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Professor Anthony Burke

Professor Anthony Burke

Professor

BA Hons. MA (Communications)UTS; PhD (Politics & International Relations) ANU

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School of Humanities & Social Sciences

I am Professor of Environmental Politics and International Relations at the University of New South Wales (UNSW), Canberra, Australia. I am an interdisciplinary scholar working across international law and international relations, philosophy, political theory, science and technology studies, and the environmental humanities.

I am a graduate of the University of Technology, Sydney and the Australian National University. Prior to joining academia I was a human rights activist on Southeast Asia and the South Pacific (especially East Timor), and Principal Research Officer for the Australian Senate’s environment, arts and communications committee, where I led the drafting of reports on the Jabiluka uranium mine and Australia's response to climate change. I was co-lead on the UNSW Grand Challenge on Thriving in the Anthropocene.

I have published in Nature,Review of International Studies, International Political Sociology, Angelaki, Theory & Event,Ethics & International Affairs, Millennium,Earth System Governance, and Critical Studies on Security. My books include Uranium (Polity, 2017), Global Insecurity (with Rita Parker, Palgrave 2017), Ethical Security Studies (with Jonna Nyman, Routledge 2016),Ethics & Global Security: A Cosmopolitan Approach (with Katrina Lee-Koo and Matt McDonald, Routledge 2014), Beyond Security, Ethics & Violence: War Against the Other (Routledge 2007), andFear of Security: Australia's Invasion Anxiety (Cambridge University Press 2008; Pluto Press Australia 2001). With Stefanie Fishel I am completing a new book for the MIT Press entitled The Ecology Politic: Power, Law & Earth After the Holocene.

