War Studies

This week on the War Studies podcast, we have two interviews: one with Dr Catherine Charrett from the University of Chicester on her solo performance of "Politics in Drag: Sipping Toffee with Hamas in Brussels" in the War Studies department, and also with Professor Michael L'Estrange, Professor of National Security at Australian National University and also Australia's former High Commissioner to the United Kingdom from 2005-2009. Professor Michael L'Estrange full lecture - https://soundcloud.com/warstudies/the-role-of-diplomacy-in-a-changing-international-order?in=warstudies/sets/events Presented by Bradley Murray and Xenia Zubova, who also provide details of the events on next week in lieu of Jayne Peake. DISCLAIMER: Any information, statements or opinions contained in this podcast are those of the individual speakers. They do not represent the opinions of the Department of War Studies or King's College London.

In this weeks’ War Studies Podcast, Bradley Murray speaks to Hiruy Gossaye from Transparency International about their recent index outlining corruption in the defence industries across Africa. The event that this interview was based on was co-hosted by the Africa Research Group, African Leadership Centre and Transparency International UK (Defence and Security Progamme). Hiruy Gossaye is the project officer for Transparency International’s Defence and Security programme, which has recently released a report entitled ‘The Government Defence Anti-Corruption Index’, which looks at the levels of corruption in the defence industries of African states. We spoke to him about the difficulty writing this report, the findings of it including the impact of international arms exports on corruption in the continent, as well as the implications of the index as well. Jayne Peake provides details of next weeks’ events. The Government Defence Anti-Corruption Index can be found here: http://government.defenceindex.org/ The Panel Discussion on Defence Corruption Across Africa can be listened to here: https://soundcloud.com/warstudies/destabilising-defence-how-corruption-undermines-security-across-africa DISCLAIMER: Any information, statements or opinions contained in this podcast are those of the individual speakers. They do not represent the opinions of the Department of War Studies or King's College London.

In this Weeks War Studies Podcast Xenia Zubova interviews Ricardo Soares de Oliveira about on the subject of his latest publication, 'Magnificent and Beggar Land: Angola Since the Civil War'. The author is an Associate Professor in Comparative Politics (African Politics) at the Department of Politics and International Relations, University of Oxford. His research interests include African politics (particularly West and Central Africa), the geopolitics of energy and international political economy, especially in the fields of natural resource extraction, state decay and post-conflict reconstruction. He is the author of Oil and Politics in the Gulf of Guinea (2007), co-editor of China Returns to Africa: A Rising Power and a Continent Embrace (with Chris Alden and Daniel Large, 2008) and The New Protectorates: International Tutelage and the Making of Liberal States (with James Mayall, 2011). His latest book is Magnificent and Beggar Land: Angola Since the Civil War (2015). Soares de Oliveira has worked in the field of governance and the extractive industries for the World Bank, the European Commission, Catholic Relief Services, the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs (NDI), Oxfam, and the French Ministry of Defence, among others. About Magnificent and Beggar Land: Magnificent and Beggar Land is a powerful account of fast-changing dynamics in Angola, an important African state that is a key exporter of oil and diamonds and a growing power on the continent. Based on three years of research and extensive first-hand knowledge of Angola, it documents the rise of a major economy and its insertion in the international system since it emerged in 2002 from one of Africa’s longest and deadliest civil wars. Jayne Peake provides next weeks events and discusses plans for a new initiative titled 'Arts and Conflict'. DISCLAIMER: Any information, statements or opinions contained in this podcast are those of the individual speakers. They do not represent the opinions of the Department of War Studies or King's College London.

In this weeks War Studies podcast Bradley Murray speaks to Prof Kevin Clements about sustainable peace in North East Asia. Professor Clements is the Foundation Chair of Peace and Conflict Studies and Director of the New Zealand National Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies (NCPACS) at the University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand, and Secretary General of the International Peace Research Association. He was previously the Secretary General of the NGO International Alert, and the Director of the Quaker UN Office in Geneva. His career has combined academic analysis and practice in the areas of peacebuilding and conflict transformation. He has written or edited 7 books and over 150 chapters /articles on conflict transformation, peacebuilding, preventive diplomacy and development with a specific focus on the Asia Pacific region. Listen to the talk he gave at the War Studies Department https://soundcloud.com/warstudies/dealing-with-painful-history-building-sustainable-peace-in-northeast-asia DISCLAIMER: Any information, statements or opinions contained in this podcast are those of the individual speakers. They do not represent the opinions of the Department of War Studies or King's College London.

