http://www.anu.edu.au/discoveranu/content/podcasts/ en martyn.pearce@anu.edu.au Copyright 2012 2012-01-29T22:24:03+10:00 http://www.anu.edu.au/discoveranu/content/podcasts/predators_reapers_and_post_heroic_war_professor_christian_enemark/ http://www.anu.edu.au/discoveranu/content/podcasts/predators_reapers_and_post_heroic_war_professor_christian_enemark/#When:03:58:10Z Are air strikes using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs or ‘drones’) changing the character of war? The United States has recently carried out drone strikes against targets inside Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen and Libya. The use of hunter-killer drones like the Predator and the Reaper is a means of engaging distant foes in a post-heroic, risk-free manner. As such, this mode of killing challenges traditional notions of what it means to be a combatant and the status of war as something morally distinguishable from other forms of violence. Arguably, the peculiar characteristic of war is that it is a potentially lethal contest in which one combatant using force against another does so in a relationship of mutual self-defence. Unlike the pilots of in-theatre aircraft, ground-based drone operators on the other side of the world experience no physical danger and are thus not required to exercise courage when using lethal force. Although the military profession is supposedly one whose defining and much-admired characteristic is risk-taking, drone operators manifest paradoxically as disembodied warriors. Is this an aberration or a transformation in military affairs? Public Lecture, Humanities, International Law, Society & Culture, Statistics, ANU College of Arts and Social Sciences, Arts and Social Sciences 2011-08-15T03:58:10+10:00 http://www.anu.edu.au/discoveranu/content/podcasts/australian_higher_education_what_the_public_thinks/ http://www.anu.edu.au/discoveranu/content/podcasts/australian_higher_education_what_the_public_thinks/#When:05:26:30Z The second ANU Poll measures public opinion towards higher education. With the Australian Government's promise of an ‘Education Revolution' and the current review of higher education in full swing, what does the Australian public really think about our university system? How does the public perceive the availability of access to universities and the role of universities in preparing young Australians for the world of work? Is there public support for more Government funding for universities and how is their performance rated in comparison to other educational institutions?  Is a university education worth it in the eyes of Australians and how do Australian attitudes to higher education compare with other countries? ANU Vice-Chancellor Professor Ian Chubb AC addresses the key findings from the poll and identifies policy options that would enable effective Government responses to a number of public concerns. Statistics, The University, University, Business and Economics, Campus Life 2008-09-18T05:26:30+10:00