
What do a soldier, a war researcher and a refugee have in common?
They all share the experience of war. And while one is a participant, one studies it, and one bears its scars, their nuanced and unique perspectives are rarely heard. My goal is to change that!
My name is Vedran ‘Maz’ Maslic and I am the host of ‘The Voices Of War’, a podcast with a simple vision—to bring to life the true costs of war, through the voices of those who have lived it.
Episodes

3 days ago
3 days ago
My guest today is Dr Andy Norman, who is the award-winning author of ‘Mental Immunity: Infectious Ideas, Mind-Parasites, and the Search for a Better Way to Think’. His research illuminates the evolutionary origins of human reasoning, the norms that make dialogue fruitful, and the workings of the mind’s immune system. He champions the emerging science of mental immunity as the antidote to disinformation, propaganda, hate, and division. Currently, Andy directs the Humanism Initiative at Carnegie Mellon University and is the founder of CIRCE, the Cognitive Immunology Research Collaborative. Some of the topics we covered include: Andy’s entry into philosophy The mind’s ‘immune system’ Definition of ‘mind parasites’ Manipulation gone to scale Simple conspiracy vs complex reality The challenge of debating against conspiratorial thinking The incentives that fuel misinformation How to prevent mind infections Determining whether a belief is ‘reasonable’ Evolutionary origins of our capacity to ‘reason’ Dangers of confirmation bias Factors that make us vulnerable to ‘mind parasites’ The dangers of hitching belief to identity Developing a ‘mind vaccine’ The ‘New Socratic Method’ During the show, Andy and I discussed a paper he wrote in response to Hugo Mercier and Dan Sperber’s book ‘The Enigma of Reason’. You can download that paper here. ----- If you like what you hear, please consider liking and reviewing the show wherever you get your pods. You can also support the show on our Patreon and Buy Me A Coffee page on the links below: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thevoicesofwar Buy Me A Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/thevoicesofwar

Monday May 02, 2022
Monday May 02, 2022
My guest today is Jason Pack, who is the author of ‘Libya and the Global Enduring Disorder’. Jason is also a Senior Analyst for Emerging Challenges at the NATO Defense College Foundation in Rome where he leads a program titled ‘NATO and the Global Enduring Disorder’, which seeks to produce a range of content analysing our current era of geopolitics while proposing actionable solutions to our most pressing collective action challenges. Jason is also the President of Libya-Analysis LLC, a boutique consultancy providing strategic advice to any organisations seeking to make sense of the latest political, economic, commercial and security developments in Libya. He is also the founder of the US-based non-profit ‘Eye on ISIS’, which conducts research into Islam and Islamist movements in and outside of Libya. Some of the many topics we covered are: Jason’s background and entry into the study of conflict Behaviouralist, rather than realist, view of International Relations Meaning of ‘incumbent psychology’ Decline in American exceptionalism Defining the Global Enduring Disorder ‘Deliberative disorder’ as a political policy Difference between the war in Iraq and conflicts like Libya, Syria, Yemen, Venezuela or Ukraine Some of the causes behind the Global Enduring Disorder The benefits of a global hegemon Why market economics was not enough to unite the world Western failures after the Cold War The importance of social trust to domestic order Absurdity of Libya and its representation of the Global Enduring Disorder The complexity of the Global Enduring Disorder The role of technology and social media in the Global Enduring Disorder 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 and Buy Me A Coffee page on the links below: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thevoicesofwar Buy Me A Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/thevoicesofwar

Sunday Apr 17, 2022
Sunday Apr 17, 2022
My guest today is my good friend, Duncan Spinner. Since 2015, Duncan has been working in Ukraine and for four years was the OSCE Head of Operations for Luhansk. Apart from sharing information on the current situation in Ukraine, this episode is also an appeal for your help in getting at-risk individuals out of harm’s way. As you’ll find out, Duncan and a small team of professionals are informally helping some of the most-vulnerable civilians whose lives are in grave danger. Please consider supporting the below GoFundMe page. Every donation helps save the lives of innocent Ukrainians. https://www.gofundme.com/f/smm-veterans-for-smm-local-staff Some of the other topics we covered are: Snapshot of Duncan’s extensive experience working in conflict affected nations Work in Ukraine as the OSCE Head of Operations for Luhansk Questioning the Russian mindset, interpretation of victory and relationship to time Reflecting on the ‘Russian way of war’ The power of narrative and risk of hubris Informal rescue of at-risk and vulnerable Ukrainians from danger The reality of those fleeing Ukraine Getting personal protective equipment to fighters in Ukraine The moral imperative of doing something to help Supporting Duncan and his team 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 and Buy Me A Coffee page on the links below: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thevoicesofwar Buy Me A Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/thevoicesofwar

