The Military Instrument - Theory and Practice
Tue 6 Jun 2023 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM
Norwich School, NR1 4DD
Description
Seventeenth Norfolk Cambridge Society Lecture
Lieutenant General Douglas McKenzie Chalmers, CB, DSO, OBE
The proposition that force and threats of force are a necessary instrument of diplomacy and have a role to play in foreign policy is part of the conventional wisdom of statecraft. History, and recent experience, support the view that efforts to deal with conflicts between states solely by means of peaceful diplomacy do not always succeed. Sometimes force can only be countered by force, or the threat of force, and its use is not as discretionary as we might like to believe. These observations have been studied for centuries, leaving us with a deep and rich canon of research and resulting principles and theories. Most seek to balance the risks of using force against the gamble of not doing so. The literature informs but leaves us pondering a central question in the theory and practice of foreign policy; how ready must one be to use or threaten force to avoid war and what are the pitfalls to watch for when one does?
In the Seventeenth Norfolk Cambridge Society Public Lecture, General Chalmers will address these questions and many others relevant to the theory and practice of using military force. Examples will be drawn both from historic conflicts and today's situation in Ukraine. Douglas Chalmers is a former British Army officer who served as Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff (Military Strategy & Operations) from 2018 to 2021. He is currently Master of Emmanuel College, Cambridge. He joined the British Army in 1984 as a private and was commissioned into the Royal Irish Rangers in October 1986. He became commanding officer of the 2nd Battalion, Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment in July 2007 and, in that role, was deployed to Helmand Province, Afghanistan. He went on to become commander of the 12th Mechanised Brigade in October 2011 and was deployed as commander of Task Force Helmand in April 2012. In October 2013 he became the Chief of the Defence Staff's Liaison Officer to the US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and, in August 2014, Assistant Chief of Staff (Operations) at Permanent Joint Headquarters.
General Chalmers was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland and educated at Reddam House, Berkshire. Later he was awarded an MA from the United States Army's School of Advanced Military Studies and an MPhil from Trinity Hall, Cambridge.
The price includes a glass of wine or a soft drink, which will be served after the lecture.
Please note that tickets can only be bought by adults. If you are a sixth former, please arrange for your parents or a teacher to buy the tickets on your behalf, as you must be accompanied by an adult at the lecture. If this is not possible for you, we can arrange for a Norwich School staff member attending the lecture to act in loco parentis. Please contact us using the 'Contact the event organiser' button if you need this to happen or if you have any other questions.
Location
Norwich School, NR1 4DD