Warrior Nation
39 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 1 month ago -Welcome to Warrior Nation, the UK's only podcast offering a critical lens on the British military and its relationship with civil society. The podcast is produced by ForcesWatch, an organisation dedicated to investigating militarisation and military ethics. From the brutality of basic training, to predatory recruitment practices and lobbying, we expose and challenge unaccountable military power.
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Episodes
Anti-militarism & international solidarity: Kathy Kelly (SE5 EP4)
March 26, 2024 12:00 - 58 minutes - 40.5 MBWelcome to Season Five of Warrior Nation! This time we're talking to anti-militarist activists from around the world to learn their motivations, strategies and tactics. The last few years have shown us nothing if not that militarism is on the rise globally, making it more important than ever that voices critical of war and the military have a platform. Kathy Kelly is a renowned American peace activist, a founding members of Voices in the Wilderness, and, until the campaign closed in 2020, ...
International anti-militarism: Ukrainian war resisters (SE5 EP3)
March 14, 2024 11:00 - 46 minutes - 32.3 MBWelcome to Season Five of Warrior Nation! This time we're talking to anti-militarist activists from around the world to learn their motivations, strategies and tactics. The last few years have shown us nothing if not that militarism is on the rise globally, making it more important than ever that voices critical of war and the military have a platform. Russia's invasion of Ukraine has had multiple global impacts. From the rise in global food and oil prices to the increased threat of nuclear...
International Anti-Militarism: Ukrainian War Resisters (SE5 EP3)
March 14, 2024 11:00 - 46 minutes - 32.3 MBWelcome to Season Five of Warrior Nation! This time we're talking to anti-militarist activists from around the world to learn their motivations, strategies and tactics. The last few years have shown us nothing if not that militarism is on the rise globally, making it more important than ever that voices critical of war and the military have a platform. Russia's invasion of Ukraine has had multiple global impacts. From the rise in global food and oil prices to the increased threat of nuclear...
International anti-militarism: militarism & patriarchy in Israel (SE5 EP2)
February 29, 2024 09:00 - 47 minutes - 32.5 MBWelcome to Season Five of Warrior Nation! This time we're talking to anti-militarist activists from around the world to learn their motivations, strategies and tactics. The last few years have shown us nothing if not that militarism is on the rise globally, making it more important than ever that voices critical of war and the military have a platform. Israel is one of the profoundly militarised countries in the world, with terrifying impacts for occupied Palestinians, as well as Israelis. ...
International Anti-Militarism: Militarism & Patriarchy in Israel (SE5 EP2)
February 29, 2024 09:00 - 47 minutes - 32.5 MBWelcome to Season Five of Warrior Nation! This time we're talking to anti-militarist activists from around the world to learn their motivations, strategies and tactics. The last few years have shown us nothing if not that militarism is on the rise globally, making it more important than ever that voices critical of war and the military have a platform. Israel is one of the profoundly militarised countries in the world, with terrifying impacts for occupied Palestinians, as well as Israelis. ...
International Anti-Militarism: Demilitarising Education (SE5 EP1)
February 08, 2024 09:00 - 1 hour - 42.6 MBWelcome to Season Five of Warrior Nation! This time we're talking to anti-militarist activists from around the world to learn their motivations, strategies and tactics. The last few years have shown us nothing if not that militarism is on the rise globally, making it more important than ever that voices critical of war and the military have a platform. First up, Demilitarise Education's co-founder Jinsella Kennaway. This dynamic group opposes the arms trade on university campuses and is one...
International anti-militarism: Demilitarising Education (SE5 EP1)
February 08, 2024 09:00 - 1 hour - 42.6 MBWelcome to Season Five of Warrior Nation! This time we're talking to anti-militarist activists from around the world to learn their motivations, strategies and tactics. The last few years have shown us nothing if not that militarism is on the rise globally, making it more important than ever that voices critical of war and the military have a platform. First up, Demilitarise Education's co-founder Jinsella Kennaway. This dynamic group opposes the arms trade on university campuses and is one...
