What's the UN's role in addressing the security risks of climate change? And what are the obstacles faced by UN bodies in meeting these challenges? 

In the second episode of this five-part mini-series on Climate Change and National Security, Dr Duraid Jalili from the King’s Environmental Security Research Group and Professor Matt McDonald from the University of Queensland, speak to Dr Lucile Maertens, Senior Lecturer at the University of Lausanne in Switzerland.

As a leading expert on the actions being taken by international organisations relating to climate change and securitisation, Dr Maertens will discuss the ways in which the climate change agenda is being driven at the UN and the obstacles affecting the implementation of these principles.

From the fear that bringing climate change at the UN Security Council will give too much power for the UN over national sovereignty, to the ignorance, competition and collaboration of different UN entities, she shares how much the UN is engaging with wider perspectives on the security implications of climate change, beyond its potential status as a driver of conflict

Drivers and obstacles of the UN Climate Change Agenda

*This episode was recorded in early March 2024, before the recent escalation of violence in Sudan.

South Sudan may be the youngest country in the world, but it’s already undergone a huge amount of violence – and the ongoing civil war in Sudan looks set to bring further instability.

In this episode, Dr Costanza Torre and Dr Fiona McEwen discuss XCEPT’s research in South Sudan, which aims to understand how experiences of conflict may lead someone to engage in violent, instead of peaceful, behaviour. They discuss the importance of hiring local researchers, the challenges of carrying out research in South Sudan, and how mental health disorders may be understood differently in South Sudan. 

This research is being undertaken as part of a project called XCEPT, which is funded by UK International Development from the UK government; however, the views expressed do not necessarily reflect the UK government’s official policies. 

XCEPT 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.

Understanding conflict trauma and mental health in South Sudan

Description

Cyber operations are becoming increasingly important in contemporary statecraft, as they provide new means through which states may threaten or act against one another. The cases of Estonia, Saudi Aradia, Iran, and the 2016 US Presidential elections demonstrate that cyber operations can be used to compromise critical infrastructure, damage economies, undermine democracy, and can even amount to formal state conflict. However, according to Dr. Brandon Valeriano, "cyberconflict", defined as the use of computational means for malicious or destructive purposes in order to influence diplomatic or military interactions, has not necessarily opened a door to new conflicts in the international system. His research also provides that cyberconflict is neither as frequent or damaging as other forms of conflict. 

How does cyberconflict fit into the continuation of international rivalries and conflicts today? 

In this edition of the War Studies Podcast, we are going to dive into the domain of Cyberconflict with Dr. Brandon Valeriano, the Donald Ben Chair of Armed Politics at the Marine Corps University, and Dr. Tim Stevens, Lecturer in Global Security in the Dept. of War Studies and Convenor of the Cyber Security Research Group.  

If you are interested in learning more about this topic, check out our recording of Dr. Brandon Valeriano's lecture, "Cyber Strategy: The Evolution of Cyber Power and Coercion."

Podcast: Cyber Conflict with Brandon Valeriano and Tim Stevens

Date of Publication: 19/01/2019

Description:

We are going to kick off 2019 by exploring the development of international criminal law and justice, starting from the year 1919. 

Following the end of the First World War, the Allied nations of Britain, France and Italy agreed to try the former German Emperor Kaiser Wilhelm II before an international criminal tribunal, while the US stood largely opposed to such an unprecedented trial. During the Paris Peace Conference in 1919, International lawyers converged to debate on the development and application of international criminal justice for the first time and recommended that the Kaiser should be tried for war crimes. In order to break an impasse in negotiations between the US and the other Allied nations on the trial of the Kaiser, US President Woodrow Wilson would relent, agreeing to try the Kaiser for what he termed as a 'supreme offence against international morality'. This would become a part of the official wording Article 227 of the Treaty of Versailles, which called for the Kaiser’s trial. However, with the Kaiser successfully obtaining asylum in the Netherlands and the subsequent refusal of the Dutch to hand him over, the trial would never take place.

Despite the Allied powers’ failed attempt to prosecute the Kaiser, this moment in history bears a special significance for the development of international criminal law and justice and marks the beginning of many salient legal debates present today, particularly those around the prosecution of a head of state.

