War Studies Revision

Events

lectures

war studies

Lectures

Andrew Lambert, Laughton Professor of Naval History in the department, gives his perspective of the Crimean crisis.
Dr Alan James and current student Rachel Blackman talk about the department's MA History of Warfare. 
Jayne Peake provides details of next week's events. 
Presented by Dr Peter Busch 
 DISCLAIMER: Any information, statements or opinions contained in this podcast are those of the individual speakers. They do not represent the opinions of the Department of War Studies or King's College London.

2013/14 podcasts: Russia & Crimea: past & present

In the first of the 2014/15 series of podcasts, William Philpott, Professor of the History of Warfare in the department, talks about his new book: War of Attrition: Fighting the First World War (Overlook 2014)
Jayne Peake tells us more about next week's events. More on our events web page.
Presented by Dr Peter Busch
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.

Attrition: Philpott on the First World War

C. Christine Fair discusses her new book with Theo Farrell, 'Fighting to the End: The Pakistan Army's Way of War'

http://amzn.to/1qZM5E6

Fighting to the End: The Pakistan Army's Way of War

The work of master economist John Maynard Keynes has been key in the resolution of successive crises from the Great Depression to the recent global financial crisis. An IMF economist gives an overview of the man, his ideas and their impact on economic policy.

The Long Life of Keynesian Economics

Eliot Higgins, known by his online pseudonym Brown Moses, talks to MA graduate Gus Constantinou about his open source intelligence methods that he used in analysing recent events like the 2013 attacks in Syria.
We also have a conversation between our Head of Department Professor Theo Farrell and Dr C Christine Fair of Georgetown University about her new book 'Fighting to Win: the Pakistani Army's Way of War' (Oxford University Press 2014).
Jayne Peake and our new media intern and MA student Charlie de Rivaz talk about next week's events.
Presented by Dr Peter Busch
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.

Brown Moses on Open Source Intelligence / Dr Christine Fair on Pakistan's army

Anatol Lieven, Professor of International Relations in the department, gives his views on the crisis in Ukraine and its international implications.
Jayne Peake provides details of next week's events.
Presented by Dr Peter Busch 
DISCLAIMER: Any information, statements or opinions contained in this podcast are those of the individual speakers. They do not represent the opinions of the Department of War Studies or King's College London.

2013/14 podcasts Anatol Lieven on crisis in Ukraine

Dr Christopher Hobbs, Deputy Director for Knowledge Transfer at the department's Centre for Science and Security Studies talks about his work on nuclear security education. 
BBC Newsnight's diplomatic and defence editor Mark Urban gave this year's War Studies lecture. We have a clip here in which he discusses his experience of covering the Iraq war. His lecture on War and the British media is available in full on our YouTube Channel.  
MA students Luciana Tellez and Hillary Briffa talk about the 2014 Conflict, Security and Development Conference on 'Organised Crime in Conflict Zones'. 
We also have details of next week's events. 
Presented by Jayne Peake  
DISCLAIMER: Any information, statements or opinions contained in this podcast are those of the individual speakers. They do not represent the opinions of the Department of War Studies or King's College London.

2013/14 podcasts: Hobbs on Nuclear security education / Urban on UK & media

Dr Reinoud Leenders, Reader in International Politics and Middle East Studies in the department, discusses the prospects of the negotiations on Syria that started in Switzerland this week. 
Sir David Omand, visiting professor in the department, talks about electronic surveillance. Sir David took part in a panel discussion on the topic organised by the RCIR, which should be available on our YouTube channel soon. The other panelist were Professor Didier Bigo, Ben Emmerson QC and it was chaired by Professor Vivienne Jabri. 
Jayne Peake provides details of next week's events. 
Presented by Dr Peter Busch  
DISCLAIMER: Any information, statements or opinions contained in this podcast are those of the individual speakers. They do not represent the opinions of the Department of War Studies or King's College London.