I am the founding editor of the journal, and am coeditor of Palgrave Macmillan's Environmental Politics & Theory book series.
Phone
+61 2 5114 5085
E-mail
a.burke@adfa.edu.au
  • Books | 2020
    , 2020, Why Human Security Matters, Altman D; Camilleri JA; Eckersley R; Hoffstaedter G, (eds.), Routledge,
    Books | 2017
    Burke A, 2017, Uranium, First, Polity Press, Cambridge,
    Books | 2016
    Nyman J; Burke A, 2016, Introduction: Imagining ethical security studies
    Books | 2014
    Burke AD; Lee-Koo K; McDonald M, 2014, Ethics And Global Security: A Cosmopolitan Approach, Routledge, Abingdon and New York,
    Books | 2008
    Burke AD, 2008, Fear of Security: Australia`s Invasion Anxiety, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge,
    Books | 2007
    Burke AD, 2007, Beyond Security, Ethics and Violence: War Against The Other, Routledge, Abingdon and New York
  • Book Chapters | 2021
    Burke A; Fishel S, 2021, 'From human environment to post-human earth: Troubling the nature/culture divide in the Stockholm Declaration', in Anthropocene (In)securities: Reflections on Collective Survival 50 Years After the Stockholm Conference, Oxford University Press and SIPRI, Oxford and Stockholm, pp. 101 - 116,
    Book Chapters | 2020
    Burke A; Fishel S, 2020, 'Across Species and Borders: Political Representation, Ecological Democracy and the Non-Human', in Frontiers in International Relations, Springer International Publishing, pp. 33 - 52,
    Book Chapters | 2019
    Burke A; Fishel S, 2019, 'Power, World Politics, and Thing-Systems in the Anthropocene', in Biermann F; LÖVBRAND E (ed.), Anthropocene Encounters: New Directions in Green Political Thinking, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp. 87 - 108,
    Book Chapters | 2019
    Burke A, 2019, 'Foreword', in Schmidt N (ed.), Planetary Defense: Global Collaboration for Defending Earth from Asteroids and Comets, Springer, Champagne, pp. ix - xiv,
    Book Chapters | 2018
    Burke A; McDonald M, 2018, 'Introduction: Asia-Pacific security legacies and futures', in , pp. 1 - 21
    Book Chapters | 2017
    Burke A, 2017, 'Introduction', in Global Insecurity, Springer Nature, pp. 1 - 19,
    Book Chapters | 2017
    Burke A, 2017, 'Introduction: From collective to global security', in Global Insecurity: Futures of Global Chaos and Governance, pp. 1 - 19,
    Book Chapters | 2017
    Burke A, 2017, 'Security cosmopolitanism and global governance', in Global Insecurity: Futures of Global Chaos and Governance, pp. 83 - 100,
    Book Chapters | 2017
    Burke A, 2017, 'Security', in An Introduction to International Relations, Third edition, pp. 198 - 209,
    Book Chapters | 2017
    Burke AD; Parker R, 2017, 'The United Nations and Global Security', in Burke A; Parker (ed.), Global Insecurity: Futures of Global Chaos and Governance, Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 347 - 367,
    Book Chapters | 2017
    Burke AD, 2017, 'Introduction: From Collective to Global Security', in Burke A; Parker R (ed.), Global Insecurity: Futures of Global Chaos and Governance, Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 1 - 19,
    Book Chapters | 2017
    Burke AD, 2017, 'Security cosmopolitanism and global governance', in Burke AD; parker R (ed.), Global Insecurity: Futures of Global Chaos and Governance, edn. First, Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 83 - 100,
    Book Chapters | 2017
    Parker R; Burke A, 2017, 'The united nations and global security', in Global Insecurity: Futures of Global Chaos and Governance, pp. 347 - 367,
    Book Chapters | 2016
    Burke AD; Nyman J, 2016, 'Imagining ethical security studies', in Burke AD; Nyman J (ed.), Ethical Security Studies: A New Research Agenda, edn. First, Routledge, London, pp. 1 - 14,
    Book Chapters | 2016
    Burke AD, 2016, 'International Political Theory', in Guillaume X; Bilgin P (ed.), Routledge Handbook of International Political Sociology, Routledge, London and New York, pp. 60 - 70,
    Book Chapters | 2016
    Burke AD, 2016, 'The ethical sources of security cosmopolitanism', in Nyman J; Burke AD (ed.), Ethical Security Studies: A New Research Agenda, edn. First, Routledge, London, pp. 145 - 159,
    Book Chapters | 2014
    Burke AD, 2014, '“Nuclear Reason: At the Limits of Strategy”', in Nuclear Disarmament And Alternative Voices On Nuclear Issues, Nuclear Politics: Volume Four,, edn. First, Sage, Los Angeles and London,
    Book Chapters | 2013
    Burke A, 2013, 'Post-structural security studies', in Critical Approaches to Security: An Introduction to Theories and Methods, pp. 77 - 88,
