Weapons of Mass Destruction: Maintaining the Rage

The lecture was a joint presentation between The Australian National University and The Lowy Institute for International Policy. Over the last decade there has been a serious, and dangerous, loss of momentum and direction in disarmament and non-proliferation efforts. The Chemical Weapons Convention – for whose conclusion and implementation John Gee worked so tirelessly and brilliantly - shows what is achievable. Nuclear weapons cannot be uninvented, but they can be outlawed - as chemical and biological weapons have been - and their use made unthinkable. But that will require from the world's decision-makers an intelligent understanding of present dangers, creative new policy thinking, and above all an end to hypocrisy and double standards. Dr John Gee Memorial Lecture Dr John Gee served with distinction as an Australian diplomat in a number of countries. His greatest contribution, however, was in the field of disarmament, where he had a particular interest in chemical weapons. After a period as a Commissioner on the United Nations Special Commission on Iraq following the first Gulf War, he became Deputy Director-General of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons in The Hague, serving there until 2003. In recognition of his achievements, Dr Gee was made a member of the Order of Australia in January 2007.