War Studies

What made the transition of hegemonic power from British to American dominance uniquely cooperative and nonviolent? In this podcast, Dr Kori Schake analyses the so-called “special relationship” between the United States and the United Kingdom. One of her main argument is that the transition of hegemonic power between the United Kingdom and the United States was peaceful primarily because both countries shared similar domestic ideologies. But how will this special relationship continue under the Trump administration? Dr Kori Schake is a distinguished research fellow at the Hoover Institute. She is the editor, with Jim Mattis, of the book Warriors and Citizens: American Views of Our Military. She teaches "Thinking About War" at Stanford University, is a contributing editor at the Atlantic, and also writes for War on the Rocks and Foreign Policy. The KCL Centre for Grand Strategy hosted a public lecture by Dr. Kori Schake on the subject of her most recent book, Safe Passage: The Transition from British to American Hegemony (Harvard University Press). Dr Schake's lecture was live-streamed and can be accessed here: http://bit.ly/2AwLg3v This podcast was produced by Ivan Seifert. UPCOMING EVENTS AT KING'S COLLEGE LONDON COMPETING MEMORIES: TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION IN SIERRA LEONE AND PERU 12th December | 18:30-19:30 | Bush House 8th Floor North Side RSVP: http://bit.ly/2kET2Et Dr Rebekka Friedman brings her unique perspective to the challenges of transitional justice in post-conflict societies. How do the peoples of nations begin healing after tremendous trauma and loss? FEMALE ENGAGEMENT IN HOSTILE ENVIRONMENTS 17th January | 18:00-19:30 | War Studies Meeting Room (K6.07) RSVP: http://bit.ly/2jwkYas Our panel will discuss the creation and evolution of FETs as well as examine how these programmes have shaped the role of women in the military. Our panellists will also explore models of female engagement in hostile environments and the future of military leadership. Register here. KING'S ENGAGED IN AFRICA: SECURITY AND DEVELOPMENT RSVP: http://bit.ly/2yP2WYT Organised by the Africa Research Group (War Studies, KCL) and the African Leadership Centre (KCL), King’s Engaged in Africa showcases the work of King’s College London researchers actively engaged in and with the African continent, and draws on perspectives from the wider African research community. The theme of this year’s conference is ‘Security and Development’ broadly defined. For more information about upcoming events in the Department of War Studies at King's College London, visit: https://www.kcl.ac.uk/sspp/departments/warstudies/events/index.aspx

In this week’s episode, we are bringing you interviews with Professor Vivienne Jabri and Amanda Faber, founder of the Soldiers and Arts Academy, talking about the interface between arts and academia and how the arts can support war veterans. If you would like to watch the live-streamed video of the Remember Dance performance, you can find it here: http://bit.ly/2AjjVAK. UPCOMING EVENTS AT KING’S COLLEGE LONDON THE MARJAN MARSH LECTURE 14th November 2017 (18:00-20:00) War Studies Meeting Room (K6.07) Registration URL: http://bit.ly/2xCU4BY Join Adrian Garside to learn about the interface between politicised violence and natural resources in South Sudan's ongoing civil war. (DE)VILIFICATION OF THE FARC AND THE LINGUISTIC CEASE-FIRE 27th November 2017 (12:30-14:00) FWB (Franklin Wilkins Building), FWB 1.10 Registration: http://bit.ly/2zK1IQD Villains need to be de-villainised for talking to begin; this is a cornerstone of negotiation literature. But what happens when villains are proscribed, or listed as a terrorist organisation? CSSS SEMINAR: MULTILATERAL ARMS CONTROL AND DISARMAMENT: IS IT WORTH ALL THE EFFORT? 28th November 2017 (18:00-20:00) Strand Campus, War Studies Meeting Room (K6.07) Registration URL: https://goo.gl/forms/FvYuRoJqDEMpCCfN2 Achieving multilateral instruments of arms control and disarmament requires sustained diplomatic effort and a great deal of patience. This podcast was produced by Jayne Peake and Ivan Seifert.

In light of the recent attacks in the UK, Dr Shiraz Maher and Dr Nina Musgrave comment on the issues of radicalisation and counterterrorism. Dr Maher is a lecturer in the Department of War Studies at King’s College London and Deputy Director of the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation and Political Violence. Dr Nina Musgrave acts as Assistant Director at the Centre for Defence Studies. She is also the course tutor for the MA module on National Security in the Department of War Studies.