2013/14 podcasts: Leenders on Syria Talks / Omand on electronic surveillance

Mustafa Qadri, Head of Research for Pakistan at Amnesty International, discusses Amnesty's new report on US drone strikes. Mr Qadri was invited to King's by the Afghanistan Studies Research Group. You can find the report ' "Will I be next?" US Drone Strikes in Pakistan' here. 
In our series 'Where are they now?' former MA student Barney Henderson, now with the Daily Telegraph, talks about his experience at King's. 
Jayne Peake provides details of next week's events.
Presented by Dr Peter Busch  
DISCLAIMER: Any information, statements or opinions contained in this podcast are those of the individual speakers. They do not represent the opinions of the Department of War Studies or King's College London.


2013/14 podcasts: US drone strikes in pakistan

Iain King CBE leads research on conflict for the UK's Department of International Development. He has worked in several war zones and has published books on Kosovo, Afghanistan and ethics.
DISCLAIMER: Any information, statements or opinions contained in this podcast are those of the individual speakers. They do not represent the opinions of the Department of War Studies or King's College London.

Why some international missions are doomed to keep making the same mistakes

Despite his reputation as the father of greedy capitalism, Adam Smith did a great deal of thinking about the human condition and how to be a better, more generous person. One economist believes that Smith could change your life.

Listen to Russ Roberts on economics as entertainment: 


The World According to Adam Smith

In this weeks’ War Studies Podcast, Bradley Murray speaks to Hiruy Gossaye from Transparency International about their recent index outlining corruption in the defence industries across Africa.

The event that this interview was based on was co-hosted by the Africa Research Group, African Leadership Centre and Transparency International UK (Defence and Security Progamme).

Hiruy Gossaye is the project officer for Transparency International’s Defence and Security programme, which has recently released a report entitled ‘The Government Defence Anti-Corruption Index’, which looks at the levels of corruption in the defence industries of African states. We spoke to him about the difficulty writing this report, the findings of it including the impact of international arms exports on corruption in the continent, as well as the implications of the index as well.

Jayne Peake provides details of next weeks’ events.

The Government Defence Anti-Corruption Index can be found here: 
http://government.defenceindex.org/
The Panel Discussion on Defence Corruption Across Africa can be listened to here: 
https://soundcloud.com/warstudies/destabilising-defence-how-corruption-undermines-security-across-africa


DISCLAIMER: Any information, statements or opinions contained in this podcast are those of the individual speakers. They do not represent the opinions of the Department of War Studies or King's College London.

Defence Corruption Across Africa and the Undermining of Security

Speaker: Dr Eirin Mobekk
Chair: Dr Kieran Mitton, War Studies, King's College London

This lecture will discuss implementation of security and justice programming in peace operations; identifying key constraints; and the policy-operational gaps. It will examine the changing approach in addressing security and justice programming and what more is needed to consolidate effective implementation. It will draw on experiences from a range of missions, but in particular UNMISS and MINUSTAH. 

Speaker profile:
Dr. Eirin Mobekk specialises in security sector reform, UN peace operations, the rule of law, and transitional justice. She has managed and implemented programmes; conducted research, analysis, evaluations; lectured and trained and published in the areas of peace building, post-conflict reconstruction, governance, rule of law, security sector reform, transitional justice and policing. She has worked in a number of post-conflict countries across the world. She was Chief of SSR Section in UNMISS; and Country Director in South Sudan for Saferworld. She received her doctorate at the Department of War Studies, King’s College, London.   

Her latest book is entitled: UN peace operations and post-conflict reconstruction: Learning lessons from Haiti (forthcoming 2016 Routledge). 

Hosted by the Conflict, Security & Development Research Group (CSDRG).

Security and Justice in UN Peace Operations: A Changing Approach?

Speaker: Roger Mac Ginty, Professor of Peace and Conflict Studies, University of Manchester.

Chair: Dr Kieran Mitton, War Studies, King's College London.

Part of the Conflict, Security & Development Research Group Approaches to Understanding Violence Seminar Series.

