War Studies
Episodes
The Helsinki Brief, Episode 2: Intelligence Culture in Finland
11 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In the second episode of The Helsinki Brief: Inside Finnish Intelligence and Security, the focus is on intelligence culture in Finland, explored withi...
Leadership in a divided world
25 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Dr Nafees Hamid speaks with Michael Shipler, King’s College London War Studies alumnus and Vice President of Leadership Development...
Does the expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank pose a threat to long-term peace for Palestine and Israel?
03 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Dr Nils Mallock joins Dr Rajan Basra to discuss his research on the expansion of Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank and the effect their pr...
24 Hours at the Capitol: Nora Neus on January 6, the Far Right and American Nationalism
06 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Dr Pablo de Orellana, Senior Lecturer in International Relations, is joined by journalist and Emmy-nominated producer Nora Neus to d...
The Helsinki Brief: Inside Finnish Intelligence and Security
17 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This episode introduces The Helsinki Brief, a podcast mini-series on Finnish intelligence and security. Hosted by Dr Paul McGarr of King’s College L...
Victim-centred peacemaking: How victim inclusion shaped Colombia’s Santos-FARC peace process
28 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Professor Roddy Brett, Professor of Peace and Conflict Studies and Director of the Global Insecurities Centre at the University of Br...
A Risk Too Far: The Psychology Behind Operation Market Garden
20 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Dr Gary Buck, author of A Risk Too Far: A Psychological Autopsy of the Planning for Arnhem, joins Dr Huw Dylan to explore the human f...
Inside cyberwarfare: Navigating the digital battlefield
01 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Dr Tim Stevens, co-editor of the Research Handbook on Cyberwarfare, explores the evolving realities of cyber warfare and its growing ...
The untold story of Chinese naval officers in D-Day
28 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Professor Andrew Lambert FKC, Laughton Professor of Naval History, Geoff Browell, Head of Heritage Collections, and Angus Hui, curato...
The Spy and the Devil: The forgotten MI6 agent who changed British intelligence
22 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Professor Tim Willasey-Wilsey, Visiting Professor at the Department of War Studies, joins Dr Huw Dylan, Reader in Intelligence Studie...
Our Dear Friends in Moscow: Journalism, fear, and betrayal in the age of Putin
09 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, investigative journalists Andrei Soldatov and Irina Borogan—both Visiting Fellows at the Department of War Studies—join Dr Daniel...
Imaging Peace: Photographing everyday peace
13 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Dr Tiffany Fairey, Senior Research Fellow at the Department of War Studies, and Dr Pamina Firchow, Associate Professor at Brandeis Un...
Watching the Jackals: Cold War terror, espionage, and Prague’s secret role
21 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
How did communist Czechoslovakia become a hub for Cold War terrorists like Carlos the Jackal and Abu Daoud? And what can today’s intelligence profes...
Spying in South Asia: Cold War intelligence and the making of modern India
16 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
How did Cold War intelligence operations shape postcolonial India’s domestic politics and international alignments? Why did Western agencies priorit...
From rebels to rulers: Who are Syria’s new leaders?
17 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In December 2024, the Assad regime in Syria was overthrown. Today, Ahmed al-Sharaa is acting as the interim president of Syria, at the head of a new t...
How behavioural science can pave the way to peace in Colombia
03 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In 2016, the Colombian government signed a historic peace agreement with guerilla group the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, also known as FARC...
The national and transnational dynamics of Iraq's Islamic Resistance landscape
19 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The Islamic Resistance in Iraq (IRI) is considered a key player in Iran’s Axis of Resistance, and its connection to the state security forces in Ira...
Eyes on the Indo-Pacific: Australia’s defence strategy
26 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What does the future of Australia's defence strategy look like in the face of rising geopolitical tensions? How are shifting dynamics in the Indo-Paci...
The fall of Assad and its impact on international dynamics
21 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
What does the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime mean for the future of Syria and the broader Middle East? How might the rise of Abu Mohammed al-Jolan...
The legacy of the Yezidi genocide with Mirza Dinnayi
05 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In 2014, the self-styled Islamic State committed genocide against the Yezidi population in Iraq. To mark the anniversary of the genocide, Dr Inna Rudo...
Trump and the future of the Russia-Ukraine war
25 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
What would Trump’s return to the White House mean for Ukraine’s future and Europe’s security? How might his strategy for the war in Ukraine diff...
The power of open-source intelligence with Henrietta Wilson
18 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
How is open-source data being used to uncover threats to human security, and what ethical challenges do practitioners face when working with open-sour...
