WarPod

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 

In a special series of podcasts, ORG talks with people involved in the development and evolution of ORG in its early days. In this episode, ORG interviews Dr. Scilla Ellworthy, who founded ORG in 1982 and was its Executive Director until 2003. After ORG she founded Peace Direct and undertook extensive research into peace and security, her most recent book is the Business Plan for Peace: Building a World Without War. We will discuss the founding of ORG, how its ideals have defined Scilla’s subsequent work, and her most recent book. Music by Bensound About the discussants Scilla Elworthy is Director of A Business Plan for Peace and the Founder of Oxford Research Group.  Alasdair McKay is Senior Editor at Oxford Research Group Abigail Watson – Conflict and Security Policy Coordinator at Saferworld

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, ORG interviews Paul Rogers, Emeritus Professor of Peace Studies at Bradford University and a Oxford Research Group's Senior Fellow in International Security. We  discuss his impressive career in the field of international security and in particular, his crucial role in the development of the Oxford Research Group. Music by BenSound About the discussants Paul Rogers is Oxford Research Group's Senior Fellow in International Security and Professor of Peace Studies at the University of Bradford. Alasdair Mckay is Senior Editor at Oxford Research Group Abigail Watson – Conflict and Security Policy Coordinator at Saferworld

As Covid-19 reshapes the world and Britain begins its Integrated Defence and Security Review, what does the word “security” really mean in 2020 – and what structures, skills and mindsets are necessary to achieve it. This PS21 virtual panel examines those questions, as well as how the UK can balance geopolitics, human rights and fast changing technology to survive and thrive in an increasingly messy, complex century. Speakers Aditi Gupta (Moderator) – All-Party Parliamentary Group on Drones, on the board for Women of Color Advancing Peace and Security UK Abigail Watson – Conflict and Security Policy Coordinator at Saferworld Josh Arnold-Forster – Defence consultant and former Special Adviser to UK Defence Secretary John Reid Emma Salisbury – PhD candidate at Birbeck College specialising in emerging technology and the military-industrial complex.

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.  

Megan Karlshoej-Pedersen is joined by Ewan Lawson, an ORG Fellow, and Save the Children's Amanda Brydon to discuss the importance of incorporating a strong focus of the protection of civilians into UK policy and how this may factor in the forthcoming Integrated Review.  Further Reading Forging a New Path: Prioritising the Protection of Civilians in the UK’s Response to Conflict Questions for the Integrated Review #3: How Should the UK Measure Success? Questions for the Integrated Review #2: How to Engage: Deep and Narrow or Wide and Shallow? Questions for the Integrated Review: #1 How Do We Define Security? The UK Strategy on Protection of Civilians: Insights for the Review Process Music by BenSound Image credit: UNMISS. 

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.

ORG Fellow Emily Knowles and Jahara Matisek, a US Air Force Officer, join ORG's Research Manager Abigail Watson to discuss security force assistance and how it can be used as a peacebuilding tool. Further reading Western Security Force Assistance in Weak States: Time for a Peacebuilding Approach Is Human Rights Training Working with Foreign Militaries? No and That's O.K.  Image credit: US Army Africa/Flickr.   Music by Bensound. About the discussants Abigail Watson is the Research Manager at ORG's Remote Warfare Programme. Emily Knowles is a Fellow at ORG.  Jahara ‘Franky’ Matisek is a Major in the US Air Force and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Military and Strategic Studies at the US Air Force Academy and is a Non-Resident Fellow with the Modern War Institute at the US Military Academy at West Point. The views expressed by him in this podcast are his own and do not reflect those of the U.S. government, U.S. Department of Defense, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Army, U.S. Air Force Academy, or U.S. Military Academy at West Point.

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. This month the two talk about how the COVID-19 pandemic could impact the forthcoming integrated review and the recent election of Sir Keir Starmer as Labour Party leader. Music by BenSound. Image credit: UK Parliament/Flickr.  About the discussants Liam Walpole is the Policy Manager at ORG's Remote Warfare Programme. Megan Karlshoej-Pedersen is the Research and Policy Officer at ORG's Remote Warfare Programme.

Liam Walpole, ORG's Policy Manager, is joined by two experts from the Danish Institute for International Studies, Peter Albrecht and Signe Marie Cold-Ravnkilde, to examine the importance of effective protection of civilians, looking at case studies from the Sahel and West Africa. Music by BenSound Image credit: MINUSMA/Flickr.  About the discussants Liam Walpole is the Policy Manager at ORG's Remote Warfare Programme. Peter Albrecht is a senior researcher at the Danish Institute for International Studies (DIIS). Signe Marie Cold-Ravnkilde is a senior researcher at the Danish Institute for International Studies (DIIS).

