Sounds Strategic

The profound economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has led some to question the utility and necessity of traditional defence spending as a means of ensuring national security, especially in Europe. In this week’s episode of Sounds Strategic, Antônio speaks with Bastian Giegerich and Fenella McGerty on why defence spending remains important and the implications of the COVID-19 crisis for Eu...

In this week’s episode, Meia is joined by Lynn Kuok and Euan Graham for an in-depth discussion on what China’s activity in the South China Sea means for ASEAN, Australia, the US and Europe, and whether such actions are indicative of shifting geopolitical power dynamics. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, China has maintained a constant presence in the South China Sea, even encroaching on the Exclusive...

This week, Meia and Antônio are joined by Nick Childs, Senior Fellow for Naval Forces and Maritime Security, for a conversation on the increasingly contested realm of maritime security, how Russia and China are developing their naval capabilities, and what technologies could revolutionise defence affairs at sea in the near future. During the episode, Nick explains why the traditional naval su...

This week, Antonio and Meia are joined by Franck Bousquet, Senior Director of the World Bank's Fragility, Conflict and Violence Group, to discuss a new strategy that aims to enhance the organisation’s ability to support fragile states. By 2030 up to two-thirds of the world’s extreme poor will live in fragile or conflict-afflicted states. The  World Bank Group Strategy for Fragility, Conflict...

In this special episode of Sounds Strategic, Meia Nouwens and Antônio Sampaio discuss the major trends in modern armed conflict with contributors from the Armed Conflict Survey 2020 , the annual review of the political, military and humanitarian dimensions of all active armed conflicts from the IISS. Meia speaks with Virginia Comolli and Eleanor Beevor on the key features of this year’s editi...

In this week’s episode, Meia Nouwens speaks with Viraj Solanki and Antoine Levesques on how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected South Asia. Viraj discusses the ways India’s nationwide lockdown has evolved since it was initially imposed in late March and the impact this response has had on India’s society and economic prospects. Antoine, meanwhile, examines Pakistan’s own response to COVID-19, inclu...

This week, Meia speaks with her co-host, Antônio Sampaio, Research Fellow for Conflict, Security and Development, on how Brazil has been impacted by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro has made headlines due to his unorthodox response to the COVID-19 virus, sacking his health minister, Luiz Mandetta, and largely disregarding or undermining the medical community’s advic...

In this week’s episode of Sounds Strategic, Antônio Sampaio speaks with Senior Fellow Virginia Comolli and Research Associate Eleanor Beevor from the Conflict, Security and Development Programme at the IISS. They discuss the challenges fragile states face in managing the COVID-19 pandemic, why international organisations are struggling to deliver humanitarian aid and how non-state armed groups hav...

In this week’s episode of Sounds Strategic, Meia Nouwens speaks with Executive Director of IISS–Asia, Dr Tim Huxley, on how countries in Southeast Asia have been handling the COVID-19 pandemic and the wider geopolitical impact the crisis may have on the region. Although a hugely diverse region in political, economic and cultural terms, Tim explains how and why Southeast Asia has, for the most part...

In this week’s episode, Antonio and Meia are joined by David Gordon, IISS Senior Adviser for Geo-Economics and Strategy, to discuss how the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is affecting the global economy, why this crisis is so unique and the prospects for an eventual recovery. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused an unprecedented and, crucially, near-universal closing of the world’s economy. As David explai...

This week, Meia and Antonio are joined by Nigel Gould-Davies, the new IISS Senior Fellow for Russia and Eurasia and Editor of Strategic Survey, for a discussion on how Russia has been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite a slow initial response, the Russian government has started enacting stricter controls in an effort to control the outbreak of COVID-19 in the country. However, Putin has re...

In this episode, Mahsa Rouhi and Emile Hokayem join Meia Nouwens for a discussion on how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected countries in the Middle East. Iran has been one of the most severely affected countries in the world, with over 3,000 deaths attributed to COVID-19 (as of 2 April 2020). Mahsa explains how the Iranian public has responded to this crisis and why the combination of US sanctions...

In this episode of Sounds Strategic, Antonio and Meia are joined by David Kilcullen, Professor of International and Political Studies at the University of New South Wales in Canberra, and former special adviser to the US Secretary of State between 2007 and 2009. Over the past five years, the world has witnessed some of the largest city-based battles since World War Two. The sieges of Mosul in Iraq...

