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Terrorism conference forges new partnerships

10 August 2005

The first Monash University-King's College London conference has been rated a huge success.

'The war on terror: views from the south' conference was held at Monash's Prato Centre just days before terrorist bombings in London killed more than 50 people and injured many more.

It was convened by Dr David Wright-Neville, from Monash's School of Political and Social Inquiry, and Dr Karin von Hippel, from King's College London's International Policy Institute.

Conference attendees included experts from Africa, Asia, the Middle East, the US, Canada and Europe, as well as King's College and Monash University academics.

Dr Wright-Neville said topics covered included the root causes of terrorism; radicalisation and recruitment; funding and advocacy; the role of the media; and the role of the UN in counter-terrorism.

"Attendees found the expertise on issues related to terrorism in Eastern Africa and Asia to be especially welcome, given that the focus of so many terrorism meetings tends to be on the Middle East and North Africa," he said.

In an effort to continue the momentum generated among the group, the convenors plan to raise funds for further meetings.

Dr von Hippel said the aim was to inject fresh ideas about counter-terrorism policy into public debates.

Dr Wright-Neville said conference attendees were united in their determination to use their scholarship to promote a less divisive and violent approach to combating the threat of terrorism.

"As they currently stand, the approaches to counter-terrorism adopted by most countries are proving counter-productive," he said. "They are dividing, rather than uniting, societies and eroding core democratic principles for little return in terms of public security."