On July 16th 1945 the world’s first nuclear detonation was conducted in Jornada del Muerto Desert in New Mexico ushering in a new age for humanity. Nuclear weapons became a touchstone in global politics and culture during the Cold War but have since receded into the background. However, with the Russo-Ukrainian War escalating tensions between Moscow and NATO powers, the spectre of nuclear war is looming larger than it has in generations. 

Today we will give you the City view on nuclear deterrence and proliferation. 

Our guests are James Wirtz and Rebecca Davis Gibbons. James is a professor of International Politics and was Dean of International Graduate Studies at the Naval Postgraduate School. Rebecca Davis Gibbons is an assistant professor of Political Science at the University of Southern Maine and former associate at the Project on Managing the Atom at Harvard’s Kennedy School.

Episode 19 - Nuclear deterrence and proliferation

On February 21st 2022, Russian troops crossed into Ukrainian territory. It was a monumental escalation of the conflict between Ukraine and Russia which began with the Russian annexation of Crimea and the support of pro-Moscow separatists in Eastern Ukraine. As the Russo-Ukrainian War intensifies and more lives are lost or ruined, many of us have been thinking about the morality of such conflicts. 

Today we will give you the City view on the ethics of war.

Our guests are Helen Frowe, Professor of Practical Philosophy and Knut and Alice Wallenberg Scholar at Stockholm University, and Jonathan Parry, Assistant Professor of Philosophy at the London School of Economics and an associated researcher at the Stockholm Centre for the Ethics of War and Peace.

Episode 20 - The ethics of war

On 7 June 2020, a statute of the philanthropist Edward Colston was torn off its plinth and thrown into Bristol Harbour. This was done by protestors drawing attention to how Colston’s charitable works were built on slavery, racism, and empire. It is a vivid illustration how history resonates into contemporary politics both locally and globally. 

Today we will give you the City View on Empire and the Liberal World Order.

We are joined by Priyamvada Gopal. Priya is the Professor of Postcolonial Studies at the University of Cambridge. We also have Or Rosenboim with us today. Or is a Senior Lecturer in Modern History at City, University of London.

Episode 21 - Empire and the Liberal World Order

The official podcast of the Department of International Politics at City, University of London. A roundtable discussion on politics, international relations and current affairs

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