Warpod

The UK’s place in the world is changing, and so is the nature of the conflict around the world. With new risks and developing dynamics pulling policymakers and politicians in different directions, we spoke to great guests.  

• Olivia O'Sullivan is the Director of the UK in the World Programme at Chatham House and contributor to their podcast Independent Thinking.  

• Christine Cheng is senior lecturer in War Studies at King's College London. 

Our discussion gives insight into how UK political parties approach security policy making and the various challenges they face. We cover the ways in which the UK’s major parties would respond to current conflicts and crises, the areas of consensus between their approaches, the difficulties in communicating foreign policy and security challenges to domestic populations, and the potential reorientation of the UK’s foreign policy under a prospective Labour government. We also spoke about the role of foreign policy and commentary on it in the upcoming UK election more broadly, and the need for inclusive and constructive debates on security challenges. 

Saferworld, as a registered charity, is not politically affiliated in any way and is both politically neutral and impartial. 

Please note – the views, perspectives and opinions expressed in this podcast episode are those of the guests and do not necessarily represent the views of Saferworld as an organisation. 

In this episode, we explore the future of United Nations (UN) peacekeeping and the role of the African Union (AU) in peace operations with three guests: 

• Congresswoman Sara Jacobs, the representative for California’s 51st District and a member of the United States House Foreign Affairs Committee, where she serves as Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Africa;  

• David Haeri from the UN Department of Peace Operations, where he leads a division responsible for policy evaluation and training issues;  

• Dr Linda Darkwa, Senior Research Fellow at the Legon Centre for International Affairs and Diplomacy at the University of Ghana and the coordinator for the Training for Peace Programme, where she works with the AU Commission. 

Our guests talk about the challenges involved in the protection of civilians, the importance of due diligence in safeguarding human rights, the threats posed by unconstitutional changes of government and geopolitical security, and the need for flexible ways of addressing emerging challenges. We also speak about the concept of peace enforcement, which the UN Secretary General formally introduced in the New Agenda for Peace, and which differs from traditional peacekeeping in that it involves the use of force against combatants to establish peace. Running throughout all these discussions is a recognition that trust, political consensus and effective coordination between the UN and the AU are central to ensuring the success of peace operations. 

Please note – the views, perspectives and opinions expressed in this podcast episode are those of the guests and do not necessarily represent the views of Saferworld as an organisation.   

In this episode, we explore the role of the European Union in the research, development and joint production of arms and military equipment.  

Unlike other industrial policy areas such as commercial trade, decisions around arms production and export have traditionally been held solely by individual EU member states – linked closely to their sovereignty and national defence ambitions. However, in recent years and especially since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, we have started to see this dynamic shift, with the ramping up of joint research and development projects and collective efforts to provide military equipment to Ukraine. With this shift accelerating, can the EU’s oversight and accountability mechanisms keep up?  

To unpack this question, we speak to Hannah Neumann, a Member of the European Parliament who sits on the Security and Defence Committee and chairs the delegation for relations with the Arabian Peninsula, where the issue of arms exports is often debated.  

The world is more dangerous now than ever, with worrying upward trends in the estimated number of civilians being killed in conflicts around the world, and rising challenges posed by climate change, new technologies, disinformation and upcoming elections.  

To open our new series of Warpod, we look at the trends shaping contemporary security policy, at what’s changed and what hasn’t since our last episodes, and at some of the different approaches being taken to address the challenges facing the world today.  

To help us do this, we've interviewed two experts: 

• Lord Peter Ricketts, a former British diplomat of 40 years who was the UK’s first national security adviser and who now chairs the European Affairs Committee in the House of Lords.  
• Nargis Kassenova, a Senior Fellow and Director of the Programme on Central Asia at the Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies at Harvard University. 

The discussion with our guests has been split into two parts. In this first episode our guests identify the Russian invasion of Ukraine as a key moment driving security trends. We explore rising defence spending and military build-ups in Europe and Central Asia, and discuss the risks of these approaches. In episode 2, we will look at the wider patterns of geopolitical competition and alliances, and we discuss some of the impacts of unreliable and inconsistent approaches to partnerships. 

Please note – the views, perspectives and opinions expressed in this podcast episode are those of the guests and do not necessarily represent the views of Saferworld as an organisation. 

In this episode of Warpod, we discuss the biggest challenge that feminist and women's rights organisations and movements face: funding.

