War Studies

There are an estimated 250,000 child soldiers in the world today in at least 20 countries. “At times I would cry while on the frontline, especially when I thought about my family. When I cried, my friends in the group would lock me up and tell me that I am no longer a child. I should not cry, when I see people dying.” These are the words of Timothy Sunday, a child forcibly recruited into armed conflict in the Liberian civil war in 2002. In this episode of the podcast we chat to Dr Sukanya Podder, Senior Lecturer in the Defence Studies Department, to explore the world-wide issue of children affected by armed groups, including in civil wars to violent extremism. She shares case studies of personal experience with affected youths and describes the evolving global recruitment methods including social media, the violence children are subjected to and the complexities involved in rehabilitating them back into society post-conflict. We’re also joined by Rocco Blume from NGO War Child, who shares how the problem has evolved over the past decade and their dedication and Professor Funmi Olonisakin, Vice-President and Vice-Principal (International), King’s College London, who shares insights from her time in the Office of the United Nations Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Children and Armed Conflict, including the vital role the UN played in drawing international attention to and combatting the issue of child recruitment into armed groups.

We’re only ever one hour away from full scale nuclear war, a war that would be absolutely catastrophic to human welfare, the economy and the environment. With the world’s nine nuclear-armed states and their allies continuing to spend over 70 billion US dollars a year on their nuclear arsenal, where to from here for nuclear disarmament and a more peaceful world? In this episode of the podcast we talk to Dr Lyndon Burford who believes the technology blockchain may have the answers. A data storage method which stores data in a highly secure, cryptographic way, blockchain has the the potential to revolutionise the world in the same way that the internet has – changing the way in which we think about society and solving global issues, from cryptocurrency to charity donations to nuclear disarmament. Dr Burford, a Visiting Research Associate at the Centre for Science and Security Studies, King’s College London, explores the political, legal and ethical challenges of nuclear weapons, the truth behind growing nuclear stockpiles and explains how blockchain technology might work to increase trust and confidence in nuclear disarmament programmes, as well as the role new technologies in general can enable us to work towards a more peaceful future. He also talks about his fascinating career changes, from a native New Zealander landing himself a role on the set of the Lord of the Rings films as an Armour Weapons Technician to pursuing a career researching nuclear disarmament and now researching the role of new technologies for peace for Pope Francis.

The unsung heroes of World War Two risked everything to ensure naval manoeuvres were fulfilled and convoys, sending vital food and supplies to Britain, were safe. Much is left untold of the incredible logistics that were at play - crossing the inhospitable North Sea, escaping under fire and extricating hundreds of thousands of troops from Dunkirk beaches in just a few days. In this episode, Professor Malcolm Murfett, a visiting professor at the Department of War Studies, shares insights into naval operations that have gone down in history for the infamy, tragedy or glory associated with them and the naval figures that led such missions. Offering narrative on First Sea Lords, such as Sir Dudley Pound, Malcolm highlights the scale of naval tasks, the challenges at sea and how crucial mistakes led to some of history’s biggest naval disasters. The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography exists as almost magisterial volumes in refereeing notable figures from British History. As an Associate Editor, Malcolm reveals the personal endeavours of individuals he’s come across - the good, the bad and the ugly.

The UK government's 2021 Integrated Review of security and defence outlines Russia as the "most acute threat to our security". This follows the rise of an increasingly resurgent and highly unpredictable Russia under Putin, with many in the West raising the spectre that Russia’s military actions are leading to a restoration of the former Soviet Union in a new shape and form. But how credible is this interpretation of Russian foreign policy over the last 30 years and how careful should we be before jumping to conclusions about what lies behind the Russian state’s actions? In this episode, Dr Domitilla Sagramoso, Lecturer in Security and Development at the Department of War Studies, shares insights from her recently published book 'Russian Imperialism Revisited: From Disengagement to Hegemony'. Offering rigorous and objective analysis of Russia’s policies in its closest neighbourhood over a 30 year period up to 2017, she hopes to provide a closer look at the drivers and motivations behind foreign-policy formulation and provide accurate analysis of Russian actions in the former Soviet space. An invaluable resource to anyone grappling with the increasing tensions in Western-Russian relations, her findings highlight the missed opportunities for building bridges between Russia and the West, and underline how and why Russian foreign policy took a different, more assertive tack under Putin.

