Sounds Strategic

In this episode, Sounds Strategic host Meia Nouwens is joined by Robert Ward, IISS Japan Chair and Director of Geo-economics and Strategy, and Yuka Koshino, Research Fellow for Japanese Security and Defence Policy, to unpack the policy priorities and challenges on Japanese Prime Minister Suga’s 2021 agenda.Ahead of the next IISS Shangri-La Dialogue in June, Meia, Robert and Yuka discuss Japan’s domestic political environment and the challenges Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide’s administration will need to tackle in 2021. As Robert and Yuka explain, the administration’s focus areas include the coronavirus pandemic and the country’s slow vaccine rollout, the upcoming Tokyo Olympics, the Liberal Democratic Party leadership race, and Japan’s 2021 general election.Robert and Yuka also explore Prime Minister Suga’s economic agenda and progress towards digitalisation, foreign and security policy priorities and goals, the role of the United States in Japan’s Indo-Pacific vision, and the impact of COVID-19 on structural reform and Japan’s thinking on economic security.We hope you enjoy listening to the episode. Don’t forget to follow, rate and subscribe to Sounds Strategic on wherever you listen to your favourite podcasts.Date of recording: 29 April 2021Sounds Strategic is recorded and produced at the IISS in London. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Sounds Strategic host Meia Nouwens is joined by Erica Pepe, Senior Coordinator for Research and Conflict, Security and Development Analyst, and Franz-Stefan Gady, Research Fellow for Cyber, Space and Future Conflict, to discuss NATO and AI.Meia, Erica and Franz-Stefan explore the motivations behind NATO’s focus on artificial intelligence (AI) and the future potential of this technology for security and defence. What role can NATO play in setting standards for the military use of AI?Erica and Franz-Stefan also explain why AI is so prominent in national-security thinking, noting the progress of the technology as well as the potential risks, challenges and ethical concerns associated with it. We hope you enjoy listening to the episode. Don’t forget to follow, rate and subscribe to Sounds Strategic on wherever you listen to your favourite podcasts.Date of recording: 8 April 2021Sounds Strategic is recorded and produced at the IISS in London. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Sounds Strategic host Meia Nouwens is joined by John Krzyzaniak, Research Analyst for Non-Proliferation and Nuclear Policy, and Timothy Wright, Research Analyst and Programme Administrator for Defence and Military Analysis, to discuss Iran, its missile-development programme and the JCPOA.  With a new, Democrat-led administration in power, is the United States in a better position to make progress on the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and negotiations with Iran? Meia, John and Timothy discuss where the JCPOA stands now, the impact of domestic politics in both Iran and the US on bilateral negotiations, and how far the Biden administration is willing to go to revive the agreement.  Meia, John and Tim also consider the status of Iran’s missile-development programme and the strategies that are driving Tehran’s investment in it. While noting that missiles are likely to be an ongoing focus for any negotiations between the US and Iran in the future, they argue that it is unrealistic to expect Iran to restrict its missile programme. We hope you enjoy listening to the episode. Don’t forget to follow, rate and subscribe to Sounds Strategic on wherever you listen to your favourite podcasts.Date of recording: 30 March 2021Sounds Strategic is recorded and produced at the IISS in London. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, podcast host Meia Nouwens is joined by Tom Waldwyn, Research Associate for Defence Procurement, and Haena Jo, Research Analyst for Defence and Military Analysis, to discuss the increasingly diversified landscape of defence industry and defence procurement. With successive governments in Turkey, South Korea, Brazil and Poland having invested heavily in their defence industries in recent years, could these countries soon provide greater competition for Western and Russian defence companies? While the big defence companies are still at the top of the pecking order, Tom and Haena explain that today’s defence-industrial landscape is more diversified.  Meia, Tom and Haena also discuss the export successes of other emerging defence-industrial nations, as well as the challenges they are facing. Drawing in particular on examples from Turkey, South Korea and the United Arab Emirates, they highlight the importance of politics and political will in driving defence-industrial growth, and they note the different approaches that emerging defence-industrial countries have taken to get where they are today.We hope you enjoy listening to the episode. Don’t forget to follow, rate and subscribe to Sounds Strategic on wherever you listen to your favourite podcasts.Date of recording: 18 March 2021 Sounds Strategic is recorded and produced at the IISS in London. