Centre for Arab & Islamic Studies (The Middle East & Central Asia)

The Afghanistan Conflict: Australia’s Role

22-23 October 2009

PROGRAM

ANU COLLEGE OF ARTS & SOCIAL SCIENCES The Afghanistan Conflict: Australia’s Role International Conference 22-23 October 2009 THE AFGHANISTAN CONFLICT: AUSTRALIA’S ROLE The Common Room 22-23 October 2009

University House The Common Room, University House, Balmain Crescent, The Australian National Balmain Crescent University The Australian National University ACT 0200 DRAFT PROGRAM * Thursday, 22 October AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY - MAP REFERENCE 8.00 Registration

8.40 – 8.45 Welcome Professor Amin Saikal, Director, Centre for Arab and Islamic Studies (The Middle East and Central Asia), ANU

8.45 – 9.00 Conference Opening The Hon. Warren Snowdon, MP, Minister for Indigenous Health, Rural and Regional Health, and Regional Services Delivery, and Member of the CAIS Advisory Board

9.00-10.00 Keynote Address The Hon. Dr Mike Kelly, Parliamentary Secretary for Defence (representing The Hon Kevin Rudd, Prime Minister of Australia)

10.00-10.30 Coffee/Tea

10.30 – 12.30 Session I: Australian Approach

(a) The Strategic Significance of Afghanistan for Australia Mr Ric Smith, Australian Special Envoy to Pakistan and Afghanistan

(b) Australia’s Military Objectives Lt General Mark Evans, Commander Joint Operations, PARKING Very limited free parking is available at University House (check with reception on arrival). The (c) Comments alternative is on-campus paid parking. The nearest would be the Gordon St. carpark. Please be aware, that Major General (Retired) all parking at ANU is quite limited. http://transport.anu.edu.au/index.php?pid=93. CONFERENCE DINNER Chair: Professor Amin Saikal The conference dinner will be held on Thursday 22 October, 7 pm at University House. The cost is $65 and this includes drinks. 12.30 – 1.30 Lunch CATERING If you have any special dietary requirements please email Mrs Carol Laslett ([email protected]).

* Please note there may be unavoidable changes to this program 1.30 – 3.30 Session II: International Approach

Friday, 23 October (a) US and NATO Strategy HE Ambassador Karl Eikenberry, US Ambassador to Afghanistan, and former Deputy-Commander of NATO 8.30 Registrations

(b) UN: Successes and Shortcomings HE Ambassador Klaus-Peter Klaiber, German 9.00 – 10.30 Session IV: Strategy and Reconstruction Ambassador-at-Large and former EU Special Envoy for (a) Australia’s Regional Approach Afghanistan Senator Russell Trood, Australian Parliament (c) What has gone wrong with NATO’S Strategy? (b) Australian Aid Program to Afghanistan Professor Hugh White, Strategic and Defence Studies Ms Catherine Walker, Deputy Director General, Centre, The Australian National University Australian Agency for International Development

(AusAID) Chair: Ms Virginia Haussegger, Australian Broadcasting Corporation (c) The New City of Kabul H.E. Mr Mahmoud Saikal, former Afghan Deputy 3.30 – 4.00 Coffee/Tea Foreign Minister and former Ambassador to Australia

4.00 – 5.30 Session III: Insurgency Chair: Professor Wolfgang F. Danspeckgruber, Liechtenstein Institute on Self-Determination (a) Afghanistan’s Counter-insurgency Policy: at Princeton University Combatting Narcotics General Mohammad Dawood Daud, Deputy Minister of Interior, The Islamic Republic of Afghanistan 10.30 – 11.00 Coffee/tea

(b) The Strength of the Insurgency? 11.00 – 12.30 Session V: Aid and Reconstruction Mr Paul McGeough, The Sydney Morning Herald (a) Reconstruction: The Role of the European Union (c) Islam, Ethnicity and Insurgency Professor Wolfgang F. Danspeckgruber, Professor Nazif Shahrani, Professor of Anthropology Liechtenstein Institute on Self-Determination and Central Asian Studies, Indiana University at Princeton University

Chair: Professor Jim Piscatori, Centre for Arab and (b) Reconstruction: A Critical Assessment Islamic Studies (The Middle East and Central Asia), Professor William Maley, Asia-Pacific College of ANU Diplomacy, Australian National University

Chair: HE Mr Amanullah Jayhoon, Ambassador of the 7.00 Conference Dinner University House - The Common Room Islamic Republic of Afghanistan in Australia

Dinner Speaker: Dr Paul Dibb Professor Emeritus, Strategic and Defence Studies 12.30 – 1.30 Lunch Centre, and Former Deputy Secretary, Australian Department of Defence 1.30 – 3.00 Session VI: Gender and Social Justice in Afghanistan The Afghanistan Conflict: Ms Beth Eggleston, Oxfam Australia Australia’s Role Ms Virginia Haussegger, Australian Broadcasting Corporation 22-23 October 2009

Ms Mahboba Rawi, Mahboba’s Promise The Common Room University House Comments: Dr Samina Yasmeen, Centre for Muslim Balmain Crescent States and Societies, University of Western Australia The Australian National University Chair: Mr Nematullah Bizhan, CAIS Research Scholar CANBERRA ACT 0200 and former Head of Afghanistan National Development Strategy Monitoring and Evaluation

3.00 – 3.20 Coffee/tea CONTACT US

3.20 – 4.30 Session VII: Australian Media Coverage of the Afghanistan Mrs Carol Laslett Conflict, and Public Opinion Centre for Arab and Islamic Studies Mr Tom Hyland, The Sunday Age (The Middle East and Central Asia) T: +61 2 6125 1061 or +61 2 6125 4982 Associate Professor Kevin Foster, Monash University F: +61 2 6125 5410 Ms Sally Neighbour, Journalist and Media Presenter E: [email protected] or [email protected]

Chair: Adjunct Professor Robert Bowker, Centre for Arab and Islamic Studies, ANU and former Australian Ambassador to Egypt CONVENOR

Professor Amin Saikal, Director, Centre for Arab and Islamic Studies, ANU 4.30 – 5.15 Concluding Session (a) Future Scenarios

A/Professor Abdulkader Sinno, Political Science and We gratefully acknowledge our sponsors: Middle Eastern Studies, Indiana University

(b) Concluding remarks

Professor James Piscatori

Professor Amin Saikal

Chair: Dr Matthew Gray, Centre for Arab and Islamic Studies, ANU

Photos of Australian troops courtesy of Department of Defence

CRICOS #00120C