Marx called it the 'glorious harbinger of a new society’, the Bolsheviks shrouded Lenin’s body in a Communard flag, and Mao Zedong claimed the events partly inspired the Cultural Revolution. The Paris Commune 1871 was one of the most significant revolutionary uprisings of the 19th century and after, and has captured imaginations for the last 150 years, inspiring communist leaders to the recent Gilet Jaune protests in France to a French fashion brand.   In this special episode marking 150 years since the Paris Commune, guest presenter and War Studies historian, Dr Mark Condos, speaks to Dr Julia Nicholls, Lecturer in French & European Studies at King’s, about the events of the Commune, its aftermath and its enduring legacy.   Julia discusses her book 'Revolutionary Thought after the Paris Commune, 1871 – 1885', exploring what happened to the revolutionaries exiled from France post-Commune, how they kept their revolutionary ideas alive, once scattered around the globe, and what this means for understanding French politics during this period and beyond. This podcast is part of our activities marking 150 years since the Franco-Prussian War. We’ll also be hosting a two-day conference, 6-7 May 2021, to interrogate the significance of some of the key political, social, cultural, and military transformations brought about by this crucial turning point in both European and world history. Sign up online - www.kcl.ac.uk/events/reassessing-the-franco-prussian-war-150-years-on-1

Are we entering a fifth era of biological warfare? One that does not depend on the existence of a manufactured biological weapon, but rather seeks to weaponise fake news and disinformation to undermine public health efforts? As we move beyond the first year of the Covid-19 pandemic, we talk to Rose Bernard, doctoral researcher in global health security, in the Conflict and Health Research Group in the Department of War Studies. She believes the deluge of fake news that accompanied the coronavirus, along with the rapid rise of the anti-vax movement in the last 10 years, and misinformation during the Ebola outbreaks, reveal how damaging disinformation can be to public health efforts. We discuss how this new type of biowarfare could incorporate the use of cyber capabilities to undermine sociopolitical systems by virtually escalating natural outbreaks. Such a campaign could have a catastrophic impact – potentially diverting the course of an epidemic by preventing people from accessing treatment, increasing civil conflict, and provoking attacks on health workers.

“The efficiency of the RAF was maintained and often increased [in WW2] because of the Women's Auxiliary Air Force, especially in helping to win the Battle of Britain.” In this special episode, celebrating International Women’s Day 2021, we speak to Sarah-Louise Miller, a doctoral candidate in the Department of War Studies, about her research on the incredible intelligence work conducted by the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force (WAF) during WW2, and how their work set a precedence for women’s roles in security and intelligence going forwards. We discuss why their efforts behind integral successful RAF operations, which contributed to the overall Allied war victory, remain hidden even up until today, the outstanding bravery they showed in the face of danger and how they survived and thrived in a ‘man’s world’ despite the highly repressive gender norms of the time.

“Seeing the carnage outside beamed instantly into my living room via satellite TV really drove home the realisation that I was indeed witnessing the first fully mediatised war.” In special episode marking 30 years since the end of the 1990-91 Gulf War, Dr Carool Kersten, Reader in the Study of Islam and the Muslim World at King’s College London, who was based in Saudi Arabia during the conflict, joins us to share his unique perspective on the events. We discuss how this largely “forgotten war”, revolutionised warfare for the 21st century, re-set Persian gulf politics and enthralled a group of obscure French philosophers. We look at their how their uncannily prophetic observations at the time, almost anticipated the growing anti-western sentiments in the Islamic world, 9/11 and the rise of global terrorism, extremism and Jihad we've witnessed in the last 30 years.

"Only a week earlier I’d been pushing my daughter on a swing in England, within a few days I was also already playing my part in shaping the Balkans’ newest independent country.” In this podcast Ade Clewlow MBE, former British Army Officer and alumnus of the Defence Studies Department at King’s discusses his new book ‘Under a Feathered Sky’, a unique, first-hand account of his work on the ground supporting NATO in 2009 during one of the most profound periods of change in Kosovo’s turbulent history. We’ll discuss the volatile security context, clash of cultures, balancing family life with being on deployment, doing shots of raki in the morning ‘for Queen and country’, and the past, present and future of Kosovo’s Independence.

In just four short years the Trump administration overturned the foundational national narrative of American exceptionalism – the US’ reputation as global exemplar and promoter of democracy. Far from drawing distinctions between the US and authoritarian states like Russia, he tried to show equivalence, marking a start contrast with every one of his predaceous since the end of the Cold War. As Biden’s first week as 46th President of the United States draws to a close, Dr Ruth Deyermond, Senior Lecturer in the Department of War Studies and expert on the post-Soviet and post-Cold war US-Russia relationship, joins us to discuss whether Biden can re-build the US’ damaged reputation and fulfil the promises set out in his inauguration speech. We also explore Trump’s close relationship with Putin and why so few White House records were kept on this, what another four years of Trump would have meant for US security and what the future might hold next for the historically fraught US and Russia relationship.