To help us further explore the importance of this moment to the development of international criminal law and Justice, Kirk Allen had the opportunity to speak with renowned international legal expert Prof William Schabas about his recent book, ‘The Trial of the Kaiser’.

Also, following our interview with Prof Schabas, we will hear from one of the DWS’ own international legal experts, Dr Rachel Kerr, who focuses on international law, war crimes, and transitional justice. In our interview, we will discuss the development of international criminal law and justice since the Treaty of Versailles and discuss some of the successes and shortcomings of today's international legal institutions such the International Criminal Court (ICC).


Bios:

- Prof William A. Schabas, has been called 'the world expert on the law of genocide and international law.' He is Professor of international law at Middlesex University in London, Professor of International Law and Human Rights at Leiden University, distinguished visiting faculty at Sciences Po in Paris, and honorary chairman of the Irish Centre for Human Rights. He is the author of more than twenty books in the fields of human rights and international criminal law. He drafted the 2010 and 2015 United Nations quinquennial reports on the death penalty and was a member of the Sierra Leone Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Professor Schabas is an Officer of the Order of Canada and a member of the Royal Irish Academy since 2007.

Publications: https://scholar.google.co.uk/citations?user=kiCThLQAAAAJ&hl=en

'The Trial of the Kaiser' - https://global.oup.com/academic/product/the-trial-of-the-kaiser-9780198833857?cc=gb&lang=en&

- Dr Rachel Kerr is a Reader in International Relations and Contemporary War in the Department of War Studies, King’s College London. She joined the Department as a Lecturer in 2003, teaching on War Studies Online programmes, having previously worked in academic publishing for Polity Press.  Dr. Kerr holds a BA in International History and Politics from the University of Leeds and an MA and PhD in War Studies from King’s College London.

Dr. Kerr co-directs the War Crimes Research Group.  She also co-chair the BISA International Law and Politics Working Group and the London Transitional Justice Network.

Publications: https://scholar.google.co.uk/citations?user=8CXWqx0AAAAJ&hl=en

Podcast: From the Trial of the Kaiser to the ICC

Date of publication: 12/02/2019

Description:

Researchers and students of war and global security often look to the past to better understand developments in the present. So, how might the history of Nuclear weapons help us understand today’s security challenges?
 
The advent of nuclear weapons caused a significant shift in the perceived cost of war between great powers due to the sheer power of nuclear arsenals. In turn, the unacceptable risk and danger of nuclear war necessitated the establishment of many international treaties that seek to prevent the use, proliferation and spread of nuclear weapons, along with providing a route to eventual disarmament. Many of the multilateral and bilateral treaties developed during the Cold War era, such as the 1968 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), which currently has 190 state parties with North Korea’s withdrawal, and the 1987 Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty between Russia and the US, which has recently been suspended by both parties, are still at the centre of many salient debates and international security challenges today. The relevance of these treaties in contemporary debate is one reason why the history of nuclear weapons and related treaties is important for understanding and contextualising contemporary issues.
 
Recognising the relevance of nuclear history, the Centre for Science and Security Studies (CSSS) brought together a panel of its experts in the DWS to discuss what we can draw from the history of weapons to help us understand contemporary security challenges. After this panel on the 25 Jan, we had the opportunity to speak to three of the panellists, Drs Nicola Leveringhaus, Hassan El Bahtimy, and Daniel Salisbury, about their research and the panel’s overarching theme. But first I caught the panel’s chair and Head of the School of Security Studies, Prof Wyn Bowen, for a brief interview. We asked Prof Bowen to explain what CSSS’s aim was in bringing this panel on Nuclear History together.

Bio:

- Prof Wyn Bown is Head of School for the School of Security Studies at King's College London, comprising the Defence Studies Department (DSD) and the Department of War Studies. He is also Co-Director of the Centre for Science & Security Studies (CSSS) at King’s. 

A list of Prof Wyn Bowen's academic publications can be found here:https://www.kcl.ac.uk/people/person.aspx?id=2948654e-fe79-4fce-a1c7-64682a0579c0

- Dr Nicola Leveringhaus joined the Department as a Lecturer in War Studies in September 2016. She specialises in the International Relations of Asia, with a focus on China and the security of that region as it relates to nuclear weapons. Dr Leveringhaus is affiliated to the Asian Security & Warfare Research Group and the Centre for Science and Security Studies and the Centre for Grand Strategy in the Department of War Studies. 