"Humans have been writing about violence for a long time. But have we, as students of peace and conflict, managed to get it right? Often we write about conflict rather than violence. Or writing about violence is left to specialists in gender studies, human rights or clinical anthropology. Much mainstream Peace and Conflict Studies seems to have sidestepped writing about violence. This session - a personal reflection - considers issues of positionality, form and appropriateness when writing about violence."

Speaker Profile:
Mac GintyRoger Mac Ginty is Professor of Peace and Conflict Studies at the Humanitarian and Conflict Response Institute, and the Department of Politics. His research has been on peace processes, political violence, and local responses to international peace-support interventions. He has conducted field research in Bosnia-Herzgovina, Croatia, Georgia, Jordan, Kosovo, Lebanon, Sri Lanka, Turkey, Uganda and the US. He edits the journal Peacebuilding (with Oliver Richmond) and edits a book series with Palgrave entitled 'Rethinking Political Violence' (eleven books published so far). His latest books include 'International Peacebuilding and Local Resistance: Hybrid Forms of Peace' (2011) and the 'Routledge Handbook on Peacebuilding' (2013). In 2014, his four volume edited Sage Major Work on Peacebuilding was published, and in 2015 the Routledge Companion to Humanitarian Action (edited with Jenny H Peterson) was published. He is also researching everyday peace indicators (with colleagues at George Mason University and the Institute for Justice and Reconciliation) - a project funded by the Carnegie Corporation of New York. He is seconded to The Humanitarian and Conflict Response Institute (HCRI).
 


How Should We Write About Violence?

This year marks the 15th anniversary off 9/11 and the 75th of Pearl Harbour. The Sir Michael Howard Centre and PS21 examine how major shocks such as these - also including natural disasters such as Fukushima - can be managed by both government and others. How do they change our actions, how do they shift public opinion? 
Tom Bruxner [moderator] - former British Army officer
Group Captain Ian Shields - former RAF officer with experience in Afghanistan, currently teaching at Anglia Ruskin University
Frederic Ischebeck-Baum - former UNODC Counter-Piracy Advisor, fellow of the Cambridge Security Initiative
John Bassett - former GCHQ official and head of London and Washington stations
 
This is a joint event between the Sir Michael Howard Centre for the History of War at King's College London and PS21 (www.projects21.org).

Managing Strategic Shocks with PS21

Event recording from 6th of June 2017

Inaugural Annual Lecture with Guest Speaker Professor Joseph Nye, with introduction by Dr Neville Bolt, Director of the King's Centre for Strategic Communications. 

Joseph S. Nye Jr., University Distinguished Service Professor, and former Dean of the Harvard's Kennedy School of Government.

Professor Joseph Nye: “I’m much more worried about the rise of Trump than the rise of China”

Description:

In this edition of the War Studies podcast, you will first hear from Prof. Wyn Bowen, Head of the School of Security Studies at King's College London,  about the purposes and aims of the School, as well as the Understanding Complex Conflict research event.

On 13 June, the Understanding Complex Conflict event will consist of two panels,  each respectively dedicated to the First World War and the conflict in Syria.

In the second segment of this podcast, you will hear from several of our academics from both the Defense and War Studies Departments who will be presenting their research at the Understanding Complex Conflict event.

Interviewees:

Professor Wyn Bowen, Head, School of Security Studies

Helen McCartney: ‘Commemoration and the First World War in Britain’.

Bill Philpott: 'A Complex Security Challenge: Resolving the First World War'.

David Whetham: 'Choosing sides: exploring the ethics of alliances and third party support in Syria'

Reinoud Leenders: ‘With Friends like These: Iran and the outsourcing of state violence in the Syrian war’
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Event details:

Understanding Complex Conflicts

13 June, 1:00pm | Strand | RSVP: bit.ly/2IJfXZQ

As the seven-year war in Syria continues, and the centenary of the First World War approaches a close, the School of Security Studies, King’s College London, invites you to hear from our academics about the complexities of the two conflicts. Whether you are a current or prospective student at King’s, from Whitehall, the media or the wider public, this event will expand your knowledge and understanding of two of the most complex conflicts in history.

