David Wright-Neville
Encyclopedia
Associate Professor David Peter Wright-Neville is an Australian academic, specialising in international relations
and terrorism
. He was Deputy Director of the Global Terrorism Research Centre and an Associate Professor of Politics in the School of Political and Social Inquiry at Monash University
until his resignation in 2009. He is one of Australia's most well-known commentators on terrorism. His contributions to discussions on terrorism regularly appear in Australian and overseas media In 2008, he was selected to participate in the Australia 2020 Summit
.
, Australia's peak intelligence agency. Until mid-2002, he was one of Australia's most senior terrorism analysts, primarily assessing and reporting on terrorist groups in Asia
. He continues to be consulted widely by Australian and foreign government agencies on terrorism-related issues.
. Since then, his work on security issues in Asia has been published widely.
His comments on a number of controversies in Australian politics have also attracted attention. In 2003, he supported his former colleague Andrew Wilkie
, who resigned from the Office of National Assessments
in protest against Australia's involvement in the Iraq War. Wright-Neville described Wilkie as "very competent, very capable and very trustworthy". In 2005, Wright-Neville publicly criticised the questioning of a Monash University politics student on the student's purchase of an academic text on terrorism. Wright-Neville alleged that the student had been unfairly targeted because of his Muslim background. Wright-Neville was also an outspoken critic of the Howard Government's treatment of Australian Guantanamo Bay inmate David Hicks
. In an article in Melbourne newspaper, The Age
, he described the treatment of Hicks as "outrageous in a human rights sense, and counterproductive from the perspective of counter-terrorism." He also described Hicks as "a sacrifice to the Bush administration".
In 2005 Wright-Neville and his colleagues Dr. Peter Lentini and Professor Gary Bouma
secured a grant from the Victorian state government to establish Australia's first academic centre dedicated to the study of terrorism and its root causes.
He resigned from Monash University in 2009.
International relations
International relations is the study of relationships between countries, including the roles of states, inter-governmental organizations , international nongovernmental organizations , non-governmental organizations and multinational corporations...
and terrorism
Terrorism
Terrorism is the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In the international community, however, terrorism has no universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition...
. He was Deputy Director of the Global Terrorism Research Centre and an Associate Professor of Politics in the School of Political and Social Inquiry at Monash University
Monash University
Monash University is a public university based in Melbourne, Victoria. It was founded in 1958 and is the second oldest university in the state. Monash is a member of Australia's Group of Eight and the ASAIHL....
until his resignation in 2009. He is one of Australia's most well-known commentators on terrorism. His contributions to discussions on terrorism regularly appear in Australian and overseas media In 2008, he was selected to participate in the Australia 2020 Summit
Australia 2020 Summit
The Australia 2020 Summit was a convention, referred to in Australian media as a summit, which was held on 19-20 April 2008 in Canberra, Australia, aiming to "help shape a long term strategy for the nation's future"...
.
Government intelligence career
Prior to entering academia, Wright-Neville worked as one of Australia's most senior government intelligence analysts in the Office of National AssessmentsOffice of National Assessments
The Office of National Assessments is an Australian intelligence agency. ONA was established by the Office of National Assessments Act 1977 as an independent body directly accountable to the Prime Minister of Australia...
, Australia's peak intelligence agency. Until mid-2002, he was one of Australia's most senior terrorism analysts, primarily assessing and reporting on terrorist groups in Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
. He continues to be consulted widely by Australian and foreign government agencies on terrorism-related issues.
Academia
In 2002, Wright-Neville returned to teaching, accepting a position in Department of Politics at Monash UniversityMonash University
Monash University is a public university based in Melbourne, Victoria. It was founded in 1958 and is the second oldest university in the state. Monash is a member of Australia's Group of Eight and the ASAIHL....
. Since then, his work on security issues in Asia has been published widely.
His comments on a number of controversies in Australian politics have also attracted attention. In 2003, he supported his former colleague Andrew Wilkie
Andrew Wilkie
Andrew Damien Wilkie is an Australian politician and independent federal member for Denison...
, who resigned from the Office of National Assessments
Office of National Assessments
The Office of National Assessments is an Australian intelligence agency. ONA was established by the Office of National Assessments Act 1977 as an independent body directly accountable to the Prime Minister of Australia...
in protest against Australia's involvement in the Iraq War. Wright-Neville described Wilkie as "very competent, very capable and very trustworthy". In 2005, Wright-Neville publicly criticised the questioning of a Monash University politics student on the student's purchase of an academic text on terrorism. Wright-Neville alleged that the student had been unfairly targeted because of his Muslim background. Wright-Neville was also an outspoken critic of the Howard Government's treatment of Australian Guantanamo Bay inmate David Hicks
David Hicks
David Matthew Hicks is an Australian who was convicted by the United States of America Guantanamo Military Commission under the Military Commissions Act of 2006, on charges of providing material support for terrorism...
. In an article in Melbourne newspaper, The Age
The Age
The Age is a daily broadsheet newspaper, which has been published in Melbourne, Australia since 1854. Owned and published by Fairfax Media, The Age primarily serves Victoria, but is also available for purchase in Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territory and border regions of South Australia and...
, he described the treatment of Hicks as "outrageous in a human rights sense, and counterproductive from the perspective of counter-terrorism." He also described Hicks as "a sacrifice to the Bush administration".
In 2005 Wright-Neville and his colleagues Dr. Peter Lentini and Professor Gary Bouma
Gary Bouma
Gary Bouma is an author and a professor of sociology at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia. He was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan and is a citizen of both the United States and Australia. His primary research interests have been related to the topics of multiculturalism and religious...
secured a grant from the Victorian state government to establish Australia's first academic centre dedicated to the study of terrorism and its root causes.
He resigned from Monash University in 2009.
Selected publications
Some of Wright-Neville's major publications include:- David Wright-Neville, Sharon Pickering and Jude McCulloch 'Counter-Terrorism Policing in Diverse Communities' (Springer 2008)
- David Wright-Neville ‘Terrorism’ in R. Devetak, A. Burke and J. George (eds.) An Introduction to International Relations: Australian Perspectives (Cambridge University Press 2007)
- David Wright-Neville ‘Southeast Asian Security Challenges’ in R. Ayson and D. Ball (eds.) Strategy and Security in the Asia Pacific (Allen and Unwin 2006)
- David Wright-Neville ‘Terrorism as the Politics of Dashed Expectations’ Dialogue: Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia Vol.25 No.3. 2006
- David Wright-Neville ‘Dangerous Dynamics: Activists, Militants and terrorists in Southeast Asia’ Pacific Review Vol.17 No.1 2004
- David Wright-Neville, Pete Lentini & Marika Vicziany, Regional Security in the Asia Pacific: 9/11 and After (Edward Elgar , 2004).
- David Wright-Neville, 'Globalization and Terrorism: The Southeast Asian Experience' in Chris Nyland and Gloria Davies (eds.) Globalization: The Asian Experience London (Edward Elgar, 2004).
- David Wright-Neville, 'East Asia and the War on Terror: Why Human Rights Matter' in Paul Van Tongren (ed.) Searching for Peace in East Asia (Lynne Reiner Publishers, 2004).