With 99 per cent of gender-related aid failing to reach them directly, there is a critical need for flexible, core and direct funding for women's rights organisations in places affected by conflict. To discuss the issue, our hosts Jessica Summers and Delina Goxho are joined by:

• Anna Tazita Samuel, Executive Director at Women for Change in South Sudan
• Mfreke Nziba, Project Manager from the Coalition for the Promotion of Gender Justice in Nigeria
• Buthaina Al-Selwi, Programme Manager from Hodeidah Girls Foundation in Yemen

Please note the views and opinions expressed during the podcast are those of the contributors featured. They are not necessarily the views or opinions of Saferworld.

#womensrights #feminism #aid #donor

In this Warpod episode, we look at the concept of stabilisation. What does it mean? What challenges does it bring? And how should we tackle these challenges?

To answer these questions and discuss ‘doing’ stabilitation strategies in places such as Afghanistan and the Sahel, our hosts Abigail Watson and Delina Goxho are joined by two experts:

• Philipp Rotmann, Director of the Global Public Policy Institute in Berlin
• Jordan Kane, an analyst specializing in policy and aid effectiveness, governance, conflict, and military assistance

Please note the views and opinions expressed during the podcast are those of the contributors featured. They are not necessarily the views or opinions of Saferworld.

#stabilisation #Sahel #Afghanistan #militarystrategies

“Peace is not a technical process. Peace is deeply political.”

In this episode, we explore new perspectives about what works when trying to stabilise countries troubled by long-lasting violence, crime and terrorism. What happens to societies when they’re affected by extreme violence and proscribed groups? What leads to (relative) success when building pathways to peace and security? What role do people, governments and civil society play? Using examples such as Colombia, Iraq, and Northern Ireland – our guests explore these hard questions and share lessons for what works in complex conflicts with difficult stabilisation dynamics.

We are joined by:

Larry Attree, independent researcher on peace and conflict issues

Andrei Gomez-Suarez, Senior Research Fellow, the Centre for Religion, Reconciliation and Peace

Rachel Kleinfeld, Senior Fellow, the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace; author, 'A Savage Order: How the world’s deadliest countries can forge a path to security'

Please note the views and opinions expressed during the podcast are those of the contributors featured. They are not necessarily the views or opinions of Saferworld.

Throughout 30 years of the previous regime in Sudan, women faced more oppression than ever before. During the 2018–2019 revolution, women and young people were the driving force of protests demanding freedom, peace and justice. After the military coup in October 2021, women were on the frontlines, protesting military rule. In addition to the current political complexity, Sudanese women are also facing economic and social challenges that make their journey to gender equality more difficult. This needs specific consideration from women's coalitions and organisations that work to make women’s voices heard and advocate for their rights.

In this Warpod episode we talk to Reem Amr, a researcher focusing on women, peace and security, cyber bullying and feminism in Sudan, and an MA candidate at SOAS University of London. In this interview she reflects on Saferworld’s research on Sudanese women's coalitions in Eastern Sudan and Darfur. She also shares some practical ideas on how international organisations and donors can better support Sudanese women's coalitions and movements.

Please note the views and opinions expressed during the podcast are those of the contributors featured. They are not necessarily the views or opinions of Saferworld.

#Sudan #feminism #women #peace #revolution #women-agenda #sudan_revoultion

At the end of last year, US President Joe Biden hosted the virtual Summit for Democracy. It convened more than 100 countries to draw attention to rising authoritarianism. The summit looked at three themes: defending against authoritarianism, addressing and fighting corruption, and advancing respect for human rights.

How well has the summit, and Biden’s democracy strategy more generally, prepared the US and its allies for tackling the most pressing threats to democracy today? And how has the US’ own two-decade fixation on countering-terrorism and violent extremist groups impacted global democracy?

To ask these questions, and many more, we are joined by:

• Jason S. Calder, Head of Saferworld’s Washington office
• Derek Mitchel, President of the National Democratic Institute
• Dr Leslie Vinjamuri, Director, US and the Americas Programme; Dean, Queen Elizabeth II Academy for Leadership in International Affairs at Chatham House

Please note the views and opinions expressed during the podcast are those of the contributors featured. They are not necessarily the views or opinions of Saferworld. This podcast was recorded before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and therefore does not reference the latest developments.

