STRATEGIKON

In this episode John & David interview Prof Albert Wolf. Albert recently moved to the KRG from his last posting in Afghanistan. Here, we discuss issues surrounding KRG, Iraq, Syria, Iran and Israel.

Here is extra information on some of the names/terms used in this episode for those who may not be familiar with them:

Hashd al Shabi - also known as the Popular Mobilisation Units, largely Shia Iraqi, but has some Sunni, Christian and Yazidi Iraqis as well

Sairoon Alliance of the Shiite Iraqi leader, Muqtada al Sadr. Al Sadr's seat of power is in Shiite-majority Basra

Hadi al Amiri - a Shiite Iraqi politician (parliamentarian in Baghdad), formerly the head of the pro-Iranian Badr Organisation. He heads the Fateh Alliance electoral bloc. Al Amiri is a rival of Al Sadr

Golden Division (also referred to the Golden Brigade) - Iraqi special forces focussed on counter-terrorism missions. Their rise to fame came about through their role in liberating the Kurdish city of Mosul from ISIS rule (2016-17)

Basel 1 Rules - minimum capital requirements for banks

Dayton Agreement 1995 - put an end to the Bosnian War in the former Yugoslavia

JCPOA - Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (more commonly referred to as the Iran Nuclear Deal) est. 2015

OBOR - One Belt One Road - also known by the acronym (BRI) Belt and Road Initiative. The strategic transportation network formulated by the People's Republic of China (PRC) in order to overcome America's dominance of global maritime trade routes.

RSS feed:
http//feeds.soundcloud.com/users/soundcloud:users:141166782/sounds.rss

STRATEGIKON can also be found on the SAGE International Australia (SIA) website:
www.sageinternational.org.au

For more information from SAGE International Australia, follow SIA on Facebook, Twitter & LinkedIn.

If you are enjoying our podcast, please help us out by liking us on our various social media and podcasting platforms and by telling your friends and colleagues about STRATEGIKON.

Many thanks!

Support the show: https://www.sageinternational.org.au/strategikon-merch/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Prof. R. Evan Ellis, US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute discusses the problems plaguing the South American country, Venezuela with John Bruni.

Here is extra information on some of the names/terms used in this episode for those who may not be familiar with them:

Venezuela: Population - 31 million.

Colectivos: groups of criminal paramilitaries that support the Venezuelan government. They have been around since the 1960s, espousing leftist ideology and claiming to support the Bolivarian Revolution. In reality, they use this as a mask for their criminal activity which includes extortion, murder, kidnapping and drug trafficking.

MUD: Mesa de la Unidad Democrática, est. 2008. Opposition to the governing Partido Socialista Unido de Venezuela.

Bolivarian Revolution: A term used by Hugo Chavez to cash in on the spirit of 19th Century revolutionary figure Simon Bolivar who successfully led the wars for independence from Spain. Chavez's aim was to use socialism and Latin American nationalism as a catalyst to create an inter-American bloc.

Tareck Zaidan El Aissami Maddah: Venezuelan politician (former Minister of the Interior & Justice) accused of acting as liaison to Hezbollah

RSS feed:
http//feeds.soundcloud.com/users/soundcloud:users:141166782/sounds.rss

STRATEGIKON can also be found on the SAGE International Australia (SIA) website:
www.sageinternational.org.au

For more information from SAGE International Australia, follow SIA on Facebook, Twitter & LinkedIn.

If you are enjoying our podcast, please help us out by liking us on our various social media and podcasting platforms and by telling your friends and colleagues about STRATEGIKON.

Many thanks!

Support the show: https://www.sageinternational.org.au/strategikon-merch/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

John Bruni and Col. Sandy Wade OBE (Ret'd) examine how solid the rapprochement between Ethiopia and Eritrea is. What is the likelihood of this peace being a permanent feature of the Horn of Africa?

Here is extra information on some of the terms used in this episode for those who may not be familiar with them:

The Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) is the current ruling party of Ethiopia (formed in 1988 as a resistance group to the Derg military regime)

Ginbot 7 - an Ethiopian opposition group (est. 2008)

IGAD - an acronym for the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (est. 1986)

Birr - Ethiopian currency

Nakfa - Eritrean currency

COMESA - an acronym for the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (formed in 1994)

RSS feed:
http//feeds.soundcloud.com/users/soundcloud:users:141166782/sounds.rss

STRATEGIKON can also be found on the SAGE International Australia (SIA) website:
www.sageinternational.org.au

For more information from SAGE International Australia, follow SIA on Facebook, Twitter & LinkedIn.

If you are enjoying our podcast, please help us out by liking us on our various social media and podcasting platforms and by telling your friends and colleagues about STRATEGIKON.