The Strugle for Taiwan with Professor Sulmaan Khan
05 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
What makes Taiwan such a crucial flashpoint in global politics? How has its historical journey shaped its current role on the world stage? In this ...
The Great Global Rebalancing with Dr Samir Puri
19 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Are we witnessing the decline of Western power and influence? What could this mean for the future of the global order? In this episode, Dr. Samir Pu...
What is the ‘logic’ of intergroup conflict?
26 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Why do groups enter into conflict when a peaceful resolution could be reached? Dr Nafees Hamid interviews Dr Hannes Rusch about his work examining t...
Understanding conflict trauma and mental health in South Sudan
20 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
*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 wor...
Building resilience to violent extremism
12 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
What makes a person or a community resilient to violent extremism? Are these inherent characteristics or are they something that can be taught? ‘R...
How greening initiatives can help promote peace
06 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
After two decades of violent conflict in the city of Mosul, Iraq, Dr Omar Mohammed, founder of the Mosul Eye organisation, started a tree-planting ini...
Nuclear security and the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant with Dr Ross Peel
31 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
How has the Russian occupation of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant impacted nuclear security and safety? In this podcast episode we explore nucle...
Wargaming: Playing out uncertainty with Dr David Banks
02 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Wargaming has surged in popularity in recent years, drawing substantial financial backing from militaries, governments and the private sector alike. B...
The experiences of displaced Ukrainian women with Dr Daryna Dvornichenko
15 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
“So far, six million Ukrainians are estimated to have left the country to flee Russia's full-scale invasion. And because of military service require...
What do current conflicts tell us about the world today and our prospects for peace?
24 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
**We're bringing you a special episode of the World: we got this podcast** As the war in Ukraine enters its third year, there is also ongoing fightin...
Israel and conflict memory in Lebanon
19 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Series: Breaking Cycles of Conflict As the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah continues to escalate, Dr Craig Larkin and Bronte Philips reflect on...
Violent extremism and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs)
01 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Tens of thousands of children currently live in dire conditions in Al Hol camp in Syria – and there are concerns this makes them vulnerable to radic...
Translating the stories of conflict-affected populations
25 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
A translator’s job is to take something in one language and convert it to another – but when you’re translating the stories of people affected b...
Israel-Hamas war: The rules of armed conflict with Professor Emily Crawford
22 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Israel’s military response to the 7 October 2023 attack by Hamas has been subject to much discussion. In a two-part series, we consider specific que...
Addressing male conflict trauma
18 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Content warning: This episode contains mentions of sexual violence, self-harm, and suicide. Series: Breaking Cycles of Conflict Dr Heidi Riley and ...
Growing up in violent extremist families
11 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Series: Breaking Cycles of Conflict "Imagine that dad is a neo-Nazi, mum has joined a jihadist group" As governments across Europe face the challen...
Reconciliation and reconstruction in post-conflict Iraq
04 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Series: Breaking Cycles of Conflict "Let’s imagine tomorrow Mosul is brick by brick exactly what it was like before ISIS took over – the city ha...
Israel-Hamas war: International Law and the Use of Force with Professor Marko Milanovic
19 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Israel’s military response to the 7 October 2023 attack by Hamas has been subject to much discussion. In a two-part series, we consider specific que...
COP28 and Climate Security with Dr Pauline Heinrichs
09 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Can countries work together at COP28 to agree on effective global actions for addressing climate change? In this episode we speak to Dr Pauline Hei...
Estimative Intelligence in European Foreign Policymaking
13 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
What are the dynamics of intelligence and foreign policy in Europe? The editors of the book “Estimative Intelligence in European Foreign Policymaki...
24 hours in Charlottesville with Nora Neus
19 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
“White supremacy, hate groups and the alt-right movement thrive in secrecy and in dark places. Being able to bring this topic out into the light and...
Making the military moral with Professor David Whetham
29 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
How can we help the armed forces make the best decision when faced with impossible choices? What can we do to minimise the damage to soldiers’ menta...
50 years after Chile's coup d'etat with Francisco Lobo
14 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
"Reconciliation happens when my enemy tells me my story and I am able to say: ‘That is my story" - Stanley Hauerwas. 11 September 1973. Military f...
Afghanistan after the Fall of Kabul with Dr Christine Cheng
30 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
“They couldn’t scrape together enough food to feed a family… It was very, very, very desperate.” On August 15 2021, international troops with...
Five years in terrorist captivity with Shahbaz Taseer
18 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Please note that this episode contains material of a highly sensitive nature including kidnapping, violence and abuse that may be triggering for some ...
