The Beacon

Podcast in which Beacon Editor, Joe Davies, talks to Dr. Lina Khatib, Head of the Middle East and North Africa Programme at Chatham House, and Prof. Eugene Rogan, Director of the Middle East Centre at St. Antony's College, University of Oxford, on "What can - and should - the West do to support the Syrian people?".In 2011, the Syrian people took to the street to peacefully protest against the Assad regime, demanding democratic reforms and the release of political prisoners. The past 7 years since has seen the West fail to prevent the regime's chemical attacks on innocent civilians, fail to take sufficient steps to protect the estimated 5 million refugees that have fled Syria, and fail to help Syria shift to a path of peacebuilding and reconciliation. These are issues the West must not continue to ignore. But, what can be done to ensure a transition to a new leader, and a democratic regime in Syria? Or is an emboldened Assad an inevitable outcome of this violent conflict? Put simply, what can - and should - the West do now to support the Syrian people?

In this episode the of the Beacon, Nicholas Chin speaks to Catarina Leao, a DPhil student in Politics at Wolfson College, studying the effect of authoritarian legacies on political positions. In the podcast they discuss the likelihood of democratic transition, and how the authoritarian histories of Portugal and Spain have influenced the rise of new populist parties in these countries.

To celebrate the arrival of The Beacon on Apple PodcastS, we're rereleasing some of the best episodes from previous years.In this episode of The Beacon, Verity Bligh interviews Edward Lucas, senior editor at The Economist and author of “New Cold War” and “Cyberphobia”. They discuss past and present Russian power politics, the importance of cyber-security and the future of journalism in a world of “fake news”.  Edward Lucas' book recommendations:“The Engineer of Human Souls” by Josef Skvorecky“The Captive Mind” by Czeslaw Milosz“The Great Terror” by Robert Conquest“Gulag”, “Iron Curtain” and “Red Famine” by Anne Applebaum“Bloodlands” by Timothy Snyder

In this week's special episode of The Beacon, Stephen Walt gives a guest lecture to the Oxford International Relations Society on the topic "Where is US foreign policy going?". Walt is Professor of International Relations at Harvard University and is on the editorial board of Foreign Policy and numerous other International Relations and Security Studies journals. Walt is known for proposing the balance of threat theory, in which states' alliance behaviour is determined by the threat they perceive from other states. States generally balance by allying against a perceived threat, although very weak states are more likely to bandwagon with the rising power in order to protect their own security. This worldview informs Walt's lecture as he begins by talking about US President Donald Trump.

Archie Philipps speaks with Carne Ross, former British diplomat and founder and Executive Director of Independent Diplomat, the world's first non profit diplomatic advisory group, which helped gain South Sudan statehood, and is currently advising the Syrian Opposition. Topics discussed in this podcast include the changing nature – and potential disintegration - of states, the Middle East conflict, and the failings and future of diplomacy 

In this week's episode of The Beacon, Robert Pieters interviews Professor Rana Mitter to discuss the continued relevance of China's experiences of the Second World War for its contemporary international relations. Professor Mitter, based at the Oxford University China Centre, is a leading authority on modern China, having authored several books on the topic, including China's War with Japan, 1937-45: The Struggle for Survival in 2013. As China becomes more and more important on the global stage, there are thus few people better placed to discuss the topics of how the wartime experience continues to colour China's relationships with its neighbours, and how narratives of the war continue to shape how China conducts itself internationally today.

In this week's special episode of “The Beacon”, uploaded the day after Trump withdrew the US from the Iran Deal, Tandee Wang, an international contributor from the Australian National University, talks to Amin Saikal about the deal and its consequences for the Middle East region and the international community. Saikal is a Professor of Political Science and Director of the Centre for Arab and Islamic Studies at the ANU. His major works include “Iran at the Crossroads” (2016), “Zone of Crisis” Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran and Iraq” (2014) and “Modern Afghanistan: A History of Struggle and Survival” (2012). Last year, he was co-leader of Australia's first high-level dialogue with Iran in over a decade. Saikal is therefore perfectly placed to share his insights on the uncertain relationship between the US and Iran in the age of Trump.