    Book Chapters | 2012
    Burke AD, 2012, 'Australia's Global Security: A Model National Strategy for a More Secure World', in Altman D; Camilleri JA; Eckersley R; Hoffstaedter G (ed.), Why human security matters: Rethinking Australian foreign policy, Allen & Unwin, Sydney, pp. 88 - 106,
    Book Chapters | 2011
    Burke AD, 2011, 'Security', in An Introduction to International Relations, edn. Second, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp. 160 - 171,
    Book Chapters | 2010
    Burke AD, 2010, 'Security as Ethics', in Burgess PJ (ed.), The Routledge Handbook of New Security Studies, edn. 2010, Routledge, London and New York, pp. 90 - 99
    Book Chapters | 2008
    Burke AD, 2008, 'Cause and effect in the war on terror', in Bellamy AJ; Bleiker R; Davies SE; Devetak R (ed.), Security and the War on Terror, edn. First, Routledge, London, pp. 25 - 41
    Book Chapters | 2008
    Burke AD, 2008, 'Postmodernism', in Reus Smit C; Snidal D (ed.), Oxford Handbook of International Relations, Oxford University Press, Oxford and New York, pp. 359 - 377
    Book Chapters | 2007
    Burke AD, 2007, 'Asia-Pacific Security Legacies and Futures', in Burke ; McDonald (ed.), Critical Security in the Asia-Pacific, edn. First, Manchester University Press, Manchester, pp. 1 - 21
    Book Chapters | 2007
    Burke AD, 2007, 'Australia paranoid: security politics and identity policy', in Burke ; McDonald (ed.), Critical Security in the Asia-Pacific, edn. First, Manchester University Press, Manchester, pp. 121 - 135
    Book Chapters | 2007
    Burke AD, 2007, 'Security Politics and Us: Sovereignty, Volence and Power after 9/11', in Suvendrini Perera (ed.), Our Patch: Enacting Australian Sovereignty Power after 9/11, edn. First, Network Books, Perth, pp. 197 - 218
    Book Chapters | 2007
    Devetak R; Burke A; George J, 2007, 'Preface and acknowledgments', in , pp. xxi - xxii,
    Book Chapters | 2006
    Burke AD, 2006, 'Critical Approaches to Security and Strategy', in Ayson R; Ball D (ed.), Strategy and Security in the Asia-Pacific, Allen and Unwin, St Leonards, NSW, pp. 152 - 159
    Book Chapters | 2004
    Burke AD, 2004, 'Images of Ourselves: Justice and the War on Terrorism', in Fawkner P (ed.), A Fair Go In an Age of Terror, edn. Original, David Lovell Publishing, Melbourne, Australia, pp. 106 - 115
  • Edited Books | 2017
    Burke AD; Parker R; Burke A; Parker R, (eds.), 2017, Global Insecurity: Futures of Global Chaos and Governance, Palgrave Macmillan, Basingstoke and New York,
    Edited Books | 2016
    Burke AD; Nyman J, (ed.), 2016, Ethical Security Studies: A New Research Agenda, Routledge, London,
    Edited Books | 2007
    Burke AD; McDonald M, (ed.), 2007, Critical Security in the Asia-Pacific, Manchester University Press, Manchester
    Edited Books | 2007
    Devetak R; Burke AD; George J, (eds.), 2007, Introduction to International Relations: Australian Perspectives, Cambridge University Press, Australia
  • Journal articles | 2024
    McDonald M; Park S; Anantharajah K; Burke A; Celermajer D; Evans MC; Eckersley R; Gulliver R; McNaught R; Morgan W; Ruwet M; Symons J; Schlosberg D; Vogler A, 2024, 'Ecological Crises and Ecopolitics Research in Australia', Australian Journal of Politics and History,
    Journal articles | 2023
    Burke A, 2023, 'Interspecies cosmopolitanism: Non-human power and the grounds of world order in the Anthropocene', Review of International Studies, 49, pp. 201 - 222,
    Journal articles | 2022
    Burke A, 2022, 'An architecture for a net zero world: Global climate governance beyond the epoch of failure', Global Policy, 13, pp. 24 - 37,
    Journal articles | 2022
    Burke A, 2022, 'Attacks on Ukrainian nuclear-power plants challenge treaties', Nature, 611, pp. 232 - 235,
    Journal articles | 2021
    Burke A; Fishel S; Winter C, 2021, 'Between Ecology & Indigeneity', Borderlands: Culture, Politics, Law and Earth, 20, pp. 1 - 10,
    Journal articles | 2018
    Burke AD; Fishel S; Mitchell A; Dalby S; Levine D, 2018, 'Defending Planet Politics', Millenium Journal of International Studies, 46, pp. 209 - 219,
    Journal articles | 2016
    Burke A; Fishel S; Mitchell A; Dalby S; Levine DJ, 2016, 'Planet Politics: A Manifesto from the End of IR', Millennium: Journal of International Studies, 44, pp. 499 - 523,
    Journal articles | 2016
    Burke A, 2016, 'Nuclear politics: beyond positivism', Critical Studies on Security, 4, pp. 1 - 5,
    Journal articles | 2016
    Burke A, 2016, 'Nuclear time: temporal metaphors of the nuclear present', Critical Studies on Security, 4, pp. 73 - 90,
