Bruce Bennett selections in the Academy Library

Black swans & changing security environments

Non-traditional security issues in the Asia-Pacific Region – challenges for nation-states in the 21st Century

The Asia-Pacific Seminar Series today was presented today by HASS Visiting Fellow Rita Parker.

‘Climate change, pandemics, unregulated population migration, cyber security, energy and food supply chain security, people trafficking, and critical infrastructure protection all have one thing in common; they are part of today’s security agenda around the globe. They are non‑traditional security issues which demand a security policy response. Yet scholars and policy makers in the twenty-first century have been challenged about how best to deal with these non-military threats.’ –Full Abstract available here.

Sourced from the UK Archives, Kew

Foreign Office Files for India, Pakistan and Afghanistan 1947-1980

This collection offers insights into political movements and cross-border tensions that were central to the modern state’s preoccupation with stability and national unification, a period of India’s post-colonial history,  tracing the international connections between India, the Commonwealth and the wider world. 

The collection covers the years from 1947 to 1980, encompassing files [Specifically DO 133-4, FO 371 and FCO 37] on all the countries of South Asia: principally India and Pakistan, but also Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Ceylon/Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, Sikkim and the Maldives.

The collection is split into three, chronologically based parts:
Section I: Independence, Partition and the Nehru Era, 1947-64
Section II: South Asian Conflicts and Independence for Bangladesh, 1965-71
Section III: Afghanistan and the Cold War, Emergency Rule in India, and the Resumption of Civilian Rule in Pakistan, 1972-80

Access is currently available through UNSW Electronic Resources Portal:  Foreign Office Files for India, Pakistan and Afghanistan 1947-1980

The past is a foreign country

The researcher, the ‘subjective’ aspect of the research

Something that doesn’t immediately come to mind in beginning research is how that research will impact on the individual researcher. Anyone who has seen the SBS series ‘Who do you think you are’ can attest that the participants are always surprised at their own emotional response when delving into the past. Quite understandable you might say as the researcher and topic are closely tied, family being regarded as a massive influence on a social being.

Critical decade

Latest Climate Commission report released

The Critical decade is a series of reports from the Climate Commission, an independent body set up in 2011 to  focus on climate change impacts for Australia. The latest release is: The Critical Decade: NSW Climate impacts and opportunities

In the Academy Library:
Moran, D. (ed.) 2011.  Climate change and national security : a country-level analysis
Ebooks: Leal Filho, W. 2012. Climate Change and the Sustainable Use of Water Resources
Mcmanners, P. 2012. Fly and Be Damned : What Now for Aviation and Climate Change?
Quinto, Cornel. 2012. Insurance systems in times of climate change : Insurance of Buildings Against Natural Hazards
Rajamani, L. et.al.  2011. Climate Change Liability : Transnational Law and Practice