Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE150100969
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$340,669.00
Summary
The Chaotic Transition from War to Peace in Soviet-Occupied Europe, 1945-53. Historians are struggling to understand the complexities of the chaotic and violent transition from war to peace in Soviet-occupied Europe after the second World War. This project seeks to apply an innovative methodology to newly declassified archival data so as to compare the experiences of social collapse, famine and reconstruction across this region. This broad comparative approach aims to address the unresolved ques ....The Chaotic Transition from War to Peace in Soviet-Occupied Europe, 1945-53. Historians are struggling to understand the complexities of the chaotic and violent transition from war to peace in Soviet-occupied Europe after the second World War. This project seeks to apply an innovative methodology to newly declassified archival data so as to compare the experiences of social collapse, famine and reconstruction across this region. This broad comparative approach aims to address the unresolved question of why violence against the Soviet state, culminating in insurgency, emerged in some areas and not others. The resulting publications have the potential to change the way we think about the effects of insurgency and counter-insurgency on post-war Soviet development. They will inform and reshape international debates on historical memory and state-building.Read moreRead less
Police corruption: an underestimated legitimacy and security risk. This project analyses police corruption in four states and makes recommendations for reducing it. While most states now recognise corruption as a problem, many are reluctant to address the issue of police corruption; yet when police officers collude with organised crime (for example, in drugs or arms trafficking), corruption can be a serious security risk.
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE220100622
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$371,340.00
Summary
Digital authoritarian practices and the 21st century autocrat. This project aims to examine the emerging digital practices of authoritarian regimes, generating new knowledge on authoritarianism through qualitative methods that are underused in cybersecurity research. It proposes to determine whether such ‘digital authoritarianism’ is a new and distinct phenomenon, or rather the transposition of offline authoritarian practices into the online space. Expected outcomes include enhanced understandin ....Digital authoritarian practices and the 21st century autocrat. This project aims to examine the emerging digital practices of authoritarian regimes, generating new knowledge on authoritarianism through qualitative methods that are underused in cybersecurity research. It proposes to determine whether such ‘digital authoritarianism’ is a new and distinct phenomenon, or rather the transposition of offline authoritarian practices into the online space. Expected outcomes include enhanced understanding of technology’s impacts on autocratic agendas and generating data that supports effective national security policy. This should create benefits such as (1) furthering knowledge on authoritarianism and (2) supporting evidence-based policies to respond to the authoritarian cyber threat.Read moreRead less
The corruption-organised crime nexus in four European states, with particular reference to people smuggling. Considering its importance to Australia, too little research is being done here on Europe. The EU alone accounts for c.40% of Australia's trade. Yet most research on Europe undertaken here is either historical (pre-1945) and/or of individual countries. Relatively little is in the social sciences. One benefit of this project is that it ensures that comparative social science research o ....The corruption-organised crime nexus in four European states, with particular reference to people smuggling. Considering its importance to Australia, too little research is being done here on Europe. The EU alone accounts for c.40% of Australia's trade. Yet most research on Europe undertaken here is either historical (pre-1945) and/or of individual countries. Relatively little is in the social sciences. One benefit of this project is that it ensures that comparative social science research on Europe is conducted in Australia. Second, Australia experiences many problems facing European states, albeit usually on a smaller scale. The potential benefits of learning vicariously from others' experiences are obvious. Third, this will enhance this country's expertise in this strategically important area. Read moreRead less
Gender after conflict: a gendered analysis of the international community's engagement in post-conflict zones. Efforts by the international community to transition post-conflict societies into peaceful democracies can be fraught with complex politics. This project seeks to examine the role that the international community's ideas and policies about gender have on the failures and successes of this transition.