In this week's episode of “The Beacon”, Verity Bligh talks to Kori Schake and Caitlin Vito at the International Institute of Strategic Studies (IISS). Kori Schake is Deputy-Director General of the IISS and was previously a research fellow at Stanford's Hoover Institution on War, Revolution and Peace. Caitlin Vito is Coordinator for the Deputy Director-General's Office at the IISS and is a regular contributor to its publications on armed conflict and migration issues. Kori is also a regular panel-member on David Rothkopf's Deep State Radio podcast and Caitlin is a fellow avid podcast listener. Together, they talk about engaging young women in International Relations, nerd out about podcasts and reflect on the way in our life-choices shape both our careers and world-views.

Discussing the philosophical narratives around the European Union, Millie Radovic interviews Professor Simon Glendinning of the London School of Economics. A graduate of Oxford, Prof. Glendinning has focused much of his research on European Philosophy which he teaches at the European Institute of the LSE. Discussing how some of these enduring concepts, particularly Immanuel Kant's ideas, relate to the EU today, Millie and Prof. Glendinning talk about what Kant may have said about Brexit, populism, and the notion of a European identity.

With the manifest failure of the international community to act to save Syria's citizens and the recurrent infringement of any UN Security Council-backed resolution for a nationwide ceasefire, most recently after a week which has seen the relentless bombardment of Eastern Ghouta, this week's episode of The Beacon sees Adam Mazarelo interviewing Matthieu Cimino, Marie-Skɫodowska Curie researcher at the University of Oxford and an associate researcher at the IREMAM, Aix-en-Provence. They discuss a broad range of topics relating to the ongoing war in Syria: from the war's effects on neighbouring Lebanon and the prospects of return for refugees and reconstruction of the country, to the historical context of the Assad regime's rhetoric on Salafi Jihadism.

In light of the tensions and ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza, this week's episode of The Beacon sees Adam Mazarello interviewing Lama Alhelou, Junior Members Scholar at Jesus College, Oxford and Gaza resident. They discuss the what it's really like to live in Gaza, the prospects of peace for the future and the attitudes of a generation of young people, for whom war has become a permanent feature of life.

In this week's episode of “The Beacon” – released on Australia Day 2018 – Verity Bligh talks to Kevin Rudd, a former Australian prime minister, current student at Jesus College and a lifelong Sinologist. Together, they discuss the nature of international diplomacy, China's rise as a global power and the Turf Tavern “yard of ale” challenge.

In this week's episode of "The Beacon", Verity Bligh talks to Kalypso Nicolaidis, Professor of International Relations at Oxford, about her innovative and engaging approach to make sense of big-picture current affairs. They discuss the meaning of Brexit through the lens of Greek mythology, the need for union rather than unity in Europe and the role of academia in a world that has "had enough of experts".

In the final Beacon podcast of term, Nicholas Chin discusses the major problems that face refugees today with Evan Easton-Calbria,a researcher for the Humanitarian Innovation Project.

In this week's The Beacon, Nicholas Chin interviews Masooda Bano, Associate Professor in the Oxford Department of International Development, Senior Golding Fellow, Brasenose College, University of Oxford and author of The Rational Believer: Choices and Decisions in the Madrasas of Pakistan. They discuss aid effectiveness, what we can do to make sure aid is more effective and looking at ways in which we donate money.

Taste Tibet   In this week's episode of "The Beacon", Verity Bligh speaks to Julie Kleeman and Yeshi Jampa, the husband-and-wife team behind Taste Tibet - hands-down the best food stall at Oxford's Gloucester Green Markets. Taking a step back from International Relations as an over-theorised academic field, this interview dives deep into Tibetan food and culture to look at the way in which ordinary people think about and engage with the world around them, in an increasingly multicultural and globalised age.

