Reading Lecturer travels to Israel to study threat of terrorism

Friday, 20 November 2009

Dr Barnidge in Israel

Dr Robert P. Barnidge Jr, Lecturer in the School of Law at the University, was accepted to attend "Defending Democracy, Defeating Terrorism," the Foundation for Defense of Democracies' fifth annual academic fellowship in Israel and the West Bank this summer.

The initial programme consisted of expert lectures by academics, diplomats and military officials from around the world on the latest trends in Islamist terrorism, interrogation techniques, legal issues surrounding the fight against terrorism, and related concerns in order to gain an insight into the latest trends in terrorists' ideologies, motives and operations. 

The second part of the programme involved field trips to government ministries and security and military installations throughout Israel and the West Bank which gave participants first-hand experience of security issues and the practical aspects of deterring terrorist threats. 

Dr Barnidge, whose area of expertise includes issues related to international law and terrorism, teaches undergraduate and postgraduate modules that deal with these issues and has published widely in the field. This summers' visit to the fellowship will enhance his teaching at Reading.

He is currently writing a paper that addresses the principle of proportionality under international humanitarian law, both generally and specifically in the context of Operation Cast Lead in Gaza, which took place between December 2008 and January 2009.  The paper will be included in an edited collection to be published under the auspices of the New Battlefields/Old Laws: From The Hague Conventions to Asymmetric Warfare project of the Institute for National Security and Counterterrorism at Syracuse University. 

The Foundation for Defense of Democracies is the only nonpartisan policy institute dedicated exclusively to promoting pluralism, defending democratic values, and fighting the ideologies that threaten democracy.