#democracy #US #military #conflict #defence #counterterrorism

Over the last seven years, fighting between Ukrainian and Russian-backed separatist groups has been responsible for substantial civilian harm in the region. As well as the use of conventional forces, there has been ‘hybrid warfare’. While the risks of conventional military forces on civilian populations are increasingly understood, we know much less about the risks posed by these hybrid tactics.

In this episode we are joined by two experts who have been doing extensive research on ‘hybrid warfare’ to help us understand more. They are:

• Ewan Lawson, an independent researcher on defence and security issues
• Liza Baran, CIVIC Country Director for Ukraine

Together we explore what hybrid threats are, what risks they pose to people in Ukraine and how Ukraine, the US and others can better respond to these threats.

Please note the views and opinions expressed during the podcast are those of the contributors featured. They are not necessarily the views or opinions of Saferworld.

#Ukraine #HybridThreats #military #conflict #defence #Russia #futureofwar #industry

Looking ahead to 2022, we think about issues that will define the future of conflict – including space, the arctic, climate change, and cyber – and how policymakers and practitioners need to adapt for them. Three guests join hosts, Abigail Watson and Delina Goxho. They are:

• James Rogers, Assistant Professor of War Studies at the University of Southern Denmark.
• Jennifer McArdle, Adjunct Senior Fellow with the Defense Program at the Center for a New American Security.
• Anuradha Damale, Researcher at VERTIC and UK Director of Women of Colour Advancing Peace and Security (WCAPS)

Together we explore how future trends are misunderstood, how they will affect the future of conflict and what we should do about them.

Please note the views and opinions expressed during the podcast are those of the contributors featured. They are not necessarily the views or opinions of Saferworld.

#arctic #space #military #conflict #defence #drones #futureofwar #industry

In the eighth and final episode of Warpod's special series ‘Reckoning with 9/11’, our hosts Larry Attree and Delina Goxho ask three experts whether the 9/11 paradigm is here to stay, or the world is now ready to move on.

We talk to:

• Fionnuala Ní Aoláin, law professor at both Queen's University in Belfast and the University of Minnesota, and the UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering extremism.
• Tom Parker, is a former counter-terror officer at the British Security Service MI5 and the author of ‘Avoiding The Terrorist Trap: Why Respect For Human Rights Is The Key To Defeating Terrorism’
• Rosa Brooks, Scott K. Ginsburg Professor of Law and Policy at Georgetown University, and author of ‘How Everything Became War and the Military Became Everything’

This special Warpod series ‘Reckoning with 9/11’ is created by Saferworld with support from Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, and produced by the Podcast Company.

Please note the views and opinions expressed during the podcast are those of the contributors featured. They are not necessarily the views or opinions of Saferworld.

In the seventh episode of Warpod's special series ‘Reckoning with 9/11’, our hosts Larry Attree and Delina Goxho ask three experts about how 9/11 “came home” and impacted on the laws, freedoms and ideals of the U.S. and other Western countries.

The three experts are:

• Hina Shamsi, Director of the National Security Project at the ACLU
• Spencer Ackerman, a Pulitzer Prize and National Magazine Award-winning reporter, and the author of ‘Reign of Terror: How the 9/11 Era Destabilized America and Produced Trump’.
• Josef Braml, Secretary-General of the German Group of the Trilateral Commission and the author of ‘Anti-Terrorism Laws and Powers: An Inventory of The G20 States 20 Years After 9/11’.

This special Warpod series ‘Reckoning with 9/11’ is created by Saferworld with support from Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, and produced by the Podcast Company.

Please note the views and opinions expressed during the podcast are those of the contributors featured. They are not necessarily the views or opinions of Saferworld.

The sixth episode of Warpod's special series ‘Reckoning with 9/11’ episode explores how authoritarian governments have taken advantage of the war on terror for their own benefits. Our hosts, Larry Attree and Delina Goxho, ask three experts what effects this has had on peace and democracy, especially in the Philippines, Syria and Egypt.

• Marc Batac works for Initiatives for International Dialogue in Manila and is co-author of our report on counter-terrorism ‘An explosive cocktail – Counter-terrorism, militarisation and authoritarianism in the Philippines’.
• Sharif Mohy El Deen is an expert on security issues in the Middle East and North Africa region.
• Dr Rim Turkmani is a research fellow working on conflict issues at the London School of Economics, and Director of the Syria Conflict Research Programme.

This special Warpod series ‘Reckoning with 9/11’ is created by Saferworld with support from Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, and produced by the Podcast Company.

