The US Studies Centre together with Sydney Ideas and Seymour Centre presented a panel discussion following a performance of Grounded, a play by George Brant. Dr David Smith moderated the panel discussion, which explored the themes of Grounded with a discussion of the issues as they are happening now: as women take on increasingly prominent roles in war, has military culture changed to reflect this new reality? How has the use of drones, so popular in the United States but so hated elsewhere, affected the way the US fights wars? How do drone pilots cope - or fail to cope - with the huge ethical dilemmas they encounter in their jobs?
Professor Megan H. MacKenzie
Professor and Simons Chair in International Law and Human Security, Simon Fraser University
Megan MacKenzie is Professor and Simons Chair in International Law and Human Security at Simon Fraser University. She was previously a non-resident fellow at the United States Studies Centre and a Professor of Gender and War at the University of Sydney.
Dr Jennifer Hunt
Lecturer in Security Studies, Macquarie University
Dr Jennifer S. Hunt is a lecturer in security studies at Macquarie University. She was formerly a Non-Resident Fellow at the United States Studies Centre. Dr Hunt has published on comparative national security policy of cyber and energy issues in the United States, Australia and the Arab Gulf. She has served as a delegate at the Shangri-la Security Dialogue and attended the World Economic Forum at Abu Dhabi.
Associate Professor David Smith
Associate Professor in American Politics and Foreign Policy, United States Studies Centre (jointly appointed with the School of Social and Political Sciences, University of Sydney)
David Smith is jointly appointed between the US Studies Centre and the School of Social and Political Sciences at the University of Sydney. His research examines political relations between states and minorities, with a focus on religion in the US. His book Religious Persecution and Political Order in the United States was published by Cambridge University Press in 2015.
