Defeating terrorism - David Kilcullen to speak at UNSW

One of the world's leading counter-insurgency experts, Dr David Kilcullen, will deliver the annual Wallace Wurth Memorial Lecture at the University of New South Wales next week (Thursday, 3 September).

Dr Kilcullen will outline the challenges of defeating a resurgent Taliban in Afghanistan and NATO's new strategy to prevent the country again becoming a haven for international terrorism.

Recently appointed as senior adviser to General Stanley McChrystal, the commander of US and NATO forces in Afghanistan, Dr Kilcullen has served as special adviser for counter-insurgency to former US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and General David Patraeus in Iraq.

He warns that Australia and its allies face at least another 10 years in Afghanistan to defeat the insurgency and establish the rule of law.

The Taliban's goal is to wear down the Coalition, both on the ground in Afghanistan and on the home front, he says.

"Their tactic is to discredit, exhaust and inherit: they want to discredit the efforts of the Afghan government and international community; they want to exhaust us and have us withdraw in disarray; and then they want to inherit what's left."

The Wallace Wurth Memorial lecture is UNSW's flagship public lecture series named after the first Chancellor of the University, Wallace Charles Wurth.

What: Free public lecture - Wallace Wurth Memorial Address with Dr David KilcullenWhen: Thursday 3 September, 6.30pmWhere: John Niland Scientia Building, UNSW Kensington campusRSVP essential. Please RSVP online at www.rsvp.unsw.edu.au or call (02) 9385 8026

#Dr Kilcullen's lecture is also the keynote address for the symposium Catalysing the Rule of Law in Afghanistan: Challenges and Opportunities, (3-4 September, UNSW Faculty of Law) co-sponsored by the Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies of Law and the Asia Pacific Civil-Military Centre for Excellence.

Media contact: Steve Offner | 02 9385 8107 | s.offner@unsw.edu.au