War Studies
Department of War Studies
Welcome to the War Studies podcast. We bring you world-leading research from the School of Security Studies at King’s College London, the largest community of scholars in the world dedicated to the study of all aspects of security, defence and international relations. We aim to explore the complex realm of conflict and uncover the challenges at the heart of navigating world affairs and diplomatic relations, because we believe the study of war is fundamental to understanding the world we live in and the world we want to live in.
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The School of Security Studies harnesses the depth and breadth of expertise across War Studies and Defence Studies to produce world-leading research and teaching on issues of global security that develops new empirical knowledge, employs innovative theory, and addresses vital policy issues.
Visit our website: https://www.kcl.ac.uk/security-studies
Sign up to our mailing list: https://kcl.us15.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=cc0521a63c9b286223dea9d18&id=730233761d
DISCLAIMER: Any information, statements or opinions contained in these podcasts are those of the individual speakers. They do not represent the opinions of the Department of War Studies or King's College London.
If you’ve enjoyed this podcast, please rate and review us on your preferred podcast provider – it really helps us reach more listeners.
The School of Security Studies harnesses the depth and breadth of expertise across War Studies and Defence Studies to produce world-leading research and teaching on issues of global security that develops new empirical knowledge, employs innovative theory, and addresses vital policy issues.
Visit our website: https://www.kcl.ac.uk/security-studies
Sign up to our mailing list: https://kcl.us15.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=cc0521a63c9b286223dea9d18&id=730233761d
DISCLAIMER: Any information, statements or opinions contained in these podcasts are those of the individual speakers. They do not represent the opinions of the Department of War Studies or King's College London.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Sep 29, 2023 • 47min
Making the military moral with Professor David Whetham
How can we help the armed forces make the best decision when faced with impossible choices? What can we do to minimise the damage to soldiers’ mental health after conflict? And how can we save the highest number of lives?
In this episode, we speak to Professor David Whetham of the Defence Studies Department about military ethics education. We explore the process of educating the armed forces on making better decisions, both within the heat of conflict and in everyday life, learn about the innovative playing cards and app created by Professor Whetham and the King’s Centre for Military Ethics, and dive into his work with the Australian Defence Forces on Justice Brereton’s report on the war in Afghanistan.
Download the Military Ethics playing cards app via Apple:
https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/military-ethics/id1503360618
Download the Military Ethics playing cards app via Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.corvita.cme&hl=en_US&gl=US&pli=1
Sep 14, 2023 • 48min
50 years after Chile's coup d'etat with Francisco Lobo
"Reconciliation happens when my enemy tells me my story and I am able to say: ‘That is my story" - Stanley Hauerwas.
11 September 1973. Military forces attack La Moneda Palace, the Hawker Hunter plane launches rockets that hit the main wings of the building, fire echoes through the streets of Santiago, the body of President Salvador Allende is found. Fear begins to spread across the country.
50 years have passed since the coup d'état in Chile, which began the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet that lasted 17 years and left more than 40,000 victims. In this episode, Dr Vinicius De Carvalho talks to Francisco Lobo, Chilean lawyer and PhD candidate at the Department of War Studies, about the violation of human rights, the strides made in transitional justice and international accountability, and how the dictatorship continues to permeate Chile's fragmented identity.
Aug 30, 2023 • 47min
Afghanistan after the Fall of Kabul with Dr Christine Cheng
“They couldn’t scrape together enough food to feed a family… It was very, very, very desperate.”
On August 15 2021, international troops withdrew from Afghanistan.
Two years on, what has been the impact of the Taliban’s rule? How has the country experienced both conflict and peace? And with a significant humanitarian crisis affecting the country, what can we do to support the people of Afghanistan?
In this episode, Dr Christine Cheng explores the balances of power, security and conflict that led to the Taliban’s takeover in 2021. She discusses the mindsets that led to the USA’s expedited withdrawal, why countries aren’t prepared to send foreign aid to support Afghanistan, and the experiences of people – particularly women – living under the Taliban’s rule.
Jul 18, 2023 • 55min
Five years in terrorist captivity with Shahbaz Taseer
Please note that this episode contains material of a highly sensitive nature including kidnapping, violence and abuse that may be triggering for some individuals.
In late August 2011, a few months after the assassination of his father Salmaan Taseer, Governor of Punjab, Mr Shahbaz Taseer was dragged from his car at gunpoint and kidnapped by a group of Taliban affiliated militants called the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan(IMU). For almost five years Mr Taseer was held captive, moved from Mir Ali to Zabul Afghanistan, frequently tortured and forced to endure extreme cruelty, his fate resting on his kidnappers’ impossible demands and the uneasy alliances between his captors, the Taliban and ISIS.
Dr Rajan Basra, Senior Research Fellow at the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation and post-doctoral researcher on the XCEPT programme, speaks to Mr Shahbaz Taseer about his experience and the release of his memoir "Lost To The World - A memoir of faith, family and five years in terrorist captivity". They discuss the details of his kidnapping and the impact it has had on his life since.