Event recording from 6th of June 2017 Inaugural Annual Lecture with Guest Speaker Professor Joseph Nye, with introduction by Dr Neville Bolt, Director of the King's Centre for Strategic Communications. Joseph S. Nye Jr., University Distinguished Service Professor, and former Dean of the Harvard's Kennedy School of Government.

Event recording from 19th of May 2017 Dr Patricia M Lewis is the Research Director, International Security at Chatham House. Her former posts include Deputy Director and Scientist-in-Residence at the Center for Non-proliferation Studies at the Monterey Institute of International Studies; Director of UNIDIR; and Director of VERTIC in London. Dr Lewis served on the 2004-6 WMD Commission chaired by Dr Hans Blix; the 2010-2011 Advisory Panel on Future Priorities of the OPCW chaired by Ambassador Rolf Ekeus; and was an adviser to the 2008-10 International Commission on Nuclear Non-proliferation and Disarmament (ICNND) chaired by Gareth Evans and Yoriko Kawaguchi. She holds a BSc (Hons) in physics from Manchester University and a PhD in nuclear physics from the Birmingham University. She is a dual national of the UK and Ireland. Dr Lewis is the recipient of the American Physical Society’s 2009 Joseph A Burton Forum Award recognizing 'outstanding contributions to the public understanding or resolution of issues involving the interface of physics and society'.

Event recording from 18th of May 2017 Professor Sir Lawrence Freedman has been Professor of War Studies at King's College London since 1982, and Vice-Principal since 2003. He was educated at Whitley Bay Grammar School and the Universities of Manchester, York and Oxford. Before joining King's he held research appointments at Nuffield College Oxford, IISS and the Royal Institute of International Affairs. Elected a Fellow of the British Academy in 1995. He was awarded the CBE (Commander of the British Empire) in 1996 and was appointed Official Historian of the Falklands Campaign in 1997. He was awarded the KCMG (Knight Commander of St Michael and St George) in 2003. He was appointed in June 2009 to serve as a member of the official inquiry into Britain and the 2003 Iraq War.

Event recording from 04/05/2017 PASSCHENDAELE - A NEW HISTORY Speaker: Dr Nick Lloyd Chair: Professor Bill Philpott Hosted by the Sir Michael Howard Centre The Sir Michael Howard Centre: smhc@kcl.ac.uk Between July and November 1917, in a small corner of Belgium, more than 500,000 men were killed or maimed, gassed or drowned - and many of the bodies were never found. The Ypres offensive represents the modern impression of the First World War: splintered trees, water-filled craters, muddy shell-holes. The climax was one of the worst battles of both world wars: Passchendaele. The village fell eventually, only for the whole offensive to be called off. But, as Nick Lloyd shows, notably through previously unexamined German documents, it put the Allies nearer to a major turning point in the war than we have ever imagined. Dr Nick Lloyd FRHistS is Reader in Military & Imperial History at King's College London, based at the Joint Services Command & Staff College in Shrivenham, Wiltshire. He is the author of three books: Loos 1915 (2006); The Amritsar Massacre: The Untold Story of One Fateful Day (2011); and Hundred Days: The End of the Great War (2013). He lives with his family in Cheltenham.