Society, Sacrifice, and Devotion
08 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
‘I think people are willing to sacrifice, and go through all sorts of pain, but it can’t just be for oneself. There has to be some higher reasonin...
Trauma and the reintegration of ex-combatants
01 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In the latest episode of the Breaking Cycles of Conflict mini-series, Dr Heidi Riley is joined by Dr Gina Vale to discuss how trauma can affect effort...
Neuroimaging of Radicalisation
25 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In the latest episode of the Breaking Cycles of Conflict mini-series, we are joined by Dr Nafees Hamid, Senior Research Fellow at the International Ce...
Council of the Syrian Charter
18 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
As the conflict in Syria passes its 12th anniversary, one civil society body is trying to pave the way to peace. The Council of the Syrian Charter cal...
What makes a violent lone actor? Exploring the role of mental health
11 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of the Breaking Cycles of Conflict mini-series, Paul Gill, Professor of Security and Crime Science at University College London, discu...
Russia's War: Unravelling the Kremlin's narrative
26 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Why is there support for Putin's invasion of Ukraine? How has the Kremlin framed the war? What will be the long-term impact of the war on Russia? In...
Making Sense of Trauma
13 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
How can testimony and storytelling help us understand the suffering and trauma of victims of conflict? Why is the act of bearing witness to trauma pol...
Where are the women? Exploring the experiences of women in conflict
08 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Why is it important to give women a voice in the study of war and security? Are women considered in military strategies and post-conflict reconstruct...
365 days of war in Ukraine: What have we learned?
24 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
King's College London postdoctoral researcher, Marina Miron, talks to the War Studies Podcast as we reflect on the first 365 days of Russia's 'Special...
The women of IS
16 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
As Shamima Begum appeals the removal of her British citizenship, the question of whether or not she is a ‘victim’ has flooded the press. Was Begum...
Do trauma interventions work?
09 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Trauma interventions in fragile areas can help to break cycles of conflict, because we know that exposure to violence causes trauma, but that trauma c...
Prisons: the path to extremism?
02 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Are prisons really hotbeds of terrorism? Will the ‘ordinary’ young man entering prison be so influenced by his cell mate that he leaves a terroris...
Breaking cycles of conflict
26 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
What drives one person to violence and another to peace? How does experience of trauma lead to radicalisation? Are there interventions that can help d...
Compassion or control? Britain and the abolition of slavery with Dr Maeve Ryan
26 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The HMS Derwent arrived in Freetown harbour, Sierra Leone in March 1808, escorting two captured American ships carrying 167 enslaved people. What made...
Patchwork States: The roots of political violence in India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh
03 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Over the winter of 2019 in India, 519 riots took place causing mass casualties and deaths. This in part was a reaction to the introduction of the Citi...
The Western Front: The Generals in the First World War
20 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The Western Front, that cauldron of war, a bubbling, fermenting experiment in killing that changed the world. The Western Front would become synonymou...
Women leaders in health and conflict
01 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Globally, there are very few women in leadership positions in healthcare and peacebuilding in areas of armed conflict – but why is this the case? ...
The Road to Vietnam with Dr Pablo de Orellana
13 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Why did the United States become involved in Vietnam? To combat communism, evidently. But just how did a Southeast Asian French colony already devasta...
Why biodiversity and wildlife conservation is crucial to global security with Dr Richard Milburn
01 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
“Empty stomachs have no ears…” These were the words of a poacher in Bukavu in the Democratic Republic of Congo, when asked why he continued to ...
Nuclear forensics: investigating threats to nuclear security with David Smith
17 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
There are around 150 incidents of unauthorised activities involving nuclear and radioactive materials reported each year, including smuggling and thef...
The war in Ukraine explained: More from our experts
04 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
What’s happening on the ground in Ukraine? Why has Russia’s hopes of a swift, decisive victory turned into a long, drawn-out, brutal war of attrit...
World We Got This: The role of space in modern-day warfare
30 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
**World We Got This Podcast: The role of space in modern-day warfare ** Continuing on from last week we’re sharing another episode of the World We ...
World We Got This: How cyber operations, social media & artificial intelligence are changing warfare
24 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
**World We Got This Podcast: How cyber operations, social media & artificial intelligence are changing warfare** Today and next week we’re sharing ...
The war in Ukraine: Hear from our experts
18 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Many pundits did not believe Russia was going to attack Ukraine. Yet on 24th February 2022 Vladimir Putin launched a terrestrial invasion entering thr...
Women in Security and Academia with Dr Anna Brinkman-Schwartz and Helene Olsen
08 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
At the end of 2021, the UK government published a report looking into some of the institutional barriers women face within the military. Shockingly, o...