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, podcast host Meia Nouwens is joined by Dr Benjamin Petrini, Research Fellow for Conflict, Security and Development, and Dr Umberto Profazio, Associate Fellow for Conflict, Security and Development, to reflect on the concept of fragility.Approaching the concept of fragility in a multidimensional way, Meia, Benjamin and Umberto examine the origins of the term, as well as the misconceptions often associated with it. Benjamin and Umberto explain what a fragile country is, highlighting that fragility is not limited to countries experiencing conflict. Explaining that fragility affects stability through several different and interrelated channels, Benjamin and Umberto highlight various dimensions of fragility, including technological transformations and rapid changes in society, poverty, migration and forced displacement, weak institutions, environmental pressures, economic challenges and demographic pressures. Meia, Benjamin and Umberto also discuss the impact of COVID-19 on fragility, stressing that the toll of the pandemic will be higher on fragile countries than more stable ones. Noting that more and more states are exerting their influence in fragile countries, Benjamin and Umberto conclude that fragility can now be viewed through the prism of foreign policy and geopolitics.We hope you enjoy listening to the episode. Don’t forget to follow, rate and subscribe to Sounds Strategic on wherever you listen to your favourite podcasts.Date of recording: 5 March 2021 Sounds Strategic is recorded and produced at the IISS in London. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Sounds Strategic, Meia Nouwens is joined by Fenella McGerty, Senior Fellow for Defence Economics, and Henry Boyd, Research Fellow for Defence and Military Analysis, to discuss the global defence developments identified in the latest edition of The Military Balance. To mark the publication of The Military Balance 2021, launching today (25 February 2021), Meia, Fenella and Henry discuss recent developments in defence policy, military capability and defence economics. Highlighting the implications of the coronavirus pandemic and the landmark 2020 election in the United States for defence policymakers and industry, Fenella and Henry explore the current trajectory of global and regional defence spending, including in the Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, Africa and Europe, and broader defence developments. Despite wider economic difficulties caused by the pandemic, the stronger growth in global defence spending that was achieved in 2019 was maintained in 2020, they explain. Meia, Fenella and Henry also discuss China’s investment in R&D, the challenges of calculating Chinese defence spending, and the role of unmanned aerial vehicles in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. The Military Balance is the Institute’s annual assessment of global military capabilities and defence economics. The 2021 edition includes updated data on the military organisations, equipment inventories and defence budgets of 171 countries; region-by-region analysis of major developments affecting defence policy, procurement and defence economics; and assessment of key trends in the land, sea and air domains, as well as in cyberspace. Order your copy on Amazon or Routledge.We hope you enjoy listening to the episode. Don’t forget to follow, rate and subscribe to Sounds Strategic on wherever you listen to your favourite podcasts.Date of recording: 18 February 2021 Sounds Strategic is recorded and produced at the IISS in London. Theme music: ‘Safety in Numbers’ by We Were Promised Jetpacks Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Meia Nouwens is joined by Dr Euan Graham, Shangri-La Dialogue Senior Fellow for Asia-Pacific Security, and Joseph Dempsey, Research Associate for Defence and Military Analysis, to examine recent developments on the Korean Peninsula, including the current state of the relationships between the two Koreas and the United States, as well as other countries in the region. In this episode, Meia, Euan and Joseph discuss the tumultuous relationships between the US and the two Koreas under former president Donald Trump, as well as how these relationships might evolve as President Joe Biden settles into the White House. The US−South Korea relationship is ‘badly in need of repair’, explains Euan, highlighting that there is a serious risk of strategic divergence in national-security interests between the two countries. The panel also explores the challenges facing Moon Jae-in’s