The Voices of War

My guest today is Dr Elizabeth Boulton, who is an eco-military theorist with Destination Safe Earth, and a research affiliate with the ‘Climate Change & (In)Security Project’ which is a collaboration between the University of Oxford, the Centre for Historical Analysis and Conflict Research (CHACR) and the British Army. She joins me today to discuss her thinking behind the concepts of ‘Hyperthreat’, ‘Hyper-response’, and Plan E as a response to tackling climate change. Some of the topics we discussed are: • Elizabeth’s background and journey towards a PhD • Timothy Morton and the Hyperobject • Conceptualising climate change as a ‘Hyperthreat’  • Uncovering the disguised cause and effect of the ‘Hyperthreat’ • ‘Entangled Security’ and why understanding it is crucial for tackling the climate crisis • The problem of establishing credibility about climate change • Corporate capture, competing priorities and corrupted incentives in the ‘Hyperthreat’ • ‘Plan E’ and the essential steps to fight climate change • Reframing the idea of security for a sustainable future • Why a localised response is key to addressing the climate change ‘Hyperthreat’ • Unlocking global creativity to achieve a ‘Hyper-response’ • Testing the viability of ‘Plan E’ through wargaming • Increasing geopolitical tensions as a threat to climate change solutions To find out more about Elizabeth and her work, you can start here.  #TheVoicesOfWar #PlanE, #hyperthreat, #EntangledSecurity, #ClimateChange, #Hyperobject, #Strategy, #ClimateEmergency, #Mobilization, #Transdisciplinary, #PlanetarySecurity, #SlowViolence, #SixthExtinctionEvent

Amos Fox, a US Army officer with 24+ years and prolific writer on land and proxy warfare, discusses tensions between military intentions and battlefield reality. He critiques Western faith in manoeuvre, highlights overlooked sieges and urban combat, examines the Precision Paradox, and frames Ukraine as a test case for realist, pragmatic doctrine reform.

My guest today is Dr Alison Broinowski AM, who is an Australian academic, journalist, writer, and former Australian diplomat. She is also the President of Australians for War Powers Reform.   Alison joined me to explore the current debate on Australian troop deployment, compare it to other democracies, and discuss the possible outcome of the ongoing parliamentary enquiry into war powers.   Some of the topics we discussed are: ·      Alison's background and motivation for war powers reform   ·      Changes in Australian defence policy during Prime Minister Howard's tenure ·      Impact of Global War on Terror on defence and foreign policy  ·      The current approval process for military interventions  ·      Proposed changes to the war approval process and potential impact  ·      Benefits of a parliamentary vote for accountability  ·      Risks of inaction and views on Responsibility to Protect (R2P)  ·      Reflection on US hegemony and ANZUS treaty misunderstandings  ·      Arguments against war powers reform  ·      Possible impacts of Australian involvement in US-led wars  ·      Parliamentary inquiry outcome and report release timing  ·      Alison's greatest fears if war powers remain unchanged

This a reminder that The Voices Of War is transitioning to a subscription model from February. More info here. Those wishing to subscribe can already do so here. --- My guest today is Dr Samir Puri, who is a visiting lecturer in War Studies at King’s College London and has previously taught at Cambridge and John Hopkins. He joined me for a deep dive into his two most recent books. The first one, ‘The Great Imperial Hangover: How Empires Have Shaped the World’, explores how empires of the past still influence geopolitics today. And the second one, ‘Russia’s Road to War with Ukraine: Invasion amidst the ashes of empires’, published in late August, explores the role of imperialism in Putin’s ultimate decision to invade Ukraine and traces Ukraine’s fate as a nation caught in a geopolitical tug-of-war between Russia and the West. Samir has also served as an international observer at five Ukrainian elections, including during the Orange Revolution in 2004. Soon after the first Donbas war began in 2014, he spent a year in east Ukraine working on both sides of the front line as part of an international ceasefire monitoring mission. Since Russia’s latest invasion of Ukraine, Samir’s analyses of the war have been featured by the BBC, Al Jazeera, Bloomberg, CNN, the Wall Street Journal, and other media outlets. Some of the topics we discussed are: Samir’s background and how it influenced his academic interests Defining ‘empire’ and understanding the role of its legacy Distinguishing between a formal and informal empire The consequences of waning US hegemony and Pax Americana The importance of history and lineage to national and individual identity Understanding how imperial legacy contributed to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine How Western democracies should navigate their imperial legacy The significance of Ukraine for Russia and its imperial legacy Proximity to history as crucial in shaping contemporary narratives ‘Great power contest’ as the present narrative Exploring the structural reasons why Ukraine is currently a warzone Understanding NATO and how it might be perceived outside of the alliance Samir’s assessment of how the Russian invasion of Ukraine ends Exploring the impact of the Russian invasion on Chinese post-imperial aspirations Samir’s greatest concern as we head into 2023   dr Samir Puri podcast, latest dr Samir Puri podcast, dr Samir Puri podcast 2023, dr Samir Puri podcast on geopolitics