International Antimilitarism (Season 5 Trailer)
January 16, 2024 16:00 - 2 minutes - 1.66 MBWarrior Nation returns with a series exploring the work of leading anti-militarist organisations from around the world. With wars raging in Gaza, Ukraine and beyond, platforming critical voices has never been more important. So we've sought out people and organisations who resist every day to ask them how they develop the strategies and tactics to challenge the powerful forces which drive militarism. Follow ForcesWatch on Instagram (@forceswatch). Support the show
International anti-militarism (Season 5 Trailer)
January 16, 2024 16:00 - 2 minutes - 1.66 MBWarrior Nation returns with a series exploring the work of leading anti-militarist organisations from around the world. With wars raging in Gaza, Ukraine and beyond, platforming critical voices has never been more important. So we've sought out people and organisations who resist every day to ask them how they develop the strategies and tactics to challenge the powerful forces which drive militarism. Follow ForcesWatch on Instagram (@forceswatch). Support the show
The Troubles, so called: Britain's war in Ireland (EP3)
September 28, 2023 09:00 - 30 minutes - 20.6 MBWhether it is Brexit or historical allegations, the colonial legacy of Northern Ireland haunts British politics. With a controversial bill on the war having just been approved in Parliament, Forces Watch found three unique voices whose lives and work have been profoundly shaped by the so-called Troubles. What does the war in Ireland share with the so-called War on Terror? Award-winning national security journalist Ian Cobain's extensive work on British post-9/11 human rights abuses led him ...
The Troubles, so called: Britain's war in Ireland (EP2)
September 19, 2023 11:00 - 58 minutes - 40.5 MBWhether it is Brexit or historical allegations, the colonial legacy of Northern Ireland haunts British politics. With a controversial bill on the war having just been approved in Parliament, Forces Watch found three unique voices whose lives and work have been profoundly shaped by the so-called Troubles. What is it like to be occupied by the British military? In episode two of our special mini-series on Britain's war in Ireland, we speak to Fiona Gallagher. A proud Derry woman, Fiona grew u...
The Troubles, so called: Britain's war in Ireland (EP1)
September 13, 2023 12:00 - 59 minutes - 40.7 MBWhether it is Brexit or historical allegations, the colonial legacy of Northern Ireland haunts British politics. With a controversial bill on the war having just been approved in Parliament, ForcesWatch found three unique voices whose lives and work have been profoundly shaped by the so-called Troubles. In the first episode of this three part special series, we speak to former British soldier Lee Lavis. Lee served in Ireland as an infantryman and settled there after leaving the military. We...
The War Racket: Reflections & Predictions (SE4 EP10)
March 30, 2023 08:00 - 56 minutes - 38.6 MBIn 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 s...
War & Police: Linking the Cops & the Military (SE4 EP9)
March 15, 2023 21:00 - 47 minutes - 32.8 MBIt 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 apparat...
A Material World: Think-Tank Funding & Defending the Status Quo (SE4 EP8)
March 02, 2023 11:00 - 41 minutes - 28.3 MBThink-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...
Everything Looks Like a Nail: Why the Military Can't Save the Planet (SE4 EP7)
February 10, 2023 09:00 - 51 minutes - 35.2 MBAs 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 chan...
Dark Economics: Understanding the Politics of Defence Budgets (SE4 EP6)
January 18, 2023 16:00 - 36 minutes - 25.2 MBAs 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 reduct...
Anti-Establishment Ethos: Critiquing the Military and Foreign Policy (SE4 EP5)
January 05, 2023 10:00 - 49 minutes - 33.8 MBForeign 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 ro...
Very Murky: the Arms Trade and Parliament (SE4 EP4)
December 15, 2022 09:00 - 41 minutes - 28.7 MBCampaign 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 d...
Gentleman Bureaucrat Masculinity: Liberal Militarism and the Civil Service (SE4 EP3)
November 30, 2022 19:00 - 44 minutes - 30.5 MBWhen 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...
