Warrior Nation

In our final episode of Series 4, we speak with Paul Rogers on the parallels and differences between the invasions of Iraq and Ukraine, and reflect on some of the key themes that have emerged across the past five months.  Paul is Emeritus Professor of Peace Studies in the Department of Peace Studies and International Relations at Bradford University, and an Honorary Fellow at the Joint Service Command and Staff College. You can read his rich body of work as  openDemocracy's international security correspondent by following this link.  He is on Twitter via @ProfPRogers. Support the show via the Warrior Nation Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/WarriorNationOr follow us on Instagram (@forceswatch) and Twitter (@ForcesWatch).Sign-up to our newsletter.You can discover Housmans Bookshop's amazing selection here: https://housmans.com/Music by Esion Noise.Support the show

It cannot be denied that the police are becoming more militarised - not just in the United States but here in Britain. Yet this focus on hardware presents the cops and the military as separate entities. In reality, they are built from the same foundations. In this episode we speak with academic and activist Chris Rossdale about the colonial history of the police, how the military is overwhelmingly used in policing roles and why we should see the two institutions as part of the same apparatus of oppression. Part of the discussion centres around the chapter Chris wrote for the book Abolishing the Police. To get a copy, head over to the Dog Section press website now! You can also read Chris' article on the Black Panther Party approach to militarism, co-authored with Nivi Manchanda, in the journal Security Dialogue.And to learn more about Adam Elliot-Cooper's book Black Resistance to British Policing, check out this excellent review on Abolitionist Futures.Support the show via the Warrior Nation Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/WarriorNationOr follow us on Instagram (@forceswatch) and Twitter (@ForcesWatch).You can discover Housmans Bookshop's amazing selection here: https://housmans.com/Music by Esion Noise.Support the show

Think-tanks are a key part of the political process in the UK - indeed globally - but do they actually promote democracy? Which ones have influence, how are they funded, and what role does legacy media have in amplifying their ideas.In this episode we speak with Rethinking Security coordinator Richard Reeve and  academic Kjølv Egeland, experts in the multifaceted world of defence and security think-tanks. They discuss how funding plays a key role in think-tank output, constraining critique and ensuring the most dominant ideas remain within the boundaries of the status quo.You can read Kjølv's latest research into think-tanks here or catch up with Richard's work over at the Rethinking Security website.Support the show via the Warrior Nation Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/WarriorNationOr follow us on Instagram (@forceswatch) and Twitter (@ForcesWatch).Sign-up to our newsletter.You can discover Housmans Bookshop's amazing selection here: https://housmans.com/Music by Esion Noise.Support the show

As the impacts of the climate crisis escalate, there is a growing trend for securitised responses that foreground the role of militaries in tackling the fallout. But whose interests do these militaries serve and what role have they played in bringing about environmental catastrophe.In this episode we speak with Nick Buxton, a communications specialist with 20 years experience in climate sustainability and international development, to pick his brain on the intersection between climate change, the military and security. Nick has produced an incredible body of work for the Amsterdam-based Transnational Institute, covering climate change, border securitisation, Big Tech and much more. Follow this link to read Nick's  Primer on Climate Security | Transnational Institute (tni.org). You can also follow him on Twitter via @nickbuxton.Support the show via the Warrior Nation Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/WarriorNationOr follow us on Instagram (@forceswatch) and Twitter (@ForcesWatch).Sign-up to our newsletter.You can discover Housmans Bookshop's amazing selection here: https://housmans.com/Music by Esion Noise.Support the show

