Australia's international history in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries is frequently marked by conflict: right through to the present day, decisions to wage war of one type or another punctuate national life.  This course will examine the record  in terms of the implications it has for, and the insights it gives into, the country's role as a political actor. Accordingly, in the first instance, the focus will be on Australian policy with respect to major wars - the First World War, Second World War, Vietnam War, Gulf War of 1990–91 and the post 9-11 wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Within this perspective, particular attention will be paid to both Australia's alliance relationship with the United States of America, and its concepts of peace - in which name, presumably, the former are established, and ultimately, the wars were fought. Attention will then turn to what many see is the principal security pre-occupation of Australian foreign policy in the post-Cold war era - namely the global war on terror.

To provide critical, political understandings of the rationales for the most important decisions Australian Governments have taken - namely, the decisions to order the nation to war in the name of self-defence, and hence, to order the people to fight, to kill and perhaps to die.

2,500 word essay (50%), two-hour examination (50%) or a take-home final assignment (50%).

1 x two hour lecture and one tutorial per week.

Lectures are not taped.

Two first-year courses in Political Science, or with the permission of the lecturer.