War Studies

In the third edition of the King’s College London War Studies War Stories podcast miniseries, hosted by King’s alumni Rupert Lane and Nick Denning (War Studies, 2002-2005), Ru and Nick speak to Rory Moylan (War Studies, 2002-2005), who worked as a humanitarian in Afghanistan, in Mazar-i-Sharif, with first ACTED and then the International Committee of the Red Cross through 2009-2013, and Sloviansk...

In this third episode of The Helsinki Brief: Inside Finnish Intelligence and Security, Dr Paul McGarr (King’s College London) is joined again by Hannamiina Tanninen of the Finnish Security and Intelligence Service (SUPO) to explore Finland’s 'comprehensive security' model — a point of reference in international debates on resilience. They unpack what “comprehensive security” means in practice: an...

In this episode, Colin Smith, co-ordinator of the UN Security Council’s 1267/1988 Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team, joins Tim Willasey-Wilsey, King’s Visiting Professor, Graham Aikin, PhD researcher at King’s, and Dr Paul McGarr, Lecturer in Intelligence Studies, to examine Afghanistan nearly 25 years after 9/11 and assess whether it is again becoming a base for international terro...

In this episode, Dr Nafees Hamid speaks with Dr Craig Larkin (Research Lead on Memory and Conflict for the XCEPT research programme), Dr Clara Voyvodic (Lecturer in Peace Studies at the University of Bradford), and Maria El Sammak (XCEPT Research Assistant and King's College London MA student in the War Studies department) about the powerful and often divisive role of nostalgia in global politics....

In the second edition of the King’s College London War Studies War Stories podcast miniseries, hosted by King’s alumni Rupert Lane and Nick Denning (War Studies, 2002-2005), Ru and Nick speak to Jamie Irwin (War Studies, 2000-2003), who served with the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards in Afghanistan on HERRICK 14, with the British Army, having previously served in Iraq on TELIC 12. Ru and Nick take a de...

In May 2025 Ella Baron, a political cartoonist at The Guardian, travelled to Ukraine to record and reflect on the human impact of war. In collaboration with NGO Médecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), Ella met patients in a rehabilitation centre for war veterans in Cherkasy and a mental health clinic for internally displaced families in Vinnytsia. The Art & Conflict Hub is currently hosting an exhibition...

In the inaugural edition of the War Studies War Stories podcast series, hosted by King’s alumni Rupert Lane and Nick Denning (War Studies, 2002-2005), Ru and Nick briefly explain what they’re looking to achieve in this series, through the use of King’s own unique resource - its alumni and their experience of war (built on King’s War Studies ‘Experience of War’ module). Ru and Nick then take a deep...

In the second episode of The Helsinki Brief: Inside Finnish Intelligence and Security, the focus is on intelligence culture in Finland, explored within the wider context of the Finnish Security and Intelligence Service (Supo) and how it operates. Dr Paul McGarr of King’s College London is joined by Hannamiina Tanninen, an analyst at the Finnish Security and Intelligence Service, to discuss the evo...

In this episode, Dr Nafees Hamid speaks with Michael Shipler, King’s College London War Studies alumnus and Vice President of Leadership Development & Partnerships at Search for Common Ground (SFCG), the world’s largest dedicated peacebuilding organisation. With global cooperation declining and populism and authoritarianism on the rise, Nafees and Michael explore how those on opposite sides can be...

Dr Nils Mallock joins Dr Rajan Basra to discuss his research on the expansion of Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank and the effect their presence has on political protest behaviour. These settlements are widely considered to be illegal under international law, but successive Israeli governments have allowed them to grow, and expansion has accelerated following Hamas' attack on 7th Octob...

In this episode, Dr Pablo de Orellana, Senior Lecturer in International Relations, is joined by journalist and Emmy-nominated producer Nora Neus to discuss her book "24 Hours at the Capitol: An Oral History of the January 6th Insurrection". Drawing on hundreds of interviews and primary sources, Neus reconstructs the “minute-by-minute” experience of 6 January 2021 – from elected officials to frontl...

This episode introduces The Helsinki Brief, a podcast mini-series on Finnish intelligence and security. Hosted by Dr Paul McGarr of King’s College London, the discussion features Hannamiina Tanninen, an analyst at Finnish Security and Intelligence Service (SUPO), about the role and structure of civil intelligence in Finland. The discussion covers SUPO’s legal mandate, core functions such as counte...