Monday Apr 11, 2022
Monday Apr 11, 2022
Today, I spoke with Dr Deane-Peter Baker, a military ethicist, who is an Associate Professor of International and Political Studies in the School of Humanities and Social Science at UNSW Canberra, where he also is co-Convenor of the UNSW Canberra Future Operations Research Group. Deane’s work focuses mainly on the ethics of armed conflict. His current area of focus is on ethics and special operations, and he is a regular consultant to Australia’s Special Operations Command as well as the Australian Defence Force more broadly. He joins me to today to discuss one of his recently published books, Morality and Ethics at War: Bridging the Gaps Between the Soldier and the State. Some of the topics we discussed are: Deane’s entry into the field of military ethics Difference between ethics and morality Idea of individual freedom Inculcating moral frameworks Distinction between jus ad bellum and jus in bello ‘Disciplined disobedience’ Understanding ‘ethics inhibitors’ in a military context Training with ethics in mind Moral drift and moral injury The ‘Guardian ethos’ Interests vs values argument ‘Ethical triangulation’ If you like what you’ve heard, please consider taking 30 seconds to like and review the show wherever you get your pods. You can also support the show on our Patreon and Buy Me A Coffee page on the links below: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thevoicesofwar Buy Me A Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/thevoicesofwar

Monday Apr 04, 2022
Monday Apr 04, 2022
My guest today is Dr David Whetham who is a Professor of Ethics and the Military Profession in the Defence Studies Department of King’s College London. He is the Director of the King’s Centre for Military Ethics and delivers or coordinates the military ethics component of courses for around two thousand British and international officers a year at the UK’s Joint Services Command and Staff College. In 2020 David was appointed as an Assistant Inspector-General to the Australian Defence Force to assist in the final stages of the Afghanistan Inquiry and is the author of the report’s final Annex. He joined me to discuss issues of military ethics. Some of the topics we covered include: David’s journey into military ethics Defining military ethics Jus ad bellum vs Jus in bello Government and military tension when jus ad bellum is not met Political leaders’ impunity when sending troops to war Interests vs values debate Impact of broken justifications for war Afghanistan and impact of poor mission definition Narrative vs reality and resulting disillusionment Impact of the environment and whether atrocities in war are inevitable Preparing our troops for moral dilemmas Environmental elements that contribute to ethical demise Special Forces, but not special Mitigating circumstances to atrocities Ethical drift and institutional responsibility Realistic training for ethical dilemmas Training to make the right decision, quicker David mentioned the recent launch of a free app to help military service members make more informed decisions. You can find the app for both Apple and Android by searching for Military Ethics: Cards for Humanity.

Monday Mar 28, 2022
Monday Mar 28, 2022
My guest today is Carl Miller who is the co-founder of the Centre for the Analysis of Social Media at Demos. For the past nine years, he's been building new machine learning-driven approaches to robustly study online life and has written over 20 major studies spanning online electoral interference, radicalisation, digital politics, conspiracy theories, cyber-crime, and internet governance. His debut book, The Death of the Gods: The New Global Power Grab was published in 2018 and won the 2019 Transmission Prize. He presents programmes for the BBC's flagship technology show, Click and has written for Wired, New Scientist, the Sunday Times, the Telegraph and the Guardian. He joined me to discuss Information Warfare, cyber-attacks, weaponisation of social media and other challenges, and to do so with a particular focus on the ongoing invasion of Ukraine. Some of the topics we discussed are: Carl’s entry into this field Terrorists as conspiracy theorists Profiling a conspiracy theorist Understanding data On the ‘Death of Gods’ The power of open-source intelligence Emergence of information warfare Frictionless engagement and the Attention Economy TikTok and censoring of data Has Ukraine really won the Information War against Russia? Suspicious Pro-Russian influence operations in BRICS countries Background and methodology of the BRICS research Assessment of pro-Russian campaigns in BRICS countries Cost of attacking vs defending against information operations Risk of hubris You can find out more about Carl and his work here, and you can see his recent research on pro-Russian influence operations in BRICS countries here.