    Journal articles | 2016
    Burke AD; Lee-Koo K; McDonald M, 2016, 'An ethics of global security', Journal of Global Security Studies, 1, pp. 64 - 79,
    Journal articles | 2015
    Burke A, 2015, 'Security cosmopolitanism: the next phase', Critical Studies on Security, 3, pp. 190 - 212,
    Journal articles | 2013
    Burke AD, 2013, 'Security cosmopolitanism', Critical Studies on Security, 1, pp. 13 - 28,
    Journal articles | 2013
    Burke AD, 2013, 'The Good State, From a Cosmic Point of View', International Politics, 50, pp. 57 - 76,
    Journal articles | 2011
    Burke AD, 2011, 'Humanity After Biopolitics: On the global politics of human being', Angelaki - Journal of the Theoretical Humanities, 16, pp. 101 - 114,
    Journal articles | 2011
    Randell-moon H; Anderson N; Bretag T; Burke AD; Greishaber T; Lambert A; Saltmarsh D; Saltmarsh N, 2011, 'Journal editing and ethical research practice: perspectives of journal editors', Ethics and Education, 6, pp. 225 - 238,
    Journal articles | 2010
    Burke AD, 2010, 'Questions of Community: Australian Identity and Asian Change', Australian Journal of Political Science, 45, pp. 75 - 93
    Journal articles | 2009
    Burke AD, 2009, 'Metaterror', International Relations, 23, pp. 61 - 67
    Journal articles | 2009
    Burke AD, 2009, 'Nuclear Reason: At the Limits of Strategy', International Relations, 23, pp. 506 - 529,
    Journal articles | 2008
    Burke AD, 2008, 'Life in the hall of smashed mirrors', Meanjin, 67, pp. 88 - 100
    Journal articles | 2008
    Burke AD, 2008, 'Life in the hall of smashed mirrors: Biopolitics and terror today', Borderlands e-journal, 7
    Journal articles | 2008
    Burke AD, 2008, 'Morality and Political Violence', Australian Journal of Political Science, 43, pp. 764 - 765
    Journal articles | 2008
    Burke AD, 2008, 'Recovering Humanity from Man: Hannah Arendt`s Troubled Cosmopolitanism', Critical Studies on terrorism, 45, pp. 514 - 521
    Journal articles | 2008
    Burke AD, 2008, 'The end of terrorism studies', Critical Studies on terrorism, 1, pp. 37 - 49
    Journal articles | 2007
    Burke AD, 2007, 'Beyond Security in the Middle-East: An Ethics for (Co)Existence', Borderlands e-journal, 6
    Journal articles | 2007
    Burke AD, 2007, 'Ontologies of War: Violence, Existence and Reason', Theory and Event, 10:2, pp. 1 - 34
    Journal articles | 2005
    Burke A, 2005, 'For a Cautious Utopianism', Ethics and International Affairs, 19, pp. 97 - 98,
    Journal articles | 2005
    Burke AD, 2005, 'Against the New Internationalism', Ethics and International Affairs, 19, pp. 73 - 89
    Journal articles | 2005
    Burke AD, 2005, 'Freedom`s Freedom: American Enlightment and Permanent War', Social Identities: Journal for the Study of Race, Nation and Culture, 11, pp. 315 - 343
    Journal articles | 2005
    Burke AD, 2005, 'Iraq: Strategy`s Burnt Offering', Global Change, Peace and Security, 11, pp. 191 - 213
    Journal articles | 2004
    Burke AD, 2004, 'Just War or Ethical Peace? Moral Discourses of Strategic Violence after 9/11', International Affairs, 80, pp. 329 - 353
    Journal articles | 2003
    Burke AD; Hables-Gray C, 2003, 'Dance of the In-Between: Humans, Movement, Sites', Borderlands e-journal, 1
    Journal articles | 2003
    Burke AD; McInerney D, 2003, 'New Languages: Power, Feeling, Communication', Borderlands e-journal, 2
    Journal articles | 2003
    Burke AD, 2003, 'Killing and Responsibility: A Dialogue with Joanna Bourke', Borderlands e-journal, 2
    Journal articles | 2002
    Burke A, 2002, 'Aporias of security', Alternatives, 27, pp. 1 - 27,
    Journal articles | 2000
    Burke A, 2000, 'Poetry outside security', Alternatives, 25, pp. 307 - 321,
  • Working Papers | 2007
    Burke AD, 2007, What security makes possible: some thoughts on critical security studies, Department of International Relations, Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, What security makes possible : some thoughts on critical security studies, Working Paper 2007/1, http://dx.doi.orghttp://rspas.anu.edu.au/ir/pubs/work_papers/07-1.pdf
  • Creative Written Works | 2023
    Burke A, 2023, Here’s how to prosecute Russia for Ukraine’s catastrophic flood, The Washington Post,
    Creative Written Works | 2022
    Burke A, 2022, Climate change: less space between one disaster and the next, The Interpreter, The Lowy Institute for International Policy,
    Creative Written Works | 2021
    Burke A; Celermajer D, 2021, Human progress is no excuse to destroy nature. A push to make ‘ecocide’ a global crime must recognise this fundamental truth, The Conversation,