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

Marwa Baabbad, Head of ORG's International Projects, is joined by the Middle East Institute's Nadwa Al-Dawsari and Fatima Abo Alasrar to debunk five popular myths about the conflict in Yemen. Music by Bensound About the discussants Marwa Baabbad is Head of International Projects with ORG’s Strategic Peacebuilding Programme. She manages the project Yemen: Rethinking the Peace Process, working with Yemenis engaged in regional strategic thinking groups in Hadramaut and Marib governorates. She joined ORG in July 2018. Fatima Abo Alasrar is a Non-Resident Scholar at the Middle East Institute. Before joining the Institute, Alasrar was a Senior Analyst at the Arabia Foundation in Washington DC, MENA Director for Cure Violence, Research Associate at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington, a Mason Fellow at the Kennedy School of Government, and an International Policy Fellow at the Open Society Foundation. From 2006-12, she worked as an advisor for the Embassy of Yemen in Washington, DC. Earlier in her career, Alasrar served as a program officer for the Department for International Development (DFID) in Yemen. Nadwa Al-Dawsari is a non-resident fellow at the Middle East Institute. Before joining the institute, she was the Yemen Country Director for Center for Civilians in Conflict, a Senior Non-resident Fellow at the Project on Middle East Democracy, and a founding Director of Partners Yemen, a local affiliate center of Partners Global.  Earlier in her career, she worked as a senior program manager at the National Democratic Institute in Yemen, managing elections monitoring and tribal conflicts programs. Nadwa has over 20 years of field experience in Yemen. She conducted extensive research in Yemen, providing deeper insights into the internal dynamics of the conflict in the country. Her publications have been featured by the Middle East Institute, the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, the United States Institute of Peace (USIP), the Atlantic Council, Lawfare, Project on Middle East Democracy (POMED), the Washington Post, and the Center for Civilians in Conflict, among others.

In this episode, Liam Walpole and Megan Karlshoej-Pedersen talk to David Grealy about the impact of David Owen on the genealogy of Britain’s ethical foreign policy. Related Research Remote Warfare and the Practical Challenges for the Protection of Civilians Strategy Fusion Doctrine in Five Steps: Lessons Learned from Remote Warfare in Africa Rhodesia, 1977-1979: David Owen, Human Rights and British Foreign Policy Image credit: Public Domain. Music by BenSound About the discussants Liam Walpole is the Policy Manager at ORG's Remote Warfare Programme. Megan Karlshoej-Pedersen is the Research and Policy Officer at ORG's Remote Warfare Programme. David Grealy is a PhD candidate at the University of Liverpool where he received his BA in history (2014) and a Master’s degree in twentieth century history (2015). His research focuses primarily on British diplomatic perspectives on the human rights ‘breakthrough’ of the 1970s. David was a participant of the Global Humanitarianism Research Academy 2017.

In this episode, Megan Karlshoej-Pedersen and Liam Walpole are joined by Josh Arnold-Forster, who was a special adviser to the Defence Secretary John Reid in 2005-06 and is an associate director at Hanover Communications. The three discuss the upcoming National Security Strategy and Strategic Defence and Security Review, including the areas that the review must address in an area of uncertainty for Britain. Image credit: Public Domain. Music by BenSound About the discussants Liam Walpole is the Policy Manager at ORG's Remote Warfare Programme. Megan Karlshoej-Pedersen is the Research and Policy Officer at ORG's Remote Warfare Programme. Josh Arnold-Forster was a special adviser to the Defence Secretary John Reid in 2005-06 and is an associate director at Hanover Communications. Share this page

Liam Walpole and Megan return to discuss the latest defence and security policy development in UK politics.

Liam Walpole and Megan return to discuss the latest defence and security policy development in UK politics.

In the second of a two-part podcast series on security  in Africa's Sahel region, Abigail Watson is joined by Anna Schmauder, Brema Ely Dicko and Zoe Gorman to discuss the local and regional contexts of security. 

Delina Goxho and Flore Berger discuss international intervention in the Sahel. 

On November 26 Remote Warfare Programme launched a new report on the roll-out of the UK’s Fusion Doctrine. You can find the report here. On the basis of field research in Kenya and Mali, interviews with officials from the British Ministry Of Defence, Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Department For International Development, as well as roundtables with experts from a wide variety of backgrounds, the report argues that as Fusion Doctrine is rolled out it presents an important opportunity to improve our offer to African partners in the Sahel and East Africa. An expert panel discussed the report's findings. 

