Bert Ingelaere gives a talk for the 2009 Taking Stock of Transitional Justice Conference entitled 'Life (stories) in transition: A methodological approach to study political transition and transitional justice from below'
2.1 Introduction
This unit examines the role that Scots played in contributing to the developments in healthcare during the nineteenth century. The radical transformation of medicine in Europe included the admission of women as doctors and the increased numbers of specialised institutions such as asylums. Such developments were also influenced by wider social, economic, political and cultural backgrounds – these are also examined.
Karen Ellis from ODI speaks on Measuring the Impact of Business on Development
Karen Ellis, Research Fellow and Programme Leader from the Overseas Development Institute (ODI), speaks on Measuring the Impact of Business on Development. 12 October 2010
Why have both business and the development community become increasingly interested in developing tools to measure the impact of business on development? What approaches have been used or proposed, and what are the limitations of existing tools and the conceptual and practical challenges associated with measureme
Seminar 12 Sustainable Futures
Convened by Dr Sam Wells, this session will review some of the key aspects of the Climate 2030 seminar series, consider innovative approaches to meeting energy demand in a carbon constrained world and look at the role of organisations in achieving a sustainable future.
Looking after your brain - new approaches to an age-old problem.
Professor Robert Vink is the NRF Chair of Neurosurgical Research and Head, School of Medical Sciences. This lecture will examine some of the revolutionary new approaches being developed for brain protection in both the young and the old, and how we as individuals can incorporate some of these measures into our everyday lives.
Australian-US comparative government and political systems
Dr Hart will explore the main features of the Australian political system through comparison with the United States. He will compare and contrast the struggle of self-government in Australia and the US. He will look at how much Australian politics has been influenced by American was well as British forms of government, particularly focusing on the extent to which the Australian Prime Minister has become ‘presidentialised'. The presentation will also cover the essential differences between
Strategy, Policy and Institutions Time for a Re-Think
Australian security policy is increasingly irrelevant to the looming realities of the 21st century. A lack of strategic direction, a mish-mash of unconnected policies, and policy institutions that are irrelevant to the security challenges of 2050 - these are critical obstacles to a consistent, credible and effective approach to national security. Our very concept of "security" is outmoded. The solution is as easy as it is radical. It demands three straightforward steps. F
