Paul Dibb AM has had an extraordinary career. He enjoys an international scholarly reputation of the highest order, while at the same time he has done much distinguished public service. He was a pioneer in moving back and forth between posts in government departments, notably the Department of Defence, and academia. He began as a student of Soviet economic geography, and then spent nearly two decades in Australian Defence intelligence, including service as Head of the National Assessments Staff (NAS) in the Joint Intelligence Organisation (JIO) from 1974 to 1978, Deputy Director of JIO in 1978–80, Director of JIO in 1986–88, and Deputy Secretary of Defence (Strategy and Intelligence) in 1988–91, before becoming a Professor in the Strategic and Defence Studies Centre (SDSC) at The Australian National University (where he is now an Emeritus Professor). He has been quite happy to engage in vigorous public debate about important and controversial strategic and defence issues, giving him a high public profile. The contributors include two former Chancellors of ANU, one a former Minister of Defence, and the other a former Secretary of the Department of Defence, a former Chief of the Defence Force (CDF), and other former senior officials, as well as academic specialists in geography, international relations, and strategic and defence studies. ‘This would be a high-quality set of essays for any edited volume, but for a festschrift – a genre that sometimes generates uneven collections – this is an exceptional assembly. The individual pieces are very good; together, they have coherence and power.’ – Professor Ian Hall, Professor of International Relations, Griffith University

There is a vast literature on the principles of public administration and good governance, and no shortage of theoreticians, practitioners and donors eager to push for public sector reform, especially in less-developed countries. Papua New Guinea has had its share of public sector reforms, frequently under the influence of multinational agencies and aid donors. Yet there seems to be a general consensus, both within and outside Papua New Guinea, that policy making and implementation have fallen short of expectations, that there has been a failure to achieve 'good governance'. This volume, which brings together a number of Papua New Guinean and Australian-based scholars and practitioners with deep familiarity of policy making in Papua New Guinea, examines the record of policy making and implementation in Papua New Guinea since independence. It reviews the history of public sector reform in Papua New Guinea, and provides case studies of policy making and implementation in a number of areas, including the economy, agriculture, mineral development, health, education, lands, environment, forestry, decentralization, law and order, defence, women and foreign affairs, privatization, and AIDS. Policy is continuously evolving, but this study documents the processes of policy making and implementation over a number of years, with the hope that a better understanding of past successes and failures will contribute to improved governance in the future.

This volume commemorates the 50th anniversary of the Strategic and Defence Studies Centre (SDSC). The Centre is Australia’s largest body of scholars dedicated to the analysis of the use of armed force in its political context and one of the earliest generation of post-World War II research institutions on strategic affairs. The book features chapters replete with stories of university politics, internal SDSC activities, cooperation among people with different social and political values, and conflicts between others, as well as the Centre’s public achievements. It also details the evolution of strategic studies in Australia and the contribution of academia and defence intellectuals to national defence policy.

An authoritative, up-to-date examination of the national security and defense policies of 50 influential nations and regions across the globe. Defense and Security: A Compendium of National Armed Forces and Security Policies presents highly readable, authoritative essays profiling the defense and security policies of over 50 individual countries and regions, with a focus on present-day developments. Written by leading national and international scholars and edited by eminent political science experts Karl DeRouen and Uk Heo, the essays take an in-depth look at each nation's current security situation, defense spending, present and potential military confrontations, civil–military relations, alliances, relations to terrorism, and other topics of importance. Historical events and conflicts are highlighted as well, with emphasis on the post–Cold War era. The essays are parallel in structure, allowing readers to pinpoint similarities and draw comparisons among nations. The two-volume set also includes a detailed introduction featuring a cross-national comparison.

Although it receives much less attention than better known disarmament processes, the destruction of small arms is reshaping the military arsenals of the world. Out of roughly 200 modern military small arms world-wide, about 500,000 are destroyed every year. The commitment of major governments and international organizations makes small arms destruction is a permanent addition to the global disarmament repertoire. But the prospects for greater military small arms disarmament may be declining, as war in Afghanistan and Iraq create unprecedented demand for second-hand weaponry. Inconspicuous disarmament of small arms and ammunition is reshaping the global picture of firearms, light weapons and ammunition. The process is far from comprehensive, but much more than cosmetic. Small arms destruction is here to stay, but its contributions may be fleeting. This book is the first full-length examination of the issue. The case studies in this volume examine the politics of military small arms disarmament. When, they ask, is surplus destruction most likely? And what can be done to make destruction more likely and more effective? Case studies examine small arms destruction by NATO and the OSCE, and in Bulgaria, Cambodia, Germany, Kazakhstan, Papua New Guinea, Romania, Serbia, Ukraine and others. This book was published as a special issue of Contemporary Security Policy.

An authoritative, up-to-date examination of the national security and defense policies of 50 influential nations and regions across the globe. Defense and Security: A Compendium of National Armed Forces and Security Policies presents highly readable, authoritative essays profiling the defense and security policies of over 50 individual countries and regions, with a focus on present-day developments. Written by leading national and international scholars and edited by eminent political science experts Karl DeRouen and Uk Heo, the essays take an in-depth look at each nation's current security situation, defense spending, present and potential military confrontations, civil-military relations, alliances, relations to terrorism, and other topics of importance. Historical events and conflicts are highlighted as well, with emphasis on the post-Cold War era. The essays are parallel in structure, allowing readers to pinpoint similarities and draw comparisons among nations. The two-volume set also includes a detailed introduction featuring a cross-national comparison. Chapters cover defense spending and experiences with conflict for over 50 countries Forty distinguished contributors from different countries and institutions, including Ivelaw Griffith and John Henderson, who are world experts on the security situations in their areas of interest Two tables in each essay with basic security data for quick lookup Bibliographic information included for each entry