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Derek Harvey, Ph.D.

Citizenship Initiative to host ‘modern warfare’ conference
[02.18.2014]

TAMPA, Fla. – The Citizenship Initiative at University of South Florida College of Arts and Sciences will be hosting an impressive conference Feb. 18-19. “Modern Warfare’s Complexity and the Human Dimension: Implications for Policymakers, Warfighters, NGOs and the Private Sector” will feature an exciting lineup of presenters.

The conference will be held at the Patel Center for Global Solutions at the USF Tampa campus and will be free and open to the public.

The scheduled keynote speaker for the event will be U.S. Army Maj. Gen. John Nicholson Jr., commanding general of the 82nd Airborne Division.

The conference also will host more than 20 distinguished panelists and speakers, including experts and practitioners. These guests will share valuable insights based on their numerous experiences within the field of international affairs.

During a span of two days, six panels will be conducted on current topics including:

• The Nature of War in the 21st Century
• Understanding the Human Domain’s Implications in Contemporary Warfare
• Shadow Organizations and their (Criminal, Narcotics, Terrorist) Impact on Instability and Conflict
• The Prospects For Counterinsurgency, Stability Operations, and Peacekeeping After Iraq and Afghanistan
• State Building, Social Change and Development in Crisis-Torn Societies
• Lessons From Iraq and Afghanistan: Shaping Responses To Emerging 21st Century Challenges

In a world where decision making is becoming more difficult as the world becomes more complex, the panels aim to inform consumers about the dynamics that contribute to conflicts and issues.

“There’s a need to better understand the human dimension in these environments in where we operate,” said Derek Harvey, Ph.D., director of research and strategy at the Citizenship Initiative.

The event also intends to contribute to the intellectual enterprise of USF, giving it a leading role within the global stage. Students are strongly encouraged to attend.

“We’re hoping to gain perspective, assess sort of where we are in some of the areas with these issues, create common understanding of the challenges were having and contribute to networking,” said Harvey, a retired U.S. Army Colonel and former director of the Afghanistan-Pakistan Center of Excellence at U.S. Central Command. “We anticipate having some lines of work and cooperative research efforts to come out of this.”

The conference is sponsored by the Citizenship Initiative, a College of Arts and Sciences enterprise dedicated to re-imagining the idea of citizenship by using an interdisciplinary approach to examine the factors that influence issues within civil society to inform international decision makers.

For more information about this event, please visit the conference’s website

-USF-

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