    Creative Written Works | 2021
    Burke A, 2021, Glasgow: a tipping point for serious action, The Interpreter, Lowy Institute for International Policy,
    Creative Written Works | 2021
    Burke A, 2021, High hopes and hot air on climate change, The Interpreter, Lowy Institute,
    Creative Written Works | 2020
    Burke A; Newell B, 2020, Vision for the Anthropocene: Introducing the Anthropocene – and our need to thrive, UNSW Grand Challenges, UNSW,
    Creative Written Works | 2020
    Burke A, 2020, A dose of climate realism about China’s carbon pledge, The Interpreter,
    Creative Written Works | 2020
    Burke A, 2020, The Morality of Security: A Theory of Just Securitization., CAMBRIDGE UNIV PRESS,
    Creative Written Works | 2020
    Burke A, 2020, Vision for the Anthropocene: A global ecological democracy, UNSW Grand Challenges, UNSW,
    Creative Written Works | 2017
    Burke AD, 2017, Australia's Misstep On Nuclear Weapons Treaty, Australian Outlook, Australian Institute for International Affairs,
    Creative Written Works | 2016
    Burke AD; Fishel S, 2016, Politics for the planet: why nature and wildlife need their own seats at the UN, The Conversation,
    Conference Presentations | 2014
    Burke AD, 2014, 'Roundtable on the book Ethics and Global Security', presented at Oceanic Conference on International Studies, University of Melbourne, Australia, 09 July 2014 - 11 July 2014
    Creative Written Works | 2013
    Burke A, 2013, Narrative, Politics and Fictocriticism: Hopes and Dangers, The Disorder of Things,
    Creative Written Works | 2012
    Burke AD, 2012, “Security council win a golden opportunity to fix national security at home”, The Conversation,
    Creative Written Works | 2011
    Burke AD, 2011, “A fantasy debate, disdainful of basic facts”, The Drum (ABC Online), Australian Broadcasting Corporation,
    Conference Presentations | 2011
    Burke AD, 2011, 'The Good State from a Cosmic Point of View, . 11-13 July 2011.', presented at “Purposes Beyond Ourselves: Power and Principle in Foreign Policy”, University of Queensland, Brisbane, 11 July 2011 - 13 July 2011
    Creative Written Works | 2010
    Burke AD, 2010, Remarks at opening of Michael Callaghan exhibition, ANU School of Art, Image & Text
    Creative Written Works | 2010
    Burke AD, 2010, “Lurking in the American mind”, Review of Susan A. Brewer, Why America Fights: Patriotism and War Propaganda from the Philippines to Iraq (Oxford University Press, 2010), Australian Book Review
    Creative Written Works | 2006
    Burke AD; Gelber K, 2006, Can human rights save us?, Arena Magazine
    Conference Presentations | 2006
    Burke AD, 2006, 'Cause and Effect in the War on Terror', Strategic and Defence Studies Centre, Australian National University, 15 December 2006
    Recorded / Rendered Creative Works | 2006
    Burke AD, 2006, The Philosophy of War, ABC Radio National, Online, Published: 2006, Recorded / Rendered Creative Works,
    Creative Written Works | 2005
    Burke AD; Gelber K, 2005, Can Human Rights Save Us?, Arena Magazine
    Conference Presentations | 2004
    Burke AD; Brennan F, 2004, 'Just wars and human rights', presented at Lenten Seminar series, “A fair go in an age of terror?”, Adelaide, 09 March 2004
    Conference Presentations | 2004
    Burke AD, 2004, 'Freedom’s Freedom: American Enlightenment and Permanent war', presented at Department of Politics Seminar Series 2004, University of Adelaide
    Conference Presentations | 2004
    Burke AD, 2004, 'Postmodern Peace: Against the New Internationalism', Department of International Politics, University of Wales, Aberystwyth, UK
    Conference Presentations | 2004
    Burke AD, 2004, 'Tragedy and Politics and Postmodern Peace: Against the New Internationalism', presented at 5th European Conference on International Relations, The Hague, Netherlands, 09 September 2004 - 11 September 2004
    Conference Presentations | 2003
    Burke AD, 2003, 'Just war or ethical peace?', presented at Symposium on Ethics and Foreign Policy, University of Queensland
    Conference Presentations | 2003
    Burke AD, 2003, 'Social Science: Why does it matter?”,', presented at Creating Spaces Conference, Australian National University
    Conference Presentations | 2003
    Burke AD, 2003, 'Violent Reasons: War, Modernity and Technology', presented at Department of Politics Seminar Series 2003, University of Adelaide
  • Media | 2022
    Robinson D; Raven M; Korosy Z; Burke A; Moon K; Lim M, 2022, Without Indigenous leadership, attempts to stop the tide of destruction against nature will fail, ,

