Gaza strikes a hot topic at uni summer school

January 12, 2009

Gaza strikes a hot topic at uni summer school

Israel’s military campaign against Hamas has provided extra fodder for Waikato University’s summer school course on Politics and Violence.

Senior lecturer Dr Ron Smith, from the university’s Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, says while there’s always some conflict in the world to discuss during the annual course, the Gaza situation is a big talking point this year.

Dr Smith, who specialises in violence and politics, and the moral and legal aspects of war, says war may be universally condemned, but it’s a phenomenon that’s not going away. His Waikato University summer school course aims to help people assess these situations and understand the international human law that covers those using political violence. The course, which runs until mid-February, has attracted more than 50 people, from current university students in their 20s to people in their 40s and 50s, and all from a wide range of nationalities.

“We talk a lot in this course about what is a just war and just means, and about the principles of war,” Dr Smith says.

War is often an issue of proportion, he says. “Look at the Falklands War. It cost billions of pounds and a thousand lives for the sake of 1800 British citizens. Some people take the view that this wasn’t justifiable on the grounds of proportion.”

Dr Smith says the present Gaza conflict is also an issue of proportion. “We understand people will be killed and there will be damage and human misery and human losses but we persuade ourselves that it’s worth it because some good end is being achieved.

“It’s about proportion in relation to the aim – certainly if you are killing civilians without justification it’s a major problem.”

Dr Smith believes Israel is not aiming for occupation, rather to bring down the Hamas Government in the hope that Fatah rule will return. “If there was a restoration of Fatah then you would have some people in charge who would be more acquiescent about the two-state solution, whereas Hamas wants the whole of Palestine.”

His course also looks at the media’s role in war. “In Gaza, the Palestinians can’t compete with the Israeli firepower, but they work through the media. A Palestinian spokesman will talk about the strikes killing their women and children. It’s a different kind of war, done through the media.”

Waikato University’s annual summer school offers dozens of courses between early January and late February. This year, courses range from voice training to Maori fibre arts and a theatre production of Pride and Prejudice.

ENDS

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