Many thanks!

Support the show: https://www.sageinternational.org.au/strategikon-merch/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

FIVEaa's Jeremy Cordeaux interviews SIA's Dr. John Bruni on the Trump-Kim Singapore Summit (12 June 2018)

Support the show: https://www.sageinternational.org.au/strategikon-merch/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

John and David with Shaz absent but with us 'in spirit' take the opportunity to interview Prof. Albert Wolf again, this time on the fate of the nation he is currently working in, Afghanistan.

Here is extra information on some of the terms used in this episode for those who may not be familiar with them and also some useful terms to know when unpacking events in Afghanistan:

Islamic State Khorasan (IS-K) the name of the branch of the Islamic State that is active in Afghanistan, Pakistan and parts of Central Asia

Afghan National Army (ANA)

National Directorate of Security (NDS) - the intelligence agency of Afghanistan

Afghanistan-Pakistan (AfPak) theatre

China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) - part of China's proposed strategic One Belt, One Road (OBOR) initiative linking countries to China via a massive road and rail network

Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), formally known as Zaire and before that, the Belgian Congo.

The Second Congo War (1998-2003) claimed 5.4 million lives, mainly through disease and starvation. Fighting was largely a byproduct of ethnic upheavals between the Tutsis and Hutus in Rwanda that spread into the eastern DRC, eventually sucking in the whole Great Lakes region of central Africa. Unregulated private companies and interests used the war as a cover for illegal resource extraction

Afghanistan's poppy crop goes into 90 percent of the world's production of heroine. Some have suggested that Afghanistan is in fact a 'narco-state'

Afghanistan's population is 33.3 million. The population broken into its ethnic parts: Pashtun 47%; Tajik 27%; Hazara 9%; Uzbek 9%; Aimak 4%; Turkmen 3%; Baloch 2%; Other 4%

RSS feed:
http//feeds.soundcloud.com/users/soundcloud:users:141166782/sounds.rss

STRATEGIKON can also be found on the SAGE International Australia (SIA) website:
www.sageinternational.org.au

For more information from SAGE International Australia, follow SIA on Facebook, Twitter & LinkedIn.

If you are enjoying our podcast, please help us out by liking us on our various social media and podcasting platforms and by telling your friends and colleagues about STRATEGIKON.

Many thanks!

Support the show: https://www.sageinternational.org.au/strategikon-merch/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

John, David (in the studio) and Shaz (not) discuss with Professor Albert Wolf the problems posed for Israel by Iran's close proximity to it in Syria. How will these enemy states traverse the Syrian landscape to fulfil their national security ambitions?

Here are a couple of terms that were used in the podcast that our listeners might not be familiar with:

Pasdaran - another term used to describe the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the guardians of the Islamic Revolution of Iran. The IRGC were founded on the 22 April 1979 by order of Iran's then Supreme leader, Ayatollah Khomeini. They are the strong arm of the Iranian theocracy, though they have become much more than the Iranian Mullahs' praetorian guard. It is the best equipped and most motivated part of the Iranian armed forces and is the hand behind much of Iran's widening strategic footprint in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Afghanistan

JCPOA - the abbreviation for the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, more commonly referred to as the Iran Nuclear Deal.

Aqua Stella - the name the Turkish ship that (in June 2017) attempted to send 10,000 tons of humanitarian aid to the Hamas-ruled Palestinian territory of Gaza. It was impounded by Israeli authorities at the port of Ashdod since Gaza is under a strict Israeli blockade, preventing the territory from external supply. This was a provocative move by Turkish President Erdogan to antagonise the Israelis and undermine their control of Gaza.

RSS feed:
http//feeds.soundcloud.com/users/soundcloud:users:141166782/sounds.rss

STRATEGIKON can also be found on the SAGE International Australia (SIA) website:
www.sageinternational.org.au

For more information from SAGE International Australia, follow SIA on Facebook, Twitter & LinkedIn.

If you are enjoying our podcast, please help us out by liking us on our various social media and podcasting platforms and by telling your friends and colleagues about STRATEGIKON.

Many thanks!

Support the show: https://www.sageinternational.org.au/strategikon-merch/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

BBC5live's Dotun Abedayo interviews Assoc. Prof. Robert D. English, International Foreign Policy & Defense Analysis, University of Southern California School of International Relations and Dr. John Bruni, Founder & CEO of Australian think tank, SAGE International Australia on the US-led airstrike against three alleged chemical weapons sites in Syria.