Please note the views and opinions expressed during the podcast are those of the contributors featured. They are not necessarily the views or opinions of Saferworld.

The fifth episode of Warpod's special series ‘Reckoning with 9/11’ episode considers how the war on terror evolved as problems mounted, especially looking at the rise of Remote Warfare and Countering Violent Extremism (CVE) programmes. To explore the rise of remote warfare and its impact on communities in conflict-affected countries, hosts Larry Attree and Delina Goxho are joined by Dan Mahanty, Director of CIVIC's U.S. Program, Victoria Ohaeri, founder and director of Spaces For Change, and Abigail Watson, Saferworld’s Conflict and Security Policy Coordinator. 

Then to discuss CVE, our hosts are joined by Graeme Simpson, Director of Interpeace USA and Lead Author of the Progress Study on Youth, Peace and Security, and Jordan Street, Saferworld’s Policy and Advocacy Adviser.

This special Warpod series ‘Reckoning with 9/11’ is created by Saferworld with support from Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, and produced by the Podcast Company.

Please note the views and opinions expressed during the podcast are those of the contributors featured. They are not necessarily the views or opinions of Saferworld.

The fourth episode of Warpod's special series ‘Reckoning with 9/11’ looks at two countries that became important battlegrounds in the global war on terror: Yemen and Somalia. To discuss Yemen, Larry Attree and Delina Goxho are joined by Iona Craig, an investigative journalist focused on Yemen and a winner of the Orwell prize for journalism, and Awfa Alnami, Saferworld’s Yemen Country Manager.

Our hosts then discuss the conflict in Somalia with Mary Harper, BBC Africa editor and author of a major book on Al Shabaab titled ‘Everything You Have Told Me Is True’, and Dr. Afyare Abdi Elmi, executive director of the Heritage Institute for Policy Studies in Mogadishu and author of ‘Understanding the Somalia Conflagration’.

This special Warpod series ‘Reckoning with 9/11’ is created by Saferworld with support from Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, and produced by the Podcast Company.

Please note the views and opinions expressed during the podcast are those of the contributors featured. They are not necessarily the views or opinions of Saferworld.

In the third episode of Warpod's special series ‘Reckoning with 9/11’, hosts Larry Attree and Delina Goxho are joined by Emma Sky, author of ‘The Unravelling: High Hopes and Missed Opportunities in Iraq’, who served as political advisor to General Odierno, the commander of US Forces in Iraq and Renad Mansour, senior research fellow and project director of the Iraq Initiative at Chatham House, to reflect on how the war on terror became connected to the push to topple Saddam Hussein and the consequences it unleashed in Iraq.

This special Warpod series ‘Reckoning with 9/11’ is created by Saferworld with support from Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, and produced by the Podcast Company.

Please note the views and opinions expressed during the podcast are those of the contributors featured. They are not necessarily the views or opinions of Saferworld.

In the second episode of the Warpod’s special series ‘Reckoning with 9/11’, hosts Larry Attree and Delina Goxho are joined by Steve Coll, Dean of Columbia Journalism School and two-time Pulitzer Prize winner, and Huma Saeed, an affiliated researcher at the Leuven Institute of Criminology. They discuss the first country to be targeted in the war on terror, Afghanistan. We ask, why did this war become so challenging? And what were the consequences for the people who lived through it?

This special Warpod series ‘Reckoning with 9/11’ is created by Saferworld with support from Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, and produced by the Podcast Company.

Please note the views and opinions expressed during the podcast are those of the contributors featured. They are not the views or opinions of Saferworld.

In the first episode of this special series of the Warpod ‘Reckoning with 9/11’, our hosts Larry Attree and Delina Goxho recall the initial reaction to the attacks, in particular from U.S. President George W Bush. They are joined by Dr Sophie Haspeslagh, from the American University in Cairo and author of ‘Proscribing Peace’, who explains how the U.S. response to the attacks redefined how the world understands terrorism, with implications for governments, rebel groups and peace processes around the world.

This special Warpod series ‘Reckoning with 9/11’ is created by Saferworld with support from Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, and produced by the Podcast Company.

Please note the views and opinions expressed during the podcast are those of the contributors featured. They are not the views or opinions of Saferworld.

In this episode of the Warpod we combine two interviews. In the first, we speak to Samantha Crompvoets from the research company, Rapid Context and discuss what the UK can learn from the Brereton inquiry into abuses by Australian special forces in Afghanistan. In the second we speak to Malte Riemann and Norma Rossi, from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, and discuss how the increased use of private military contractors has impacted society.

