The need for the military to work cooperatively with civilian agencies to tackle terrorism and its causes will be the focus of a three-day symposium being held in Brisbane in July.
The 2004 Fulbright Symposium on Civil-Military Cooperation and the War on Terror, organised by The University of Queensland, will bring together leaders in government, defence and the non-government sector from Australia and the United States.
Speakers will include Australian Defence Force Chief General Peter Cosgrove, Australian Federal Police Commissioner Michael Keelty, and World Vision Australia Chief Executive Reverend Tim Costello.
In addition, there will be speakers from international agencies such as the United Nations, the US military, the International Peace Academy, Oxfam, Austcare, AusAid, the Australian Council for International Development, and defence and academic institutions from the two countries.
Key themes will include homeland security, the nature of the terrorist problem, the United Nations, the war on terror and policing in the Pacific.
Symposium organiser, Dr Alex Bellamy from UQ’s School of Political Science and International Studies, said that following military action in Afghanistan and Iraq, the focus has turned to the need for the military to work cooperatively with civilian agencies.
“Although the need for effective international civil-military cooperation is well established, little work has been done on how the effectiveness of cooperation could be maximised in practice,” Dr Bellamy said.
“Civilian agencies such as the United Nations, police forces, and humanitarian organisations could help reconstruct shattered societies and prevent further terrorism.
“The purpose of this symposium is to begin international dialogue on this question of civil-military cooperation within the setting of the war against terrorism.
“There are significant benefits of beginning this dialogue, including connecting significant stakeholders in Australia and the US so they can reflect on lessons learned, contemporary challenges, future strategies and best practices.
“The symposium will also contribute to enhancing the effectiveness of civil-military cooperation in both ongoing military missions and broader preventative missions.”
The symposium will be held July 5-7 at Customs House in Brisbane.
Media: For more information and interviews contact Dr Alex Bellamy (telephone 07 3365 3301 or a.bellamy@uq.edu.au).
Media will be required to register to attend the symposium. For more information contact Melinda Midgley (telephone 07 3365 8820 or m.midgley@uq.edu.au). Further details and a symposium program can be found at http://www.polsis.uq.edu.au/fulbright/index.html.
