Peaceful alternatives to military action in Iraq and Afghanistan

Media Release, Wednesday 3 March 2004

Renowned international peace scholar Professor Johan Galtung will discuss peaceful alternatives to the current situations in Iraq and Afghanistan in a workshop series to be held at the University of Melbourne on March 15.

Titled “Conflict Transformation and Terrorism: Implications for Democracy”, the national workshop series will highlight the cycle of violence between terrorism and the state’s efforts to counter terrorism.

Professor Galtung founded the world’s first peace studies institute in Oslo in 1959 and is a consultant to several United Nations agencies. He has also played a key role in mediating major international conflicts and is currently the 2004 Hayden Williams Fellow at the Centre For Human Rights Education at Curtin University, WA.

Professor Galtung is extensively acclaimed in the academic field for his ideas on peace and his understanding of violence. His understanding of violence is not only direct physical harm but also as “violence caused by the way society is structured, which gives rise to discrimination, oppression, poverty, starvation, exploitation, and the violation of human rights”.

The workshop will focus on Galtung’s interpretation of conflict transformation as an alternative to the ongoing violence in regions such as Iraq and Afghanistan.

Similar workshops will be held in Sydney on March 16 and Brisbane on March 17. For more information see www.psych.unimelb.edu.au/icrc


WHAT: Conflict Transformation and Terrorism: Implications for Democracy.

WHEN: March 15, 2004.

WHO: Professor Johan Galtung, founder of International Peace Research Institute, Oslo.

WHERE: Grand Buffet Hall, Union Building, University of Melbourne.


MEDIA OPPORTUNITY:
Professor Gaultung will be available for media interviews on request. Call Rebecca Trott, Media officer, on 8344 7220 or 0416 193 577