The Beacon

In light of the tensions and ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza, this week's episode of The Beacon sees Adam Mazarello interviewing Lama Alhelou, Junior Members Scholar at Jesus College, Oxford and Gaza resident. They discuss the what it's really like to live in Gaza, the prospects of peace for the future and the attitudes of a generation of young people, for whom war has become a permanent feature of life.

In this week’s episode of “The Beacon” – released on Australia Day 2018 – Verity Bligh talks to Kevin Rudd, a former Australian prime minister, current student at Jesus College and a lifelong Sinologist. Together, they discuss the nature of international diplomacy, China’s rise as a global power and the Turf Tavern “yard of ale” challenge. 

In this week's episode of "The Beacon", Verity Bligh talks to Kalypso Nicolaidis, Professor of International Relations at Oxford, about her innovative and engaging approach to make sense of big-picture current affairs. They discuss the meaning of Brexit through the lens of Greek mythology, the need for union rather than unity in Europe and the role of academia in a world that has "had enough of experts". 

In the final Beacon podcast of term, Nicholas Chin discusses the major problems that face refugees today with Evan Easton-Calbria,a researcher for the Humanitarian Innovation Project.

In this week's The Beacon, Nicholas Chin interviews Masooda Bano, Associate Professor in the Oxford Department of International Development, Senior Golding Fellow, Brasenose College, University of Oxford and author of The Rational Believer: Choices and Decisions in the Madrasas of Pakistan. They discuss aid effectiveness, what we can do to make sure aid is more effective and looking at ways in which we donate money.

In this week's episode of "The Beacon", Verity Bligh speaks to Julie Kleeman and Yeshi Jampa, the husband-and-wife team behind Taste Tibet - hands-down the best food stall at Oxford's Gloucester Green Markets. Taking a step back from International Relations as an over-theorised academic field, this interview dives deep into Tibetan food and culture to look at the way in which ordinary people think about and engage with the world around them, in an increasingly multicultural and globalised age. 

In this week's episode of The Beacon, Nicholas Chin interviews Patrick Thewlis, a quantitative research assistant on the Changing Structures of Islamic Authority project. They discuss the social determinants of intimate partner violence in Europe, assessing the socioeconomic conditions behind violence and the intrinsic data collection issues that hinder research in this field.

In this week's episode of The Beacon, Verity Bligh interviews Avi Shlaim, a leading historian on the Arab-Israeli conflict and professor emeritus of International Relations at St Antony’s college, Oxford. They discuss the challenges of studying the Israel-Palestine crisis, the meaning of national identity and the importance of History in a world of constant political turbulence

In this episode of The Beacon, Verity Bligh interviews Edward Lucas, senior editor at The Economist and author of “New Cold War” and “Cyberphobia”. They discuss past and present Russian power politics, the importance of cyber-security and the future of journalism in a world of “fake news”.

Edward Lucas’ book recommendations:

• “The Engineer of Human Souls” by Josef Skvorecky
• “The Captive Mind” by Czeslaw Milosz
• “The Great Terror” by Robert Conquest
• “Gulag”, “Iron Curtain” and “Red Famine” by Anne Applebaum
• “Bloodlands” by Timothy Snyder

In Michaelmas' first episode of The Beacon, Verity Bligh interviews Louise Barton, Head of Human Resources at the Council of Europe and former Advisor to the Secretary General. They discuss the role of the Council of Europe against a backdrop of turbulent European political developments.