As the sentiment goes, there always seems to be money for warfare but never quite enough for welfare. So what's the picture in the UK - that tiny collection of islands with its towering defence expenditure. In this episode, we're joined by Matt Fawcett from the Global Campaign on Military Spending UK to discuss the dark economics of Britain's war machine.Matt talks about the troubling gaps between what Britain spends on its military and what it spends on climate mitigation or carbon reduction targets. Not to mention international aid budgets. He also adds the GCOMS take on NATO spending commitments and Russia's invasion of Ukraine, arguing against the dominant Atlanticist notion that Putin's aggression is due to NATO underspending. You can access all of GCOMS resources via their website.Support the show via the Warrior Nation Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/WarriorNationOr follow us on Instagram (@forceswatch) and Twitter (@ForcesWatch).Sign-up to our newsletter.You can discover Housmans Bookshop's amazing selection here: https://housmans.com/Music by Esion Noise.Support the show

Foreign and military policy doesn't cut through to voters, or so it is said. What matters to the public is bread and butter economic policy or GP surgery hours. Yet, is it really the case that people simply don't care about, for example, Yemen? And if not, why not? Is it the case that the main parties are so alike on these matters that there appears to be no space for debate? Much was made of Qatar's human rights record during the men's World Cup, but where was any critique of the RAF's role in training Qatari pilots? And what would it take to put the military industrial complex front and centre, where it arguably should be?In this episode we speak with journalist Mark Curtis, founder and editor of Declassified UK, on the issue of reporting critically about British foreign policy and why think-tanks and the mainstream press help perpetuate a myth on Britain's role in the world.To learn more about Mark's work head over to the Declassified website.Support the show via the Warrior Nation Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/WarriorNationOr follow us on Instagram (@forceswatch) and Twitter (@ForcesWatch).You can discover Housmans Bookshop's amazing selection here: https://housmans.com/Music by Esion Noise.Support the show

Campaign Against the Arms Trade (CAAT) is the preeminent anti-arms trade organisation in the UK. Their advocacy for a safer and fairer world extends into many realms, including Parliament – where defence firms wield unchecked influence over elected politicians.In this episode we speak with Katie Fallon, CAAT's Parliamentary Coordinator, to discuss the difficulties of working in spaces where militarism and war are seen as inevitabilities. Our discussion is wide-ranging: from the revolving door to the multi-faceted opportunities for lobbying in a broke political system.You can keep up to date with CAAT's incredible work here.Support us via the Warrior Nation Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/WarriorNationOr follow us on Instagram (@forceswatch) and Twitter (@ForcesWatch).You can discover Housmans Bookshop's amazing selection here: https://housmans.com/Music by Esion Noise.Support the show

When it comes to critiquing and analysing how Government works to support the military, the focus is always on politicians and the lobbying work that seeks to influence them. But what about the people in Whitehall who oil the political machine? Civil servants out-live the ministers, cabinets and governments they work for, and have more influence than we fully understand. If the overall culture within the civil service is pro-military, then it stands to reason that the mechanics of government will naturally support the armed forces.In this episode we speak with Hannah Wright, a scholar who has looked in great detail at how militarism and militarist assumptions infuse and shape security and foreign policy. Hannah is an ESRC Postdoctoral Fellow in the School of Politics and International Relations at Queen Mary University of London but also worked as an advisor for Saferworld, PAX and other peace-focused NGOs. Her PHD examined the civil service through the lenses of coloniality and feminism. You can discover Hannah's work on the Queen Mary website.Support us via the Warrior Nation Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/WarriorNationOr follow us on Instagram (@forceswatch) and Twitter (@ForcesWatch).You can discover Housmans Bookshop's amazing selection here: https://housmans.com/Music by Esion Noise.Support the show

From Deepcut to sexual abuse cases and war crimes, the UK military and MOD are no stranger to legal controversy.  And when you read back through the reportage around this lamentable list one name recurs again and again, acting in opposition to power and in favour of fairness and human rights.Emma Norton is Director and co-founder of the Centre for Military Justice, whose work we at Forces Watch greatly admire. She is also former head of the legal team at human rights organisation Liberty and lectures twice a year at the Defence Academy on human rights and the armed forces.  Emma joins us to explain the glacial pace of service justice reform and what it's like to challenge the power of the British military. Trigger Warning: this episode includes discussion of sexual violence.You can read more about the work of the Centre for Military Justice on their website and Twitter (@cmjhq).Support us via the Warrior Nation Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/WarriorNationOr follow us on Instagram (@forceswatch) and Twitter (@ForcesWatch).You can discover Housmans Bookshop's amazing selection here: https://housmans.com/Music by Esion Noise.Support the show

