Cyber Threats to Nuclear Weapons

Dr Andrew Futter, University of Leicester, will speak on "Cyber Threats and Nuclear Weapons: New Questions for Command and Control, Security and Strategy" at the Australian National University in Canberra, 3pm 11 July 2016. 

"The development and spread of cyber ‘weapons’, information-warfare capabilities and the new dynamics of the ‘cyber age’ are providing a considerable – albeit nuanced – challenge to the management, thinking and strategy that underpins nuclear weapons. Although, in the near future at least, cyber-attacks will not supersede nuclear weapons as the ultimate guarantor of national security, the tools and capabilities associated with cyber present new problems that affect the nuclear weapons enterprise in numerous ways."

See also:

• Australian Cyber Security Courses 

Not Draining the Swamps of the Middle East

Greetings from the Australia 360 Conference at the Australian National University in Canberra. Professor Gareth Evans, ANU Chancellor, said in his opening address that no nation should think they can "drain the swamps of the Middle East". I assume that this was intended as a metaphor to say that there were no easy solutions to unrest in the Middle East. Of course  previous Iraq government did literally drain the Mesopotamian Marshes to drive the population out of the area. Professor Evans also criticized the current government for cutting the aid budget to Africa and thereby reducing Australia's influence in that region and reducing support for Australian initiatives in international forums.

The delegates are tweeting from the conference with hashtag #ANUAustralia360. 

Program for the Conference

08:30- 09:00     Opening remarks - Prof the Hon Gareth Evans ac qc , ANU Chancellor

09:00- 10:30     Panel One: Contexts
Moderator Michael Wesley
The Political Context – Laura Tingle, Political Editor, Australian Financial Review
The Security Context – Rory Medcalf, Head, National Security College, ANU
The Economic Context – Warwick McKibbin, Professor, Centre for Applied Macroeconomic Analysis, Crawford School of Public Policy, ANU

10:30-11:00     Morning tea  

11:00-12:30     Panel Two: Regions and Relationships
Moderator Hugh White
PNG and the Pacific – James Batley, Distinguished Policy Fellow, State, Society & Governance in Melanesia Program (SSGM), ANU          
Southeast Asia – Greg Fealy, Head, Department of Political and Social Change (PSC), ANU
Northeast Asia – David Envall, Research Fellow, Department of International Relations (IR), ANU
South Asia – David Brewster, Visiting Fellow, Strategic & Defence Studies Centre (SDSC), ANU       The United States – William Tow, Head, IR, ANU

12:30-13:30    Lunch  

13:30-15:00     Panel Three: Policy
Moderator Jacinta O’Hagan
Diplomacy and Institutions – William Maley, Professor of Diplomacy, Asia-Pacific College of Diplomacy (APCD), ANUDefence and Security – Andrew Carr, Research Fellow, SDSC, ANU
Environment and Development – Meg Keen, Senior Policy Fellow, SSGM, ANU
Trade and Finance – Brendan Berne, First Assistant Secretary, Trade, Investment and Economic Diplomacy Division, DFAT
Law, Values and Humanitarian Concerns – Luke Glanville, Fellow, IR, ANU

15:00-15:15     Afternoon tea

15:15-16:45 Panel Four: Australia’s Prospects
Moderator Kieran Gilbert      
Michael Wesley, Director, Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs, ANU
Hugh White, Professor of Strategic Studies, SDSC, ANU
Jacinta O’Hagan, Director of Studies, Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs, ANU

16:45-17:30     Drinks and networking

Designing Governance for the 21st Century

Greetings from the Australian National University in Canberra, where Shahar Hameiri, Murdoch University; Joanne Wallis, ANU; Sarah Phillips, University of Sydney are speaking on "Sovereignty and hybrid state-building or state formation?". The issue is how to set up a functioning government in places where there has been a failed state, such as in Somaliland. 

The term "hybrid" or "hybridity" seems to be used to indicate a blend of traditional local customs, combined with some form of a European nation state (although none of the speakers have explained the term so far). What I find curious is that the speakers seem to assume that European nation states are the normal and natural state of affairs and the customary forms of running a community are unnatural and unusual.

It would be interesting to carry out a quantitative study to see how much the nation state in a western country influences the lives of its citizens and how much local customs do. I suspect that national government in Australia has relaitvely little effect on the day to day lives of citizens.

It is the customs of the family, school, workplace, companies, body corporate and local government which have more effect on what I do day to day. I live in an apartment which is governed by a "body corporate" with its own rules as to what I can do (the body corporate owns a private park). The local shopping centre is protected by a private security guard, who has more influence on law-and-order than the official police. My work behaviour is governed by a code of ethics of my profession and the rules from academia. All these are endorsed by Australian law, but that law rarely comes into play.