Patrick Thewlis Interview In this week's episode of The Beacon, Nicholas Chin interviews Patrick Thewlis, a quantitative research assistant on the Changing Structures of Islamic Authority project. They discuss the social determinants of intimate partner violence in Europe, assessing the socioeconomic conditions behind violence and the intrinsic data collection issues that hinder research in this field.

Avi Shlaim Interview  In this week's episode of The Beacon, Verity Bligh interviews Avi Shlaim, a leading historian on the Arab-Israeli conflict and professor emeritus of International Relations at St Antony's college, Oxford. They discuss the challenges of studying the Israel-Palestine crisis, the meaning of national identity and the importance of History in a world of constant political turbulence

Edward Lucas Interview In this episode of The Beacon, Verity Bligh interviews Edward Lucas, senior editor at The Economist and author of “New Cold War” and “Cyberphobia”. They discuss past and present Russian power politics, the importance of cyber-security and the future of journalism in a world of “fake news”. Edward Lucas' book recommendations:“The Engineer of Human Souls” by Josef Skvorecky“The Captive Mind” by Czeslaw Milosz“The Great Terror” by Robert Conquest“Gulag”, “Iron Curtain” and “Red Famine” by Anne Applebaum“Bloodlands” by Timothy Snyder 

Council of Europe- Louise Barton Interview In Michaelmas' first episode of The Beacon, Verity Bligh interviews Louise Barton, Head of Human Resources at the Council of Europe and former Advisor to the Secretary General. They discuss the role of the Council of Europe against a backdrop of turbulent European political developments.

In this episode of The Beacon, Zoe Hodge interviews some of Oxford University's many international students and how this reflects global international relations. She discusses race, nationality and intercultural exchange with Layo London, and visiting American students at Mansfield College, Kaitlyn DeVeydt, Brandon Sanchez and Audrey Putnam.

This week's episode of The Beacon explores President Trump's approach to foreign policy. Questioning how far Trump's election represents a turning for US foreign policy, and aiming to get behind the meaning of "America First", Lydie Sheehan speaks to Dr Jacob Parakilas, Assistant Head of the US and Americas Programme at Chatham House, and Dr Charles Krauthammer, a political commentator for the Washington Post and Fox News.

This week's podcast focuses on approaches to counterterrorism. To find out more on the matter Lydie Sheehan spoke to Professor Louise Richardson, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford and a specialist in international security with an emphasis on terrorist movements, Dr Loretta Napoleoni, a political analyst with expertise in terrorist financing, and Richard Barrett, former director of global counter-terrorism at MI6, who now works on countering violent extremist as part of the Global Strategy Network.

This week, The Beacon examines the 2011 uprisings in Tunisia that jumpstarted the “Arab Spring” across the Middle East and North Africa. To understand what happened in Tunisia from the people's perspective during those early days, Dunya Habash spoke with 3 Tunisians who participated in the events in different ways. The first was Montasar Adaili, a masters student studying in Tunis when the protests broke out, Dr. Mohamed-Salah Omri, associate professor of Modern Arabic Language and Literature at Oxford's Oriental Institute, and Yosra Outertani, an associate professor of English at the Higher Institute of Languages of Nabeul, Carthage University.If you wish to comment on this topic, we are accepting admissions to our blog. Similarly, you may find the original, unedited interview with Dr. Omri below. The Dr. Omri interview can be found here.

This week Zoe Hodge takes a look at Brazil. In the midst of the on-going corruption scandal, and mired in recession, the once-golden country of economic growth and prospering democracy seems now more than a little tainted. We explore the current crisis, and locate it within a longer story of Brazilian history and culture. Interviewing an academic, a journalist and a university student, these Brazilians reflect on the legacy of their country and their thoughts on its future.