Through both interviews we explore how the changing character of conflict – and the use of special forces or private military contractors – challenges how we understand and more important how we oversee the use of force abroad. All the guests agreed on the need for more transparency and accountability so we can check bad strategy and stop any harm that our states do in our name.

Please note the views and opinions expressed during the podcast are those of the contributors featured. They are not the views or opinions of Saferworld.

In this episode of the Warpod, we pair with the Project for the Study of the 21st Century (PS21) to discuss whether no intervention would be better than the current interventions in the Sahel. Abigail Watson and Delina Goxho are joined by: Ornella Moderan, Head of Sahel Programme at the Institute for Security Studies in Bamako and Nina Wilen, Africa Director at Egmont Institute in Brussels.

They discuss recent developments in the region, including the ‘double coup’ in Mali, the assassination of President Déby in Chad and the attempted coup in Niger. They also consider how the many international actors involved in the region, including the EU, the UN, France and the UK, should change their approach.

Please note the views and opinions expressed during the podcast are those of the contributors featured. They are not the views or opinions of Saferworld.

In the fourth episode of the Warpod, Abigail Watson and Delina Goxho are joined by: Wayne David, Shadow Minister of State for the Middle East and North Africa, Lewis Brooks, Policy and Advocacy Coordinator at Saferworld and Dr Kate Ferguson is Co-Executive Director and co-founder of the human rights NGO Protection Approaches.

They discuss their takeaways from the UK Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy, including reflecting on the gap between rhetoric and reality on conflict and atrocity prevention. Wayne also lays out the plans for Labour’s own foreign policy review and Lewis and Kate explain how this review could avoid some of the same mistakes as the Integrated Review.

In the third episode of Warpod, Abigail Watson and Delina Goxho are joined by Sarah Kreps, Director of the Cornell Tech Policy Lab, and Maysa Ismael from Airwars. In the episode, we discuss why and how the secrecy surrounding warfare has increased. Sarah and Maysa explain what this secrecy may mean for discussing the true risks of contemporary conflict and why Western publics and parliaments often fail to understand these risks. This episode was recorded before the Integrated Review was published and discusses how it should incorporate the protection of civilians.

Please note the views and opinions expressed during the podcast are those of the contributors featured. They are not the views or opinions of Saferworld.

Abigail Watson and Delina Goxho are joined by Roy Isbister and Elizabeth Kirkham from Saferworld’s Arms Unit, and the Rt Hon Tobias Ellwood. Tobias Ellwood reflects on these issues from his perspective as Chair of the Defence Committee and member of the Committees on Arms Export Controls. The group discusses the history of UK leadership on the arms trade, including its role in developing the Arms Trade Treaty, and how the UK’s reputation is being unravelled by the devastating impact of arms sales to Saudi Arabia on the people of Yemen.

Please note the views and opinions expressed during the podcast are those of the contributors featured. They are not the views or opinions of Saferworld.

Saferworld is excited to announce that the Warpod podcast has joined Saferworld. This first episode examines the biggest security threats facing the world and what policies we should develop to make the world a safer place.  Its host, Saferworld’s Conflict and Security Policy Coordinator, Abigail Watson will be joined by:

• Larry Attree, Head of Global Policy and Advocacy at Saferworld

• Abdijalil Tahir, Policy, Advocacy and Communications Manager for Somalia and Somaliland at Saferworld

• Delina Goxho, an independent analyst and usually co-host of the podcast

Please note the views and opinions expressed during the podcast are those of the contributors featured. They are not the views or opinions of Saferworld.

Delina Goxho and Abigail Watson speak to Jack Watling, from RUSI, and Erica Gaston, from the Global Public Policy institute, about support relationships, partnerships and proxies. In particular, they discuss Jack and Nick Reynold's book "War by Others' Means: Delivering Effective Partner Force Capacity Building" and Erica's work on U.S.-Iran Proxy Competition in Iraq. 

