Convenor Professor Charles Sampford, from the Institute of Ethics, Governance and Law, said one of the hottest topics in international relations this decade was the responsibility of the international community to protect vulnerable populations from human rights violations.

Debates over how to respond to atrocities such as Rwanda, or Darfur in Sudan, have tended to focus on what right the international community has to militarily ‘intervene’ in these countries.

This forum will address these issues by debating the topic 'Should the responsibility to protect override national sovereignty?'

Speaker for:
Professor Don Rothwell
Professor of International Law, ANU College of Law

Speaker Against:
Professor Howard Adelman
Research Professor, Key Centre for Ethics, Law, Justice and Governance, Griffith University

Commentators:

Professor Andrew Mack
Director, Human Security Report Project, Simon Fraser University

Professor Hilary Charlesworth AM
Professor of International Law and Human Rights Centre for International Governance and Justice, ANU

Major General Michael G. Smith (Rtd.) AO
Executive Director, Asia Pacific Civil-Military Centre of Excellence, University of Sydney

Mr Alex Mundt
International Affairs Fellow
Council on Foreign Relations

Professor Charles Sampford
Director, IEGL, The Institute for Ethics, Governance and Law
Convenor, ARC Governance Research Network

This debate is organised by the Socratic Forum, a joint initiative of Professor Ashley Goldsworthy AO OBE (former Federal President of the Liberal Party of Australia) and Hon. Dr. Barry Jones AO.
The Socratic Forum seeks to enhance non-partisan debate on key issues facing the Australian people by encouraging thoughtful contributors to speak their minds free from the constraints of political, religious, and other affiliations.

Supported by the Key Centre for Ethics, Law, Justice and Governance; Institute for Ethics, Governance and Law (a joint initiative of the United Nations University with Griffith and QUT in association with ANU); and the Australian Research Council Governance Research Network (GovNet).

This event is free and open to the public.
Refreshments will be served from 5.30pm.