Ulrike Franke of ECFR joins the podcast to discuss drones, artificial intelligence and the future of technology in warfare.  Music by Bensound.  About the discussants Dr. Ulrike Franke is a policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) and part of ECFR’s New European Security Initiative. Her areas of focus include German and European security and defence, the future of warfare, and the impact of new technologies such as drones and artificial intelligence.  Abigail Watson is Senior Research Officer at the Remote Warfare Programme. Megan Karlshoej-Pedersen is Research and Advocacy Officer, Remote Warfare Programme. 

Liam Walpole is joined by three guests to discuss defence and foreign policy from the perspective of those who work as researchers for MPs in the House of Commons. The topics covered include where each of the main UK party leaders stand on defence and security, the conflicts between global vs. ethical foreign policy, budgeting for UK foreign policy and whether there is enough accountability in defence policy. Image credit: Wikimedia Commons. Music credit: Bensound. About the discussants Liam Walpole is a Senior Policy Officer at the Remote Warfare Programme. Roddy McGlynn is Researcher for SNP Foreign Affairs team Before joining the SNP Westminster Group, Roddy studied International Relations at the University of St Andrews, during which time he spent a summer interning at the UN in Bonn, working on climate security and climate-driven migration.  He has also worked with civil society and refugee groups in Berlin and Mexico City. In Westminster, he works on foreign affairs for SNP central research, covering the Foreign Office, the Department for International Trade, the Department for International Development and the Ministry of Defence. However, he is not be speaking on behalf of the party or the Westminster Group but as someone working in Parliament with an interest in foreign affairs. Edward Tebbutt is a Parliamentary Researcher for Crispin Blunt MP. He has a BA in Arabic and Middle East Studies from the University of Exeter and an MSc in Security Studies from University College London. He has worked in parliament for two years dealing with policy issues and a particular focus on defence and foreign affairs. He will not be speaking on behalf of the Conservative Party or as a representative of Crispin Blunt MP but as someone with an interest in defence and foreign affairs and a background working in Parliament. He is not a member of any political party. Sam Goodman is a trustee of the British Foreign Policy Group and the author of the Imperial Premiership: The Role of the Modern Prime Minister in Foreign Policy Making, 1964-2015 (Manchester University Press: 2015).  He recently published a report titled ‘Running Out of Credit? The Decline of the Foreign Office and the Case for Sustained Funding’ which highlighted the Foreign Office’s historic underfunding and cuts to the UK’s diplomatic network. He is currently working as a political adviser to Peter Dowd MP the current Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury and has previously worked for a variety of Labour Members of Parliament including: Julie Cooper MP, Sir Mark Hendrick MP, Michael Dugher MP, and Rt. Hon Jack Straw MP. Sam has also spent time working in the US House of Representatives for Congressman Bobby L Rush (D-IL) from Illinois’s 1st Congressional District. Sam will be speaking in today’s podcast in an independent capacity, utilising academic expertise and his parliamentary experience of foreign policy.

Abigail Watson and Liam Walpole are joined by Jamie Gaskarth from the University of Birmingham to discuss the accountability of the more secretive elements of the UK security services such as intelligence and special forces.  Music by Bensound  Image credit: Matt Hecht/Flickr.  About the discussants Liam Walpole is a Senior Policy Officer at the Remote Warfare Programme. Abigail Watson is Senior Research Officer at the Remote Warfare Programme.  Jamie Gaskarth is Senior Lecturer in Politics and International Relations at the University of Birmingham. 

 The Remote Warfare Programme's Liam Walpole and Abigail Watson discuss the latest developments in UK defence and security policy. In July, Boris Johnson's won the Tory leadership race which saw him become Prime Minister of Britain. The two discuss the implications of Johnson's premiership for UK defence and security. They also examine the recent announcement by the Ministry of Defence that 250 British troops will be deployed to Mali next year to join what has been called the world’s deadliest peacekeeping operation, MINUSMA.      Music by Bensound Image credit: Number 10/Flickr. 

The Remote Warfare Programme's Liam Walpole is joined by the Strategic Peacebuilding Programme's Marwa Baabbad to discuss the UK's policy towards Yemen and the impact of its security partnership with Saudi Arabia on the country.      Music by Bensound Image credit: Flickr 

  The Remote Warfare Programme's Liam Walpole and Megan Karlshoej-Pedersen discuss the latest developments in UK defence and security policy. This month the two discuss the increasing tension between Iran and the United States, the recent UK court ruling on arms sales to Saudi Arabia and the implications of the Conservative leadership contest for UK defence. 