Friday Mar 18, 2022
Peter W Singer - On Ukrainian information warfare, social media dominance and the power of narrative
Friday Mar 18, 2022
Today, I spoke with Dr Peter Warren Singer, who is a Strategist at New America, a Professor of Practice at Arizona State University, and Founder & Managing Partner at Useful Fiction LLC. He is a New York Times Bestselling author with a multitude of accolades to his name. His non-fiction books include ‘Corporate Warriors: The Rise of the Privatized Military Industry’; ‘Children at War’; ‘Wired for War: The Robotics Revolution and Conflict in the 21st Century’; ‘Cybersecurity and Cyberwar: What Everyone Needs to Know’ and most recently, ‘LikeWar: the Weaponization of Social Media’, which is the book we talked about today. Peter is also the co-author of a new type of novel, using the format of a technothriller to communicate non-fiction research. ‘Ghost Fleet: A Novel of the Next World War’ was both a top summer read and led to briefings everywhere from the White House to the Pentagon. His latest is ‘Burn-In: A Novel of the Real Robotic Revolution’ and has been described by the creator of Lost and Watchmen as “A visionary new form of storytelling—a rollercoaster ride of science fiction blended with science fact,” and by the head of US Army Cyber Command as “I loved Burn-In so much that I’ve already read it twice.” Some of the topics we covered are: How the concept of #LikeWar was born The individual vs social media The power of storytelling in communication The role of social media in the invasion of Ukraine Social media – shifting the Who, the When, and the Where Ukrainian application of best practices Disconnectedness of Russian narrative Justness of the Ukrainian cause 'Democratisation' of war The malleability of the ‘truth’ Lessors learnt from Ukraine’s During the chat, I referred to an article Peter recently published with Politico. You can access it here. If you like what you’ve heard, please take 30 seconds to like and review the show wherever you get your pods. It will help the show grow. You can also support the show on our Patreon and Buy Me A Coffee page on the links below: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thevoicesofwar Buy Me A Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/thevoicesofwar

Sunday Mar 13, 2022
Sunday Mar 13, 2022
Today, I spoke with Dmytro Gurin, who is a currently serving Member of Parliament in Ukraine. Dmytro is originally from Mariupol, the besieged city in South-eastern Ukraine that is capturing global headlines, where he has spent his childhood and where he went to university. In the past, Dmytro has also spent more than a decade living in Moscow and is very familiar with Russian political and media machinations. He joins me today, just after midday on Sunday, 13th of March, Eastern European Time, to discuss the evolving Russian invasion of Ukraine. Some of the topics we covered are: Current situation in Ukraine Change of Russian tactics to target civilians General Russian orientation towards Ukraine The reality faced by Russian troops Life in the besieged city of Mariupol Western predicament and possible ways forward What Ukraine needs from the West Possible scenarios inside Russia Difference between Ukrainian and Russian armies The state of the Ukrainian nation

Sunday Mar 06, 2022
Sunday Mar 06, 2022
My guest today is MAJGEN Mick Ryan, who only days ago officially retired from more than 35 years of service in the Australian Army. During this time, he has deployed on multiple overseas deployments, has commanded troops at platoon, squadron, regiment, task force, and brigade level, and among the many awards for service and excellence he has received, in 2008, Mick was also awarded the Order of Australia for distinguished leadership of the Australian 1st Reconstruction Task Force in Afghanistan. He is a recognised expert in leadership, institutional strategy, technology, organisational adaptation and change management, institutional reform, as well as personnel development. Mick is also a prolific writer and speaker, with a particular focus on thinking about and preparing for the battlespace of the future. This is also what his recently published book is all about. It is titled ‘War Transformed: The Future of 21st Century Great Power Competition and Conflict’ and is a deep dive into how four key disruptors, namely geopolitics, demographics, technology, and climate change, will impact great power rivalry. In short, Mick explores how the dynamics of the nascent fourth industrial revolution and its interplay with the ongoing changes in the way we live as well as dramatic shifts in global affairs will transform tomorrow’s wars. He joined me today to talk about his book and how it relates to the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine. Some of the topics we covered are: Nature vs. Character of war Russian vs. Ukrainian Information Operations Why Putin is fundamentally losing, so far The role of surprise in this invasion Re-emergence of Europe Russian military deficiencies Two principal decisions Ukraine is facing The importance of time in the current war Importance of leadership in war Critical role of logistics Impact of the Russian invasion on China Are ‘our’ wars, different to ‘their’ wars? 21st Century as showdown between Democracy vs. Authoritarianism Lessons learnt from the Russian invasion You can find out more about MAJGEN Mick Ryan here. I also recommend you follow his Twitter page (@WarintheFuture) for regular updates on the current crisis and beyond. Lastly, you can view and purchase his book 'War Transformed: The Future of 21st Century Great Power Competition and Conflict' here.