In this week’s episode, we’re bringing you a special feature with Dr Lola Frost speaking about the value of studying art in war studies. According to her, studying art is important in war studies because art can convey knowledge in a way that is not accessible to the social sciences. Dr Frost is an artist and a visiting research fellow in the Department of War Studies at King’s College London. Her career as an artist spans nearly four decades working and exhibiting in South Africa and in the UK. Currently, she is teaching a 20-credit MA module on Art and War at the Department of War Studies at King’s College London. For more information about Dr Frost, visit http://www.kcl.ac.uk/sspp/departments/warstudies/people/lolafrost/index.aspx. UPCOMING EVENTS STRATEGIC LEADERSHIP AT NORMANDY: LESSONS ON INTELLECTUAL COURAGE Location: Anatomy Museum (6th Floor) King's Building Strand Campus Category: Conference/Seminar When: 09/05/2017 (16:00-18:00) Registration URL: http://bit.ly/2p4IKeo This event will build upon Christopher Kolenda's research on strategic leadership in Iraq and Afghanistan for his doctoral dissertation. Chris will examine the role of intellectual courage during the Normandy campaign and draw lessons for today's leaders in academia, non-profit, business, military and government sectors.  A MOST DISAGREEABLE PROBLEM: THE ROYAL NAVY AND KRIEGSMARINE AIRCRAFT CARRIERS Location: War Studies Meeting Room (K6.07) Category: Lecture When: 11/05/2017 (17:15-19:00) Registration URL http://bit.ly/2oIFTbd Speaker: Dr Marcus Faulkner, Senior Teaching Fellow in the Department of War Studies PROF NIALL BARR INAUGURAL LECTURE 'THE PRACTICE OF MILITARY HISTORY' Location: Defence Studies Department, Joint Services Command and Staff College Category: Lecture When: 09/05/2017 (17:45-19:00) Please contact our Events Officer, Danni MacDivitt by e-mail at dmacdivitt.jscsc@da.mod.uk or danielle.macdivitt@kcl.ac.uk to indicate your intentions. *Dress code is Lounge suits and female equivalent* Professor Niall Barr is Professor of Military History in the Defence Studies Department. Educated at the University of St Andrews, he has previously taught at St Andrews and the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst. He joined the Staff College in 2000, where he teaches on a wide range of military courses, including the Higher Command and Staff Course, and conducts numerous battlefield tours and staff rides. His main research interest concerns the Anglo-American alliance in the Second World War, but he also has an enduring interest in the Scottish military tradition. His current research project concerns the role and importance of food in war. For more information, visit http://www.kcl.ac.uk/sspp/departments/dsd/events/eventrecords/NiallBarrIL.aspx. This podcast was produced by Ivan Seifert and Mané Grigoryan.

In this week’s episode, we explore how the public should understand and respond to risk. Dr Brooke Rogers explains how risk is understood from a practitioners point of view and how the public’s understanding may differ. In addition, Dr Rogers elaborates on the rationale behind public transport campaigns, such as ‘Run! Hide! Tell!’ and ‘See it! Say it! Sorted.’, and how these campaigns contribute to protecting public spaces. Dr Brooke Rogers is a Reader in Risk and Terror in the Department of War Studies at King’s College London and co-directer of the MA programme in Terrorism, Security and Society. She is a social psychologist interested in risk and crisis communication, perceptions of risk, and health outcomes in response to extreme event. The majority of her projects investigate public and practitioner responses to chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear (CBRN) terrorist incidents (i.e. Home Office, PIRATE, CIE Toolkit, PRACTICE and Deloitte). UPCOMING EVENTS AT KING’S COLLEGE LONDON THE WAR IS IN THE MOUNTAINS Judith Matloff teaches conflict reporting at the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism and has been writing about international affairs for 30 years. In her lecture, she explores why, despite being home to only ten percent of the world’s population, mountains are host to a strikingly disproportionate share of its conflicts. Location: Pyramid Room ( K4U.04) 4th floor Strand Campus When: 27/04/2017 (18:00-19:30) Registration URL: http://bit.ly/2nfdqtf http://www.kcl.ac.uk/sspp/departments/warstudies/events/eventsrecords/The-War-is-in-the-Mountains.aspx PASSCHENDAELE - A NEW HISTORY Between July and November 1917, in a small corner of Belgium, more than 500,000 men were killed or maimed, gassed or drowned - and many of the bodies were never found. The Ypres offensive represents the modern impression of the First World War: splintered trees, water-filled craters and muddy shell-holes. The climax was one of the worst battles of both world wars: Passchendaele. The village fell eventually, only for the whole offensive to be called off. But, as Nick Lloyd shows, notably through previously unexamined German documents, it put the Allies nearer to a major turning point in the war than we have ever imagined. Location: War Studies Meeting Room (K6.07) When: 04/05/2017 (17:30-19:00) Registration URL: http://bit.ly/2nDPjI1 http://www.kcl.ac.uk/sspp/departments/warstudies/events/eventsrecords/Passchendaele-A-New-History-Book-Launch.aspx CHOCOLATE OF PEACE Join us for a screening and discussion of 'Chocolate of Peace (Cacao Defying Violence)' with producer and co-director, Gwen Burnye-at. Chocolate of Peace depicts the Colombian Peace Community of San José de Apartadó’s experiences of resistance, via a journey through their processes of organic chocolate production. Location: Anatomy Lecture Theatre (K.6.29) Strand Campus When: 04/05/2017 (18:30-20:00) http://www.kcl.ac.uk/sspp/departments/warstudies/events/eventsrecords/Chocolate-of-Peace.aspx This podcast was produced by Ivan Seifert.

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.