Back in 2003, every national British newspaper bar the Guardian supported the invasion of Iraq - including The Guardian's sister paper, The Observer. Unfortunately, this was not an anomaly (dodgy dossiers or not). The sad truth is that it is very hard to find critical pieces on the UK's armed forces. And since the Edward Snowden leaks, Britain's intelligence establishment has worked assiduously to ensure that even The Guardian begins to tow the line.You really can't talk about British defence and security journalism without mentioning today's guest. Richard Norton-Taylor covered defence and security for The Guardian newspaper for over 40 years, reporting on everything from the Cold War to the 'War on Terror'. Winner of a number of awards he was once described by a GCHQ officials as a thorn in the side of the intelligence establishment. Support us via the Warrior Nation Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/WarriorNationOr follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/forceswatch/You can discover Housmans Bookshop's amazing selection here: https://housmans.com/Music by Esion Noise.Support the show

In this special episode of Warrior Nation, Joe is joined by Dr Ross McGarry to discuss the deeper and varied meanings behind Armed Forces Day. In 2017, when Liverpool hosted the Armed Forces Day national event, Ross ventured out onto the streets of his home town to experience proceedings with a critical - and analytical - eye. He reflects on his findings and highlights how the event offered up a sanatised view of military life that is out of touch with the reality.You can read Ross' 2019 article in the journal Visual Ethnography here. To find our more about his research areas you can head over to his profile on the University of Liverpool website.Music by Esion Noise.[Original image used in art-work was taken by Ross McGarry during his ethnographic study]Support the show

In the final episode of Series Three, Joe speaks with Essex University historian Lucy Noakes and Chicago-based artist Michael Rakowitz on the creation of cultural memories around war and conflict. They cover a wide array of topics, including the Churchillian turn of British World War II narratives and how the words monument and demonstrate are linked by their roots in Latin. Their discussion beautifully encapsulates a number of topics covered across the series and explores more radical ways of remembering - or remembering better. Lucy Noakes is a social and cultural historian with specific interests in war, memory and gender.  She is co-editor of the book British Cultural Memory and the Second World War, sits on the Academic Advisory Board of the Imperial War Museum's Second World War Galleries redevelopment project, and is a series editor for the Social History Society book series New Directions in Social and Cultural History. Michael Rakowitz is an Iraqi-American artist working at the intersection of problem-solving and troublemaking. His anti-war statue April is the Cruellest Month formed part of the Turney Contemporary for the English coast series in 2021. Michael is also Professor of Art Theory and Practice at Northwestern University.As always, the show was presented by our very own Joe Glenton. If you'd like to learn more about Joe's new book Veteranhood (as mentioned in the podcast by Michael) then head over to his publisher Repeater.ForcesWatch is a small organisation funded by grants and donations. All contributions - no matter the size - can make a huge difference. If you want to support our work then please follow the link below.Support the show (https://www.forceswatch.net/support-our-work)

In the fifth instalment  of our series on war and memory we speak with Harvard historian Maya Jasanoff on the different ways Empire is remembered in Britain and the disconnect between how the British state wants the public to view the country's colonial past and the way it is seen by different communities. Maya also discusses how these histories - including the cult of Winston Churchill and nostalgia for World War II - bleed into more recent British military interventions in Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as the decision to leave the European Union.Maya Jasanoff is Coolidge Professor of History at Harvard University, where she focuses on the history of Britain and the British Empire.You can find out more about Maya's work here.Follow ForcesWatch on Twitter [https://twitter.com/ForcesWatch]Support the show (https://www.forceswatch.net/support-our-work)