  • 2005 Australian Research Council Discovery Projects: Global Security, Strategic Paradox and Limited War ($150,000)
  • 2014 Economic and Social Research Council/Arts and Humanities Research Council (UK): Nuclear Ethics and Global Security (£250,000)
  • 2022 UNSW Sustainable Development Goals Reform Hub ($20,000)

I am a critical international relations scholar and social theorist, authoring innovative works in Australian politics and culture, international theory, philosophy, and critical security studies, such as my 2007 Beyond Security Ethics & Violence and a series of key articles and books on security cosmopolitanism, ethics, and global governance. I also published on the war on terror, the ethics and philosophy of war, and nuclear strategy, politics and governance. These works include articles on nuclear reason, time in nuclear politics, andUranium, which wove together nuclear weapons, energy, mining, and proliferation to analyse the planetary risks and colonial injustices of the global nuclear complex. In 2022 I was invited to write for Nature on the challenge the Zaporizhzhia nuclear crisis in Ukraine posed for nuclear safety and international law.

More recently, I have turned to the ecological crisis of the Anthropocene, publishing the key intervention, "Planet Politics: A Manifesto from the End of IR" in 2016 and combining environmental political theory with critical works on the global governance and law of climate change and biodiversity: "Blue Screen Biosphere", "Interspecies Cosmopolitanism", and with Stefanie Fishel, "Power, World Politics and Thing-Systems in the Anthropocene", and "Across Species and Borders: Political Representation, Ecological Democracy and the Non-Human".I have also published articles proposing a new global Coal Elimination Treaty and a treaty Architecture for Net Zero. I am a regular commentator on new developments in climate and environmental governance.

Key ongoing projects:

  • A global forests treaty
  • Crimes against biodiversity and ecocide
  • Global climate governance and reform
  • Climate and environmental security in the Asia-Pacific
  • Environmental political theory and philosophy