Schedule

Gambling with Security:

New Frontiers in

Global Intervention

 

52nd Annual International Affairs Symposium

April 7-9, 2014

All sessions are free and open to the public. Sessions are held in Templeton Campus Center, Council Chamber. Details are subject to change.

 Download the 2013 brochure

 

Monday, April 7

Capturing Conflict: Shedding Light or Framing Biases?

3 p.m. 

What role do visual media play in shaping our perception of international affairs?  What  can the camera capture that the written word leaves out? Is it possible to truthfully depict global social and political struggles and relay information honestly, or is bias an inevitable part of telling the story?

Learn more about speakers Ed Kashi and Dennis Dunleavy ▸

Safer Strikes or Strike Outs? The Emergence of Drone Warfare

7:30 p.m.

How does the emergence of drone warfare shape the international community’s response to imminent threats? Do drones serve as a symbol of unbarred power, creating internal backlash? Or do they ultimately enable global stability by carefully targeting dangers?

Learn more about speakers Michael Hayden and John Weston ▸

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Tuesday, April 8

Guns for Good? Militarizing Humanitarian Intervention

3:30 p.m.

Do militarized humanitarian campaigns blur the line between neo-imperial intervention and the genuine desire to assist ailing states? Can foreign military presence help a country regain stability, or will it threaten the wellbeing of an already suffering state?

Learn more about speakers Milena Sterio and Emira Woods ▸

The Soft Shield: Is Counterinsurgency the Solution?

7 p.m.

Challenges to state security increasingly come from rebel groups within states. Given the changing nature of global conflict, should governments find new ways of combating insurgencies that include political, economic, and diplomatic means? Or is this focus on winning hearts and minds simply gilded nation building that results in protracted wars and quagmires?

Learn more about speakers John Nagl and Gian Gentile▸

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Wednesday, April 9 

Modern Militias: Fostering Stability or Sowing Strife?

3:30 p.m.

Non-state groups – warlords, mercenaries, transnational criminal organizations and terrorists – are often presented as one of the biggest threats facing modern societies. Do they threaten the security of countries where they operate or can they actually promote stability?

Learn more about speakers William Reno and Troy Thomas ▸

Ghosts in the Machine: Cyberwarfare and Vulnerability

7 p.m.

The advantages of our digital world are endless, but how do we prepare for the consequences? With our dependence on technology, how do we address attacks that damage and disrupt national information networks? Do we need to revisit a more fundamental question and ask ourselves: does cyberwar exist?

Learn more about speakers Thomas Rid and Gail Harris ▸