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Monday, June 09, 2008 from 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM (GMT)
With Philip Bobbitt, Herbert Wechsler Professor of Federal Jurisprudence and Director of the Center for National Security at Columbia University
The threat of terrorism is now part of the landscape of daily lives all over the world, yet we have hardly begun to think properly about it. In his new book Terror and Consent Philip Bobbit, argues that we are fighting these wars with weapons and concepts which though useful to us in previous conflicts have now been superseded.
Bobbitt aims to provide a fundamental rethinking of most generally accepted ideas about terror in the modern world. Considering what it is and how it operates, he shows that we need to reforge the links between law and strategy to realize how the evolution of modern states, which have always produced terrorists in their own image, has now produced a globally networked terrorism. To combine humanitarian interests with strategies of intervention and above all to rethink what ‘victory’ in such a war, if it is a war, might look like – no occupied capitals, no treaties, no victory parades, but the preservation, protection and defence of human rights and of states of consent.
For more than 200 years, the RSA has provided platforms for leading public thinkers. That tradition lives on in our free events programme. Our distinguished and diverse roll call of speakers has recently featured, amongst others, Kofi Annan, Wangari Maathai, Al Gore, Clay Shirky, Jeffrey Sachs and Craig Venter. You can experience our events in person at the RSA House, through live audio-streaming over the web, or watch or listen at your convenience, using free video and audio downloads. Themes: A platform for thought-leaders and practitioners to explore some of the biggest challenges facing society. Thursdays: A weekly lunchtime dose of debate on current affairs and culture. Vision: Our inspiring series of video lectures from the world’s most exciting speakers. Screens: World-class documentaries with exclusive post-screening conversations with the film-makers. Launched by this year’s BAFTA Award Winner for Best Documentary, Molly Dineen’s The Lie of the Land, recent highlights include Nick Broomfield’s Battle for Haditha and Dave Gorman’s America Unchained. Festivals: Bringing internationally distinguished writers and thinkers to the UK's best festivals, including The Guardian Hay Festival, the Edinburgh International Festival and The Six Cities Design Festival.
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