This week, we interview Dr. Michael Sulmeyer who recently concluded several years in the Office of the Secretary of Defence, serving most recently as the Director for Plans and Operations for Cyber Policy. He is currently Belfer Center's Cyber Security Project director at the Harvard Kennedy School and he also happens to be a War Studies Alumnus. In April of this year the United State Department of Defence released a strategy to guide the development of its cyber forces and to strengthen its cyber defences. Jayne Peake provides details of next week's events. Presented by Xenia Zubova and Bradley Murray. DISCLAIMER: Any information, statements or opinions contained in this podcast are those of the individual speakers. They do not represent the opinions of the Department of War Studies or King's College London.

This week's podcast features Pablo de Orellana, who is a teaching fellow at the Department of War Studies. His research focuses on issues of identity in diplomatic communication, including the role of representation in the diplomacy of the First Vietnam War and the Western Sahara conflict. In this week's podcast we focused on Pablo's second case study - the Western Sahara conflict. On November 17th, Dr Solava Ibrahim from the Institute for Development Policy and Management at the University of Manchester, came to the War Studies Department to give a talk titled 'Frustrated Youth and Failed Democracy: The Dynamics of Wellbeing, Aspirations and the Politics in Egypt'. In this week's podcast, she discusses the findings of her research and her academic plans for the future. Jayne Peake provides details of next week's events. Presented by Xenia Zubova and Bradley Murray. Pablo de Orellana's talk 'War, Exile and the First Arab Spring: Western Sahara 1975-2015' https://soundcloud.com/warstudies/war-exile-and-the-first-arab-spring-western-sahara-1975-2015?in=warstudies/sets/events DISCLAIMER: Any information, statements or opinions contained in this podcast are those of the individual speakers. They do not represent the opinions of the Department of War Studies or King's College London.

On November 9th 2015, Stife Journal and the US Foreign Policy Research Group hosted Dr. Stefano Recchia of Cambridge University to discuss his new book, “Reassuring the Reluctant Warriors: U.S. Civil-Military Relations and Multilateral Intervention” Dr. Recchia draws on declassified documents and about one hundred interviews with civilian and military leaders to illuminate little-known aspects of U.S. decision making in the run-up to those interventions. We spoke to him about his findings from researching the book, such as how military leaders in the US play a restraining role in decisions to intervene abroad, and I also asked about how he found researching the book with the generous access he had to officials. On November 12th 2015, Professor Ramesh Thakur came into King’s College London to give a talk on the evolution of humanitarian intervention into Responsibility to Protect, which was hosted by the Conflict, Security and Development Group. Ramesh Thakur is Professor in the Crawford School of Public Policy, The Australian National University, and He also was Vice Rector and Senior Vice Rector of the United Nations University from 1998 to 2007. He was one of the principal authors of R2P, and with this in mind we asked him about the recent violence occurring in Burundi, the blockade of intervention in the United Nations Security Council, and the rise of peace operations since 2000. Jayne Peake provides details of next week's events. Presented by Xenia Zubova and Bradley Murray. DISCLAIMER: Any information, statements or opinions contained in this podcast are those of the individual speakers. They do not represent the opinions of the Department of War Studies or King's College London.