In the fourth installment of our series on war and memory we speak with former British Army mental health clinician Christian Hughes on the traumatic impacts of conflict, and explore the relatively new acknowledgment of moral injury. He explains how military training conditions soldiers to respond to traumatic events in ways that may be counterproductive to their mental wellbeing, gives a detailed breakdown of the elements of PTSD - and the more expansive complex post-traumatic stress disorder (CPTSD) - and problematises how PTSD has been framed as a 'heroes' injury that only those on the front line of conflict experience.Christian K Hughes is a psychotherapist who served in the British Army as a mental health clinician. He also worked as a Senior NHS Clinician in a Complex Treatment Team and has a special interest in PTSD, trauma and moral injury. You can find out more about his work here.If you've experienced, or are experiencing, any of the issues discussed in this podcast you can get specialist help from the NHS. Follow this link to find out more.Support the show (https://www.forceswatch.net/support-our-work)

In the third installment of our series on war and memory we speak with American academic and Vietnam veteran Jerry Lembcke on how resistance to the conflict in South East Asia was framed during the 1960s and 70s. The discussion focuses on two key positions in Jerry's work: stab in the back theory and the pathologising of dissent through the coining of post-traumatic stress disorder. He unpacks how in the former, mysogny was used to paint anti-war activists as weak and effeminate against the strength and heroic resolve of the troops; whilst in the latter, the critical voices of veterans returning from the conflict were explained as the product of mental health rather than a form of resistance to the war. Jerry Lembcke is  Associate Professor Emeritus at Holy Cross College in Worcester, Massachusetts and the author of eight books, including The Spitting Image: Myth, Memory, and the Legacy of Vietnam, CNN's Tailwind: Inside Vietnam's Last Great Myth, and Hanoi Jane: War, Sex, and Fantasies of Betrayal. His opinion pieces have appeared in the New York Times, Boston Globe, San Francisco Chronicle, and The Chronicle of Higher Education. He has been a guest on several NPR programs including On the Media. You can find out more on Jerry's amazing work here.Music by Esion Noise. We would also like to thank Jacob over at Liverpool Podcast Studios. Support the show (https://www.forceswatch.net/support-our-work)

In the second episode of our new series on war and memory, we speak with founder of Forensic Architecture Eyal Weizman and academic Susan Schuppli on the role memory plays in testimony and witnessing. The discussion explores the different approaches to evidence in war crimes tribunals, starting with the Nuremburg trials of 1945, and explains how the contemporary work of Forensic Architecture is helping to unlock the hidden memories of the victims of state violence. Susan Schuppli is a researcher, documentary filmmaker, and artist based in the UK, whose work examines material evidence from war and conflict to environmental disaster and climate change. She is Director of the Centre for Research Architecture at Goldsmiths University as well as affiliate artist-researcher and Board Chair of Forensic Architecture and author of Material Witness, which is out on MIT Press.You can find out more on Susan's work here: https://susanschuppli.com/ Eyal Weizman is the founding director of Forensic Architecture and Professor of Spatial and Visual Cultures at Goldsmiths, University of London. The author of over 15 books, he has held positions in many universities worldwide including Princeton, ETH Zurich and the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna. He is a member of the Technology Advisory Board of the International Criminal Court and the Centre for Investigative Journalism. In 2019 he was elected life fellow of the British Academy and appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2020 New Year Honours for services to architecture.Follow the work of Forensic Architecture here: https://forensic-architecture.org/ We would also like to thank Jacob over at Liverpool Podcast Studios.Music by Esion Noise [www.esionnoise.com] Support the show (https://www.forceswatch.net/support-our-work)

