Time:2012/9/10 

On August 27 and 28, 2012, the 1st Joint Strategic Studies Seminar sponsored by the Department of War Studies, King’s College London and the Center of International and Strategic Studies, Peking University is held successfully at the School of International Studies, Peking University.

Three guest lecturers all come from the Department of War Studies at King’s College London. They are Andrew Lambert, Laughton Professor of Naval History, Joe Maiolo, Professor of International History, and Alessio Patalano, Lecturer in War Studies. James Barker, First Secretary of the British Embassy in China, military experts, scholars on strategic studies and many graduate students from various universities participate in the seminar. The event is moderated by Prof. Yu Tiejun, the deputy director of CISS.

The topic for the first session of the seminar is the Falklands War 30 years on. Prof. Maiolo analyzes the intelligence or warming failure in the Falklands, and points out that the warming failure could be mainly ascribed to political reasons rather than merely military false. Prof. Lambert stresses on why and how Britain fought the war, especially the role of British Navy in the combat. Finally, Dr. Patalano gives a report on the meaning of the Falklands War in the East Asia from a Japanese perspective. The deep case study of the Falklands War represents a British approach of strategic studies. After the presentation, scholars discuss about the strategic meaning of islands, tactics in the war, cooperation between Britain and the United States, and the influence of the war upon Japan’s naval strategy.

The second session is about naval rivalries and world orders. Prof. Lambert gives a lecture on 200 years of Anglo‐American relations and highlights the difference between Britain as a sea power and the US as a continental power. Prof. Maiolo introduces the establishment, maintaining and collapse of the naval arms control system between the First and Second World War. Dr. Patalano talks about naval races and regional order in the pacific by analyzing the rise of Japanese Empire in the first half of the 20th century. In the roundtable discussion, scholars exchange their opinion on the conception of sea power, the peaceful power transition and relevant issues.

In the last session, scholars from both sides introduce their war studies experience and give suggestions on the military education. They also talk about the interaction between the military and civilian education and the future academic cooperation between the School of International Studies, PKU and King’s College London. Scholars think high of this transnational academic communication and look forward to the 2nd joint strategic studies seminar that will be held next year.