The world is living through an unprecedented phenomenon, the decline of War, according to Edward Luttwak, former advisor to the White House Chief of Staff, who will be one of 35 speakers Melbourne this September for the inaugural Creative Innovation 2010 conference.

“While we may think otherwise because of media coverage, current wars such as Iraq and Afghanistan are very small in combat casualties and war has a restricted future,” he said in a statement to media leading up to the event.

“To keep the peace that we are enjoying we need to stop our 100% futile attempt to rely on the UN, which is a badly outdated improvisation of 1944,” he adds.

Luttwak’s view of wars to come is that they will mainly be small wars – in southern Philippines, southern Thailand, Kashmir, Chechnya, Turkey’s Kurdistan, Eastern Congo, Israel-Palestine and Darfur.

“Each is different and is mainly a political struggle which is why global remedies to war are of little consequence today. We need to be looking at each war case by case, with an emphasis on preventative diplomacy and not crisis management.”

Luttwak, who has never been to Australia, is taking part in two discussions. The first alongside Andrew Macleod (CEO of Committee for Melbourne) and Ian Rogers (international medium) on Does it always take a war to make peace? The second will focus on War, Peace and Wellness.

Luttwak will join Edward de Bono, Patrick McGorry, Australian of the Year; Mark Scott, MD of the ABC; Austin Williams, architect of the Future Cities Project; US Entrepreneur of the Year Dr Peter Farrell in a line-up of 35 world-class speakers, thought leaders and artists; to imagine the future.

Creative Innovation 2010 is the brainchild of soprano, social entrepreneur and Founder of Creativity Australia and Creative Universe, Tania de Jong AM, who says creativity is the strategic tool of the 21st Century.

Topics to be covered at the conference include: the innovation myth, leading creativity and innovation in organisations, re-thinking the future, robots, mental health, food security, constructing communities, the neuroscience of creativity.

To learn more about the event, visit: www.ci2010.com.au.

Image by Nick Bygon

Edward N. Luttwak

Edward N. Luttwak is Senior Associate, Center for Strategic and International Studies of Washington; President of Servicios Agricolas Bolivia S.A., a cattle ranch in the Amazon and Chairman of AP Fleet, (aircraft leasing), Dublin, Ireland. Edward has served as a consultant to the US National Security Council, the White House Chief of Staff, the US Department of Defense, US Department of State, US Army, US Air Force, and several allied governments. He has carried out military assignments in the field. He has taught at Johns Hopkins University and been an invited lecturer at universities in the US and internationally. He has recently lectured at higher military schools in the US, UK, Brazil, Italy, China and Japan. His books including The Grand Strategy of the Roman Empire have been published in the American, British and 15 foreign language editions. Harvard University Press published The Grand Strategy of the Byzantine.