This a reminder that The Voices Of War is transitioning to a subscription model from February. More info here. Those wishing to subscribe can already do so here. --- Today, I’m speaking with Professor Greg Barton, who is a Research Professor in Global Islamic Politics at Deakin University. Greg is one of Australia’s leading scholars of radicalisation, terrorism and countering violent extremism. He is frequently interviewed by the Australian and international media on these topics as well as on Indonesia and the politics of the Muslim world. He joins me today for a deep dive into radicalisation, extremism, and terrorism as well as their causes and potential solutions. Some of the topics we explored are: Greg’s background and research in countering violent extremism (CVE) Defining radicalisation, extremism, and terrorism The explanation why Russia is not designated a terrorist state Terrorism as a method Dangers of ‘thought policing’ How to deal with extremism before it becomes violent Explaining the ‘Push, Pull, Personal factors’ model to understand radicalisation Systemic hate and its potential to fuel hateful extremism, violent extremism, and conflict violence Similarities between recruiting into a military and a terrorist group The role of social media in radicalisation How online radicalisation occurs Combating extremist propaganda Effectiveness of counter-terrorism measures The short-sightedness of military solutions to combat terrorism How to prevent violent extremism The Indonesian success in combating violent extremism as a case study The growing threat of far-right extremism Authoritarian populism as a key motivator behind far-right extremism The potential risks of military veterans joining far-right groups Pragmatic reflection about the risk to democracy in the US Greg’s biggest fears for the next decade   Professor Greg Barton podcasts, understanding radicalisation podcasts, radicalisation podcasts 2023, understanding extremism podcast 2023, Professor Greg Barton podcasts, professor greg barton podcast on terrorism

This a reminder that The Voices Of War will adopt a subscription model. You can hear the explainer here. You can subscribe to the new channel here. -- My guest today is Dr Alexander YC Lim, who is an Adjunct Associate Professor of Medicine with the Queensland Brain Institute. He is a Psychiatrist in private practice, and now almost exclusively looks after members of the Australian Defence Force, the Australian Federal Police, and the veteran community more broadly. In 2019, Dr Lim set up Australia’s first integrated ketamine program for veterans, known as the ReVive Ketamine Program. Starting in February 2023, this program will become the subject of an ethics-approved clinical study into the long-term effectiveness and safety of ketamine for treatment-resistant depression and treatment-resistant PTSD. Dr Lim joined me today to discuss some of the mental health challenges faced by our veteran community and to shed light on some emerging treatments that could aid them on their path to wellness. Some of the topics we covered are: Dr Lim’s entry into psychiatry and veteran mental health The current state of veteran mental health support Difference between civilian and military/emergency services stressors Understanding the impact of stress, trauma, and PTSD Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder as a multi-system dysfunction Total and Permanent Impairment and associated challenges Moral injury and what causes it How stress affects our physiology, decision-making ability, and ethical frameworks The need to indoctrinate appropriate ethical frameworks as early as possible Importance of developing trust between the patient and their clinician Treating suicidality Drop-out rates in traditional psychotherapy treatment Why medications are not the ‘silver bullet’ for mental health concerns Synaptic Disconnection Syndrome and the effect of PTSD on the structure of the brain The issue of treatment-resistant illness and the promise of ketamine Preliminary findings and prospects of ketamine for treatment-resistant illness How to access the ketamine program for those with treatment-resistant illness As mentioned in the introduction, you can find Australian Defence Force personnel suicide statistics here.

