The Voices of War

Today, I'm speaking with Dr Pauline Shanks Kaurin who is a Professor of Professional Military Ethics at the US Naval War College where she specialises in military ethics, just war tradition and applied ethics. She is the author of ‘On Obedience: Contrasting Philosophies for Military, Citizenry and Community’, which is a book we discussed today. As you will find out, the subject matter this book addresses goes to the core of what it means to be a soldier and to be a citizen. Some of the topics we covered are: Military ethics as the link between international relations and philosophy Defining obedience Discussion on ‘choice’ and moral responsibility Impact of mis- and disinformation on agency Trump, ‘Oath Keepers’ and obedience How bias and heuristics impact responsibility The cases of Ehren Watada and Stuart Schiller The idea of ‘disciplined disobedience’ When epistemological worlds collide Training for ‘critical obedience’ 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.

This is Part 2 of my discussion with Dr Jasmin Mujanovic. If you haven’t listened to part 1 yet, I suggest you do that first, as elements of the remainder of the conversation may otherwise seem out of context. You can listen to part 1 here. Some of the topics we cover in this part are: Details of the controversial electoral law amendment made by the High Representative Perceptions, real or otherwise, of the High Representative’s bias and conflict of interest Croat nationalism and its influence The role of Croatia and Serbia in Bosnia’s integrity and sovereignty EU vs NATO prospects for Bosnia and Herzegovina What role Russia plays in the Western Balkans The machinations to redesign the Western Balkans Assessment of the likelihood of renewed violence in Bosnia and Herzegovina Thank you for listening and if you’re getting value out of the show, please consider becoming a patron of The Voices Of War here.

My guest today is Dr Jasmin Mujanovic, who is a political scientist and policy specialist in southeast European and international affairs.  He has worked as a scholar, policy analyst, consultant, researcher, and writer in both North America and Europe. Jasmin’s academic research concentrates primarily on the politics of contemporary south-eastern Europe, with a particular focus on the politics of the non-EU states of the Western Balkans. He joins me today to discuss the unfolding constitutional crisis in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Some of the topics discussed in Part 1 are: The political system of Bosnia and Herzegovina Embedded tensions in Bosnian politics Political actors in Bosnia and Herzegovina Impact of Serb and Croat nationalism in Bosnia Status of the 2nd of October general elections Irregularities in the election Victory of Pro-Bosnian candidates in the Federation entity Attempts of further sectarian segregation by nationalists Part 2 will be released on Thursday, 27th of October where we do a deep dive into the controversial decision by the High Representative to change the electoral law on the night of the elections. We also explore what this means for Bosnia and Herzegovina more broadly and what role regional and global powers play in the nation’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. 

My guest today is Wolfgang Sporrer who is an Adjunct Professor at the Hertie School in Berlin and who was until 2020 the head of the Human Dimension Department of the OSCE in Ukraine. Wolfgang has joined me on the show twice before, where we discussed the lead-up to the Russian invasion of Ukraine as well as the ultimate reasons and consequences of Putin’s decision to go to war. You can find links to those episodes here and here. He joins me today to discuss the importance of diplomacy occurring in parallel to the war effort. Some of the topics we covered are: Assessment of the current situation Peace process and combat operations not mutually exclusive Explaining mediation and different tracks Relevance of a Mutually Hurting Stalemate Appreciating the wide-ranging costs of the invasion Expanding already existing dialogue mechanisms Mediation must not have an end in mind An example process with two tracks German and Austrian sentiment towards the invasion Military effort along with diplomacy essential Focus on re-establishing European security architecture If you like what you’ve heard, please consider liking and reviewing the show wherever you get your pods. If you can afford $AUD 5 per month, you can also support the show on our Patreon page here.

This is Part 2 of my discussion with Dr Alex Bellamy, author of ‘World Peace And How We Can Achieve It’, which was the basis for our discussion. If you haven’t listened to Part 1 yet, I suggest you do that first as some discussions in part 2 might otherwise seem out of context. You can listen to part 1 here. Like in part 1, we covered many topics, including: Are humans wired for violence? How states can actively reduce the likelihood of war Clash of ‘Helsinki’ vs ‘Yalta’ visions The paradox of US hegemony The UN as a global project Discussion on Interests vs Values Military Industrial Complex and acquisition of arms The role of International Humanitarian Law Implementing the laws we already have to achieve Peace Rivalry between competing visions on how the world should be organised During this chat, Alex and I discussed Samuel Moyn's book, 'Humane: How the United States Abandoned Peace and Reinvented War'. I previously spoke with Samuel about this book and its thesis. You can find that interview here. 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.

