Former British army commander, Colonel Tim Collins, recognised for his speech on the eve of the invasion of Iraq, met Executive Pro-Vice-Chancellor for the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Professor Ian Greer, ahead of his lecture at the University’s What does 2020 look like? Security and Conflict lecture series, held at St George’s Hall. The Colonel discussed his experiences working in conflict zones around the world and offered his predictions on what the future may hold if the UK continues to reduce its military defences.
Professor Laurence Alison, Director of the University’s Centre for Critical and Major Incident Psychology, welcomed Colonel Collins, commenting that his insights into the current geopolitical environment were thought provoking and relevant to the security issues we could face in the near future
Professor Ian Greer introduced the lecture in the Great Hall, reminding the audience of the Colonel’s rousing speech to his troops in 2003 before the invasion of Iraq, a copy of which is said to hang on the wall of the Oval office in the White House
Colonel Collins discussed the rising power of the ‘BRIC’ (Brazil, Russia, India, China) nations and the threat posed if the UK continues to have no clear policy on military operations overseas. He said the lack of direction over the Iraq war meant that the army left the country in a worse condition, and Afghanistan would continue to operate as though in ‘medieval times’ without the appropriate collaborative support from its neighbours
