Please note: This is an online event.
In 2021, Readings is partnering with the Victorian International Humanitarian Law Advisory Committee of the Australian Red Cross to host a book club on the laws and impact of war. The book club meets online on the last Wednesday of every second month throughout 2021.
This is the fifth session of the Readings/Australian Red Cross book club on the laws and impact of war. In this session we are joined by one of Australia’s most acclaimed international human rights lawyers, Geoffrey Robertson, to discuss his book Bad People and How to be Rid of Them.
As Australia comes to grips with accusations that some of its elite soldiers committed war crimes in Afghanistan, a catchcry for certain commentators is that the ‘fog of war’ explains, justifies and possibly excuses the alleged atrocities that have come to light. Abuses of power and the normalisation of deviance are at the heart of the ‘cultural issues’ that have long plagued the Australian Defence Force. It is always easiest to point a finger at a ‘what’ rather than a ‘who’, so ‘culture’ features prominently in analyses of what went wrong regarding the alleged war crimes committed by Australia’s Special Operations Command. In Blood Lust, Trust & Blame, sociologist Samantha Crompvoets tells the story of what went wrong in the ADF. It is a chronicle of the consequences of pursuing the truth, the politics of accountability, and the cost of action.
You do not need to have read the book to enjoy this event! This event is for anyone interested in how countries like Australia can promote better accountability for human rights abuses.
International humanitarian law (IHL), also known as the laws of war, is the body of law that applies during war to protect those who are not, or who are no longer participating in hostilities, and that seeks to limit the means and methods of warfare. Find out more by visiting the website of Australian Red Cross.
This event is free to attend but bookings are essential.
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Blood Lust, Trust & Blame
Samantha Crompvoets