Regional Security and Middle Power Diplomacy

29 August 2008

The Honourable Dr Mike Kelly

This lecture is the Annual Dr John Gee Memorial Lecture and was presented by the Lowy Institute for International Policy and The Strategic and Defence Studies Centre.

Dr Kelly will address the Rudd Government's approach to regional security and middle power diplomacy. He will cover the role of the three pillars - the US alliance, membership of the United Nations, and comprehensive engagement with the countries of Asia and the Pacific - in shaping Australia's role in the region and the world. Dr Kelly will also outline Australia's approach to new and emerging regional security challenges from a Defence perspective, including the importance of relationships and alliances to regional stability in the 21st century.

About Dr John Gee
Dr John Gee served with distinction as an Australian diplomat in a number of countries. His greatest contribution, however, was in the field of disarmament, where he had a particular interest in chemical weapons. After a period as a Commissioner on the United Nations Special Commission on Iraq following the first Gulf War, he became Deputy Director-General of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons in The Hague, serving there until 2003. In recognition of his achievements, Dr Gee was made a member of the Order of Australia in January 2007.

For more information on the Lowy Institute for International Policy go to: http://www.lowyinstitute.org/

Broad Topics: Asia and the Pacific, Business and Economics

Sub-topics: Law, Justice & Law Enforcement, Policy & Political Science

Areas: ANU College of Asia and the Pacific

Before becoming MP for Eden-Monaro in November 2007, Colonel Mike Kelly served in the ADF Legal Corps following a career at Turner Freeman Solicitors.  In 1993 he was deployed to Somalia in Operation Restore Hope as Legal Adviser with First Battalion Royal Australian Regiment for which he was awarded the Chief of the General Staff Commendation (1993) and made a Member of the Order of Australia (1994).  Mike has served in numerous key international operations, including with the International Committee of the Red Cross in Bosnia Herzegovina and Croatia; the Australian Consular Response Group to assist in the rescue of an Australian citizen held hostage in Somalia; and as Chief Legal Adviser to the UNTAET Peacekeeping Force Commander in Timor-Leste.  In 2003 he helped prepare Australian Rules of Engagement for the war in Iraq, followed by a posting in Iraq as legal adviser in the Office of General Counsel within the Coalition Provisional Authority in 2003-2004. Mike is widely regarded as a leading expert on operations law issues, particularly on the international law of occupation. He has a Bachelor of Arts and Laws from Macquarie University and a PhD from the University of New South Wales.