In the wake of the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests, and the Conservative Government's attempt to impose a maximum sentence of 10-years for vandalising statues, we speak with academics Natasha Danilova and Adam Elliot-Cooper on the national histories constructed through memorials and statues, and the spaces of reconstruction opened up by their removal. The discussion covers a wide range of themes, including the different interest groups involved in the creation of war memorials; the lack of public discussion around commemoration and who gets to be remembered; how commemoration presents a sanitised version of history that blocks controversial discussions around Britain's colonial past; what a meaningful process of decolonisation might look like; and what other forms of remembering might emerge within a framework of social justice.Adam's new book is published by Manchester University Press.  You can find more information on Natasha's work here. Music by Esion Noise [www.esionnoise.com]Support the show (https://www.forceswatch.net/support-our-work)

Joe Glenton is joined by Phil Miller, staff reporter at Declassified UK and author of 'Keenie Meenie: The British mercenaries who got away with war crimes', for a wide ranging discussion on defence journalism and coverage of the UK military in the media. Declassified provides critical investigative reporting on the UK military, security services and foreign policy. The organisation was blacklisted by the Ministry of Defence earlier this year. Despite this, it is filling the void which existed in foreign policy and defence journalism.We discuss how Phil first got into investigative journalism and is now one of the leading reporters in the UK on defence, security and the military.The discussion also covers: Phil's work (now also a documentary) on Keenie Meenie, a British mercenary company which, as a result of evidence he presents, the Metropolitan Police are currently investigating for war crimes; press freedom around defence issues; Labour and left policy and response on military and veteran issues; and, what's over the horizon, including the potential impact of Scottish independence on the military and foreign policy, and post-Brexit 'Global Britain' policy. For more information on Phil's work: @pmillerinfo and http://KeenieMeenie.InfoDeclassified: @DeclassifiedUK and https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/declassified-uk/Apologies for some reduced sound quality at points.Support the show (https://www.forceswatch.net/support-our-work)

In the first episode of our second series, we talk about Armed Forces Day with Symon Hill of the Peace Pledge Union, the pacifist campaigning organisation. We discuss the context in which the annual event came into existence in 2009, how it works to market armed forces recruitment and the military more generally and promote arms companies, and the issues it raises about the normalisation of weapons and violence. Should Armed Forces Day be changed into Public Sector Workers Day or is the herofication of certain workers problematic and unhelpful to their interests.We also discuss pinkwashing and arms industry exemption from Covid restrictions, and how militarism - preparing for war - is unable to respond to the human security threats that societies face. More information & resourcesThe Peace Pledge Union on Armed Forces Dayhttps://www.ppu.org.uk/militarism/armed-forces-dayFilm - War School: the Battle for Britain's Childrenhttps://www.war.school/Resource pack - Take Action on Militarismhttps://www.forceswatch.net/takeaction/Webinar - Mobilising the Crisis: Covid-19 and the UK militaryhttps://youtu.be/rM5MhTdeZYkSupport the show (https://www.forceswatch.net/support-our-work)

For the finale of our first podcast season, we spoke to political hip hop artist Lowkey about war, militarism, the current political climate, and our hopes and prospects for the future. The event was recorded in front of a live audience at Housmans Bookshop in London on 4 December and co-hosted with peace activist Maya Evans. The music in this podcast is from Hand On Your Gun by Lowkey.Support the show (https://www.forceswatch.net/support-our-work)

We talk to ForcesWatch’s founders David Gee and Emma Sangster, about recruitment and militarism in the UK and some of ForcesWatch’s key outputs over the years. Join us as we discuss: How and why ForcesWatch beganThe lack of ‘informed choice’ in the military’s enlistment of minorsHow we define militarismHow militaristic the UK is compared to other countries, and whyTurning war into spectacleThe long-term risks and harms of the military’s recruitment of minorsMilitary training - turning young civilians into soldiersThe international context of the UK’s recruitment of minorsMilitary (and wider defence industry) influence in educationThe ‘Take Action on Militarism’ resourceWider reading on militarism and militarisationSupport the show (https://www.forceswatch.net/support-our-work)

