The Voices of War

Latest Episodes:

79. Announcement of a significant change to The Voices Of War Dec 20, 2022

Show notes

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

78. Ye-Min Wu - Multilateral negotiations: on the trials and tribulations of building peace Dec 12, 2022

Show notes

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.

77. Special Release: Natalia Konstantinova - How Russians view the invasion of Ukraine Nov 28, 2022

Show notes

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.

76. Andrew Quilty - ’August in Kabul’ and the return of the Taliban Nov 14, 2022

Show notes

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.

75. Dr Pauline Shanks Kaurin - On obedience and the fine line between hero and villain Oct 31, 2022

Show notes

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.

74. Special Release: Jasmin Mujanovic - On the unfolding constitutional crisis in Bosnia and Herzegovina - Part 2 Oct 27, 2022

Show notes

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.

73. Special Release: Jasmin Mujanovic - On the unfolding constitutional crisis in Bosnia and Herzegovina - Part 1 Oct 24, 2022

Show notes

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.

72. Special Release: Wolfgang Sporrer - On diplomacy alongside combat operations in Ukraine Oct 21, 2022

Show notes

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.

71. Dr Alexander Bellamy - R2P, Just War and prospects of World Peace - Part 2 Oct 20, 2022

Show notes

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.

70. Dr Alexander Bellamy - R2P, Just War and prospects of World Peace - Part 1 Oct 17, 2022

Show notes

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.

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected