Bulletin

Issue: January/February 2008

News

Back to the 'Silk Road' for troubled times

It was 'time to restore the Silk Road', the historic route for trade and culture bridging East and West.

That symbolic suggestion came from Professor of Politics and Director of La Trobe University's Centre for Dialogue, Joseph Camilleri, left, in his closing comments to a major two-day international conference which examined the impact of events such as September 11, the Iraq War and the War on Terror on international relations.

Professor Camilleri said consensus emerged on at least one issue: the need for renewed Europe-Asia dialogue over relations with the United States and the Muslim world.

The conference — titled Europe and Asia — Between Islam and the United States: the lessons of Afghanistan, Iraq, Lebanon and Iran — was held at La Trobe's Institute for Advanced Study on the main Melbourne campus at Bundoora.

It was organised by the Centre for Dialogue, the Innovative Universities European Union Centre and the University of Melbourne's Contemporary Europe Research Centre, and opened by La Trobe Vice-Chancellor, Professor Paul Johnson.

The conference featured more than twenty papers by speakers from twelve countries. They analysed the way Europe and Asia were handling issues of identity, religion and culture in global and regional geopolitics.

A conference organiser, international relations researcher Mr Ben Zala, said French international relations scholar, Professor Bertrand Badie, emphasised the changing nature of power in world politics. Professor Badie said social groups, terrorist cells, warlords and religious leaders were more active in international affairs, while states, militaries and diplomats were increasingly reacting to events rather than setting agendas.

Former Chinese Ambassador to Iran, Hua Liming, discussed the Iran nuclear dispute. He said he was deeply worried by possible escalation of the conflict, and stressed the need to focus on non-proliferation rather than regime change. He argued that the United States, Russia, the European Union and China were unified on nuclear non-proliferation, but differed in their approach. These differences have given Iran room to manoeuvre.

Professor of Politics at the University of San Francisco, Stephen Zunes, told the conference US policy makers had overemphasised military power, thereby seriously mishandling complex political, social and economic problems. He said the result has been a more anarchic international order in Afghanistan, Iraq, Lebanon and Iran — making legitimate counter-terrorism efforts more difficult.