Sunday Feb 27, 2022
Sunday Feb 27, 2022
This episode was recorded at 1000h CET on 27 Feb 2022. --- Today, I spoke with Arne Dalhaug and Wolfgang Sporrer, both of whom I recently interviewed independently about the crisis in Ukraine (links with longer bios below). Arne is a retired three-star Norwegian Army officer, who also served as a senior officer in NATO and, more-recently, as a senior leader at the OSCE in Ukraine. Wolfgang is currently an Adjunct Professor at the Hertie School in Berlin and was recently the head of the Human Dimension Department of the OSCE in Ukraine. They join me today to discuss the invasion, current crisis and possible future outcomes. Some of the topics we covered are: Reason behind Putin’s ultimate invasion Influence and importance of social media Narrative control in Russia Zelenskyy and his communication skills Russian military and its failures to date Impact of sanctions and financial measures Energy sector and Nord Stream 2 China’s orientation towards the invasion and Russia Other strategic tensions influencing the current situation Putin’s options from here You can find more-extensive biographies of both guest in our previous discussions below: Special Release: Lieutenant General (Ret.) Arne Bård Dalhaug: On the current Russia/Ukraine crisis Special Release: Wolfgang Sporrer - Providing nuance to the crisis in Ukraine --- If you like what you hear, please consider liking and reviewing the show wherever you get your pods. You can also support the show on our Patreon and Buy Me A Coffee page on the links below: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thevoicesofwar Buy Me A Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/thevoicesofwar

Monday Feb 21, 2022
Monday Feb 21, 2022
My guest today is Marc Garlasco, who began his career as the Chief of High Value Targeting at the Pentagon between 1997 and 2003 where he led targeting teams during operations Iraqi Freedom, Desert Fox, and Allied Force. Marc later worked in senior roles at Human Rights Watch, the United Nations, and the Centre for Naval Analyses. Throughout his time, he has worked in Afghanistan, Gaza, Georgia, Iraq, Israel, Kosovo, Lebanon, Libya, and other conflict zones. He is a co-author of the ICRC report on Explosive Weapons in Populated Areas, and a co-host of the excellent The Civilian Protection Podcast that tells the story of those harmed by war, but whose voices are rarely heard. Marc is currently the military advisor at PAX, the largest peace organisation in the Netherlands and works to protect civilians against acts of war, to end armed violence and to build inclusive peace. Some of the topics we covered are: Marc’s journey into targeting Developing a picture of Iraq 9/11 and (absence of) link to Iraq Deliberate vs dynamic targeting The failed targeting of Saddam Why targeting fails Incentives vs intelligence Impact of ‘humane’ war How a Collateral Damage Estimate (CDE) is conducted Reconciling the fact that not all lives are worth the same Use of drones and accuracy of battle damage estimates Changing policy to reduce civilian harm Building bridges between NGOs and the military Impact of our wars on soldiers fighting them Marc and I discussed The Civilian Protection Podcast, of which he is a co-host. You can access all episodes of this excellent project here. Marc also mentioned the upcoming release of a US Department of Defence Memorandum, to be signed by the Secretary of Defence, that will direct the development of a comprehensive plan to mitigate and respond to civilian harm. That memo has now been released and is worth reading. You can find it here. ----- If you like what you hear, please consider liking and reviewing the show wherever you get your pods. You can also support the show on our Patreon and Buy Me A Coffee page on the links below: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thevoicesofwar Buy Me A Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/thevoicesofwar