For the second episode of Hilary Term 2017, The Beacon looks in depth at multiculturalism. Interviewing social anthropologist at Oxford University, Professor Dawn Chatty, as well as Syrian-American Tasneem Karassi and Indian-American Smriti Krishnan, we examine the theory and practice of multiculturalism in today's global society. This includes defining multiculturalism and hearing personal accounts of growing up in a multicultural family.If you wish to comment on this topic, we are accepting admissions to our blog.  

For the first episode of Hilary Term 2017, The Beacon looks at Eastern Europe post-1989. Interviewing political and economic experts at UCL's School of Slavonic and East Europe Studies, Dr. Kubik and Dr. Cvrcek, as well as active campaigner Tomas Bladyniec, we examine the economic and political history, present and future of the region. This includes touching on the recent developments of the rise of far-right governments, particularly in Poland. If you wish to comment on this debate, we are accepting admissions to our blog. Similarly, you may find the original, unedited versions of the interviews below. The Bladyniec interview can be found here, the Cvrcek interview here and the Kubik interview here.

This week The Beacon is investigating the International Criminal Court. The ICC claims to be the world's first permanent international criminal court 'participating in a global fight to end impunity.' However in recent months the withdrawal of some African Nations, including South Africa, have led some to question the global agenda of the ICC and instead to suggest that it disproportionately targets the leaders of smaller and weaker states, the majority of which are to be found in Africa. To learn more about the ICC and the veracity of such accusations Rupert Sparling spoke to Dr. Fadi El Abdallah, currently the Spokesperson and Head of the Public Affairs Unit at the International Criminal Court, Muthoni Wanyeki, an human rights activist and the current Regional Director of Amnesty International in East Africa, and finally Dr Christine Schwobel-Patel, Senior Lecturer in International Law at Liverpool University

One individual to represent 7 billion. Is such a thing even possible? And what conceivable process could be representative enough to measure up to this ideal. This week's podcast is about the recent appointment of a new United Nations Secretary General. How important is the appointment? What are we to make of the new Secretary General António Guterres? Will he in fact be able to accomplish anything? And why yet again has the UN refused to place a woman in charge? In order to learn more about this topic, Rupert Sparling spoke to Professor Simon Chesterman, Professor of Law at the National University of Singapore, Natalie Samarasinghe the Executive Director of the United Nations Association-UK (UNA-UK) and co-founder of the 1 for 7 Billion Campaign and Ourania Yancopoulos a journalist for Open Democracy and writer on the UN.

 This week The Beacon is looking at the subject of women and peace-building to explore the relationship or lack of relationship between the two. To learn more about this Rupert Sparling spoke to Professor Anne-Marie Goetz, clinical professor at the Center for Global Affairs and formerly Chief Advisor on Peace and Security at UN Women, Professor Elisabeth Porter at South Australia University and former director of the INCORE institute in Belfast Northern Ireland and Dr. Thania Paffenholz, Director of the Inclusive Peace and Transition Initiative (IPTI) at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva.

This week The Beacon explores transformations in the media environment in the past decade and their impact on the political cycle. To learn more about this issue, Rose Vennin spoke to Doctor Rasmus Kleis Nielsen, Director of Research at the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, Colin Byrne, CEO UK&EMEA for Weber Shandwick, a leading global public relations firm, and previously Head of Press for the Labour Party, and Helen Lewis, deputy editor of the New Statesman.Doctor Nielsen's full interview is available here, Mr. Byrne full interview is available here, and Mrs. Lewis' full interview is available here. Our intro and outro music is provided by podcastthemes.com.

