Not the News

Keynote Speaker: Richard Sakwa, Professor of Russian and European politics at the University of Kent

**Part of the special edition of the podcast featuring some of the events at this year's BSIS International Conference: “Nationalism & Populism: The Future of Europe?”

This conference focused on the possible challenges and scenarios Europe may be faced with regarding issues of Migration, Security and Defense and (social) media.***

As a start to the conference, the keynote touched upon nationalism and populism, elaborating upon their meanings and to what extent one idea relies on the other and how societies nowadays are experiencing changes that will have a lasting effect.

Growing nationalist sentiments and the rise of populist parties in Europe have taken on crucial roles influencing events such as Brexit, the securitisation of migration and the debate over a European Army. Ideas of Nationalism and Populism have roots in the history of humankind, reflected in political upheaval, inequalities within societies and media coverage.

It is important to discuss and regard these ideas as shaping factors of the 21st century and moreover the future to come, concerning not just academics and politicians but every individual.

100 Years of Covering Conflict: What’s Changed, What Hasn’t & What Should

A World Solidarity Forum & Beyond Brussels 
 event at the Press Club of Brussels.

2018 marks a rise of journalists deaths and a century of modern reporting of conflict and war & . From debates on ethics and responsibility, to the impact of changing technology, and the role of propaganda and disinformation… plus ca change, plus c’est la meme chose.

SPEAKERS:

Renate Schröder, Director of the European Federations of Journalists, representing over 320,000 journalists in 44 countries. EFJ defends the right to freedom of expression while also advocating for the social and professional rights of European Journalists.

Alice Musabende, Gates Scholar in Politics & International Studies at Cambridge University. Former Canadian journalist and survivor of the 1994 Rwanda genocide against the Tutsis. She was one of the first women to graduate the Rwandan School of Journalism.

Jesse Rosenfeld, freelance journalist based in the Middle East who’s covered the sectarian war in Iraq, the Israel/Palestine conflict, the Arab Spring and more for The Daily Beast, The Nation and Al Jazeera English. His work in the region is the subject of the documentary Freelancer on the Front Lines.

Dr. Bojan Savic, lecturer at the University of Kent’s Brussels School of International Studies. He’s a passionate and engaging expert on the construction of narratives around conflict and development, bringing in his extension fieldwork in Afghanistan and American/European perspective to the table.

CHAIR:

Allie Elwell, founder of the Beyond Brussels podcast while studying International Political Economy at the University of Kent. A former journalists at CBC News covering Canadian and international politics, she is currently the Senior Publicist on Netflix’s critically acclaimed series The Crown.

ORGANISED BY:

The World Solidarity Forum is a Brussels-based platform for organisations dedicated to promote action on human rights and highlight relevant current situations across the world. We are also delighted to have partnered with Beyond Brussels, an award-winning podcast at the University of Kent.

INTRO BY:

Beyond Brussel's Niki Papadogiannakis and Leon Downs. Editing by Niki. 

Original Artwork by Daniel Patrick Medina

The Brussels School of International Studies continues their 20th-anniversary celebrations! The lecture series continues with Professor Gerard Toal's presentation on the imperialism of anti-imperialism by linking the Atlantic Charter to current US policy in Ukraine.

Gerard Toal is Professor of Government and International Affairs and Director of the Government and International Affairs program, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. He is also the author of the book Near Abroad: Putin, the West and the Contest Over Ukraine and Caucasus.

The Brussels School of International Studies is celebrating their 20th anniversary this year! To commemorate this achievement, a series of lectures will be held over the course of the academic year. Beyond Brussels will be recording and releasing all of them, so keep an eye out for the next lecture!

Pandemic, Pills and Politics by University of Sussex Prof Stefan Elbe is first up as he asks: Can a pill can strengthen national security?

Want more? Check out his latest book on the subject: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Pandemics-Pills-Politics-Governing-Security/dp/1421425580

We've come to the end of our first season on Beyond Brussels! Join Allie Elwell, Marissa Diaz, Katrina Coles, Lois McLatchie and Nadira Nasibli as they become the "experts" as the newest members of the team Niki Papadogiannakis, Hattie Schoefield and Zoheb Mashiur explore the topics dearest to them. From the meaning of democracy, to the effects of digital disruptions, the economy as a weapon of war, the value of life, and what it means to be a better human... it's a wide-ranging discussion honouring the most important mission of Beyond Brussels: empowering one another as citizens of a global community.

Think about the world 20 years ago... The Internet was just in its public infancy. Nelson Mandela was President. The Euro was still a talking point. It's also when the University of Kent expanded to Europe with our very Brussels School of International Studies and now includes campuses in Rome, Athens and Paris. To mark the celebrations, Beyond Brussels is launching a new "Throwback" feature, looking back at how BSIS, Kent and the world has changed over the last two decades. We'll feature profiles of our fabulous alumni, delve into some of the big headlines of the day and go alongside Kent's official events. We may even do a few of our own!