In this episode, the Remote Warfare Programme's Emily Knowles and Abigail Watson are joined by Rory Cormac and Andrew Mumford of the University of Nottingham. They discuss Rory and Andrew's new project on collusion and whether there are parallels between the work undertaken by Nottingham and RWP's research into remote warfare. Image credit: Tiocfaidh ár lá 1916/Flickr.  About the discussants Abigail Watson is Senior Research Officer at the Remote Warfare Programme. Emily Knowles is Director of the Remote Warfare Programme.  Rory Cormac is an Associate Professor of International Relations at the University of Nottingham.  Andrew Mumford is an Associate Professor in Politics and International Relations. 

 The Remote Warfare Programme's Liam Walpole and Megan Karlshoej-Pedersen discuss the latest developments in UK defence and security policy. This month the two discuss Gavin Williamson's recent sacking, the UK's Protection of Civilians strategy, and the MoDs new guidance on intelligence sharing with partners who may have obtained intelligence through torture.  

 In March, after a long legal battle between three Yemenis and the Federal Republic of Germany, a German court decided that Germany must ensure that support provided by a US military base in Germany to the US’ drone campaign in Yemen complies with international law. This case illustrates many of the complexities discussed by the Remote Warfare Programme in its report, released last year, on the legal grey zones created by remote warfare. To discuss the details of the case and its policy implications, the Remote Warfare Programme team are joined by Fiona Nelson of the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights and Jennifer Gibson of Reprieve.   Music by Ben Sound Image credit: DJANDYW.COM AKA NOBODY/Flickr.  About the discussants Abigail Watson is Senior Research Officer at the Remote Warfare Programme. Megan Karlshoej-Pedersen is Research and Advocacy Assistant at the Remote Warfare Programme.  Fiona Nelson is legal advisor at the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights.   Jennifer Gibson is Head of Assassinations Project, Reprieve. 

 The Remote Warfare Programme's Liam Walpole and Megan Karlshoej-Pedersen provide their monthly update on developments in UK defence and security policy. This month's big story is Gavin Williamson's announced a new UK Centre of Excellence for Human Security.   Music by Bensound. 

Emily Knowles and Abigail Watson are joined by the Peace Research Institute Oslo's (PRIO) Nic Marsh and Marie Sandnes to talk security assistance and building partner capacity in Africa.  Music by Bensound. 

The roundtable talk AI and the Future of Remote Warfare 

The panel discuss the legality and transparency of remote warfare.  

The speakers discuss the oversight and accountability of remote warfare.  

The speakers discuss the theoretical issues surrounding Remote Warfare.  

 Sir Hew Strachan gives the keynote speech for the event. 

The speakers discuss the cost and consequences of remote warfare.  

The speakers discuss the geographies of remote warfare.  

The speakers discuss building partner capacity in remote warfare. 

  The Remote Warfare Programme's Liam Walpole and Megan Karlshoej-Pedersen sit down with Dr. Larry Lewis to discuss working with strategic military partners and civilian casualties. Drawing upon his experience of working with the Obama Administration on partner assistance in Afghanistan, Iraq and Yemen, Dr. Lewis highlights how this approach can mitigate civilian harm and the lessons that the UK can draw from these cases. 

  With the surprise announcement of a potential US withdrawal from Syria just before Christmas, the international military presence in the country is back in the spotlight. This represents a good moment to revisit a piece written by the Remote Warfare Programme in the aftermath of 2018’s other big Syria news story, Theresa May’s decision to respond to the use of chemical weapons by the Assad regime with a limited strike alongside the French and Americans.  May's decision reignited an old topic of debate: when is it appropriate for a British Prime Minister to authorise the use of military force without advanced parliamentary approval?  As the House of Commons Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee begins its inquiry based, in part, on this very question, the Remote Warfare Programme team recently sat down to discuss the importance of the 2013 parliamentary defeat of David Cameron’s policy of intervention in Syria and its legacy.

  In December 2018, the Secretary of State for Defence, Gavin Williamson, released the UK Ministry of Defence’s (MoD) long-awaited Modernising Defence Programme (MDP) review. In just 28 pages, the document examines the evolving nature of the threats facing the UK since the publication of the 2015 SDSR and addresses budgetary problems in the MoD's equipment programmes.  While encouraging, the report appears to reinforce the government’s shifting strategic focus towards countering state-based threats, particularly Russia, despite the fact that remote warfare is likely to dominate British military engagement in the foreseeable future. Given that the MDP process was put in place as a means to resolve spending problems, this is a problematic oversight. Presented by Abigail Watson, the Remote Warfare Programme's (RWP) Senior Research Officer, the RWP team critically discuss the MDP.