To make the show sustainable into the future, The Voices Of War is adopting a subscription model starting in January 2023. Key points: This channel will air full episodes until the end of January to allow those who wish to subscribe time to transition to the new channel From February, this current channel will air only the first half of each episode and each episode will be bookended with a notice and link to the subscriber-only channel The current library on this channel will remain unchanged and access to all previous episodes will remain open  The subscription fee will be $ 4 USD per month, which roughly equates to $6 AUD or €3.75 A discounted annual subscription will also be available (2 free months) Other options will exist for those who wish to give more, however, all tiers will unlock the same subscription For anyone experiencing financial hardship and who genuinely cannot afford a subscription, please email me on info@thevoicesofwar.com as I have an alternate option  Any educational facility that uses the show's episodes as pre-course listening need only email me and I will make the full audio file of your desired episodes available, free of charge Link to the new subscriber only channel will be included in the show notes of all future episodes on this channel Thank you for listening to The Voices Of War and I wish you a happy and safe festive season. Maz        

My guest today is Ye-Min Wu, who is the South & Southeast Asia Director at the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue. Ye-Min joined HD earlier this year after more than 15 years as a diplomat representing Singapore at the United Nations, World Intellectual Property Organization, UN Framework Convention on Climate Change as well as the World Trade Organisation. She has also chaired UN negotiations and represented the Group of 77 (plus China) in talks on sustainable development issues. She joins me today to discuss how multilateral negotiations are conducted and explains some of the challenges as well as opportunities inherent in the process. Some of the topics we covered are: Ye-Min’s path into diplomacy Managing the ‘negotiation theatre’ Finding the win-win solution Building trust and credibility in negotiations  Connecting to the ‘other’ and the importance of warmth How multilateral negotiations are conducted The difference between a nation’s bargaining position and its interests How to successfully negotiate in Asia Challenges of growing militarisation and insecurity in Asia How Asian nations are managing China’s rise Why peace agreements often fail Ye-Min’s greatest fear and hope If you like what you’ve heard, please consider liking and reviewing the show wherever you get your pods. You can also support the show on our Patreon page here.

My guest today is Natalia Konstantinova, who is better known by her social media handle, Natasha from Russia. She is a popular Russian blogger and vlogger whose original aim was to help explain Russia to the outside world, but since her country's invasion of Ukraine, she has become a prominent voice about how this war is perceived in Russia. Some of the questions we explored are: What does the average Russian believe is happening in Ukraine? How much support is there for the invasion of Ukraine in Russia? What information is consumed by Russians? What does Russian domestic propaganda look like? How are the ongoing military losses perceived in Russia? What are the impacts of sanctions on Russia? Some other topics we covered are: Commentating against the war from inside Russia Challenges and support for protesters in Russia Style of repression in Russia Reality about elections in Putin’s Russia How everyday Russians view the ongoing invasion of Ukraine Reasons behind Russian apathy towards the invasion of Ukraine Reflection on the impact of sanctions and how Russia is adapting Information that is available in Russia and what Russians watch, read, and listen to The dominance and influence of propaganda What Russians know about the death of their soldiers Natasha’s humanitarian efforts in Mariupol You can follow Natasha on TikTok, Twitter, Instagram or Facebook, for more of her work. If you like what you’ve heard, please consider liking and reviewing the show wherever you get your pods. You can also support the show on our Patreon page here.

My guest today is Andrew Quilty, an Australian photojournalist, investigative journalist, and author. Andrew is the recipient of eight Walkley Awards, including the Gold Walkley, for his work in Afghanistan, where he has been based since 2013. He joined me to discuss his recently published book, August in Kabul: America's last days in Afghanistan, which is an intimate and deeply personal account of the fall of Kabul and the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in August last year. Andrew was one of a handful of foreign journalists who remained in Kabul to witness and document this event. Some of the topics we covered are: Andrew’s exit from Afghanistan Reflection on the birth and message of Andrew’s book ‘August in Kabul’ Hedging your bets as a means of survival in Afghanistan The reality faced by everyday Afghans after the fall of Kabul Reflection on the support for the Taliban throughout Afghanistan The muddy nature of relationships across front lines Why the Afghan government collapsed so quickly on 15 August 2021 The US-Taliban agreement in Doha Impact of US military and logistical support withdrawal on the Afghan National Security Forces Government lack of legitimacy in the eye of everyday people The fall of Kabul on 15 August 2021 as observed from the ground Survivor guilt and hardships of refugees ISIS Kabul Airport attack and hell at Abbey Gate US drone strike and impact of collateral damage The reality and challenges of regime change Andrew’s future If you like what you’ve heard, please consider liking and reviewing the show wherever you get your pods. You can also support the show on our Patreon page here.