19 Jun 2009 - Discussion Meeting - General Sir Mike Jackson and Lord Hurd of Westwell
On Friday 19 June 2009 General Sir Mike Jackson and Lord Hurd of Westwell spoke on “The responsibility to Protect”.
This event took place in conjunction with the Wyndham Place Charlemagne Trust.
Watch the Lecture and the Q&A session.
General Sir Mike Jackson served as Chief of the General Staff and Head of the Army until 2006. He commanded the British in Iraq, United Nations forces in Kosovo and peacekeeping missions in Bosnia.
General Jackson was originally commissioned into the Intelligence Corps, specialising in the threat from the Soviet Union. He transferred to the Parachute Regiment and was on duty in Northern Ireland on what became known as Bloody Sunday. He was later promoted to Commanding Officer of 1st Para.
In the 90s, General Jackson served in the NATO chain of command as a deputy to Supreme Allied Commander Europe, General Wesley Clark. In the wake of the Iraq invasion in 2003 it was General Jackson, as Chief of the General Staff, who ordered an inquiry into images released by the Daily Mirror depicting alleged torture of Iraqi prisoners by British soldiers.
The General remains extremely proud of his soldiers' record, whilst openly critical of Rumsfeld's post-conflict strategy. He has also questioned the Ministry of Defence's understanding of the ethos of the armed forces, and the debt they are owed by Government.
Lord Hurd, age 79, retired as Foreign Secretary in July 1995, after a distinguished career in Government spanning sixteen years.
He served as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland from 1984 - 85, Home Secretary from 1985 - 89 and Foreign Secretary 1989 – 1995 in the Governments of Margaret Thatcher and John Major.
Educated at Eton and Cambridge, Lord Hurd obtained a first class degree in history. After joining the Diplomatic Service, he went on to serve at the Foreign office in Peking, New York (UN) and Rome. He ran Edward Heath’s private office from 1968 - 70 and acted as his Political Secretary at 10 Downing Street from 1970 - 74. He was MP for Mid-Oxfordshire (later Witney) from 1974 to 1997. He was created a Life Peer in 1997, and has since held numerous appointments in the City and in public life. He is Deputy Chairman of Coutts Bank.
Lord Hurd has written ten political novels. His memoirs were published in October 2003. His biography of the life of Sir Robert Peel was published in June 2007. His latest book on eleven British Foreign Secretaries will be published early in 2010.
This meeting was chaired by Adam Ward, Director of Studies, and took place in the Lee Kuan Yew Conference room at Arundel House, 13-15 Arundel Street, Temple Place, London WC2R 3D.