This week The Beacon is looking at the subject of Corruption in South Africa. To learn more about this Daniel Thomson spoke to Andrew Faull, a senior researcher at the Centre of Criminology in the University of Capetown, Gareth Newham, Head of the Governance, Crime and Justice division at the Institute for Security Studies, and David Lewis, a former chairperson of the South African Competition Tribunal, and the Executive Director of Corruption Watch, a platform for reporting and raising awareness of corruption, based in South Africa.Andrew Faull's full interview is available here, Gareth Newham's full interview is available here, and David Lewis's full interview is available here. Our intro and outro music is provided by podcastthemes.com

This week The Beacon is looking at the subject of Pakistan, in particular at the country's recent history in relation to the themes of justice, corruption and Islamic extremism. To learn more about this Daniel Thomson spoke to Omar Waraich, an independent journalist and member of Chatham House and the Royal Institute for International Affairs, Owen Bennet-Jones, and independent journalist and author, and presenter of Newshour, and Kamal Alam, a research analyst at RUSI. Omar Waraich's full interview is available here, Owen Bennet-Jones' full interview is available here, and Kamal Alam's full interview is available here. Our intro and outro music is provided by podcastthemes.com.

This week The Beacon explores what drives China's foreign policy actions. To learn more about China's foreign policy goals Haley Lemieux spoke to Dr. Rogier Creemers, a professor at the Oxford China Centre, Mathieu Duchatel, a senior policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations, Mortiz Rudolf, a researcher for the Mercator institute for China Studies, and Angela Stanzel, a policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations.Professor Creemer's full interview is available here, Mr. Duchatel's full interview is available here, Mr. Rudolf's full interview is available here, and Ms. Stanzel's full interview is available here. Our intro and outro music is provided by podcastthemes.com.

This week The Beacon addresses how oil affects world politics through contributing to authoritarianism and armed conflict. To learn more about the ‘oil curse' and its implications for international relations Haley Lemieux spoke to Dr. Leif Wenar, author of the new book Blood Oil and professor at Kings College London, Dr. Jeff Colgan, author of the book Petro-aggression: When Oil Causes War and professor at Brown University, and Dr. Michael Ross, author of the book The Oil Curse and professor at UCLA.Professor Wenar's full interview is available here, Professor Colgan's full interview is available here, and Professor Ross' full interview is available here. Our intro and outro music is provided by podcastthemes.com. The interlude music is Gymnopédie no. 1, available here.

This week The Beacon addresses the recent shift in Latin American politics away from the left. To understand recent events in the region, to what extent politics really are shifting away from the left and what possible consequences these changes could have, we weighed in with Andrea Noel, Dr. David Doyle and Robie Mitchell. Andrea is a freelance journalist based in Mexico City and former Latin America editorial coordinator for Vice News, David is a professor of comparative government at the University of Oxford and fellow at the Latin America Centre, and Robie is a former research associate at the Council of Hemispheric Affairs.To read more about this topic you can check out Andrea's article for Vice News here and Robie's article for COHA here. Our intro and outro music is provided by podcastthemes.com. The interlude music is Gymnopédie no. 1, available here.

This week new editor Haley Lemieux addresses the presidential primary elections in the United States. Although voting doesn't start until February 1st, we weighed in with Professor Desmond King, and gained student perspectives from Bobby Puckett, Sam Sussman, Brian McGrail, and Varun Menon. Professor Desmond King addresses what distinguishes the U.S. elections from similar elections in the world. Brian, Bobby and Sam shared their thoughts on the democratic nominees, the future of the Democratic Party and the historical context of this election. Finally, Varun gives us an insight into the key issues shaping the campaign.