On Friday 6th November, a panel discussion was held at King’s by the Africa Research Group centring on the recent publication of Evaluating Transitional Justice: Accountability and Peacebuilding in Post-Conflict Sierra Leone. With large contributions from War Studies academics, this book is the first major study to evaluate the transitional justice programme in Sierra Leone, and the authors examine how the Special Court, Truth and Reconciliation Commission, alongside local justice initiatives and reparations programme interacted. In this week's podcast We spoke to Wayne Jordash QC, one of the contributors to the book and former member of the Defence Team at the Special Court for Sierra Leone. We spoke to him about the issues that faced the special court and the TRC, the advances in jurisprudence that came from the case, and the overall significance of the case. We also spoke to Dr Rudra Chaudhuri of the War Studies Department and the India Institute at King's about Prime Minister Modi's official visit to the UK. We spoke about what the visit means for both of the countries and what to expect from their future relations. Dr Chaudhuri's BBC article: Why the UK visit is designed to dazzle Modi http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-34773770 Dr Chaudhuri's on NDTV: http://www.ndtv.com/video/player/agenda/15-billion-deals-wembley-welcome-lunch-with-the-queen/390510 Jayne Peake provides details of next week's events. Presented by Xenia Zubova and Bradley Murray. DISCLAIMER: Any information, statements or opinions contained in this podcast are those of the individual speakers. They do not represent the opinions of the Department of War Studies or King's College London.

This week, we talk to Bernard Jenkin MP who visited the War Studies Department on November 2nd to discuss his latest publication 'Defence Acquisition for the 21st Century'. This is followed by an Interview with McArthur Fellow and phD student Dina Esfandiary, where we discuss anti-American sentiment in Iran and opposition to the Iran nuclear deal from both sides, as well as what effect the deal had on Iran's relationship with other countries in the region. Jayne Peake provides details of next week's events. Presented by Xenia Zubova and Bradley Murray. Bernard Jenkin MP talk - Defence Acquisition in the 21st Century: https://soundcloud.com/warstudies/defence-acquisition-for-the-twenty-first-century?in=warstudies/sets/events Dina Esfandiarys talk - Iran's Regional Policy after the Nuclear Deal: https://soundcloud.com/warstudies/irans-regional-policy-after-the-nuclear-deal?in=warstudies/sets/events DISCLAIMER: Any information, statements or opinions contained in this podcast are those of the individual speakers. They do not represent the opinions of the Department of War Studies or King's College London.

On November 3rd, Dina Esfandiary, a MacArthur Fellow at the Centre for Science and Security Studies at King’s College London gave a talk on what implications the Iran Deal has on other countries in the region. Dina Esfandriary was a Research Associate in the Non-Proliferation and Disarmament programme of the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) in London from October 2009. Before she joined IISS, she worked at a Disarmament NGO in Geneva, Switzerland. Her research focuses on security, relations between states and non-proliferation in the Middle East, including Iran and Syria’s WMD programmes. Dina has published widely, including in the Atlantic, The Telegraph, the Washington Post, the National Interest, Arms Control Today, the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists, International Affairs, and Survival (the IISS’ journal). Dina is currently a PhD student in the War Studies department at King’s College London and she holds Masters Degrees from Kings College London and the Graduate Institute of International Studies in Geneva. The talk was hosted by Centre for Science and Security Studies (CSSS) and chaired by Dr Mathew Moran, Senior Lecturer in International Security. DISCLAIMER: Any information, statements or opinions contained in this recording are those of the individual speakers. They do not represent the opinions of the Department of War Studies or King's College London. DISCLAIMER: Any information, statements or opinions contained in this recording are those of the individual speakers. They do not represent the opinions of the Department of War Studies or King's College London.

In this week's War Studies Podcast recorded on the 30th of October, we spoke to War Studies Society President, Adam Holub about the events that they have planned for November and how you can get more involved with the society. This week's podcast is presented by Bradley Murray and Xenia Zubova. DISCLAIMER: Any information, statements or opinions contained in this podcast are those of the individual speakers. They do not represent the opinions of the Department of War Studies or King's College London.