Today, I spoke with Dr Alex Bellamy, who is a professor of peace and conflict studies and director of the Asia Pacific Centre for the responsibility to protect at the University of Queensland. He is the author of numerous books, including ‘World Peace And How We Can Achieve It’, which was the basis for our discussion today. However, as you’ll hear, we covered many topics, including: Outline of Responsibility To Protect (R2P) Origins of the World Peace movements Similarities of the extreme left and extreme right Individual rights as a bulwark to collective violence Importance of ideology and narrative in motivating wars The paradox of nationhood – internal coherence at the cost of external differentiation Galvanising of identity when under threat Internal contest for the American identity Some of the topics we cover in Part 2, coming out on the 20th of October, are as follows: Are humans wired for violence? How states can actively reduce the likelihood of war Clash of ‘Helsinki’ vs ‘Yalta’ visions The paradox of US hegemony The UN as a global project Discussion on Interests vs Values Military Industrial Complex and acquisition of arms The role of International Humanitarian Law Implementing laws we already have to achieve Peace Rivalry between competing visions on how the world should be organised 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.  

Today, I spoke with Amanda Hsiao who is the Senior Analyst for China at the International Crisis Group. She joined me to shed some light on the increasing tensions between Washington and Beijing. Amanda did this by tackling questions such as: What are key points of difference in the US and Chinese worldviews? Why are both sides intentionally elevating tensions? What has led to the current change in decades-long status quo? What is the importance of President Xi’s declaration of ‘reunification’ by 2049? Why is Taiwan so important to both China and the US? What do people in Taiwan want? What lessons is China drawing from the Russian invasion of Ukraine? Amanda’s work at Crisis Group focuses on conflicts in which China plays an important role, and developments in China’s foreign policy that relate to conflict prevention and resolution. As you will hear, it is understandable why she is a respected go-to voice on matters affecting China and the region. Some of the topics we covered are: Amanda’s journey into researching China Current state of affairs between China and the US Increased tension = better preparedness Narratives for domestic vs international audiences The role of history in China’s quest for ‘national rejuvenation’ International laws, hypocrisy, and moral high ground The risk of a ‘hot’ war Language of ‘Reunification’ vs ‘unification’ with Taiwan Complexity surrounding Taiwan’s status Shifts in perceptions, especially the youth, in Taiwan The historical, cultural and strategic importance of Taiwan to China Lessons China is learning from Russian invasion of Ukraine Regional impact of growing tensions Current crisis management mechanisms and what else is needed Likelihood of Taiwan pursuing independence Relevance of Chinese demographics Assessment of risk of Chinese invasion of Taiwan If you like what you’ve heard, please take a moment to like and review the show wherever you get your pods. You can also support the show on our Patreon page here.

Today, I spoke with Dr Mike Martin and John Spencer who joined me for an update on the situation in Ukraine. This conversation was recorded just after 9pm on the evening of 22nd of September, Ukraine time. Some of the topics we covered are: Impact of recent Russian battlefield losses Significance of Putin’s ‘partial mobilisation’ and what it might mean Attrition vs. Manoeuvre warfare Possible next moves by Ukraine The narrative surrounding the ‘referendums’ and their possible purpose Thoughts on the ongoing weapons debate, such as about ATACMS The risk of a collapsed Russia Predictions for upcoming weeks and months My previous conversations with Mike and John about Ukraine can be found below: 64. John Spencer - On Ukraine, Urban Warfare and lessons learnt 58. Dr Mike Martin and LTGEN (Ret.) Arne Dalhaug - Update on the Russian invasion of Ukraine 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 Paul Ingram, who is the Academic Programme Manager at the Centre for the Study of Existential Risk (CSER) at the University of Cambridge. Up to a few months ago, he was also the Director of Emergent Change, which he established to further the understanding and practice of the Stepping Stones Approach (SSA) to nuclear disarmament. Prior to that, he was the Executive Director at British American Security Information Council (BASIC) where he developed the Stepping Stones Approach along with his colleagues from the Swedish Foreign Ministry. Throughout his extensive career, Paul has worked across the world on many projects related to nuclear disarmament. Some of the topics we covered are: Paul’s journey into research of existential risk Likelihood of getting rid of atomic weapons Whether existing global structures can help mitigate catastrophic risks The importance of context and history when dealing with rogue actors Importance of inclusion and diversity Challenges of quantifying risk of nuclear war Explanation of how nuclear deterrence works What happens if Russia, as we know it, collapses? NATO , US, and B61-12 nuclear bombs Nuclear weapon command systems and current safeguards Nuclear disarmament and the ‘Stepping Stones Approach’ I made mention in the preamble about a report on the Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference. You can find that report here. You can also find out more information about Russian nuclear weapons in this article by Hans M. Kristensen from 25th February 2022. 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.

This is Part 2 of my conversation with Dr Jessica Wolfendale, who is an author, ethics professor and expert on torture and war crimes. If you've missed Part 1 of this discussion, I suggest you listen to that first here. Some of the topics we covered in Part 2 are: The dispositional account and cognitive-affective personality system Military culture and socialisation Freedom and resentment Moral ignorance is by no means an excuse Integrating the victim’s perspective into military training The power of reconciliation Jessica’s future work on depictions of war crimes During the chat, I made reference to my conversation with Deane-Peter Baker about moral drift in the context of military ethics. You can find that interview here. Additionally, if you'd like to hear more about the position I take on the idea of 'free will', I recommend listening to episode 33 with the renowned 'free will sceptic', Gregg Caruso. You can find it here. 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 and Buy Me A Coffee page on the links below: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thevoicesofwar  Buy Me A Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/thevoicesofwar