Read Shahbaz Taseer's memoir: https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/437701/lost-to-the-world-by-taseer-shahbaz/9780552175357
Jun 8, 2023 • 54min
Society, Sacrifice, and Devotion
‘I think people are willing to sacrifice, and go through all sorts of pain, but it can’t just be for oneself. There has to be some higher reasoning to it’.
In this episode, we are joined once again by Dr Nafees Hamid, cognitive scientist, Senior Research Fellow at the ICSR, and Research and Policy Director on the XCEPT project at King’s College London. We’ll be discussing identity in the West, the crisis of individualism, and the space this creates for extremism to flourish. Taking a more in-depth view of Dr Hamid’s observations of psychology at a societal level, we discuss his upcoming book proposal, what inspired him to focus his research on this topic, and what it tells us about Western society.
This research is being undertaken as part of a UK aid funded project called XCEPT, which aims to understand the drivers of violent and peaceful behaviour in conflict-affected populations – and to find solutions that support peace. Find out more about XCEPT at xcept-research.org.
Jun 1, 2023 • 33min
Trauma and the reintegration of ex-combatants
In the latest episode of the Breaking Cycles of Conflict mini-series, Dr Heidi Riley is joined by Dr Gina Vale to discuss how trauma can affect efforts to reintegrate ex-combatants. Dr Riley explores the different ways in which trauma can be experienced by combatants, and why this makes an individual’s reintegration into post-conflict society so complex.
This research is being undertaken as part of a UK aid funded project called XCEPT, which aims to understand the drivers of violent and peaceful behaviour in conflict-affected populations – and to find solutions that support peace. Find out more about XCEPT at xcept-research.org
N.B. Since this episode was recorded, Dr Gina Vale has left the XCEPT project and King’s College London. She continues to work on these issues in her current position as Lecturer of Criminology at the University of Southampton.
May 25, 2023 • 45min
Neuroimaging of Radicalisation
In the latest episode of the Breaking Cycles of Conflict mini-series, we are joined by Dr Nafees Hamid, Senior Research Fellow at the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation (ICSR) and Research and Policy Director for the Cross-Border Conflict Evidence, Policy and Trends (XCEPT) research programme. A cognitive scientist focusing on the social side of cognitive research, Dr Hamid talks us through his work looking at the neuroimaging of radicalised individuals. Questioning the dominant rational actor model, he instead proposes a different approach to understanding what makes radicalised individuals ‘tick’.
This research is being undertaken as part of a UK aid funded project called XCEPT, which aims to understand the drivers of violent and peaceful behaviour in conflict-affected populations – and to find solutions that support peace. Find out more about XCEPT at xcept-research.org.
May 18, 2023 • 40min
Council of the Syrian Charter
As the conflict in Syria passes its 12th anniversary, one civil society body is trying to pave the way to peace. The Council of the Syrian Charter calls for social cohesion built around a common social heritage that transcends political affiliation.
In this podcast episode, Dr Craig Larkin and Dr Inna Rudolf are joined by Syrian lawyer and founder of the Council, Dr Naseef Naeem; journalist and Middle East expert, Daniel Gerlach; and Council member, Tambi Qassem, who share their thoughts on overcoming the obstacles of civil war, the Council’s work, and how Syrian civil society ‘bears the key to the exacerbation or relief of the conflict’.
This research is being undertaken as part of a UK aid funded project called XCEPT, which aims to understand the drivers of violent and peaceful behaviour in conflict-affected populations – and to find solutions that support peace. Find out more about XCEPT at xcept-research.org.
May 11, 2023 • 49min
What makes a violent lone actor? Exploring the role of mental health
In this episode of the Breaking Cycles of Conflict mini-series, Paul Gill, Professor of Security and Crime Science at University College London, discusses his research into lone actor terrorists and the complex link between mental health and terrorism with Professor Ted Barker. The pair talk about how coping mechanisms, stigma, and protective factors shape an individual’s motivations to join a terrorist group or to commit acts of violence.
This research is being undertaken as part of a UK aid funded project called XCEPT, which aims to understand the drivers of violent and peaceful behaviour in conflict-affected populations – and to find solutions that support peace. Find out more about XCEPT at xcept-research.org.
Apr 26, 2023 • 45min
Russia's War: Unravelling the Kremlin's narrative
Why is there support for Putin's invasion of Ukraine? How has the Kremlin framed the war? What will be the long-term impact of the war on Russia?
In this episode, we spoke to Dr Jade McGlynn, a Senior Researcher in the Department of War Studies and the author of 'Russia's War', a book that explores the attitudes and opinions behind the support for the invasion of Ukraine and popularity of Vladimir Putin.
Dr McGlynn argues that the conflict can't be solved in Ukraine because the problem lies in Russia's "social and political imagination of itself". We explore this idea, looking at what Russian citizens are being told by politicians and the media, and the historical underpinnings that are shaping the Kremlin's narrative and attitudes towards the invasion.
Focusing on the impact of the war on Russia, we get her opinions on the outcome of the conflict, because if the war can't be won on the battlefield, are there any potential solutions to end Russia's War on Ukraine?
Read 'Russia's War': https://www.amazon.co.uk/Russias-War-Jade-McGlynn-ebook/dp/B0BX4V4V5F