James Hackett, Senior Fellow for Defence and Military Analysis, and Tom Waldwyn, Research Associate for Defence and Military Analysis, join Meia and Antonio for this episode to discuss the key trends in defence procurement and capabilities identified in the latest edition of The Military Balance, the Institute’s annual assessment of global military capabilities and defence economics. In recent yea...

Sir Tom Beckett, Executive Director of IISS−Middle East, joins podcast hosts Meia Nouwens and Antônio Sampaio for this episode of Sounds Strategic. Tom, Meia and Antônio discuss how countries in the Middle East have reacted to United States President Donald Trump’s proposed plan for Israeli−Palestinian peace. Their discussion also highlights why the peace plan might be difficult to implement. Tom...

In the first episode of the new season of Sounds Strategic, Robert Ward welcomes his new co-hosts Meia Nouwens and Antônio Sampaio on to the podcast. During the episode they discuss the recent election results in Taiwan, the protests in Hong Kong and how the recent coronavirus outbreak has impacted China’s economy and Taiwan. Taken together, these crises have brought new challenges for China’s pre...

In her final episode as host of Sounds Strategic, Kori Schake is joined by the new director of the IISS Geo-economics and Strategy programme and Japan Chair, Robert Ward. During the episode, Kori and Robert discuss how ageing demographics and economic stagnation severely undercut the optimism that surrounded hopes for Japan’s economic future in the late 1980s. Robert goes on to assess whether Chin...

Bill Emmott, Chairman of the IISS Trustees, joins Dr Kori Schake for this episode of Sounds Strategic. From President Trump’s questioning of traditional US allies and commitments, to growing Russian and Chinese influence in international and regional affairs, 2019 has seen a further erosion of the liberal world order established after the Second World War. In this end-of-year special, Bill Emmott...

In this special episode, Kori Schake, Deputy Director-General of the IISS, leads a panel of experts to reflect on the major themes of the debate at the IISS Manama Dialogue 2019.Opening the discussion is John Raine, Senior Adviser for Geopolitical Due Diligence, who addresses the changes to the political geography of the Middle East already underway and what they mean for the myriad of internation...

In this special episode recorded at the IISS Manama Dialogue 2019, Kori Schake is joined by Tamara Cofman Wittes, Senior Fellow at the Center for Middle East Policy at the Brookings Institution, and Maggie Feldman-Piltch, Founder and Managing Director of #NatSecGirlSquad, for a fascinating and wide-ranging conversation. Recent popular protests in Lebanon and Iraq have shaken the Middle East. Such...

In this special episode of Sounds Strategic, John Raine, Senior Adviser for Geopolitical Due Diligence, and Kori Schake have an in-depth discussion about the new IISS Strategic Dossier, Iran’s Networks of Influence in the Middle East, and what its findings mean for understanding security in the Middle East today. As the report shows, Iran has meticulously spread its influence across the Middle Eas...

Dr Greg Austin, Senior Fellow for Cyber, Space and Future Conflict, joins Dr Kori Schake for this episode of Sounds Strategic. As the race to roll out 5G intensifies between China and the United States, Greg and Kori discuss China’s use of cyber espionage and private companies in pursuit of its geopolitical interests and the effect it has on China’s reputation. Greg explains the Cyber, Space and F...

Nigel Inkster, IISS Senior Adviser, joins Dr Kori Schake for this episode of Sounds Strategic. With the rivalry between the US and China set to become the defining feature of international politics in the 21st century, Nigel Inkster gives context to the geopolitical competition that lies at its heart. Nigel emphasises the important role technology will play in allowing great powers to project thei...

Dr Benjamin Rhode, Research Fellow for Transatlantic Affairs and Editor of IISS Strategic Comments, joins Dr Kori Schake for this episode of Sounds Strategic. Transatlantic relations have long been considered a relatively stable area of international diplomacy. However, the realities of the Trump administration in the US and Brexit in the UK have brought new volatility to transatlantic affairs. Dr...

Pierre Noël, Senior Fellow for Economic and Energy Security, joins Dr Kori Schake for this episode of Sounds Strategic. The recent attacks on the Abqaiq oil processing facility removed half of Saudi Arabia’s oil production from the market instantly. In this episode, Pierre and Kori discuss the short- and long-term impact of these attacks on Saudi Arabian oil infrastructure and what they may mean f...