Wednesday Feb 16, 2022
Wednesday Feb 16, 2022
This is a short introduction to what's in store throughout 2022 on The Voices Of War. As you will hear, the show finally has a Patreon and Buy Me A Coffee page. Please take the time check out the links below and support us if you are able to do so. Every little bit helps to grow the show. Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thevoicesofwar Buy Me A Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/thevoicesofwar Thank you and I hope you enjoy The Voices Of War throughout 2022. Maz

Monday Feb 14, 2022
Monday Feb 14, 2022
This is a repost of my conversation with John Blaxland and Qinduo Xu, originally published on 01 Nov 2021. --- Today I spoke with John Blaxland and Qinduo Xu. John is an outspoken commentator and researcher on topics such as Australian military history and strategy, public policy, security, defence, and international relations. Qinduo Xu is a political analyst who frequently contributes to international media outlets on China’s rise and its interactions with the rest of the world. We discussed roots of the AUKUS partnership, difference in Australian and Chinese perspectives, China’s economic and military growth, COVID-19, Double standards, lack of transparency, projection of strength, culture and many other topics. You can follow John and Qinduo on their respective Twitter accounts @JohnBlaxland1 and @xuqinduo. I briefly mentioned an article I recently published on the state of Western democracy, grey zone warfare by authoritarian states and the dangers of social media. You can view the article here. --- Full show notes My guests today are John Blaxland and Qinduo Xu. My audience might already be familiar with John Blaxland, who’s previously been on the show. He is a Professor of International Security and Intelligence Studies and former Head of the Strategic and Defence Studies Centre at the Australian National University. Prior to his academic pursuits, John enjoyed an extensive career as an Intelligence Officer in the Australian Army including as the principal intelligence staff officer for the Australian contingent deployed to East Timor in 1999, as the Director Joint Intelligence Operations at Headquarters Joint Operations Command and as Australia’s Defence Attaché to Thailand and Myanmar. John is an outspoken commentator and researcher on topics such as Australian military history and strategy, public policy, security, defence and international relations. Qinduo Xu hosts Dialogue Weekend at China Global Television Network (CGTN), a talk show that offers in-depth analyses of current affairs. He also works as a producer of the TODAY show at China Radio International. As a political analyst who follows Chinese foreign policy closely, Qinduo frequently contributes to international media outlets such as The New York Times, Press TV, NPR, Turkey’s TRT, ABC, RT, and others. Qinduo majored in both English and international studies. His focus of research has been on China’s rise and its interactions with the rest of the world. Qinduo has spent years in the US as the chief correspondent for China Radio International and one year in Australia as a visiting scholar at the University of Melbourne. He is a Senior Fellow at the Pangoal Institution and an Adjunct Professor at Renmin University of China. Some of the topics we covered are: Origins and impact of AUKUS from the Australian and Chinese perspective China’s economic and military growth The primacy of China and US relationship China’s overseas influence operations Why China did not accept responsibility for COVID-19 Double standards, lack of transparency, and projection of strength Importance of perception, history, and culture Role of globalisation in deteriorating relationships Defusing tensions Chinese perspective of its role and contribution to the world Climate change and global challenges Need for increased dialogue between US, China, and other nations

