Evening event: 'Geopolitical Challenges, International Law and the Role of Armed Forces' - Ian Park, UK Royal Navy

In-person event only

Summary: The world is facing profound geopolitical challenges.  Across the globe wars rage, societies fracture and tensions rise.  In our interconnected world few remain unaffected by the consequences of conflict.  In this talk, Ian Park considers contemporary geopolitical challenges and areas of future tension and critically assesses key weaknesses of states and how armed forces and international law might address these weaknesses.

Ian Park is a Commodore in the UK Royal Navy, a barrister and Head of Navy Legal. He has served in seven ships and deployed worldwide in support of the Royal Navy’s contribution to defence.  He has also deployed as a legal adviser on operations to Afghanistan and, on many occasions, to the Middle East.  Ian is a graduate of St. John’s College, Cambridge, has a doctorate in international law from Balliol College, Oxford and has lectured at Harvard Law School, Cambridge University, Oxford University, The Academy of Military Sciences, Beijing, Hanoi University, USSH Hanoi, and Freiburg University amongst other institutions.  Ian has written or contributed to five books including the monograph ‘The Right to Life in Armed Conflict’ (Oxford University Press, 2018) and presently teaches part-time at Yale Law School.

Chair: Prof Sandesh Sivakumaran, Centre Director