MEETING OF THE MINDS AT BOND A LANDMARK SUCCESS

DR DANIELLE Ireland-Piper (pictured center) believes great legal revelations begin not in secluded practice, but within an open environment of discussion and shared ideas.

As co-convenors of the Transnational International and Comparative Law and Policy (TICLP) Network, Associate Professors Dr Ireland-Piper and Leon Wolff sought to give credence to this concept by hosting the inaugural Global Order and Disorder Conference.

Many of the world's keenest minds across various fields including global governance, law, international relations and political science presented their ideas across two days at Bond University.

According to Dr Ireland-Piper the conference considered a variety of unique perspectives as to how governance and regulation should respond to global order and disorder in the 21st Century.

"The overarching purpose of this conference was to have an interdisciplinary exchange, with the objective of considering Australia's position in the Asian century going forward," says Dr Ireland-Piper.

"Through exchanging our ideas with people who represent different areas of expertise and in having our individual paradigms challenged, we end up having a better understanding of our own practice."

A number of local and international experts addressed the forum including Dr Susan Bird of Deakin University, Dr Michael Stürner from the University of Konstanz and Monash University's Douglas Guilfoyle.

Dr Anthony Cassimatis of the University of Queensland delivered the keynote address which looked at world events including Russia's invasion of the Ukraine and China's maritime claims within the South China Sea and how the rest of the world has responded within international law. 

"These types of major world conflicts and incidents have been the motivators for our discussions here," says Dr Ireland-Piper.

"By talking in depth to other practitioners, philosophers, political scientists and lawyers, there is certainly cause for optimism as to how we respond to these events."

Bond University students Timothy Noonan and Keith Sypott also offered views from their award-winning papers respectively on arbitration in the South China Sea and the legality of depleted uranium munitions under humanitarian law. 

The TICLP Network (pictured below) are already setting sights toward next year's event following the success of the first, inviting anyone with an interest in global affairs to become involved in a number of research and practical projects in the lead up.