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Civil and Military Relationships

International Conference

Hosted by Monash Asia Institute, Centre for Muslim Minorities and Islam Policy Studies (Monash University), Australian Research Council-Asia Pacific Futures Research Network and APFRN-Islam Node

Civil & military relationships: Implications for the health, mobility and wellbeing of civilian populations in Asia-Pacific

9 November 2007, 9:30am - 5:00 pm
The Windsor Hotel, 111 Spring St Melbourne 3000
(Please note that the conference will now be at a new venue: The Windsor Hotel)

Keynote speakers

The International Conference on Civil & Military Relationships: Implications for the Health, Mobility & Wellbeing of Civilian Populations in Asia-Pacific 2007 brings together eminent academics, researchers and practitioners from the region focusing on the complex issue of civil and military relationships in the contemporary era.  The conference is particularly targeted towards postgraduate students and early-career researchers investigating the implications of the intricate interplay between the military and civil society.

This conference investigates trends in the evolving relationship between the military and civil society by welcoming experts and postgraduates from the region, including Australia, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Thailand. 

These critical issues affect the welfare of the people and stability of the state, which helps reduce tension and conflict across the region.

Today’s modern nation-state continues to reconstitute its relationships with various forces, institutions and organizations in the globalized era.  Countries are increasingly required to address the complexities and intricacies of relationships between various stakeholders, both within and without their borders. Against this backdrop, the military has emerged as a legitimate stakeholder in the affairs of the nation-state but the nature and extent of its relationship with the civilian population remains subject to debate.  As the traditional notion of national security evolves, the military today finds itself more and more involved in the domestic realms of the nation-state.  This highlights the challenge of configuring a healthy relationship between the military and civil society in the interests of the health, mobility and well-being of the civilian population.

In almost all countries, the military stands as a strong institution with some say in the day-to-day affairs of the state.  However, the magnitude of military involvement in civilian life and the hierarchy of power differ across the spectrum.  In some countries, the military has emerged as a constructive force aiding the civilian administration to meet the escalating challenges of domestic insurgency, religious militancy and natural disasters.  A few countries on the extreme end of the spectrum have seen more direct and prolonged involvement by the military as they assume the role of the ruling junta and government itself.  Irrespective of the scale of involvement, a combination of geopolitical and domestic factors has led to increasing interaction between the military and civil society across the region in recent years.

The experiences and consequences of civil and military interaction differ in individual countries, but provide valuable lessons that bear significance across the region. The shared knowledge of experiences from the forum will help develop a healthy relationship between military and civil society in order to meet the challenges of the contemporary era.  The conference will address these timely and cutting-edge issues, which affect the overall stability of the region as a whole

Keynote speakers

Major General (Retd) Syed Muhammad Ibrahim, Bir Pratik, eminent security and stragegic analyst, columnist in Bangladesh (Founder Executive Director of the Centre for Peace and Strategic Studies in Bangladesh, former Director General of the Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies, former President of the Hazrat Muhammad (SAW) Institute in Bangladesh working on global tolerance and spiritual harmony, Member of the Regional Information Base on Terrorism (RIBT).  He is a columnist and writer, who has written numerous books and articles on security issues.  He writes regularly for the Security Online journal and was recently member of the Indo-Bangladesh Dialogue on Politics and Security.
 
Dr. Ayesha Siddiqa Agha, eminent security and strategic analyst, columnist in Pakistan (author of the book Military Inc.: Inside Pakistan's Military Economy, Pluto Press, 2007, ISBN: 9780745325453).

DOWNLOAD Programme

Important Deadlines

Submission of Abstracts: 10 October 2007
Notification of Acceptance: 15 October 2007
Submission of Papers:  25 October 2007
Registration :  25 October 2007

Abstract preparation and submission guidelines

Abstracts should be submitted electronically to Dr. Tony Donaldson at tony.donaldson@adm.monash.edu.au.  All emails should have the header: “Abstract for Civil-Military Conference”.

Organising Committee

Chair: Professor Marika Vicziany, Director, Monash Asia Institute, Monash University
Co-Chair and Coordinator: Dr. Aneela Babar, Endeavour Research Fellow, Monash Asia Institute, Monash University
Assistant Coordinator and Secretariat: Ifti Rashid, Postgraduate Research Student (Australian Leadership Awards), Monash Asia Institute, Monash University

Registration

Full: $50
Students (with current valid ID card for full time studies): $10 (new, revised price, cash payment only on day but must register by 7 November 2007)

DOWNLOAD Registration form or send your name, address, contact and other registration details to Dr. Tony Donaldson, tony.donaldson@adm.monash.edu.au, with email subject heading "Registration - Conference on Civil and Military Relationships"

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