War Studies

In this episode, Lord John Alderdice and XCEPT’s Dr Nafees Hamid explore the history and future of the rules-based international order, emphasising the importance of relationships, human psychology, and moral values in maintaining global stability. They discuss lessons from history, the impact of hypocrisy, and how genuine human connections can foster peace. This research is part of XCEPT (Cross-B...

Following acceptance of his King's Alumni Award, Hermione Dadone, Communications Manager for the School of Security Studies talks to BBC News Presenter Rich Preston about his career in international journalism, his experience of studying at King’s, and the importance of telling complex global stories clearly and accurately. For more information about our work visit our website at: https://www.kcl....

In the seventh edition of the King’s College London War Studies War Stories podcast miniseries, hosted by King’s alumni Rupert Lane and Nick Denning (BA War Studies, 2002–2005), we take to the seas with Andrew Young (BA War Studies 2004-2007, current War Studies PhD candidate). Andrew was a young naval officer, deployed as a specialist educator, whose ships were re-routed to deal with humanitarian...

What happens when public health, biology and conflict meet? In this episode of the War Studies Podcast, Dr Julia Pearce is joined by Dr Filippa Lentzos and Dr Gemma Bowsher from King’s College London to explore the changing landscape of biosecurity, CBRN threats and health security in conflict. The conversation examines how chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear disinformation is being use...

In this episode of the War Studies Podcast, PhD student Charlotte Bascaule speaks with Admiral Carlos Chagas Viana Braga, Commandant of the Brazilian Marine Corps. They discuss changes to the Brazilian Marine Corps, new technologies, maritime operations, peacekeeping and the challenges facing Brazil’s armed forces today.

In the sixth edition of the King’s College London War Studies War Stories podcast miniseries, hosted by King’s alumni Rupert Lane and Nick Denning (BA War Studies, 2002–2005), Nick hosts and Rupert takes to the guest seat to speak about his own experience of war. As a young officer with 4th Battalion The Rifles, Rupert deployed to Basra, Iraq, in 2007, where he commanded a platoon given the task o...

In this episode of the Breaking Cycles of Conflict mini-series, XCEPT's Dr Nafees Hamid talks to Dr Iain McGilchrist – psychiatrist, philosopher, neuroscientist and author of The Master and His Emissary and The Matter with Things – about how the brain's left and right hemispheres attend to the world in fundamentally different ways. They explore how shifts in hemispheric dominance have shaped trust...

In the fifth edition of the King's College London War Studies War Stories podcast miniseries, hosted by King's alumni Rupert Lane and Nick Denning (BA War Studies, 2002–2005), Ru and Nick speak with Aravind Rajendran (MA Conflict, Security & Development, 2020–2021). A former commissioned officer in the Indian Army (2009 to 2020), Aravind served with the 3rd Battalion The Mahar Regiment, during cou...

In the fourth edition of the King’s College London War Studies War Stories podcast miniseries, hosted by King’s alumni Rupert Lane and Nick Denning (BA War Studies, 2002-2005), Ru and Nick speak to Dr. Tiania Stevens (MA War Studies, 2007-2008), who was embedded as an Australian journalist with both US and British forces in Iraq, as well as US forces in Afghanistan through the 2000s, with various...

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...