The event will comprise panels on the First World War and the Syria conflict addressing a range of topics from military innovation, ethics, the use of chemical weapons and commemoration, to the impact of social media, the outsourcing of violence, and war’s end.

The event will also encompass a concurrent and more broadly focused poster session on understanding the complexities of conflict and security.

Podcast: Security Studies and Understanding Complex Conflicts

Date of publication: 08/06/2018

Description:

This week we are going to hear from Dr Christine Cheng, lecturer in the Dept of War Studies, about the "Elite Bargains and Political Deals Project". This project was initiated by the UK Stabilisation Unit to look into political deal-making in societies affected by armed conflict and instability. As a reminder, the UK Stabilization Unit is the cross-governmental unit tasked with supporting UK government efforts to address instability overseas. 

In collaboration with the Stabilization Unit, Christine and two academics from SOAS produced a report based on the findings of the Elite Bargains and Political Deals Project. Their report breaks down the findings of 21 case-studies, commissioned by the Stabilisation Unit and written by country experts, in order to explore the relationship between elite bargains, the dynamics of armed conflict, and the effects of external interventions. In doing so, this report calls into question the use of traditional, internationally backed peace processes to stabilize armed conflicts and calls for a greater consideration of internal power dynamics in establishing sustainable agreements.

Podcast: Elite Bargains And Political Deals with Christine Cheng

Date of publication: 22/06/2018

Description:

On the 9th of July, Prof. 'Funmi Olonisakin will give her inaugural lecture on "Leadership and 'Conversation' in Dialogue: Securing Peace in the Unromantic Context." This lecture will argue for new thinking and approaches to building peace that places “Leadership” and “Conversation” at its core. These seemingly simple, every day buzzwords mean something profound and transforming in the hardheaded context of recurring violence. Conversation can become a compass for leadership and a barometer for peace. In turn, this compels a shift in emphasis away from an idealized approach to the harsh realities of conflict-torn societies.

In the run-up to Prof. 'Funmi Olonisakin's inaugural lecture, Bisi Olulode had the opportunity to interview 'Funmi about what she will be discussing on the 9th of July. 
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Bio:

’Funmi Olonisakin is Vice-President/ Vice-Principal (International) and Professor of Security, Leadership & Development at the African Leadership Centre (ALC) in the School of Global Affairs at King’s College London. She established and acted as the founding director of the ALC, which aims to build the next generation of African scholars and analysts generating cutting-edge knowledge for conflict, security and development in Africa.
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For more news and information on our upcoming events, please visit www.kcl.ac.uk/sspp/departments/warstudies/events

Podcast: Leadership & 'Conversation' in Dialogue: Securing Peace in the Unromantic Context

Throughout history, conflict and war have created conditions in which enslavement thrives. In turn, slavery has featured centrally in many conflicts as both a strategic goal and a means of waging war.

Professor Kevin Bales will present the findings to date of a major research project at the Rights Lab (University of Nottingham) exploring the links between slavery and war. This project seeks to map the connections between slavery and conflict, determining how incidences and patterns of enslavement vary depending on the forms of conflict, levels of intensity and duration, and the nature of the combatants and their objectives.

This event was hosted by the Centre for Strand Strategy https://www.kcl.ac.uk/research/kcl-centre-for-grand-strategy

Event: Strategic and Tactical Slavery in War

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

In this latest event recording, Professor Brendan Simms of the University of Cambridge discusses his new biography of Adolf Hitler,  entitled Hitler: A Global Biography. He argues that contrary to past accounts, Hitler was driven by a desire to confront the United States and capitalism more broadly.

Event: Brendan Simms - Hitler: A  Global Biography

William Fenrick, former military lawyer and legal adviser for the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) reflects on his experience at varying stages of his career within the field of international criminal justice. 

This event took place at the Department of War Studies, King's College London and was entitled: 'Putting Law into War: Reflections on the Birth of International Criminal Justice at the ICTY.

Event: Reflections on the Birth of International Criminal Justice at the ICTY

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. 

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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.