A study of Australia's ability to train soldiers to be effective and ethical. This project addresses the ARC's priority goals Protecting Australia from Terrorism and Crime and Transformational Defence Technologies. In the fight against terrorism and as defence technologies evolve it is crucial to uphold the Australian military's ethical commitments and international reputation. Australian soldiers must be responsive to rapidly changing threats in ways that maintain the military's core ethical co ....A study of Australia's ability to train soldiers to be effective and ethical. This project addresses the ARC's priority goals Protecting Australia from Terrorism and Crime and Transformational Defence Technologies. In the fight against terrorism and as defence technologies evolve it is crucial to uphold the Australian military's ethical commitments and international reputation. Australian soldiers must be responsive to rapidly changing threats in ways that maintain the military's core ethical commitments. By assessing current military practices in light of these commitments this project enhances the military's ability to train soldiers to be effective and ethical fighters. The internationally important outcomes of this project will also enhance Australia's high standing in the area of applied ethics.Read moreRead less
Moral Injury and the Ethics of Military Conditioning . Military personnel undergo extensive conditioning in the name of combat effectiveness and resilience. The aim of this project is to determine whether any of the intended effects of this conditioning constitute "moral injuries", and to describe the ethical and policy implications if so. This will deepen our understanding of the ethics of military recruitment, training, and socialisation. The expected outcomes include a statement of the obliga ....Moral Injury and the Ethics of Military Conditioning . Military personnel undergo extensive conditioning in the name of combat effectiveness and resilience. The aim of this project is to determine whether any of the intended effects of this conditioning constitute "moral injuries", and to describe the ethical and policy implications if so. This will deepen our understanding of the ethics of military recruitment, training, and socialisation. The expected outcomes include a statement of the obligations owed to professional soldiers on account of the potential for moral injury in preparing them for deployment. This will enhance Australia’s reputation for being ethically proactive and for taking a holistic approach to the welfare of its military servicemen and women.Read moreRead less
Special Research Initiatives - Grant ID: SR0354509
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$20,000.00
Summary
China's Asia-Pacific Century: Enhancing Australia's Engagement. The emerging regional economic sphere of China, Taiwan and Hong Kong, encompassing close to a quarter of humankind, is fast becoming one of the world's two major powerhouses--and a potential locus for international conflict. Australia contains a very large and robust field of hundreds of modern China specialists--as many as all of Europe--but we are very spread out geographically and divided among twenty disciplines. There is a pate ....China's Asia-Pacific Century: Enhancing Australia's Engagement. The emerging regional economic sphere of China, Taiwan and Hong Kong, encompassing close to a quarter of humankind, is fast becoming one of the world's two major powerhouses--and a potential locus for international conflict. Australia contains a very large and robust field of hundreds of modern China specialists--as many as all of Europe--but we are very spread out geographically and divided among twenty disciplines. There is a patent, felt need for concerted, collaborative, multi-disciplinary research and analysis, as a wide range of important potential synergies exist.Read moreRead less
Electro-Optical Primers for Safe Use and Clean Manufacturing. Conventional primers contain a mechanically-sensitive primary explosive that is used to detonate the more stable propellant in a bullet. This project aims to address the health and environmental impacts of heavy metals in current primers by replacing them with benign, electrically or optically activated silicon-based materials. Modern semiconductor fabrication techniques will be used to develop safe and clean primers through cost-effe ....Electro-Optical Primers for Safe Use and Clean Manufacturing. Conventional primers contain a mechanically-sensitive primary explosive that is used to detonate the more stable propellant in a bullet. This project aims to address the health and environmental impacts of heavy metals in current primers by replacing them with benign, electrically or optically activated silicon-based materials. Modern semiconductor fabrication techniques will be used to develop safe and clean primers through cost-effective doping and deposition protocols. The expected outcomes of the project include a sovereign primer manufacturing capability for Australia. This will provide a significant strategic advantage and health benefits for law enforcement and defence personnel during live fire training and firing range exercises.Read moreRead less
Civilian Protection and the Use of Force in UN Peacekeeping Operations. This project seeks to evaluate the use of force to protect civilians in United Nations peacekeeping. United Nations peacekeepers are on the frontline of efforts to protect civilians from violence. More than 100 were killed in 2014. Hundreds of thousands of civilians depend on peacekeepers for their safety. To date, however, there has been little systematic evaluation of the impact of the use of force for civilian protection ....Civilian Protection and the Use of Force in UN Peacekeeping Operations. This project seeks to evaluate the use of force to protect civilians in United Nations peacekeeping. United Nations peacekeepers are on the frontline of efforts to protect civilians from violence. More than 100 were killed in 2014. Hundreds of thousands of civilians depend on peacekeepers for their safety. To date, however, there has been little systematic evaluation of the impact of the use of force for civilian protection mandates on both immediate protection goals and the wider goals of peacekeeping. This project aims to assess the impact of the implementation of mandates to use force to protect civilians. Through a focused comparison of six missions, it plans to identify what works, what doesn't, and the factors which determine these outcomes in order to identify ways of improving performance in the future.Read moreRead less