Lifting the Rock: the Military and Justice (SE4 EP2)
November 16, 2022 17:00 - 46 minutes - 32 MBFrom 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 a...
Dirty Secrets: the Press and the Military (SE4 EP1)
November 03, 2022 09:00 - 1 hour - 53 MBBack 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 defe...
Unpacking Armed Forces Day (feat. Dr Ross McGarry)
June 27, 2022 16:00 - 32 minutes - 22.6 MBIn 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 a...
War and Memory: Culture (SE3 EP6)
December 09, 2021 10:00 - 40 minutes - 28 MBIn the final installment of our series on war and memory, Joe speaks with Essex University historian Lucy Noakes and Chicago-based artist Michael Rakowitz on the creation of cultural memories around armed 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 ...
War and Memory: Empire (SE3 EP5)
October 06, 2021 15:00 - 27 minutes - 19.2 MBIn the fifth instalment of our series on war and memory Joe speaks with Harvard historian Maya Jasanoff on the ways Empire is remembered in Britain and the disconnect between the state's projection of the country's colonial past vis-a-vis the way it's 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 dec...
War and Memory: Moral Injury & Trauma (SE3 EP4)
September 01, 2021 12:00 - 42 minutes - 29.4 MBIn the fourth installment of our series on war and memory we speak with ex-British Army mental health clinician Christian Hughes on the traumatic impacts of conflict. He gives a detailed breakdown of PTSD, critiques the condition's framing as a 'heroes injury' only experienced by those on the front-line, and introduces us to the notion of moral injury. In a wide-ranging discussion, Christian also explains that combat isn't the only element of an armed forces career with psychological impac...
War and Memory: Pathologising Critique (SE3 EP3)
August 05, 2021 09:00 - 41 minutes - 28.5 MBIn 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 ...
War and Memory: Witnessing (SE3 EP2)
July 01, 2021 10:00 - 36 minutes - 24.8 MBIn 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 rese...
War and Memory: Statues (SE3 EP1)
June 03, 2021 15:00 - 57 minutes - 39.5 MBIn 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 o...
Filling the void in defence journalism: Phil Miller in conversation with Joe Glenton
December 17, 2020 16:00 - 43 minutes - 30.1 MBJoe 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 exis...
Filling the void in defence journalism: Phil Miller in conversation with Joe Glenton
December 17, 2020 16:00 - 43 minutes - 30.1 MBJoe 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 exis...
What's wrong with Armed Forces Day?
June 27, 2020 10:00 - 43 minutes - 29.7 MBIn 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 he...
Lowkey in conversation with Maya Evans and Joe Glenton: Militarism, War and Resistance
December 11, 2019 15:00 - 53 minutes - 36.5 MBFor 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. Follow us on Instagram. Support the show
Recruitment & militarism: a discussion with the founders of ForcesWatch, David Gee and Emma Sangster.
August 04, 2019 21:00 - 35 minutes - 24.3 MBWe 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 began The lack of ‘informed choice’ in the military’s enlistment of minors How we define militarism How militaristic the UK is compared to other countries, and why Turning war into spectacle The long-term risks and harms of the military’s recruitment of minors Military training - ...
The Military in our Midst - with Vron Ware and Antonia Dawes
July 29, 2019 09:00 - 51 minutes - 35.5 MBWe 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 affairs Comm...
Art and activism: satirising military propaganda - with Darren Cullen
July 21, 2019 17:00 - 27 minutes - 18.8 MBWe 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 advertising The backlash of criticising the ‘sacred’ military institution Going ‘one step further’ than advertising messages His work at the permanent collection in the Victoria & Al...
Critical Military Studies - with Victoria Basham
July 08, 2019 13:00 - 56 minutes - 38.7 MBWe 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 her...
The Global Arms Trade - with Andrew Feinstein
June 21, 2019 16:00 - 51 minutes - 35.1 MBIn 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 trade Andrew Feinstein's journey - what drove him to do this work? How the ar...
The Militarisation Offensive - with Paul Dixon
June 16, 2019 13:00 - 36 minutes - 24.9 MBIn 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 an...