This week, we begin by talking to John Tesh, who came into the department on Monday 19th October. John Tesh CBE, former deputy director and head of the capabilities team in the Civil Contingencies Secretariat in the UK Cabinet Office spoke on communicating research in a way that can enhance policy impact. His areas of expertise are national risk assessment and resilience strategy, subjects on which he led as a senior civil servant in the Cabinet Office from 2006 to 2012, and on which he continues to consult as well to the OECD High Level Risk Forum. Later on, we speak to Sean McFate, who came into the department to discuss his new book, ‘The Modern Mercenary: Private Armies and What They Mean for World Order’Sean McFate is a Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council, a think tank in Washington DC. He is also an associate professor at the National Defense University and teaches national security strategy at Georgetown University. Previously, he was a paratrooper in the U.S. Army's 82nd Airborne Division and then a private military contractor in Africa. Jayne Peake provides details of next week's events, and also the recent collaboration with IWM who we are hosting a series of workshops with in the coming weeks. Presented by Bradley Murray and Xenia Zubova. DISCLAIMER: Any information, statements or opinions contained in this podcast are those of the individual speakers. They do not represent the opinions of the Department of War Studies or King's College London.

This week, we begin by talking to Hilde F. Johnson, who came into the department on Monday 12th, October to hold two talks on UN Peace Operations. In 2014, Hilde completed her three year tenure as Special Representative of the Secretary General (SRSG) and Head of the UN Mission in South Sudan. Hilde F. Johnson also served most recently as Member of the UN Secretary General’s High Level Panel for the Review of UN Peace Operations. Later on, we speak to Dr Samir Puri, who has joined the War Studies Department as a lecturer in International Relations. He has come back to the Department after having done a Masters in War Studies in 2004. He recently returned from a year as part of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission in Eastern Ukraine. Jayne Peake provides details of next week's events. Presented by Bradley Murray and Xenia Zubova. DISCLAIMER: Any information, statements or opinions contained in this podcast are those of the individual speakers. They do not represent the opinions of the Department of War Studies or King's College London.

On March 5th Strife and the Centre for Science and Security Studies (CSSS) hosted a debate with award-winning author and investigative journalist Chris Woods, and Dr. Jack McDonald of King's College London. Chris Woods talks about the significance of a drone strike that killed two UK citizens, and its legal and international repercussions. Followed by Dr Carol Boomer, a teaching fellow at King's College London and author of 'Rejecting Refugees: Asylum in the US and the UK in the 21st Century', talking about international law regarding asylum seekers, anti-immigration sentiment in the UK and the future of the current refugee crisis. Jayne Peake talk about new week's events. Presented by Bradley Murray and Xenia Zubova. DISCLAIMER: Any information, statements or opinions contained in this podcast are those of the individual speakers. They do not represent the opinions of the Department of War Studies or King's College London.

This week, our first segment is with Dr Peter Busch, Senior Lecturer in the Department of War Studies, and also the creator of the War Studies Podcast. Peter will be leaving will be on sabbatical leave from the Department this year, and Xenia Zubova spoke to him to find out his research plans for the coming year. Our second segment is with Dr Kieran Mitton, also from the Department of War Studies. Kieran spoke to Bradley Murray about his new book 'Rebels in a Rotten State: Understanding Atrocity in the Sierra Leone Civil War’, and among other things discussed his fieldwork in the country, the thematic overview of the book, and the impact of focusing on atrocity in the conflict. Jayne Peake provides details of next week's events. Presented by Bradley Murray, and Xenia Zubova, both students in the Department of War Studies. The two publications Dr Peter Busch mention are below: ‘Terrorism and the Intuitive Journalistic Narrative’, Defence Review (Hungary), Volume 143, special issue 2015: http://bit.ly/1VlX2Qm ‘The “Vietnam Legion”: West German Psychological Warfare against East German Propaganda in the 1960s, Journal of Cold War Studies (Harvard), Vol 16, No. 3, 2014: http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/cws/summary/v016/16.3.busch.html Dr Kieran Mitton’s book is available at http://www.hurstpublishers.com/book/understanding-atrocity-in-the-sierra-leone-civil-war/ and http://www.amazon.co.uk/Rebels-Rotten-State-Understanding-Atrocity/dp/1849044236 DISCLAIMER: Any information, statements or opinions contained in this podcast are those of the individual speakers. They do not represent the opinions of the Department of War Studies or King's College London.