In this special edition of Campus Connect, Hattie Schofield gets a lowdown from Kent's EU Administration Head Alastair Ross about the official "20 Years in Europe" celebrations planned, then Katrina Coles checks in with the Rome School of Classical and Renaissance Studies' Rachel Crawford. Wrapping up, we spend "90 seconds with" Sydney Lartigue Fameni.

We heard an exploration of what a "state of war" is from three incredible experts. Now, we want to check in with survivors of conflict. In this extended version of interviews, Zoheb Mashiur and Katrina Coles gain deeper insight into the lives of three men who have lived it. 

Zaid Mahmood - Born in Bagdad, raised in Mosul, Zaid is an artist who made the difficult decision to leave a home which made it impossible to pursue the life he wanted. This also meant separation from his family. Before 2003, he remembers a military mindset so present, that as a child normalised violence and became a key theme of his artwork. After the fall of Sadam Hussein in the 2003 American-led invasion of Iraq, "one bully turned into countless bullies,” especially as ISIS took over. Zaid is currently the bandleader at Refugees got Talent, an organisation aimed at giving refugees in Belgium a creative voice. 

Daniel López - Born in Bogotá, Daniel loves Colombia and adores his hometown. Daniel describes life in his home country, mirred in a decades long conflict over drugs, as an accepted chaos where the pressure is constant. Trapped in an endless class struggle, he is politically active and determined to understand the complexity of this life. Daniel is currently pursuing his PhD at the Brussels School of International Studies.

Nanar Hawach - From Homs, Syria, as the uprising against Basar Al-Assad took hold, he recalls how things escalated quickly. Within a matter of months, Nanar understood war had broken out in Homs. Peaceful protests turned violent and dishonest reporting signififed that life was changing from one with a positive future to one filled with uncertainty and violence. For Nanar,  it became important to write down the names of the lives that were lost. Nanar, a BSIS graduate, is pursuing a PhD at Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB).

What IS a State of War?

Is it only limited to armed conflict?

Join Allie Elwell, Marissa Diaz and Hattie Schofield discuss with Col Mario Diaz, I Corps Chief of Staff, a Colonel in the US Army with over 25 years of experience with a particular focus on Asia-Pacific, working closely with senior team at the Pentagon; Dr Daniel Fiott from the European Union Institute for Security Studies, who advises the EUropean Commission on security and defence policy issues; Alice Musabende, Cambridge University scholar researching peace building in post-conflict societies with a specific focus on Africa, informed by her personal experience of the 1994 Genocide Against the Tutsis in Rwanda.

HELPFUL DEFINITIONS

"State of War": a state of actual armed hostilities regardless of a formal declaration of warSource: Merriam Webster Dictionary

“Peace”: freedom from civil disturbance Peace and order were finally restored in the town.Source: Merriam Webster Dictionary

 

Types of war:

Intrastate: Political violence between a state-backed armed group and one or more non-state groups, usually confined to a single state… i.e. civil war

Interstate: Conflict between two or more states

Extrastate: Conflict between a state and non-state (or non recognised state) actors/groups 

Hybrid: Conflict utilising mix of conventional and unconventional means of warfare including cyber and information warfare 

Assymetric: warfare that is between opposing forces which differ greatly in military power and that typically involves the use of unconventional weapons and tactics (such as those associated with guerrilla warfare and terrorist attacks)

Source: Contemporary Security Studies, Alan Collins/Oxford University Press/Merriam Webster Dictionary

 

Types of power:

Hard: use of force or financial means for a desired end

Soft: use of persuasion, focus on building relationships 

Sharp: new term coined to reflect disinformation campaigns that “pierce” or "penetrate” political & media environments of targeted countries 

Source: National Endowment for Democracy

Current affairs podcast bridging critical academics and the real world. Not the News evaluates law, history, and theory through interviews and roundtable discussions while highlighting interesting initiatives across the whole University of Kent community, plus exciting events in Brussels and beyond.

Instrumentalising Blockchain: Humanitarian Aid and Technology Regulations

Learn more about #blockchain from top experts leading the organizations that use the technology for humanitarian aid & development - including one of the best explanations of what blockchain actually is!

Moderator: Juan David Mendieta – Keyrock @JuanDMendieta @keyrock_eu

Niall Dennehy – AID:Tech @DennehyNiall @aidtechnology

Ben Joakim – Disberse @BenJoakim @Disberse

For more information on the conference:

https://www.kent.ac.uk/brussels/conference/index.html

https://www.facebook.com/bsisconference/

The Brussels School of International Studies (BSIS) International Conference 2018 will explore the dramatic changes sparked by persisting technological innovations: developments shaking the foundations of established political, economic, and social paradigms. What began as a parallel digital sphere now disrupts the physical world, fundamentally changing our understanding of society. What impacts does technology have on our identities and the rise of extremism? How does the borderless online realm impact our system of nation states and democracy? What importance will we ascribe to the concept of trust, in an increasingly faceless transparent world? This academic event endeavours to examine these developments in more depth through the examples of radicalisation, political communication, and humanitarian aid.