Series: Breaking Cycles of Conflict

"Let’s imagine tomorrow Mosul is brick by brick exactly what it was like before ISIS took over – the city has still fundamentally changed."

In this episode, Dr Craig Larkin, Dr Inna Rudolf, and Dr Rajan Basra explore issues surrounding post-conflict reconstruction, reconciliation, and recovery in Iraq.

Sharing insights from their research trip to Iraq, the trio discuss the hurdles faced by local practitioners, disillusionment with the ‘industry of peacebuilding’, and the impact that legacies of conflict and violence have had on Iraq’s diverse communities.

This research is being undertaken as part of a project called XCEPT, which is funded by UK International Development from the UK government; however, the views expressed do not necessarily reflect the UK government’s official policies. XCEPT aims to understand the drivers of violent and peaceful behaviour in conflict-affected populations – and to find solutions that support peace. Find out more about XCEPT at xcept-research.org.

Israel’s military response to the 7 October 2023 attack by Hamas has been subject to much discussion. In a two-part series, we consider specific questions related to the use of force, jus ad bellum, and the laws governing the conduct of hostilities, means, and methods of warfare, referred to as jus in bello.

In this episode, Dr Maria Varaki, Lecturer in International Law at King’s College London, speaks to Marko Milanovic, Professor of Public international Law at the University of Reading and prolific author in Human Rights Law, International Humanitarian and Criminal Law.

They discuss Professor Milanovic’s blog post ‘Does Israel Have the Right to Defend Itself?’ in EJIL Talk, exploring his legal analysis of complex questions related to the right of self-defence under article 51 of the UN Charter and the concept of proportionality.

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In response to the ongoing situation and humanitarian crisis, all those at King’s College London affected by the events in Israel and Gaza can access support here: https://www.kcl.ac.uk/students/support-for-students-and-staff-affected-by-the-israel-and-gaza-conflict

Can countries work together at COP28 to agree on effective global actions for addressing climate change?

In this episode we speak to Dr Pauline Heinrichs, Lecturer on climate and energy in the Department of War Studies, about the potential impact of COP28, the 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference. We explore the complexities surrounding international agreements to combat climate change and delve into the factors and agendas that impede governments from significantly reducing their reliance on fossil fuels.

What are the dynamics of intelligence and foreign policy in Europe?

The editors of the book “Estimative Intelligence in European Foreign Policymaking”, Professor Michael Goodman, Professor Christoph Meyer, Dr Nikki Ikani, Dr Eva Michaels and Dr Aviva Guttmann, evaluate the performance of the UK, the EU, and Germany during times of surprise, from the Arab uprisings to the rise of ISIS and the Russian annexation of Crimea.

“White supremacy, hate groups and the alt-right movement thrive in secrecy and in dark places. Being able to bring this topic out into the light and have deeper conversations about what these people really stand for, and what they're willing to do in terms of violence, is important to understand the full brunt of the threat”.

In this podcast episode, the Emmy-nominated producer, writer, and freelance journalist Nora Neus talks about her latest book ‘24 Hours in Charlottesville’, which delves into white nationalist riots based on the tumultuous events of August 2017, highlighting anti-racist activists' voices standing up against violence. She shares some of the main challenges for journalists and reporters currently covering war in conflict zones amid a media landscape increasingly dominated by sensationalism.

Learn more about '24 hours in Charlottesville' at https://noraneus.com/

How can we help the armed forces make the best decision when faced with impossible choices? What can we do to minimise the damage to soldiers’ mental health after conflict? And how can we save the highest number of lives?

In this episode, we speak to Professor David Whetham of the Defence Studies Department about military ethics education. We explore the process of educating the armed forces on making better decisions, both within the heat of conflict and in everyday life, learn about the innovative playing cards and app created by Professor Whetham and the King’s Centre for Military Ethics, and dive into his work with the Australian Defence Forces on Justice Brereton’s report on the war in Afghanistan.

Download the Military Ethics playing cards app via Apple:

https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/military-ethics/id1503360618

Download the Military Ethics playing cards app via Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.corvita.cme&hl=en_US&gl=US&pli=1

"Reconciliation happens when my enemy tells me my story and I am able to say: ‘That is my story" - Stanley Hauerwas.

11 September 1973. Military forces attack La Moneda Palace, the Hawker Hunter plane launches rockets that hit the main wings of the building, fire echoes through the streets of Santiago, the body of President Salvador Allende is found. Fear begins to spread across the country.

50 years have passed since the coup d'état in Chile, which began the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet that lasted 17 years and left more than 40,000 victims. In this episode, Dr Vinicius De Carvalho talks to Francisco Lobo, Chilean lawyer and PhD candidate at the Department of War Studies, about the violation of human rights, the strides made in transitional justice and international accountability, and how the dictatorship continues to permeate Chile's fragmented identity.

“They couldn’t scrape together enough food to feed a family… It was very, very, very desperate.”

On August 15 2021, international troops withdrew from Afghanistan.

Two years on, what has been the impact of the Taliban’s rule? How has the country experienced both conflict and peace? And with a significant humanitarian crisis affecting the country, what can we do to support the people of Afghanistan?

In this episode, Dr Christine Cheng explores the balances of power, security and conflict that led to the Taliban’s takeover in 2021. She discusses the mindsets that led to the USA’s expedited withdrawal, why countries aren’t prepared to send foreign aid to support Afghanistan, and the experiences of people – particularly women – living under the Taliban’s rule.

Please note that this episode contains material of a highly sensitive nature including kidnapping, violence and abuse that may be triggering for some individuals.

In late August 2011, a few months after the assassination of his father Salmaan Taseer, Governor of Punjab, Mr Shahbaz Taseer was dragged from his car at gunpoint and kidnapped by a group of Taliban affiliated militants called the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan(IMU). For almost five years Mr Taseer was held captive, moved from Mir Ali to Zabul Afghanistan, frequently tortured and forced to endure extreme cruelty, his fate resting on his kidnappers’ impossible demands and the uneasy alliances between his captors, the Taliban and ISIS.

Dr Rajan Basra, Senior Research Fellow at the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation and post-doctoral researcher on the XCEPT programme, speaks to Mr Shahbaz Taseer about his experience and the release of his memoir "Lost To The World - A memoir of faith, family and five years in terrorist captivity". They discuss the details of his kidnapping and the impact it has had on his life since.

Read Shahbaz Taseer's memoir: https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/437701/lost-to-the-world-by-taseer-shahbaz/9780552175357

‘I think people are willing to sacrifice, and go through all sorts of pain, but it can’t just be for oneself. There has to be some higher reasoning to it’.

In this episode, we are joined once again by Dr Nafees Hamid, cognitive scientist, Senior Research Fellow at the ICSR, and Research and Policy Director on the XCEPT project at King’s College London. We’ll be discussing identity in the West, the crisis of individualism, and the space this creates for extremism to flourish. Taking a more in-depth view of Dr Hamid’s observations of psychology at a societal level, we discuss his upcoming book proposal, what inspired him to focus his research on this topic, and what it tells us about Western society.

This research is being undertaken as part of a UK aid funded project called XCEPT, which aims to understand the drivers of violent and peaceful behaviour in conflict-affected populations – and to find solutions that support peace. Find out more about XCEPT at xcept-research.org.