The Perth USAsia Centre, the City of Perth Library, the United States Studies Centre and Boffins Books are delighted to invite you attend a compelling public discussion featuring James Brown, a former Australian Army officer who served in Iraq.
James Brown will discuss his piece in Australia's leading journal of politics, culture and debate, The Quarterly Essay. Going to war may be the gravest decision a nation and its leaders make. At the moment, Australia is at war with the Islamic State. We also live in a region that has become much more volatile, as China asserts itself and America seeks to hold the line. In his essay 'Firing Line: Australia's Path to War' James addresses these perennial questions: What is it like to go to war? How do we decide to go to war? Will we get that decision right?
Moderated by Gordon Flake, CEO, Perth USAsia Centre.
Copies of Quarterly Essay will be available for sale on the night.
Associate Professor James Brown is a former Australian Army officer who commanded a cavalry troop in southern Iraq, served on the Australian taskforce headquarters in Baghdad and was attached to Special Forces in Afghanistan. He is the Research Director and an Adjunct Associate Professor at the US Studies Centre, University of Sydney. He is the author of the acclaimed book Anzac's Long Shadow.
Quarterly Essay is an agenda-setting Australian journal of politics and culture. Each issue contains a single essay written at a length of about 25,000 words, followed by correspondence on previous essays.
Established in 2001, Quarterly Essay aims to present the widest range of political, intellectual and cultural opinion and to foster debate. It offers a forum for original long-form investigations, profiles and arguments.
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