Warpod

In this episode, we explore the role of the European Union in the research, development and joint production of arms and military equipment.  

Unlike other industrial policy areas such as commercial trade, decisions around arms production and export have traditionally been held solely by individual EU member states – linked closely to their sovereignty and national defence ambitions. However, in recent years and especially since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, we have started to see this dynamic shift, with the ramping up of joint research and development projects and collective efforts to provide military equipment to Ukraine. With this shift accelerating, can the EU’s oversight and accountability mechanisms keep up?  

To unpack this question, we speak to Hannah Neumann, a Member of the European Parliament who sits on the Security and Defence Committee and chairs the delegation for relations with the Arabian Peninsula, where the issue of arms exports is often debated.  

In this second part of our discussion with Lord Peter Ricketts and Nargis Kassenova, we take a deeper look at some of the security policy change we’ve seen in recent years, and at wider patterns of geopolitical competition and alliances. We also discuss how interventions by some major players in the region have created unreliable and inconsistent security partnerships, which in some cases has eroded trust and undermined their broader strategic aims. 

Lord Peter Ricketts is a former British diplomat of 40 years who was the UK’s first National Security Adviser and who now chairs the European Affairs Committee in the House of Lords. Nargis Kassenova is a Senior Fellow and Director of the Programme on Central Asia at the Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies at Harvard University. 

If you’ve not listened to part one of this discussion, you can find it here.

The world is more dangerous now than ever, with worrying upward trends in the estimated number of civilians being killed in conflicts around the world, and rising challenges posed by climate change, new technologies, disinformation and upcoming elections.  

To open our new series of Warpod, we look at the trends shaping contemporary security policy, at what’s changed and what hasn’t since our last episodes, and at some of the different approaches being taken to address the challenges facing the world today.  

To help us do this, we've interviewed two experts: 

The discussion with our guests has been split into two parts. In this first episode our guests identify the Russian invasion of Ukraine as a key moment driving security trends. We explore rising defence spending and military build-ups in Europe and Central Asia, and discuss the risks of these approaches. In episode 2, we will look at the wider patterns of geopolitical competition and alliances, and we discuss some of the impacts of unreliable and inconsistent approaches to partnerships. 

Please note – the views, perspectives and opinions expressed in this podcast episode are those of the guests and do not necessarily represent the views of Saferworld as an organisation. 

Every day, civilians suffer in violent conflicts attacked by armed forces, militias and rebel groups. These attacks have left many dead or injured, and caused millions to be forcibly displaced. However, most attempts to address these issues are done by influencing conflict parties to cease attacks on civilians, instead of enhancing the protection of civilians in places affected by violent conflict.

Please note the views and opinions expressed during the podcast are those of the contributors featured. They are not necessarily the views or opinions of Saferworld.

Before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, violent conflict had been ongoing since 2014 in part of Ukraine’s eastern regions, the Donbas.

In this episode, we discuss Global Public Policy Institute (GPPi)’s study on Ukrainian perspectives on peace, specifically the two groups that have been severely impacted by the conflict: veterans of the Donbas and internally displaced people residing in eastern Ukraine. We also talk about how the lessons and recommendations from this study stand up to the realities of the current conflict in Ukraine.

To discuss this, our hosts are joined by:

Please note the views and opinions expressed during the podcast are those of the contributors featured. They are not necessarily the views or opinions of Saferworld. Please note this podcast was recorded in May 2022.

In this episode of Warpod, we discuss the biggest challenge that feminist and women's rights organisations and movements face: funding.

With 99 per cent of gender-related aid failing to reach them directly, there is a critical need for flexible, core and direct funding for women's rights organisations in places affected by conflict. To discuss the issue, our hosts Jessica Summers and Delina Goxho are joined by:

Please note the views and opinions expressed during the podcast are those of the contributors featured. They are not necessarily the views or opinions of Saferworld.

#womensrights #feminism #aid #donor

In this Warpod episode, we look at the concept of stabilisation. What does it mean? What challenges does it bring? And how should we tackle these challenges?

Please note the views and opinions expressed during the podcast are those of the contributors featured. They are not necessarily the views or opinions of Saferworld.

#stabilisation #Sahel #Afghanistan #militarystrategies

“Peace is not a technical process. Peace is deeply political.”

In this episode, we explore new perspectives about what works when trying to stabilise countries troubled by long-lasting violence, crime and terrorism. What happens to societies when they’re affected by extreme violence and proscribed groups? What leads to (relative) success when building pathways to peace and security? What role do people, governments and civil society play? Using examples such as Colombia, Iraq, and Northern Ireland – our guests explore these hard questions and share lessons for what works in complex conflicts with difficult stabilisation dynamics.

We are joined by:

Larry Attree, independent researcher on peace and conflict issues

Andrei Gomez-Suarez, Senior Research Fellow, the Centre for Religion, Reconciliation and Peace

Rachel Kleinfeld, Senior Fellow, the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace; author, 'A Savage Order: How the world’s deadliest countries can forge a path to security'

Please note the views and opinions expressed during the podcast are those of the contributors featured. They are not necessarily the views or opinions of Saferworld.

Many might not have heard a troubling story about 300 civilians massacred in Mali’s Moura village in early April 2022. Human Rights Watch called it "the worst single atrocity reported in Mali's decade-long armed conflict".

Who carried out the attack? The answer appears to be Malian forces had help from private foreign soldiers from the Russian private-security firm Wagner. Reports of shadowy groups of mercenaries operating under the rubric of the Russian private military contractor Wagner operating around the world have trickled out for years but we still don't really know who Wagner are.

In this episode we discuss Wagner and the rise of private military contractors. We look at how they operate and their impacts on peacebuilding efforts in conflict-affected areas. Our hosts are joined by:

Please note the views and opinions expressed during the podcast are those of the contributors featured. They are not necessarily the views or opinions of Saferworld.

#PMSC #military #conflict #defence #counterterrorism

Throughout 30 years of the previous regime in Sudan, women faced more oppression than ever before. During the 2018–2019 revolution, women and young people were the driving force of protests demanding freedom, peace and justice. After the military coup in October 2021, women were on the frontlines, protesting military rule. In addition to the current political complexity, Sudanese women are also facing economic and social challenges that make their journey to gender equality more difficult. This needs specific consideration from women's coalitions and organisations that work to make women’s voices heard and advocate for their rights.

In this Warpod episode we talk to Reem Amr, a researcher focusing on women, peace and security, cyber bullying and feminism in Sudan, and an MA candidate at SOAS University of London. In this interview she reflects on Saferworld’s research on Sudanese women's coalitions in Eastern Sudan and Darfur. She also shares some practical ideas on how international organisations and donors can better support Sudanese women's coalitions and movements.

Please note the views and opinions expressed during the podcast are those of the contributors featured. They are not necessarily the views or opinions of Saferworld.

#Sudan #feminism #women #peace #revolution #women-agenda #sudan_revoultion