| COST
OF WAR CONFERENCE TO FOCUS ON CONFLICT VETERANS
War
veterans encouraged to attend unique event through discounted conference
passes
War
veterans from across the UK are
being encouraged to attend a unique international war conference
at Liverpool Hope University this
June with free admission to the proceedings on 18th June.
The
Cost of War conference,
from 17th-19th June, is the first time international
conflict experts will count the global impact of war in the 21st century. War
veterans are able to attend the Thursday, 18 June, proceedings
without cost.
At
the conference, academics will join together with some of the world’s
leading authorities on conflict resolution to examine a range of
topics. These will include the impact of warfare on life and culture
in the Middle
East,
how war has shaped relationships within the international community,
and the treatment and support of war veterans, civilian casualties
and returning troops.
One
of the panel discussion on the Thursday morning (18th)
will focus on the impact of conflicts on individual soldiers. The
panel is made up of:
· Ross
McGarry, who served with the British military in the Gulf and is
now completing a PhD at Liverpool Hope University which looks beyond
those official statistics of the men and women who have lost their
lives during operations in Afghanistan and Iraq to gain the views
and opinions of those men and women who have experienced combat operations
in these recent conflicts.
· Dr.
Neil Ferguson, Academic Director of the Desmond Tutu Centre for War
and Peace Studies at Liverpool Hope University who is exploring the
impact the political violence in Northern Ireland had on those who
decided to join armed groups and engage in politically motivated
violence.
· Stuart
Griffiths, journalist and photographer of British war veterans
The
impact on combatants will be further addressed as Dr. Ferguson compares
McGarry’s findings to his own field research on both sides
of the conflict in Northern
Ireland.
Dr.
Ferguson said: “Civilians harmed through war are often
seen as passive victims, but what about those who choose to use force
and join military or paramilitary organizations? To what extent do
their actions and the actions of those around them cause them to
become victims or survivors of the war they play an active role in? This
panel will look through their eyes and listen to their voices to
understand the impact of taking a stand and deciding to take an active
role in political conflict has for the individual.”
Over
the three days of the conference more that 30 experts will take part.
These include:
· Björn
Müller-Wille,
PhD & Edward Flint;
Royal Military Academy Sandhurst – well published experts on
intelligence and on duties of soldiers under the Geneva Conventions.
· Lt.
Colonel Laura Klein, United States Army Judge Advocate General Corps
- on assignment with the British Military Operational Law Branch.
· Professor
Juan Cole, University
of Michigan, USA – scholar
of Middle Eastern history, religion and politics. Delivering
keynote speech on the lasting threat to world peace from the Middle
Eastern conflicts.
· Professor
George Gericke, Tshwane University of Technology, South Africa – paediatrician
and geneticist who is delivering a lecture on the risks of ‘Genetic
Damage to the Children of Soldiers and Civilians in War Zones’.
· Dr
Naeema Al-Gasseer, World Health Organisation representative for Iraq – who
directs a staff of over 100 persons, addressing physical and mental health
consequences in Iraq.
In
addition to speeches, presentations and discussions The Cost of War
conference will also be running public workshops covering areas as
diverse as peace advocacy through the internet, how to defuse conflict
at work, and caring for victims of violence.
Professor
Frank Wood, Programme Director of The Desmond Tutu Centre for War
and Peace Studies at Liverpool Hope University, said: “This
conference will be the first time the UK has seen such a wide-ranging
group of international experts from different backgrounds coming
together to count the full costs of the wars of this century—and
at the same time letting those who have borne these costs know they
are not forgotten.
“We
have created a programme of keynote speeches, discussions and workshops
that explore the obvious and the less-well-known harms of these wars. They
range from the destruction of archaeological sites in Iraq that are
central to Christianity, Judaism, and Islam all the way to the psychological
harm done to Lebanese children during the last invasion and bombing
by Israel. And these harms don’t simply add up; they
multiply, to produce an overall impact that is far greater than the
sum of the individual costs.”
The
Cost of War conference is taking place at Liverpool
Hope University from 17th-19th June. For
more information about the conference, please contact the conference
coordinator, Mr. Colin Brown, at brownc@hope.ac.uk,
or on 0151 291 3516.
For
further information please contact Peter Wrathmell or Richard Bond
at SKV Communications on 0161 838 7770 or peter.wrathmell@skvcommunications.co.uk
Peter
Wrathmell
Account
Manager
07779
665 882
www.skvcommunications.co.uk
No. 5-6 Abito
85
Greengate
Manchester
M3
7NA.
Tel:
(0161) 838 7770
Fax:
(0161) 839 2904
Hanover House
Hanover
Street
Liverpool
L1 3DZ
Tel: (0151) 285 3831
Fax: (0151) 285 3939
Medius
House LG
2
Sheraton Street
London
W1F 8BH
Tel: (0207) 479 4887
Fax: 0870 888 88 80
|