Monday Feb 07, 2022
Monday Feb 07, 2022
This is a repost of my conversation with Michael Vatikiotis, a mediator at the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue and author of the excellent book ‘Blood and Silk: Power and Conflict in modern Southeast Asia’. This episode was originally published on 22 Nov 2021. -- My guest today is Michael Vatikiotis who is a writer, journalist and private diplomat working in Southeast Asia (SEA) since 1987. He was formerly editor of the Far Eastern Economic Review as well as a journalist in Asia for more than three decades. He currently lives in Singapore and is the Asia Director of the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue, a Geneva-based private foundation that facilitates dialogue to resolve armed conflicts. Michael has written two novels set in Indonesia and three books on the politics of SEA, including ‘Blood and Silk: Power and Conflict in modern Southeast Asia’, which we focused on today. Some of topics we covered include: ‘delusion’ of democracy in SEA; power of the elites; question of SEA identity; Western misunderstanding of SEA; China’s influence and role; reality of regional circumstances; US/China contestation; Australia and AUKUS; reality of adjustment and accommodation as well as issues plaguing traditional and social media. --- Full show notes: My guest today is Michael Vatikiotis who is a writer, journalist and private diplomat working in Southeast Asia since 1987. He was formerly editor of the Far Eastern Economic Review as well as a journalist in Asia for more than three decades. He currently lives in Singapore and is the Asia Director of the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue, a Geneva-based private foundation that facilitates dialogue to resolve armed conflicts. Michael has written two novels set in Indonesia and three books on the politics of Southeast Asia, including ‘Blood and Silk: Power and Conflict in modern Southeast Asia’, which we’ll focus on a lot today, as well as ‘Political Change in Southeast Asia: Trimming the Banyan Tree’. His latest book ‘Lives Between The Lines: A Journey in Search of the Lost Levant’ was published in August this year. In addition to his books, Michael regularly writes opinion pieces for international and regional newspapers and is a regular contributor to outlets such Al Jazeera and the BBC. Michael is a graduate of the School of Oriental and African Studies in London and gained his doctorate form the University of Oxford. He joins me today to discuss social, political and cultural dynamics of Southeast Asia and the role it plays, or is likely to play, in the complex world of modern geopolitics. Some of the topics we covered include: Michael’s background and journey to Southeast Asia Why Western idea of democracy remains a ‘delusion’ in SEA Power and influence of elites in SEA Identity in SEA Western misunderstanding of SEA and what makes it ‘tick’ Chinese influence and role in SEA Diversity and values Reality of ASEAN US/China contestation and resulting friction in SEA Peculiar reality of the region’s position Sources of risks of conflict in SEA Australia’s role and impact of AUKUS Reality of ‘Easternisation’ Geopolitical struggle of adjustment and accommodation Role of journalism and social media Reasons behind Michael’s hope

Wednesday Feb 02, 2022
Wednesday Feb 02, 2022
My guest today is Wolfgang Sporrer, who is an Adjunct Professor at the Hertie School in Berlin. He used to be the head of the Human Dimension Department of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission in Kyiv, where he lead the civilian aspects of conflict management and facilitated and promoted dialogue between the opposing sides. Before that, he was the head of the international oil and gas company OMV's representation in the Caspian region, where he spearheaded regional efforts to promote the Southern Gas Corridor for the EU. Previously, he served as the Head of the Europa House of the European Commission in Baku/Azerbaijan and as the Head of the Democratisation Department of the OSCE Presence in Albania. He also served as a political adviser in the EU delegation in Moscow and in several functions for the OSCE in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo. He joined me to discuss the ongoing crisis in Ukraine. Some of the topics we covered are: Wolfgang’s background in conflict zones Defining the conflict Inner Ukrainian tensions Ukraine/Russia bilateral relations East/West dimension Headlines vs. reality Irrationality of a possible Russian invasion Interests of President Biden and President Putin The absence of a united EU position on Russia A possible way out Challenges to overcome