A list of Dr. Leveringhaus's academic publications can be found here: https://www.kcl.ac.uk/people/person.aspx?id=f180d264-8c59-46f8-b57f-5159888bfb63

- Dr Hassan Elbahtimy is a Lecturer in Science and Security at the War Studies Department. I hold a PhD and MA in Science and Security from the War Studies Department, a Diplôme d'Université - (D.U.) in International Nuclear Law from the University of Montpellier, and M.B.B.Ch (Medicine) Cairo University.

A list of Dr. Elbahtimy's academic publications can be found here: https://kclpure.kcl.ac.uk/portal/hassan.elbahtimy.html

- Daniel Salisbury is a Research Fellow at the Centre for Science and Security Studies (CSSS) within the Department of War Studies. Daniel joined CSSS in July 2018 from the Harvard Kennedy School's Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs where he was a Stanton Nuclear Security Postdoctoral Fellow.

A list of Dr Salisbury's academic publications can be found here: https://www.kcl.ac.uk/people/person.aspx?id=18bb282b-e599-4b95-8389-1d23d6f6a2be
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This podcast was produced by Kirk Allen (Twitter: @_KirkAllen)

Podcast: Drawing from Nuclear History to Understand Today's Challenges

Date of Publication: 2/03/2019

Description:

What are Extralegal groups in the context of post-conflict societies? How can trade play a role in state building? And how do we define a ‘good’ state? These are just a few questions we discussed with Dr Christine Cheng, Lecturer in the DWS and author of the recent book, Extralegal groups in post-conflict Liberia: How trade makes the state’. In her latest book, Dr Cheng writes, ‘Where the state is weak and political authority is contested, where rule of law is corrupted and government distrust runs deep, extralegal groups can provide order and dispute resolution, forming the basic kernel of the state.’ Drawing on fieldwork and socio-historical analysis, Dr. Cheng explains how extralegal groups were incentivized to provide basic forms of governance as they attempted to form a stable commercial environment during Liberia’s transition from war to peace. Her recent book has highlighted many important questions around state formation and how the West should approach post-conflict societies.

Bio:

Christine Cheng is Lecturer in War Studies at King’s College London. Her research on post-conflict transitions sits at the intersection of international relations and comparative politics (with a focus on the politics of West Africa). Dr Cheng is the co-editor of Corruption and Post-Conflict Peacebuilding: Selling the Peace? (with Dominik Zaum). Her forthcoming book on Extralegal Groups (Oxford University Press) explores how ex-combatants affected statebuilding processes after the end of civil war in Liberia. It will be published by Oxford University Press. Christine is the Course Director for the MA in Conflict, Security, and Development (CSD), and she is affiliated with King's Centre for Politics, Philosophy, and Law, and King's Gender Studies.

Christine holds a DPhil from Oxford (Nuffield College) and an MPA from Princeton University (Woodrow Wilson School). Previously, she was the Bennett Boskey Fellow in Politics at Exeter College, University of Oxford. In 2009, she was the Cadieux-Léger Fellow at Canada's Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade. Christine has an undergraduate degree in systems design engineering (BASc) from the University of Waterloo. She has worked for the UN Commission on Human Security, the World Bank's Gender Group, Environment Canada, and the Wildlife Conservation Society. She is a commentator on international affairs for a variety of media outlets including the BBC, the Wall Street Journal, al Jazeera, Radio France International, and Real Clear World.

Christine serves as the faculty advisor for the CSD Annual Conference, as well as the student-run Strife blog and journal. She blogs at christinescottcheng.wordpress.com and tweets @cheng_christine.

Extralegal groups: https://christinescottcheng.wordpress.com/extralegal-groups/
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For more news and information on upcoming events, please visit our website at kcl.ac.uk/warstudies

_________________________
This podcast was produced by Kirk Allen (Twitter: @_KirkAllen)

Podcast: Extralegal Groups with Dr Christine Cheng

Date of Publication: 16 March 2019

Description:

What is the future of security and development in an uncertain world?

