The post-Bin Laden world
Professor Greg Barton
The legality and implications of the death of former Al Qaeda leader, Osama Bin Laden, will be discussed by Monash University legal and political experts at an interactive forum in Melbourne this week.
Professor Greg Barton of the School of Political and Social Inquiry, a lead researcher in the Global Terrorism Research Centre (GTReC), will moderate Mission Accomplished? The death of Osama Bin Laden and what it means for global terrorism, the latest in the 2011 Monash Alumni Speaker Series.
Joining Professor Barton on the panel will be Associate Professor Gideon Boas of the Faculty of Law, Dr Benjamin MacQueen, Deputy Director of GTReC and Professor Sarah Joseph, Director of the Castan Centre for Human Rights Law.
Professor Barton advised that the manner of Bin Laden’s death, who was killed by US Navy Seals in a raid on his compound in Afghanistan on 2 May, 2011, will form just one aspect of the discussion.
“Bin Laden’s death was really a bolt out of the blue. The violent and controversial details represent the reality of intelligence work and covert operations.
“There’s a number of interesting issues associated with this and the panel will be delving into them. However, we’ll also be addressing the big picture of what this one man’s death means.
“Is terrorism going away now? Was Bin Laden all that important? Does his death actually solve any of the problems facing us as a national and global community?
“These are important issues that affect us in tangible ways. For example, in Australia, the parliament, which seemingly can’t agree on anything, maintains bipartisan commitment to our troop deployment in Afghanistan, despite a public backlash over increasing casualties. We’re also affected by the number of people leaving Afghanistan to seek asylum in response to the ongoing war.”
Professor Barton said that following the panel members’ presentations, the audience will have the opportunity to pose questions.
The 2011 Alumni Speaker Series, is a series of five lectures, forums and panel presentations, intended to showcase Monash expertise and challenge audiences on global issues.
Mission Accomplished? The death of Osama Bin Laden and what it means for global terrorism, will be held at BMW Edge, Federation from 6 pm Wednesday 20 July, 2011. For more information and bookings, see Monash Events.