presidency in its remaining years, noting that balancing relations with the US and regional neighbours will require a coherent national strategy. Joseph gives an overview of recent developments in North Korea’s submarine-launched ballistic-missile programme, explaining why Pyongyang’s nuclear ambitions are worrying. The panel also considers the fragile state of the North Korean economy and the impact of COVID-19 on the country, how China views recent developments on the Korean Peninsula, and what to watch out for in 2021.Date of recording: 3 February 2021 Sounds Strategic is recorded and produced at the IISS in London. Theme music: ‘Safety in Numbers’ by We Were Promised Jetpacks Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Meia Nouwens is joined by Dr Ben Rhode, Editor of The Adelphi Series and IISS Senior Fellow for Transatlantic Affairs, and Dr Kori Schake, Director of Foreign and Defense Policy Studies at the American Enterprise Institute and former IISS Deputy Director-General. Together, they reflect on the legacy of the Trump presidency and also look ahead at what to expect from President Biden’s administration. Starting with the significance of Joe Biden being sworn in and the self-conscious attempt at the inauguration to project unity, the podcast panel discusses what it means for the US government to return to being ‘boring and competent’. Meia, Ben and Kori also consider what long-lasting effect the violent insurrection of 6 January 2021 will have on domestic policy, and the continuing challenges posed by right-wing and online radicalisation, as well as QAnon conspiracy theorists. The panel then explores what Trump’s legacy means both for Biden’s aim of ending the ‘uncivil war’, as well as for the Republican Party. They end by discussing what effect Trump’s legacy will have on US foreign policies and considering how Biden will use his first 100 days to signal his prioritisation between domestic and foreign priorities.Date of recording: 21 January 2021Sounds Strategic is recorded and produced at the IISS in London.Theme music: ‘Safety in Numbers’ by We Were Promised Jetpacks Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the first IISS Sounds Strategic podcast of 2021, to coincide with the audiobook release of Brendan Taylor’s Adelphi Series publication Dangerous Decade: Taiwan’s Security and Crisis Management, Meia Nouwens and Brendan discuss the geopolitical importance of Taiwan and the challenges it faces in the coming year and beyond.Starting with President Tsai Ing-Wen’s re-election in January 2020 and her government’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic that won international praise, the discussion moves to look ahead to potential security crises facing Taiwan. Brendan identifies US-China rivalry as a potential flashpoint and argues, ‘perhaps controversially’, that the next crisis brewing over Taiwan will be more serious than previous ones as the geopolitical status quo affecting Taiwan begins to fracture. Meia and Brendan go on to discuss why Taiwan is strategically important for China, the likelihood of reunification and independence, whether there will be a major change in US-Taiwan relations under President Biden’s administration, Taiwan’s international standing, and where Taiwan could take advantage of the US-China trade war. Date of recording: 18 December 2020Sounds Strategic is recorded and produced at the IISS in London.Theme music: ‘Safety in Numbers’ by We Were Promised Jetpacks Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After an unprecedented year in world affairs, Meia Nouwens speaks with Sarah Raine, IISS Consulting Senior Fellow for Geopolitics and Strategy, and Dr Nigel Gould-Davies, Editor of IISS’ Strategic Survey and Senior Fellow for Russia and Eurasia in this special end-of-year episode. Researchers from across the IISS contributed their thoughts on the key geopolitical and security challenges from 2020 that will likely continue far into 2021. Among these, Meia, Sarah and Nigel discuss the continuing decline of multilateralism and the rules-based international order, the challenge of growing extraterritoriality in the Middle East and elsewhere, as well as the future of the US–China rivalry during a Biden presidency. Despite the difficulties of 2020, both Nigel and Sarah end on some points of optimism that could improve international relations in the coming year.We hope you enjoyed this special episode of Sounds Strategic and from all of us at the IISS, we wish you have a safe and festive new year. Don’t forget to follow, rate and subscribe to Sounds Strategic on wherever you listen to your favourite podcasts.Date of recording: 17 December 2020Sounds Strategic is recorded and produced at the IISS in London.Theme music: ‘Safety in Numbers’ by We Were Promised Jetpacks Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.