Support the show: https://www.sageinternational.org.au/strategikon-merch/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

John & David are joined by Prof. Purnendra Jain, internationally renowned Japan scholar & Northeast Asian security expert from the University of Adelaide, Dept. of Asian Studies

Following is a list of some useful factoids regarding our Northeast Asian security special for those unfamiliar with some of the terms used:

KOREA UNDER JAPANESE RULE - 1910-45 the Korean Peninsula was one indivisible territory under Japanese imperial rule. It has been considered an ambivalent period. While Japanese rule was often considered extremely harsh, it did bring with it a degree of social and economic modernity to the Korean people.

COMFORT WOMEN - Between 1932-45 Japanese military conquests in Asia brought about the systemic exploitation of women from occupied territories - many forced into prostitution, but more properly, sexual slavery, to satisfy the requirements of the Japanese Imperial Army. Japan has failed to fully recognise this atrocity or adequately atone for it.

DIVIDED KOREA - In 1945 Korea was divided into Soviet and American occupation zones. By 1948 the Soviets and Americans failed to reach an agreement on reunifying the country. Two forms of government, one communist, one non-communist were declared, each one stating that it was the legitimate voice of the Korean people.

KOREAN WAR - 1950-53. Ended in a stalemate.

ABDUCTION ISSUE - Between 1976-83, North Korean agents abducted a number of Japanese citizens. Officially acknowledged figures are low (in the teens), though unofficially there may have been hundreds of Japanese abductees. These people were allegedly brought to North Korea to teach Japanese to North Korean spies. Former North Korean leader, Kim Jong Il, father of current leader Kim Jong-un admitted to 13 Japanese abductees and apologised for this. Some 5 of the 13 admitted Japanese abductees returned to Japan in 2004. Issues surrounding compensation and the full disclosure of this North Korean activity remains a sore point between Tokyo & Pyongyang.

HUBS & SPOKES - This wheel-like analogy describes the network of US alliances that keep the contemporary strategic balance of power in Northeast Asia. For example, the United States being the largest strategic power in the Pacific is considered 'the hub' while America's smaller Asia-Pacific allies, such as South Korea, Japan & Australia are considered the spokes.

1994 AGREED FRAMEWORK - A Clinton era initiative designed to smooth North Korea-US relations by promising energy aid to North Korea in return for North Korea freezing its nuclear program. This agreement ended in 2002 after North Korean and American officials accused each other of violations.

6 PARTY TALKS - Established in 2003, this multilateral forum between North Korea, China, Russia, the US, Japan and South Korea was created to move forward the idea of dismantling North Korea's nuclear program. North Korea pulled out of this forum in 2009.

NORTH KOREA - Becomes a nuclear power in 2006. It test-fired its first intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) 4 July 2017.

RSS feed:
http://feeds.soundcloud.com/users/soundcloud:users: 141166782/sounds.rss

STRATEGIKON can also be found on the SAGE International Australia (SIA) website:
www.sageinternational.org.au

For more information from SAGE International Australia, follow SIA on Facebook, Twitter & LinkedIn.

If you are enjoying our podcast, please help us out by liking us on our various social media and podcasting platforms and by telling your friends and colleagues about STRATEGIKON.

Many thanks!

Support the show: https://www.sageinternational.org.au/strategikon-merch/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

John Bruni being interviewed by the BBC on the possible origin of the latest airstrike against the Syrian Arab Air Force airbase outside of the city of Homs. The Pentagon denies responsibility for the airstrike, so is it possible that an American proxy took the lead on this attack?

Support the show: https://www.sageinternational.org.au/strategikon-merch/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

John speaks with Special Guest noted author, commentator and scholar on Latin America, Dr. R. Evan Ellis, US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute.

Here is some extra information to highlight some of the terms/names and acronyms used throughout this episode:

MERCOSUR - South American Trade Bloc, founded in 1991.

CELAC - Community of Latin American and Caribbean States, a regional bloc founded in 2010.

FOCAC - Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, founded in 2000.

For more information on China-Latin American trade statistics see: https://www.bu.edu/pardeeschool/files/2014/11/Economic-Bulletin.16-17-Bulletin.Draft_.pdf

A.F.K. Organski (1923-88). An Italian-born academic who pioneered 'power transition theory' which explains general trends among warring states in the international system. Essentially it argues that the international order is one of violent struggle punctuated by periods of stability. And that during cycles of war, international dominance can and usually does transfer between states.

RSS feed:
http://feeds.soundcloud.com/users/soundcloud:users:141166782/sounds.rss

STRATEGIKON can also be found on the SAGE International Australia (SIA) website:
www.sageinternational.org.au

For more information from SAGE International Australia, follow SIA on Facebook, Twitter & LinkedIn.

If you are enjoying our podcast, please help us out by liking on our various social media and podcasting platforms and by telling your friends and colleagues about STRATEGIKON.

Many thanks!

Support the show: https://www.sageinternational.org.au/strategikon-merch/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.