Monday Jan 31, 2022
Monday Jan 31, 2022
This is a repost of my conversation with Dr Douglas Fields, author of the excellent and important book 'Why We Snap: Understanding the Rage Circuit in Your Brain', originally published on 15 Nov 2021. --- Today, I spoke with Dr Douglas Fields, who is a neuroscientist and author of numerous books and articles about the brain. We discussed his excellent and important book, Why We Snap: Understanding the Rage Circuit in Your Brain, which focuses on the neuroscience that triggers rage and violence. It turns out, evolution has endowed every single one of us with nine neural pathways that, when activated, will lead to a violent and oftentimes involuntary and non-conscious response. During our chat, Doug explained these circuits—captured in the mnemonic LIFEMORTS—and how they relate to many important issues, including: their applicability to our interpersonal relationships; origins in threat detection; their unconscious nature and subsequent voluntary expression; impact of social media and technology; disproportionate effect of stress; power of genes and the environment; manifestations of violence in different genders; utility in peacebuilding; training of responses; role in PTSD and, perhaps most-importantly, geopolitics and war. Several previous episodes that link to the topics we discussed include: Role of the environment: Gregg D. Caruso - On the Illusion of Free Will, Myth of Meritocracy and the need to rethink our Justice Systems Arjan Verdooren - ‘Cultures don‘t meet, people do‘ LTCOL Dave Grossman - On killing, combat, sleep, ‘blind spots’ and everything else in between Geopolitics: John Blaxland and Qinduo Xu - On AUKUS, US/China relations and growing tensions Hasan Aygun - The Pragmatic Diplomat PTSD and trauma Tom and Jen Satterly - The All Secure Foundation Steve Dennis - On getting shot, kidnapped and the court case that sent tremors through the humanitarian aid industry Will Yates and Joe McCleary - On Trial for War Crimes: A Soldier’s Experience Ashley Judd – On combat, mental health and the road to recovery I also mentioned an article I recently published on the state of Western democracy, grey zone warfare by authoritarian states and how social media is contributing to a build-up of tension in our societies. You can view the article here. ---- Full show notes: My guest today is Dr Douglas Fields, who is a neuroscientist and author of numerous books and articles about the brain. He is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, University of Maryland adjunct professor, and Chief of the Nervous System Development and Plasticity Section at the National Institutes of Health. He received advanced degrees at UC Berkeley, San Jose State University, UC San Diego, and was a postdoctoral fellow at Stanford and Yale University. He writes about science for Scientific American, Quanta, Outside Magazine, Huffington Post, Undark Magazine, Psychology Today, and similar prestigious outlets. His neuroscience research has been featured on national television, radio, NPR, the National Geographic and others, and he speaks about neuroscience for the general public on mediums like NPR, World Science Festival, TEDex and Google Talks. He is the author of three books about neuroscience for the general reader, The Other Brain, about glia, which are brain cells that communicate without electricity, Why We Snap, about the neuroscience of rage, and his new award-winning book, Electric Brain, about brainwaves, brain-computer interface, and brain stimulation. Some of the topics we discussed today include: Doug’s personal experience with sudden aggression Evolutionary reason why we need triggers for sudden aggression Unconscious nature of this mechanism Explanation of LIFEMORTS Voluntary expression of unconscious mechanisms Our volition and culpability for violence Impact of social media and technology Disproportionate effect and impact of stress Link between violence and gender The ‘lizard brain’ debunked LIFEMORTS in geopolitics The role and impact of stress Utility of LIFEMORTS in peacebuilding Training the conscious and unconscious responses Impact of genes and environment Role in PTSD

Thursday Jan 27, 2022
Thursday Jan 27, 2022
My guest in this Special Release episode is Lieutenant General (Ret.) Arne Dalhaug, who during his extensive and distinguished career served at the highest levels of the Norwegian Armed Forces, the Norwegian Ministry of Defence, as well as NATO. His several final postings in uniform as a three-star general include serving as the Chief of Defence Staff/Deputy Chief of Norwegian Armed Forces, as the Norwegian Military Representative to the NATO Military Committee, and as the Commandant at the NATO Defense College. After retiring from the military, Arne served for three years in a senior management position for the OSCE in the non-government-controlled area in eastern Donbas in Ukraine. Arne now works as an independent expert on NATO, Russia and conflicts in the post-Soviet domain. During our conversation we covered topics such as: Origins of the Ukraine/Russia conflict Reasons behind President Putin’s current actions NATO and whether its actions have contributed to the crisis The likelihood of an actual military invasion Russian political vs military aims Impact of the media on the current crisis NATO cohesion and current posture Assessment of the most-likely way forward During the conversation, we discussed an excellent article from the Kyiv Independent, which you can read here. You can find Arne's extended military biography here.

Monday Jan 24, 2022
Monday Jan 24, 2022
This is a repost of my conversation with Cian O'Driscoll, author of 'Victory: The Triumph and Tragedy of Just War', originally published on 10 May 2021. --- My guest today is Cian O’Driscoll. His principal area of research is the intersection between normative international relations theory and the history of political thought, with a particular focus on the ethics of war. His published work examines the development of the just war tradition over time and the role it plays in circumscribing contemporary debates about the rights and wrongs of warfare. These themes are reflected in his two monographs: Victory: The Triumph and Tragedy of Just War (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2019) and The Renegotiation of the Just War Tradition (New York: Palgrave, 2008). Cian has also co-edited three volumes and his work has been published in leading journals in the field, including International Studies Quarterly, the European Journal of International Relations, the Journal of Strategic Studies, the Journal of Global Security Studies, Review of International Studies, Ethics & International Affairs, and Millennium. Some of the topics we covered today are: Cian’s research on the narratives that the Bush and Blair administrations used to frame the 2003 war in Iraq Reflections on the widening of the jus ad bellum (justifications for war) since the end of the Cold War and its consequences Exploration of Gulf War 1 as a ‘just war’ and the potential irony of its aftermath The inability of Just War Theory, try hard as it might, to sanitise war The challenge faced by military leaders when wrestling with Just War Theory ‘Just War is just war’ I thoroughly enjoyed this discussion with Cian, and hope you do as well. I recently finished his book that we frequently mention, Victory: The Triumph and Tragedy of Just War, and can warmly recommend it to anyone contemplating the complexities of Just War Theory—the principle tool used by Western militaries to manage conflict.

