The Sydney Globalist meets James Cockayne

Jessica Carter interviews James Cockayne, Senior Associate at the International Peace Institute.

James Cockayne may have a surname that sounds like an illicit drug, but you shouldn’t get the wrong idea: his career so far has been dedicated to public policy issues spanning peace and justice, organised crime and transnational security challenges. At the moment, he is a Senior Associate at the International Peace Institute, a not-for-profit research and policy development organisation in New York. An alumnus of the University of Sydney, he is a published author and has also worked in war crimes trials in Arusha, Tanzania and Freetown, Sierra Leone. James recently spoke at the launch of The Sydney Globalist’s previous edition, ‘Rethinking Crisis’.

What initially sparked your interest in the field of peace and justice policy?

If I go back far enough, I guess living for a little in Beijing in 1988 when I was about ten years old and then watching the Tiananmen massacre on television in 1989.

Tell us about a typical day at the International Peace Institute.

Today: caught up on emails from Australian Government partners and Europe over breakfast. Spent an hour on the phone with human rights and private security industry lobbyists, developing a strategy to improve the U.S. Department of State’s engagement with the regulation of private military companies. Off shortly to a meeting with UN folk on sexual violence in the Congo. Have to write a paper this afternoon on the impacts of organised crime on democratic governance. Meetings this evening on the impacts of organised crime on peacekeeping.

Can you describe what it was like to work in war crimes trials in Arusha and Freetown?

Eye-opening. My perspectives on what it means to be at peace, and how to ‘render justice’, have been different ever since. I guess I realised how fragile the good life is, and how easily guns and machetes, money and fear can destroy it. I also realised how hard it is to put Humpty Dumpty back together again.

As an author and editor, do you believe that the pen is mightier than the sword?

The pen: no. The truth: yes.

What do you think are the key issues facing international policy makers at the moment?

An increasing sense of loss of control in the face of external forces: climate change, financial crisis, food scarcity, water scarcity, terrorism, the rise of corporations. The danger is that states and governments will react to these risks by pursuing policies of fear and autocratic control, and not by developing partnership-based solutions based on mutual understanding and collaboration. They are much harder to develop and sustain, and rarely win you votes.

I guess I realised how fragile the good life is, and how easily guns and machetes, money and fear can destroy it. I also realised how hard it is to put Humpty Dumpty back together again.

What do you think the future of global security governance looks like?

Messy. Our ideas of legitimacy and authority are going to become much more heterogeneous. Expect more public-private partnerships, more cross-border collaboration, more inter-faith initiatives, and more questions about democratic deficits, cultural relativism and the relevance of humanism.

What advice would you give to any students aspiring to work in public policy one day?

It’s all about audience.

When you retire, what do you hope you will have achieved?

I don’t think my generation will ever ‘retire’. If I contribute one new idea or make one lasting change that reduces others’ suffering, I’ll be happy. It’s easier said than done, though.

Finish these sentences:

My favourite city in the world is … close run between New York and Sydney. They’re very different.

Barack Obama should … engage Russia, China, India and Iran more closely on solutions for Afghanistan.

I wish the Rudd Government would … get serious about climate change.

Peace is … hard.

India … can teach us a lot.

The thing I miss most about Sydney Uni is … the sky.

The thing I miss least about Sydney Uni is … the food options on campus.

If I could time-travel, I would … love to meet Bennelong.

I think Twitter is … well-named.

My ideal Sunday would include … sleeping in as the sun shines, brunch with friends and fam, fresh air and a stretch of the legs, and a good bottle of wine with a home-cooked meal.

When people hear my surname they … usually try not to laugh – until I make it clear I think it’s pretty funny [too].