At what point does someone become an active participant in an armed conflict? In this episode, Mike and Josh discuss the concept of the ‘irregular warrior’, from the mercenary soldier to the partisan or guerrilla fighter, and the blurred lines between the citizen, the soldier and the state.

It’s our first birthday! To celebrate, Mike and Josh reminisce about previous shows, and some of the most interesting topics and memorable guests.

Got a favourite episode? Let us know in the comments below.

Mike and Josh return to the topic of the ‘good guys’ in law and war, and discuss just when and how it might be acceptable to bend the rules to save a life.

Related podcasts

* Who are the ‘good guys’ in war?* The chaos of war* Terrorism and technology

In the latest instalment of the In The Zone Book Club, Josh talks

about the writer James Ellroy – an author who courts no small amount of

controversy in his topics and approach to character.

About James Ellroy

James Ellroy is a noir crime fiction author, perhaps best

known for his L.A. Quartet novels: The Black Dahlia, The

Big Nowhere, L.A. Confidential, and White Jazz. His

novel American Tabloid was Time magazine’s

Novel of the Year for 1995; his memoir, My Dark Places, was a Time Best

Book and a New York Times Notable Book for 1997. 

Useful links

* James Ellroy author website* James Ellroy Wikipedia entry* L.A. Confidential (film), imdb

Mike and Josh look back over some of the major events of 2019, from authoritarianism and political unrest to fires in the Amazon and the climate change emergency.

In a special festive episode of the podcast, Mike and Josh

talk about all things Christmas, and the way concepts of Christmas are being ever-shaped

by big business and the pressure to consume at all costs.

Useful links

* Why

Japan celebrates Christmas with KFC, BBC, December 2016

In the first ‘official’ instalment of the In The Zone

Book Club, Mike talks about his favourite novel, Flowers for Algernon (1966),

and some of the philosophical implications of Charlie Gordon’s journey to

genius.

Useful links

* Mike’s

research* Research

paper: Microfascism and the Double Exclusion in Daniel Keyes’ Flowers for

Algernon* Buy Flowers

for Algernon on Amazon

Who are the ‘good guys’ in war? And why is it important that

we are seen to be doing the right thing? In this podcast, Mike and Josh discuss

the case of Marine Gallagher, a US Navy Seal who was tried for warcrimes and

found guilty of taking a photo with a dead detainee. They also discuss the case

of British Marine Alexander Blackman (‘Marine A’), and the question of

appropriate response.

Thus, they ask: what do these cases say about warfighting, and what do they say about national identity? Does it even matter how we behave when Guantanamo Bay continues to operate outside the realm of normal law? Listen in and decide for yourself and Mike and Josh debate the rights and wrongs of soldiers and states.

Useful links

* Report: Trump makes SEAL Gallagher a chief again, Navy Times* Donald Trump says he will block military from removing Navy SEAL Eddie Gallagher, USA Today* Marine guilty of Afghanistan murder, BBC News* Marine A, who killed wounded Taliban fighter, released from prison, The Guardian

Why are so many digital voices female? Why do we ‘prefer’ female

voices to male? In this episode, Mike and Josh discuss the question of gender

and AI, and some of the many factors that have led us to a world dominated by ‘female’

digital assistants such as Alexa, Siri and Cortana.

Useful links

* Open AI* The

genderless voice project

Mike and Josh consider the death of the high street, and the impact of technology on the way we shop for goods. They also discuss the role of libraries, among other things, and how the market has slowly eroded the heart of many local communities. Is more regulation the answer? Download the latest episode to find out.