Gareth Evans

Humanitas Visiting Professorship in Statecraft and Diplomacy (2012-2013)

The Humanitas Visiting Professorship in Statecraft and Diplomacy is one of the leading voices in the field of international relations and development at the University of Cambridge. Ambitious in its scope, the initiative holds Visiting Professorships that bring individuals of unrivalled international eminence and experience to give students, scholars, and members of the general public unique insight into the issues facing the world today.

The Visiting Professorship in Statecraft and Diplomacy has been made possible by the generous support of Angelika Diekmann and is hosted by Pembroke College, Cambridge.

Gareth Evans is the former President of the International Crisis Group and former Foreign Minister of Australia.

Gareth Evans’ opening lecture, Ending Deadly Conflict: An Impossible Dream?, tackles the question of how feasible the notion of ending deadly conflict is. He explains why – at the risk of being considered naive – he is still an optimist about international affairs.

His second lecture, Ending Mass Atrocity Crimes: A Hopeless Dream?,addresses the issue of mass atrocity crimes and argues in favour of the growing efficacy of the ‘Responsibility to Protect’ policy.

The third event of the series, Eliminating Nuclear Weapons: An Impossible Dream?, asks the question of whether eradicating nuclear weapons is impossible. Evan acknowledges that the idea of disarmament no longer resonates with policy-makers or the public as it did in earlier decades. This he attributes to complacency. In his estimation, nuclear deterrence is a highly dubious utility in maintaining a stable peace and therefore the need to build the political will to outlaw such weapons is paramount.