Monday Jan 17, 2022
Monday Jan 17, 2022
Repost of my chat with Shannon E. French, originally published on 02 Aug 21. --- My guest today is Professor Shannon E. French from Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) where she is also the Inamori Professor in Ethics, and the Director of the Inamori International Center for Ethics and Excellence. Prior to her current role, she taught for 11 years at the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, where she was a tenured member of the Ethics department and Associate Chair of the division of Leadership, Ethics, and Law. Shannon’s primary research field is military ethics, with a special focus on conduct of war issues, ethical leadership, command climate, sacrifice and responsibility, warrior transitions, ethical responses to terrorism, the future of warfare, and emerging military technology, including Artificial Intelligence. Her publications include ‘The Code of the Warrior: Exploring Warrior Values, Past and Present’, which we discussed today, as well as a number of edited volumes, book chapters and peer-reviewed articles on military ethics. You can read Shannon's full biography here. Some of the topics we covered are: Shannon's entry into the field of military ethics Background to the 'Code of the Warrior' Common 'codes' among warriors across cultures The embodied identity of the 'warrior' Our collective responsibility towards our 'warriors' Given how we fight wars today, are 'war crimes' and ethical demise inevitable? Issue of the 'Supreme Emergency' The need to focus on civilians Interests vs Values as reasons for war Moral injury and 'death before dishonour' How do we categorise 'terrorists'? Should we fight 'evil with evil'? Shannon's new project on military ethics and AI I think this is one of the most important conversation I've had so far as it goes to the core of the reality of military service, particularly as it relates to the ongoing War on Terror. I would love to hear what you think so tag the show using the handle @thevoicesofwar on Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn.

Monday Jan 10, 2022
Monday Jan 10, 2022
Repost of my chat with Hasan Aygun, originally published on 21 Jun 2021. --- My guest today is Hasan Aygun. He is a Turkish national, who has had an extensive career in international relations, global security and conflict management both as a diplomat and later as a political adviser. Hasan joined the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1983, and since then, he has served abroad in various functions, including Vice-Consul, First Secretary, Head of Mission and Counsel General in several different countries including Iraq, Italy, Serbia (at that time still Yugoslavia), Austria, Azerbaijan and Saudi Arabia. He later became a senior political adviser for NATO where over the years he provided advice to six different four-star generals. During this time, he supported NATO humanitarian operations in places like Pakistan during the Kashmir earthquake and in the US during Hurricane Katrina. He also actively participated in Operations in the Sudan and Somalia as well as in counter-piracy operations and support to the African Union. Hasan is currently an Associate Director at Strategia Worldwide, where he advises multinational businesses, governments and NGO's on complex risk management in conflict affected regions with a geographical focus on the former Soviet states, the Middle East, Africa, the broader Islamic World as well as maritime and energy transportation. We covered many different points, some of which are: The life of a diplomat The nuance of balancing national vs. local priorities in a war zone Reflections on Hasan’s lunches and tea ceremonies with Saddam Hussein and Muammar Gaddafi The importance of ‘interests’ in determining whether a conflict becomes local or international Secondary interests as reasons why the West invaded Iraq Helping Bosnian refugees as a Turkish diplomat in Serbia during the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina The importance of narratives propagated by ‘people you want to believe’ and ‘pack identity’ in starting and sustaining war Why otherwise good people do horrible things Post-conflict recovery as an industry Difficulty and lack of incentives in finding a win-win solution in war zones How national interests shape NATO interventions or lack thereof 50% of success in an intervention rests on understanding the culture of stakeholders in a conflict Are all societies ready for democracy? Why a war between the US and China is not likely Finally, as you’ll be reminded in the introduction to the episode, here is the link for a short survey on the podcast. Thank you for taking two minutes to complete it. https://forms.gle/HzBzMeDnGuSGUJi89 I hope you enjoy the episode.