Further Reading:

• U.S.-Iran Proxy Competition in Iraq by Erica Gaston, Douglas Ollivant in New America, https://www.newamerica.org/international-security/reports/us-iran-proxy-competition-iraq/ 

• War by Others' Means: Delivering Effective Partner Force Capacity Building, RUSI, https://rusi.org/publication/whitehall-papers/war-others-means-delivering-effective-partner-force-capacity-building 

• No Such Thing as a Quick Fix: The Aspiration-Capabilities Gap in British Remote Warfare by Emily Knowles and Abigail Watson, https://www.oxfordresearchgroup.org.uk/no-such-thing-as-a-quick-fix-the-aspiration-capabilities-gap-in-british-remote-warfare

• Fusion Doctrine in Five Steps: Lessons Learned from Remote Warfare in Africa by Abigail Watson and Megan Karlshoej-Pedersen, https://www.oxfordresearchgroup.org.uk/fusion-doctrine-in-five-steps-lessons-learned-from-remote-warfare-in-africa

Music by BenSound

Image credit: Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff/ Flickr Creative Commons

In a special series of podcasts, we talk with people involved in the development and evolution of ORG from its early days.

In this episode, we‘ll be joined by Oliver Ramsbotham, Emeritus Professor at Bradford University and a Senior Advisor to Oxford Research Group's Strategic Peacebuiding Programme. We discuss Professor Ramsbotham’s work with Oxford Research Group, particularly his role in developing Collective Strategic Thinking, an approach that has heavily influenced the work of the Strategic Peacebuilding Programme in Yemen and Israel-Palestine.

Music by Bensound

About the discussants

Oliver Ramsbotham is Emeritus Professor at Bradford University and a Senior Advisor to Oxford Research Group's Strategic Peacebuiding Programme

Alasdair McKay is Senior Editor at Oxford Research Group

Abigail Watson is Conflict and Security Policy Coordinator at Saferworld

In a special series of podcasts ORG talks to people involved in the development and evolution of ORG from its early days.

In this episode ORG interview Gabrielle Rifkind, a senior advisor to the Oxford Research Group’s Strategic Peacebuilding Programme, which she founded as the Middle East Programme in 2002. She is now the Director of Oxford Process.

Today we will discuss her impressive career in preventive diplomacy - and, in particular, her crucial role in the development of Oxford Research Group’s Middle East Programme.

Music by Bensound 

About the discussants 

Gabrielle Rifkind is Director of Oxford Process.

Alasdair McKay is Senior Editor at Oxford Research Group 

Abigail Watson is Conflict and Security Policy Coordinator at Saferworld 

Abigail Watson is joined by Camilla Molyneux and Mark Godwin-Hudson to discuss the Overseas Operations Bill. 

Music by Bensound

Abigail Watson is Conflict and Security Policy Coordinator at Saferworld.

Camilla Molyneux is a research consultant and policy advisor at the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Drones, with a focus on sustainable security, civilian protection in armed conflict and parliamentary scrutiny over the use of force. 

Mark Goodwin-Hudson is a former British Army officer and head of the NATO civilian casualty investigation and mitigation team in 2016.  

Hijab Shah of CSIS and Dorith Kool from HCSS join the Remote Warfare Programme team to discuss partner legitimacy, security force assistance and security sector reform. 

Music by BENSOUND.  

Saferworld's Ali Altiok and Jordan Street join the podcast to discuss emergence of the four pillar of the United Nations - counter-terrorism. 

Music by BenSound. 

Image credit: UN Photo. 

In this episode Christopher Kinsey and Helene Olsen from Kings College London join the podcast to discuss private military and security contractors and their role in remote warfare

Music by BenSound.

In this episode we’ll be joined by Jolle Demmers and Lauren Gould from the Utrecht University to discuss the use of remote warfare by democratic states and the problems yielded by this practice.

ORG recently launched its Sustainable Security Index. The Index measures 155 states’ impact on global insecurity. The Index report makes the case for why states need to rethink their approaches to security. This means moving beyond narrow understandings of the concept and towards an integrated approach that addresses broader threats to human security, such as climate change, poor governance, pandemics and inequality.

On 9 June ORG hosted a webinar where an expert panel, including Dr Rachel Kleinfeld, Delina Goxho and Dr Oliver Scanlan, discussed the report’s key themes and findings.

Abigail Watson is joined by Mary Harper the BBC's Africa Editor to discuss the impact of COVID-19 on Somalia and how it may affect the prospects for peace in the country. 

Music by Bensound

Daniel Mahanty and Beatrice Godefoy of the Center for Civilians in Conflict (CIVIC) join the podcast to discuss the protection of civilians in partnered operations. 

Music by BenSound. 

Liam Walpole and Megan Karlshoej-Pedersen discuss the latest defence and security policy developments in UK politics.

Music by Bensound