We talk to academics Vron Ware and Antonia Dawes about their ongoing project with Mitra Pariyar: a two-year study of an army town in Wiltshire. We discuss why and how significant policy changes over the last ten years are changing the relationship between military and civilian communities, and the impacts of relocating thousands of soldiers from Germany to newly expanded ‘super-garrisons’ in rural England. Join us as we discuss:What led Vron and Antonia into studying military affairsCommonwealth recruits or 'military migrants'What their ‘Military in our Midst’ project entailsWhat is behind the Army Basing programmeWhat it’s like for civilians to live in an Army townDivisions between ranks and between personnel and civiliansThe potential impacts for personnel and their families relocating from GermanyThe environmental impacts of the ‘super-garrison’ Barriers in their research, and personal highlightsSupport the show (https://www.forceswatch.net/support-our-work)

We talk to satirical artist Darren Cullen about what led him away from a career in advertising and into a career producing political art. He uses the language of advertising to make work about the empty promises of consumerism and the lies of military recruiters. Join us as we discuss:Military recruitment advertisingThe backlash of criticising the ‘sacred’ military institution Going ‘one step further’ than advertising messagesHis work at the permanent collection in the Victoria & Albert Museum His ‘Action Man: Battlefield Casualties’ video series produced with Veterans for Peace, and voiced by Matt BerryHis support for the campaign to raise the minimum age of military recruitment to 18The insidious power of advertisingThe British military’s sinister toy rangeMilitary links with the film and video game industriesWorking hard to annoy Shell and other oil companiesTrying to stop the DSEI arms fairThe upcoming ‘Art the Arms Fair’ art exhibitionSupport the show (https://www.forceswatch.net/support-our-work)

We are joined by Dr Victoria Basham, a reader in International Relations at Cardiff University and President of the European International Studies Association. Her research focuses on issues of gender, race, class and sexuality in relation to militaries, militarism and militarisation. She is editor of the Critical Military Studies (CMS) journal and a pioneering figure in the field. Our wide-ranging discussion looks at:The unique insights early career access to the military has given herHow military personnel have often led the struggle for dignity and equality, and the struggles they face within the British military institutionThe origins of Critical Military Studies and what it brings to the study of war and securityBattening down the hatches - how the military has recently made it harder for civilian academics to conduct researchHow the military instrumentalises armed forces kids and wounded veterans WW2 in memory - how narrative is shaped and why, and what is excluded such as colonialism and inequalitySupport the show (https://www.forceswatch.net/support-our-work)

In the wake of the Court of Appeal ruling that UK arms sales to Saudi Arabia are illegal given war crimes in Yemen, we talk to expert Andrew Feinstein about his life exposing the global sale of arms. We pull apart the nature of this trade, discuss some little known facts about it and consider how it is perceived and portrayed in British society.Join us as we discuss:The corruption and power of the global arms tradeAndrew Feinstein's journey - what drove him to do this work?How the arms trade is culturally depicted and widely perceivedConnections between the arms trade, government, universities, industry and civil societyLooking ahead - what hope is there in challenging the global arms trade?Support the show (https://www.forceswatch.net/support-our-work)

In our opening episode we talk to academic Professor Paul Dixon about his research into the British military’s efforts to militarise society, encroach on democracy and shape public attitudes to war and defence. We look at the ideas behind our joint 2018 ‘Warrior Nation’ report, from which our new podcast takes its name, in an effort to understand exactly how the military has sought to shape its relationship to society. Join us as we discuss:The ‘militarisation offensive’ post the Iraq and Afghanistan warsWhy the military began to encroach on democracyThe political character of the British militaryMilitarism of the political Left, Right and CentreHow the military exploits soldiers’ deaths with the ‘sacrifice trap’How generals spread a new ‘stab in the back’ theory reminiscent of 1930s GermanyThe relationship between militarism and recruitment and gathering support for future wars Sound and editing mastered by Nate Bethea @HellOfAWay @TrashFuturePod @Lions_Buyer Support the show (https://www.forceswatch.net/support-our-work)