On Geopolitics

Professor William Hurst is joined by Peter Trubowtiz, Professor of International Relations and Director of the Phelan US Centre at the London School of Economics. They discuss liberal versus realist approaches to war. They look at how political economy and security considerations interact, and consider how domestic politics have profound impacts upon how states behave internationally.

Professor William Hurst is joined by Caroline Baxter, Director of the Converging Risks Lab at the Council on Strategic Risks and former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Force Education and Training within the United States Office of the Secretary of Defense. They discuss the necessity of focusing on critical vulnerabilities –such as those resulting from climate change, AI, or quantum technologies– as wars continue to be fought through non-traditional means.

Professor William Hurst is joined by Ian Hurd, Professor of Political Science and President of the Faculty Senate at Northwestern University. They discuss how norms, laws and expectations can prevent and impact wars. They analyse how waging wars became less legally permissible in the 20th century, and how the use of new technologies developed in the 21st century have greyed legal constructs around war.

Professor William Hurst is joined by Dr Lauren Sukin, the John G. Winant Associate Professor in US Foreign Policy in the Department of Politics and International Relations at the University of Oxford. They discuss the prevention of war through deterrence and institutional arrangements, or security architectures, which increasingly face difficulties as global conflicts become more complex.

Professor William Hurst is joined by Jack Snyder, the Robert and Renée Belfer Professor of International Relations at Columbia University, to discuss confrontational diplomacy and its unintended consequences, particularly throughout the world wars. They also discuss how the offensive approach of authoritarian states leads them to struggle in the balance of power game compared to democracies.

Professor William Hurst is joined by Dr Victoria Vdovychenko, Joint Programme Leader at the Centre's Future of Ukraine Programme, to discuss how, whilst fighting for its sovereignty amidst Russia's full-scale invasion, Ukraine navigates democratic responsiveness to its citizens, innovation to improve its war-fighting technologies, and its international alliances. 

Former British Army officer Lieutenant General Doug Chalmers — who served as Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff (Military Strategy & Operations) from 2018 to 2021, and is the current Master of Emmanuel College, Cambridge — joins Professor William Hurst to discuss the importance of having local and regional political understandings whilst carrying out military campaigns. They also explore how actors in war should understand their own positionalities, and reflect on how their own biases and relationships impact their knowledge and judgements.

Professor William Hurst and Lieutenant General Doug Chalmers, former British Army officer who served as Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff (Military Strategy & Operations) from 2018 to 2021, and current Master of Emmanuel College, Cambridge explore different concepts of war and how different types of actors initiate and prosecute conflict. 

Joined by John Mearsheimer, R. Wendell Harrison Distinguished Service Professor of Political Science at the University of Chicago, we explore the strategic dynamics of security competition between states and how they seek to mitigate the distinct threat that war poses to their survival.

John Nilsson-Wright talks to Professor Chungin Moon of Yonsei University about the foreign policy of South Korea’s President Lee Jae-myung, and how Seoul is handling its ties with both Tokyo and Washington. The discussion explores tensions between South Korea and the US over tariffs, growing uncertainty regarding the US commitment to the security of the Korean peninsula, how best to manage relations with North Korea, and the increasingly cooperative partnership with Japan in the midst of a new leadership election for the presidency of Japan’s governing Liberal Democratic Party (LDP).This podcast is part of a larger Centre for Geopolitics project, Alliances in Alignment, supported by the Korea Foundation, examining the future of trilateral cooperation between the US, South Korea and Japan. 

Our first Explorations series takes a deeper dive into the subject of war. In this introductory episode, we begin by tracing the history of war as a concept, from ancient poetry, tragedy, and philosophy through to contemporary international relations theories. In doing so, we set the stage for some of the arguments and ideas that will be explored in greater depth across episodes to come.

John Nilsson-Wright talks to Steve Herman — until recently Voice of America’s Chief National Correspondent — about the Trump administration’s relationship with private and public media organisations in the United States. They consider the threats to democratic freedoms in the US, the role of public broadcasting domestically and as part of US foreign policy during the Cold War as well as today, and also the question of what individual citizens can do to protect their civil liberties at a critical juncture in American history.

John Nilsson-Wright and Suzanne Raine talk to Nobukatsu Kanehara, former assistant chief cabinet secretary to late Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (from 2012-2019) and one of Japan’s leading strategic thinkers. The conversation covers Japan’s diplomatic options in handling security and economic relations with the United States, regional security in the Middle East, the domestic political circumstances faced by the Liberal Democratic Government of Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, Japan’s regional diplomacy in dealing with China and North Korea, nuclear deterrence, alliance policy, and also relations with the new government of President Lee Jae-myung in the Republic of Korea.This podcast is part of a larger Centre for Geopolitics project, Alliances in Alignment, supported by the Korea Foundation, examining the future of trilateral cooperation between the US, South Korea and Japan.

What just happened? To look back at a momentous month Suzanne Raine and Ali Ansari are joined by Bill Hurst and John Nilsson-Wright. Ali offers his views on Iran, Bill on China, John on Japan and North and South Korea, and Suzanne asks the questions. This will be, for now, the last OnGeopolitics hosted by Suzanne and Ali, as they hand over to John and Bill at the University of Cambridge’s Centre for Geopolitics.

Suzanne Raine and John Nilsson-Wright talk with Professor John Delury, Sinologist, Korea expert and currently a visiting professor in Rome, about the current state of policy under Donald Trump towards the United States' key allies in Northeast Asia, the Republic of Korea and Japan. How resilient and reliable is cooperation between leaders in Washington, Tokyo and Seoul in confronting geopolitical risks in Asia, particularly the challenge of a closer partnership between North Korea, Russia and China.”This podcast is part of a larger Centre for Geopolitics project, Alliances in Alignment, which is supported by the Korea Foundation and examines the future of trilateral cooperation between the US, South Korea and Japan.

Ali and Suzanne are joined by John Nilsson-Wright, who was in Seoul in early December when President Yoon Suk-yeol moved to declare martial law, to discuss the recent tumultuous events in South Korea and the implications for the Korean peninsula and the wider region.

Ali and Suzanne take stock of the dramatic events in Syria and the implications of the collapse of the Assad regime for Iran, looking at themes common across many revolutions and possible areas to watch.