'The Beacon' is the brand new podcast from Oxford IR Soc. Each week we will be focusing on a pressing topic in the news and interviewing a variety of academics, politicians and journalists to get a range of perspectives. Our focus this week is the recent violence in Israel and the West Bank. On the 24th December Isreali authorities declared three Palestinian assailants were killed as they carried out or tried to carry out stabbing or car-ramming attacks against Israeli security personnel, and a fourth Palestinian was killed in clashes with Israeli troops. Two Israeli security guards and a soldier were wounded. These recent attacks are a perpetuation of a violent trend since mid-September which shows no signs of abating. Since September Palestinian attacks, mostly stabbings and shootings, have killed 20 Israelis, while Israeli fire has killed 124 Palestinians, among them 85 said by Israel to be attackers. The rest were killed in clashes with Israeli forces. Israel accuses The Palestinian Authority of inciting the violence. In response the PA has commented that it is the simply result of nearly 50 years of military occupation. The violence has been triggered in part by recent visits by Jewish groups to the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem, coupled with restrictions on Palestinian access to the mosque. Frustration is also mounting as Israel continues to build Jewish-only settlements throughout the West Bank. However, these events also poses a threat to the leadership of the Palestinian authority which now appear trapped in a catch-22 situation over the continuing violence, which they neither lead nor feel able to fully condone or disavow. What are the origins of this spate of attacks? Are the current punitive tactics employed by Israeli security forces the best way of combating them? and what implications do recent events have upon the current viability of the two state solution? To examine these questions in more detail Will Yeldham spoke to Yiftah Curiel Head Spokesperson at the Israeli Embassy. What are your thoughts? Get involved by visiting our website, Facebook page and Twitter feeds and comment to keep the debate going. We will post details of the speakers ahead of the recording and you have any questions you'd like us address please send them in to sir-editor@irsoc.com.

'The Beacon' is the brand new podcast from Oxford IR Soc. Each week we will be focusing on a pressing topic in the news and interviewing a variety of academics, politicians and journalists to get a range of perspectives. Geopolitical alliances, the changing nature of conflict and the concept of humanitarian intervention have all thrown up new issues for the Security Council. Its efficacy has been questioned, particularly in light of their failure to intervene during the Rwandan Genocide and the current Syrian conflict. So, can the Security Council – and the broader UN – remain fit for purpose in light of this rapidly changing world? In this week's podcast Amelia Cooper spoke to Lydia Swart, Consultant at the Centre for UN Reform Education. She has been following the question of UN Security Reform since 2006, before which she worked in various non-profits and UN related organizations. Following that, she spoke to UN Expert Sam Daws, who has worked for or with the UN for over 25 years. He served for three years as First Officer to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, and then spent six years as the Executive Director of the UN Association of the UK. He has since worked for the British Government in UN-related roles, and has written profusely about the UN. What are your thoughts? Get involved by visiting our website, Facebook page and Twitter feeds and comment to keep the debate going. We will post details of the speakers ahead of the recording and you have any questions you'd like us address please send them in to sir-editor@irsoc.com.

'The Beacon' is the brand new podcast from Oxford IR Soc. Each week we will be focusing on a pressing topic in the news and interviewing a variety of academics, politicians and journalists to get a range of perspectives. In this week's podcast Will Yeldham speaks to Dr Tim Oliver, Dahrendorf Fellow on Europe-North America Relations at LSE, and Professor Erik Jones, Director of European and Eurasian Studies at Johns Hopkins University. They discuss Britain's position within the EU and possible consequences both for the EU and for the UK in the event of an exit. What are your thoughts? Get involved by visiting our website, Facebook page and Twitter feeds and comment to keep the debate going. We will post details of the speakers ahead of the recording and you have any questions you'd like us address please send them in to sir-editor@irsoc.com.

'The Beacon' is the brand new podcast from Oxford IR Soc. Each week we will be focusing on a pressing topic in the news and interviewing a variety of academics, politicians and journalists to get a range of perspectives. In this week's podcast Alfie Shaw speaks to Professor Dawn Chatty, Emerita Professor of Anthropology and Forced Migration and former Director of the Refugee Studies Centre here in Oxford. They discuss the EU's disjointed response to the crisis, Britain's own position and the state of refugee camps. Next Will Yeldham spoke to Freya Judd, director of the upcoming show 'Pentecost' at the Oxford Playhouse, about how the play raises key questions of the portrayal of refugees both within itself and wider culture. What are your thoughts? Get involved by visiting our website, Facebook page and Twitter feeds and comment to keep the debate going. We will post details of the speakers ahead of the recording and you have any questions you'd like us address please send them in to sir-editor@irsoc.com.

Will Yeldham discusses the changing situation in Syria with guests Professor Jennifer Welsh and Dr Murhaf Jouejati.