In this episode, Professor Roddy Brett, Professor of Peace and Conflict Studies and Director of the Global Insecurities Centre at the University of Bristol, joins Dr Nafees Hamid, Co-PI of the XCEPT research programme, to discuss his new book, ‘Victim-Centred Peacemaking: Colombia's Santos-FARC-EP Peace Process’. Professor Brett reveals how the victims’ delegations changed the dynamics of the Sant...

In this episode, Dr Gary Buck, author of A Risk Too Far: A Psychological Autopsy of the Planning for Arnhem, joins Dr Huw Dylan to explore the human factors behind one of WWII’s most daring operations. Drawing on his expertise in operational psychology, Dr Buck reveals how stress, ambition and personality shaped the decisions of commanders like Montgomery, Browning and Urquhart during Operation Ma...

In this episode, Dr Tim Stevens, co-editor of the Research Handbook on Cyberwarfare, explores the evolving realities of cyber warfare and its growing impact on global security. He discusses the challenges of defining cyberwarfare, tracing its development from early military computing to today’s complex cyber operations across a distinct digital battlespace. The conversation examines the key player...

In this episode, Professor Andrew Lambert FKC, Laughton Professor of Naval History, Geoff Browell, Head of Heritage Collections, and Angus Hui, curator of the D-Day Hong Kong, explore the untold story of 24 Chinese naval officers who trained with the Royal Navy during World War II and took part in the D-Day landings. Angus discusses the fascinating discovery of a personal diary from one of these o...

In this episode, Professor Tim Willasey-Wilsey, Visiting Professor at the Department of War Studies, joins Dr Huw Dylan, Reader in Intelligence Studies and International Security, to delve into Tim’s new book, The Spy and the Devil: The Untold Story of the MI6 Agent Who Penetrated Hitler’s Inner Circle. They discuss the remarkable story of Baron William de Ropp—MI6’s key source inside Nazi Germany...

In this episode, investigative journalists Andrei Soldatov and Irina Borogan—both Visiting Fellows at the Department of War Studies—join Dr Daniela Richterová, Senior Lecturer in Intelligence Studies, to discuss their new book, Our Dear Friends in Moscow: The Inside Story of a Broken Generation. The book reflects on a generation of young Russians who came of age in the hopeful yet turbulent 1990s....

In this episode, Dr Tiffany Fairey, Senior Research Fellow at the Department of War Studies, and Dr Pamina Firchow, Associate Professor at Brandeis University, join Professor Rachel Kerr, Professor of War and Society at the Department of War Studies, to delve into their groundbreaking research that uses photography and community-defined indicators to rethink peace from the ground up. To coincide w...

How did communist Czechoslovakia become a hub for Cold War terrorists like Carlos the Jackal and Abu Daoud? And what can today’s intelligence professionals learn from its uneasy covert alliances? In this episode, Dr Daniela Richterova, Senior Lecturer in Intelligence Studies at the Department of War Studies, joins Dorothea Gioe, Visiting Research Fellow at the King’s Centre for the Study of Intell...

How did Cold War intelligence operations shape postcolonial India’s domestic politics and international alignments? Why did Western agencies prioritise relationships with Indian counterparts while publicly decrying non-alignment? And what can today’s policymakers learn from the legacies of covert cooperation in the Global South? In this episode, Dr Paul McGarr, Lecturer in Intelligence Studies in...

In December 2024, the Assad regime in Syria was overthrown. Today, Ahmed al-Sharaa is acting as the interim president of Syria, at the head of a new transitional government. What will the future look like for Syria under its new leader? Will the coalition of rebel factions be able to work together to build a stable future for Syrians? Dr Nafees Hamid, Dr Rahaf Aldoughli, Nils Mallock and Broderick...

In 2016, the Colombian government signed a historic peace agreement with guerilla group the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, also known as FARC. The agreement brought an end to 52 years of war, but today, eight years after the agreement was ratified, Colombia is still not at peace. In this episode, Dr Nafees Hamid and Dr Andrés Casas discuss the motivations of guerilla group members in Colo...

The Islamic Resistance in Iraq (IRI) is considered a key player in Iran’s Axis of Resistance, and its connection to the state security forces in Iraq has raised concerns about its access to power and position. But the IRI isn’t a cohesive organisation; it’s made up of armed factions which have their own agendas and domestic interests to pursue, and not all of these align with Iran’s. In this episo...

What does the future of Australia's defence strategy look like in the face of rising geopolitical tensions? How are shifting dynamics in the Indo-Pacific and Euro-Atlantic influencing Australia’s approach to security? What role do partnerships like AUKUS play in shaping Australia’s military readiness for both the present and future? In this episode, Admiral David Johnston AC RAN, the Australian Ch...