What is a conspiracy theory? Are conspiracy theories fueling extremism? And how are these theories pulling people toward radical ideas?

Join us for the latest episode of the Jason Institute podcast, where our host, Cristina Pessina, sits down with Professor Dr. Jan-Willem van Prooijen, a behavioral scientist who specializes in conspiracy theories, unethical behavior, and radical ideologies. Together, they investigate what makes a conspiracy theory, why these ideas develop, why they spread, and why so many people today are embracing them, sometimes with dangerous consequences.

This episode explores the powerful impact of the “us vs. them” mentality, examines the roles of social media, and the responsibility political leaders and pop culture figures might have in amplifying these beliefs. What makes conspiracy theories so captivating? Is there anything we can do collectively to curb their spread, or are we on a path we can’t escape?

Tune in to explore one of today’s most urgent and rapidly evolving security challenges.

In this episode, produced by JASON member Lucas Bastiaansen, we explore China's interest in the Indo-Pacific and the South China Sea with Dr. Frans-Paul van der Putten, former head and co-founder of the Clingendael China Centre.

Discover how China perceives the increased U.S. military presence in the region, why it has changed its nuclear strategy in recent years, and what motivates the actions of China and other key players in the area.

Learn about China's view of its position both regionally and globally, and what its economic relationships with other regional players mean for the balance of power in the Indo-Pacific.

In this episode, produced by JASON member Leon Braun, we explore US interests in the Indo-Pacific and South China Sea with the internationally known expert Dr. Paul van Hooft, Senior Strategic Analyst at the Hague Centre for Strategic Studies.

Discover why the Indo-Pacific is crucial for US strategy, the impact of historical ties, and key allies. We'll tackle threats from China and beyond, the US stance on the contested South China Sea, and the significance of Taiwan.

Learn how US economic ambitions clash with geostrategic goals and the roles of alliances like the Quad, AUKUS, and NATO. Join us for a gripping discussion on America's power plays in this vital region.

In this episode of the JASON podcast, Leon Braun and Alicia Mallol investigate the influence of Artificial Intelligence on Society’s security with AI specialist Joris den Bruinen. This episode aims to identify threats and opportunities brought about by the fast evolution of artificial intelligence. It investigates the role of governments in ensuring security, justice, and growth, as well as exploring its implications for international development. 

Joris den Bruinen is the current chairman of the NL AI coalition’s working group on security, peace, and justice and general director of The Hague Security Delta. 

https://securitydelta.nl/

https://nlaic.com/en/

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In this JASON podcast episode, Martijn van Bruinessen and Matteo Fontana discuss the premises and implications of Western support for the Ukrainian cause with former Dutch top diplomat Ron Keller. Mr. Keller is an especially relevant speaker to address the matter of the conflict in Ukraine because of his former posts as ambassador to Ukraine as well as to Russia. The goal of this episode is to provide the listener a clearer understanding as to the causes of the war in Ukraine, who is profiting from the conflict and to identify what’s at stake for the West as well as the international community as a whole. 

In the second episode "Mobilization and the Mobile Phone" of our podcast series: Lessons in Cyberspace: a MENA Perspective, we will discuss the

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Furthermore, if you're interested in the research of Gerjan Hoetjes, these can be found below:

Hoetjes, Gertjan. 2022. "The Saudi-Emirati Axis and the Preservation of the Regional Order." The Hague: Clingendael. https://www.clingendael.org/publication/saudi-emirati-axis-and-preservation-regional-order
Hoetjes, Gertjan. 2021. “The Gulf Cooperation Council and the Failure of Peacebuilding in Yemen.” The International Spectator, https://doi.org/10.1080/03932729.2021.1987034.
Hoetjes, Gertjan. 2021. “Stalled Reform: The Resilience of Rentierism in Kuwait.” In Oil and the Political Economy in the Middle East, edited by Martin Beck and Thomas Richter, 58–78. Manchester: Manchester University Press. https://doi.org/10.7765/9781526149107.00013.

In the first episode “Where Does the Internet Come From?” of our new podcast series: Lessons in Cyberspace: a MENA Perspective, we are joined by Cyber Security specialist and Global Systems integrator Nicolas Castellon. We discussed the physical infrastructure of the Internet and principles of cybersecurity. In addition, this episode touches upon how Saudi Arabia is making dramatic changes to become a global technological industry leader.

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What did Western Nations like The Netherlands learned from its military operations in Mali and Afghanistan? How is technology shaping how wars are being fought nowadays? What lessons can be learned by the ongoing conflict in Ukraine? T

These are some of the questions addressed in this final episode of our special series. We are joined by Prof. Bas Rietjens who currently holds the endowed chair of Intelligence in War and Conflict. Being a professor of Intelligence & Security at the Netherlands Defense Academy, his research focuses on intelligence in a defense context at both a strategic level and on on-going military operations. Prof. Rietjens has extensively researched the role of intelligence in military operations, including ISAF (Afghanistan), MINUSMA (Mali), Frontex (Greece), NATO (Poland and Baltic States).

Tune in to hear this very last episode of our special series: Irregular Warfare and subscribe to this channel and our social media accounts to stay up-to-date with all our publications, events and future podcast series!

How is social media affecting the ongoing conflict in Ukraine?  What are the risks behind sharing intelligence with the public?

These are some of the questions we addresses in our third episode of Irregular Warfare. We are joined by Dr. Thomas Maguire. Dr. Maguire is an assistant Professor of Intelligence and Security in the Institute of Security and Global Affairs, Leiden University, and Visiting Fellow with the King's Intelligence and Security Group in the Department of War Studies, King’s College London. We explore and discuss the new and current developments of the conflict, previous cases in which intelligence was shared and how this affects both sides of the conflict. We also discuss  some ways in which the public can be better informed on this topic. In his article titled: 'Why are governments sharing intelligence on the Ukraine war with the public and what are the risks?', Dr. Maguire delves into more details on the matter and you can find this article via the link below.

Be sure to stay tuned for future episodes and events through all of our social media platforms!

https://theconversation.com/why-are-governments-sharing-intelligence-on-the-ukraine-war-with-the-public-and-what-are-the-risks-191114

Fake news, nuclear weapons and geopolitical conflicts are all topics we see in the news almost everyday. The current era we live in has often been named "The Information Age" mainly due to how accessible information is nowadays. Hence, in this special conference podcast we delve deeper into the history, myths and current applications of Open Source Intelligence (OSINT). Dr. Ludo Block, a fellow researcher at the Intelligence minor of Leiden University with a background in law enforcement and structured analytic techniques for intelligence analysis, joins us to give his professional opinion and input on current developing issues on the world. 

In case you’re interested to learn more about the current information age and the complexities (e.g. disinformation) that come with it, then make make sure to buy a ticket for our upcoming conference at Sociëteit De Witte in The Hague on the 21st of October! The price of one ticket is €5.00 which includes lunch, a goodie bag and borrel and you can buy them via our webpage (link below). We hope to welcome many of you soon! 

https://jasoninstitute.com/conference-2022/