On the 7th and 8th of March, students from KCL’s Conflict Security and Development (CSD) MA course in the Dept. of War Studies and students from the International Development Department in the School of Global Affairs held the 2019 student-led CSD titled ‘Building Stability: Security and Development futures in an uncertain world’ to address this very question. For this conference, students brought together rich and diverse panels of practitioners and experts from government, academia, and the private sector to address many topics and key debates around the future of security and development in fragile states, ranging from private investment and resilience building to the functionality of multilateral organisations and the role of state actors.

In this edition of the War Studies podcasts we are going to hear from CSD MA candidate and conference co-chair Andrea Naranjo and the CSD programme director Prof Mats Berdal about this year’s student-led conference.
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For more information and news on upcoming events, please visit our website at kcl.ac.uk/warstudies.

Podcast: Building Stability (CSD Conference)

Date of Publication: 26/04/2019

Description:

Across the School of Security Studies at KCL, students are given unique opportunities to apply the knowledge and skills that they learn throughout their courses by participating in research projects, conflict simulations, and even journalism. 

Students of Dr Peter Busch’s BA module ‘New Wars, New Media, New Journalism’ were tasked with producing 5min podcasts, covering events and guest lectures held within the School of Security Studies. In this podcast, we are going to listen to three outstanding student projects from Dr Busch’s BA module. You will hear from Eleanor Fishleigh on last year’s event ‘Art and Reconciliation: a conversation’, Cory Turner on the topic of wargaming in discussion with Prof Philip Sabin, and Robert Adderley on T.V. Paul’s book talk ‘Restraining Great Powers’.

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If you would like to learn more about the topics discussed here and about student opportunities within the School of Security Studies, please visit our website at kcl.ac.uk/security-studies

Podcast: Art, Wargaming & Balance of Power (Student Projects)

Date of Publication: 01/06/2019

Description:

In this week’s podcast, we are going to learn about a fascinating new book on Military Virtues and how military ethics training can improve decision making in the field. Then, we will change tracks to the domain of art and conflict to explore how art can add to analytical research methodologies used in international relations (IR) with the members of the Truth Tellers Pilot study, which seeks to examine the unspeakable aspects of the response to the 2017 Manchester Arena Attack through newly develop art-IR methodologies.

Interviewees:

Military Virtues
https://www.howgatepublishing.com/product-page/militaryvirtues

Professor David Whetham, Professor of Ethics and the Military Profession at the Defence Studies Department and Co-editor of Military Virtues. Learn more about Prof Whetham's work here: https://www.kcl.ac.uk/people/whetham-dr-david

Truth Tellers Project
https://www.kcl.ac.uk/sspp/departments/warstudies/research/groups/arts/truthtellers/index

Tom de Freston, artist and writer based in Oxford and member of the Truth Tellers Project.

Mariah Whelan is a poet and academic based in The Centre for New Writing at The University of Manchester.

Dr Pablo de Orellana, Lecturer in International Relations at the Department of War Studies.

Dr Christiana Spens, Lecturer and Writer in the School of International Relations at the University of St. Andrews.

Podcast: Military Virtues and Truth Tellers

King's College London event recording from 22 January 2020 entitled: 'Applying Insights from the UK-Ireland split in 1921 to Post-Brexit UK-EU Relations.' Panellists included Dr. Bill Kissane (LSE), Prof. Mary Daly (Univ. College Dublin) and Brendan Simms (Univ. of Cambridge).

Event: Applying Insights from the UK-Ireland Split in 1921 to Post - Brexit UK-EU Relations

What should be done after the end of a repressive regime or a civil war? How can bitter divisions be resolved in a way that combines reconciliation with accountability? These are typical questions within the field of transitional justice, but each of them is complex and contested and discussed in a wide range of disciplines.  Michael Newman draws on his new book, Transitional Justice: Contending with the Past, to explore some of the major debates and themes.

Michael Newman is Emeritus Professor at London Metropolitan University, He has been teaching ‘War, Peace and World Order’, at NYU London since 2011. This talk is part of the War Crimes Spring Term Seminar Series at King's College London.

Event: Michael Newman - Transitional Justice: Contending with the Past

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.

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

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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.

Understanding conflict trauma and mental health in South Sudan

War Studies

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