Fighting with Pride: The 'gay ban' in the UK Armed Forces with Craig Jones
23 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Up until 2000 it was illegal in Britain to be LGBTQ+ and serve in the armed forces. If suspected of being gay, service personnel would be interrogated...
The British way of war, Julian Corbett and national strategy with Professor Andrew Lambert
11 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A century ago in 1922, British historian and strategist Sir Julian Corbett died. Sir Julian’s contribution as a historian places him amongst the gre...
Ethical leadership in international organisations with Dr Maria Varaki and Dr Guilherme Vasconcelos
28 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Once expected to guarantee the ‘salvation of mankind’, by ensuring a peaceful, healthy and prosperous global order, international organisations su...
The fall of the Soviet Union 30 years on
15 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
“The USSR as a geopolitical reality and subject of international law has ceased to exist.” In December 1991, the Presidents of Russia, the Ukrain...
Challenges and Solutions of Climate Geoengineering
13 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What is climate engineering? How and why are certain shifting geoengineering policies engendering conflict? How do we differentiate between and priori...
Climate change and the securitization of vulnerable nations
08 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Vulnerable nations are really feeling the negative effects and implications of climate change and the associated security repercussions. To what exten...
Guilty women, foreign policy, and appeasement with Professor Julie Gottlieb
16 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Did British men and women react in the same way to the imminence of the Second World War? How did women feel about the Munich agreement - the notoriou...
China, India and the USA’s different approaches to climate security
11 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The three major powers at the centre of COP26 - China, India and the USA, have differing perspectives on the link between climate and security. Yet ho...
Drivers and obstacles of the UN Climate Change Agenda
27 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
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? ...
Immigration, decolonisation and Britain’s Radical Right with Dr Liam Liburd
22 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What did the British empire, it’s history and legacy mean for Britain’s fascists? And what does this tell us about where the radical right fits in...
Government responses to climate change and national security
13 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Throughout October and November we're bringing you the special podcast mini-series ‘Climate Change and National Security’, in the run up to the 20...
American Grand Strategy and China's hegemonic challenge with Dr Zeno Leoni
05 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
There is widespread agreement that world order is in transition. The Liberal International Order (LIO), established in the aftermath of World War II...
Women in the War: The last heroines of Britain’s greatest generation with Lucy Fisher
09 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Women’s efforts were indispensable in the Second World War effort, yet their stories are often missing from the general narratives. The nature of th...
A new approach to peacebuilding with Severine Autesserre
15 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Billions of dollars are spent every year on pacifying conflict zones by international organisations and NGOs. However, the past five years have seen t...
Child Soldiers: From civil wars to violent extremism with Dr Sukanya Podder
21 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
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, especiall...
Global Nuclear Disarmament: Could blockchain be the solution? with Dr Lyndon Burford
09 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
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 environ...
Naval figures of WWII: The good and the bad with Professor Malcolm Murfett
17 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The unsung heroes of World War Two risked everything to ensure naval manoeuvres were fulfilled and convoys, sending vital food and supplies to Britain...
Russian Imperialism revisited with Dr Domitilla Sagramoso
28 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
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 o...
Revolutionary thought after the Paris Commune with Julia Nicholls
07 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
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 eve...
Disinformation and epidemics: The next phase of biowarfare with Rose Bernard
18 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
The hidden women behind Britain’s WWII air victory with Sarah-Louise Miller
05 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
“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 ...
The Gulf War with Dr Carool Kersten
25 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
“Seeing the carnage outside beamed instantly into my living room via satellite TV really drove home the realisation that I was indeed witnessing the...
The untold story of NATO's role in independent Kosovo with Ade Clewlow
10 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
"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...
Biden and Russia: Re-building the US’ reputation after Trump with Dr Ruth Deyermond
29 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In just four short years the Trump administration overturned the foundational national narrative of American exceptionalism – the US’ reputation a...
Intelligence and the Norwegian Resistance retold with Dr Tony Insall
20 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Who were the shadowy figures and unsung heroes that lay behind the extraordinary story of the Norwegian resistance during World War II? What were the ...
'The Great War': War in TV and film with Dr Peter Busch
08 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
‘We are telling a story as great as that of the Bible’, wrote Tony Essex to Gordon Watkins in 1964. These television producers had been given the ...
Women, Peace and Security: The Global South
16 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In the final episode of our special three-part series celebrating 20 years since resolution 1325 was passed by the UN Security Council on Women, Peace...
Religion, war and Israel’s secular millennials with Dr Stacey Gutkowski
04 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
How do secular Jewish Israeli millennials feel about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict? How has coming of age during a series of wars, in which many of...