Kirby Seminar Series 2018

Wednesday, 10 October at 12pm

Lewis Seminar Room, W38 EBL Building

Dr Bruce Oswald

Dr Bruce ‘Ossie’ Oswald’s is a Professor at Melbourne Law School and the Director of the Asia Pacific Centre for Military Law. His interests in law and practice are in the areas of international humanitarian law, peace operations, state building, accountability and responsibility, and the application of human rights law to military operations.

Ossie has served in the Australian Regular Army as a legal officer. He has seen operations service in Rwanda, the Former Yugoslavia, East Timor, Iraq and Afghanistan. Ossie continues to serve as a Colonel in the Australian Army Reserves.

presents

The Use of Force in UN Peacekeeping Operations

The primary purpose of this seminar is to consider the legal framework governing the use of force in self-defence by UN peacekeepers. The seminar will begin by outlining the evolution of the doctrine of self-defence in UN peacekeeping operations; and will explain how this doctrine is applied today. Dr Oswald will then discuss several legal issues that arise from the UN’s approach to the use of force in self-defence and explain how this approach runs counter to the common law understanding of self-defence. Dr Oswald will explain how the differences between UN self-defence and common law self-defence raises several serious legal accountability issues for troop contributing countries.