Open warfare has crossed the Middle East, and in its wake came an erosion of the norms of statesmanship and the power of international law to avert conflict. What are the implications for deterrence, diplomacy, and the future of UK, US, and regional strategy? In this episode of Global Security Briefing, host Neil Melvin is joined by RUSI experts Burcu Ozcelik and Michael Stephens to assess whether the Middle East is on the cusp of fundamental transformation or simply entering another volatile ch...
Jul 09, 2025•56 min•Season 1Ep. 104
How is the UK's Labour government approaching European security, and how does this compare to the Conservatives? In this episode of Global Security Briefing, host Neil Melvin is joined by Professor Richard Whitman to examine how much has changed since Labour came to power. The UK is currently setting a path to navigate an uncertain world in a series of major reviews - the Security and Defence Review has just been published, a new National Security Strategy was release, and a Defence Industry Str...
Jun 25, 2025•48 min•Season 1Ep. 103
Is there a real near-term prospect of an end of Russia's war against Ukraine? RUSI experts explain four and a half months of the Trump Administration's approach to the war. In this episode of Global Security Briefing, host Neil Melvin is joined by Professor Samuel Greene, who teaches Russian politics at King's College and is a senior fellow at the Centre for European Policy Analysis, and Andriy Zagorodnuyk, Chairman of the Centre for Defence Strategies, Kyiv, who also previously served as Minist...
Jun 11, 2025•40 min•Season 1Ep. 102
Can Peace Without Democracy Work? RUSI experts discuss the rise of illiberal peacebuilding in the Middle East and what it means for UK foreign policy. In this episode of Global Security Briefing, host Neil Melvin is joined by RUSI Senior Research Fellow for Middle East Security Dr. Burcu Ozcelik, Dr Claire Smith, Deputy Associate Dean for the Faculty of Social Sciences and the Faculty Director of Postgraduate Research, University of York, and Dr Rana Khalaf, Research Consultant and non-resident ...
May 28, 2025•48 min•Season 1Ep. 101
GSB turns 100: RUSI experts look back on key security shifts and explore what’s next for the UK in a rapidly changing global landscape. In this special 100th episode of Global Security Briefing, host Neil Melvin is joined by the RUSI International Security team to reflect on how global security has evolved since the podcast’s launch in 2021. Recorded live in London, the episode examines a world marked by rising state-based wars, increasing military tensions, and the fragmentation of the post–Wor...
May 14, 2025•40 min•Season 1Ep. 100
As Europe races to rearm, can it do so fast enough to deter looming threats? We explore this question with Shashank Joshi and Dr. Daniel Fiott. In this episode of Global Security Briefing, host Neil Melvin is joined by Shashank Joshi, Defence Editor at The Economist, and Dr. Daniel Fiott, Head of the Defence and Statecraft Programme at the Centre for Security, Diplomacy and Strategy of the Vrije Universiteit in Brussels, to explore whether Europe's defence renaissance can deliver on its promises...
Apr 23, 2025•1 hr•Season 1Ep. 99
As China increases its ‘grey zone’ pressure, can Taiwan defend its sovereignty without sparking open conflict? In this episode of Global Security Briefing, host Neil Melvin speaks with Dr. Philip Shetler-Jones, RUSI Senior Research Fellow for Indo-Pacific Security, Sze-Fung Lee an independent researcher specialising in Chinese hybrid warfare, and Dr. Jyun-yi Lee, Associate Research Fellow at Taiwan's Institute for National Defense and Security Research to examine how Taiwan is confronting the gr...
Apr 09, 2025•50 min•Season 1Ep. 98
How have the initial weeks of President Trump's second term of office impacted the transatlantic relationship, and will it survive his administration? In this episode of Global Security Briefing, host Neil Melvin speaks with Dr Liana Fix from the Council on Foreign Relations to explore the evolving transatlantic alliance. With growing security challenges, shifting US priorities, and Europe's push for strategic autonomy, they discuss key questions including: How is US policy toward European secur...
Mar 26, 2025•47 min•Season 97Ep. 1
How is the global security landscape evolving, and what role can think tanks play in shaping the debate? In this episode of Global Security Briefing, host Neil Melvin sits down with Rachel Ellehuus, RUSI's new Director-General, to explore the major security and defence challenges facing Europe, the transatlantic alliance and the wider international order, drawing on her extensive experience in NATO, the US Department of Defense, and the UK Ministry of Defence. They also discuss RUSI's role as th...
Mar 12, 2025•47 min•Season 1Ep. 96
Is Japan’s evolving national security profile altering its role in global security? Prof. Chris Hughes & Hirohito Ogi discuss this strategic shift. Japan is undergoing a major transformation in its defence policy, expanding its industrial base and forging new international partnerships. What are the strategic drivers behind this shift, and how will these impact regional and global security? In this episode of Global Security Briefing, host Neil Melvin is joined by RUSI Senior Associate Fello...
Feb 26, 2025•40 min•Season 1Ep. 95
Shifting alliances and global power struggles are redefining the Middle East's future. Neil Melvin, Burcu Ozcelik and Michael Stephens explore who will ultimately hold the power. This episode dives into the evolving power dynamics of the Middle East in the wake of war and regional instability. As global and regional players – from the US and China to Iran, Israel and Russia – compete for influence, host Neil Melvin and his guests, Burcu Ozcelik and Michael Stephens, ask whether Western power is ...
Feb 12, 2025•50 min•Season 1Ep. 94
As 2025 gathers pace, we reflect on security challenges from the previous year and look at what to expect in the coming months. What was foreseen and what was unexpected in last year’s global security developments? And how have security events altered the trajectory of various regions? In the second episode of this two-part special, host Neil Melvin is joined by colleagues in RUSI’s International Security team, Philip Shetler-Jones and Carlos Solar, to examine the year that has passed and to loo...
Jan 29, 2025•49 min•Season 1Ep. 93
At the start of 2025, we reflect on security challenges from the previous year and look at what to expect in the coming months. The past year registered many landmark events in global security. But what was foreseen, and what was unexpected? And how have security events altered the trajectory of various regions? In the first episode of this two-part special, host Neil Melvin is joined by colleagues from RUSI’s International Security team Ed Arnold, Burcu Ozcelik and Callum Fraser to examine the ...
Jan 15, 2025•48 min•Season 1Ep. 92
Following the fall of the Assad regime, what comes next for Syria and the future of the region? The Middle East is experiencing significant challenges and transitions as 2024 draws to a close. The war between Israel and Hamas continues to dominate regional dynamics, with Gaza suffering a severe humanitarian crisis. Efforts towards a ceasefire are ongoing, but questions about Gaza's reconstruction and long-term governance remain unresolved. Additionally, in a sudden and dramatic turn of events, a...
Dec 18, 2024•55 min•Season 1Ep. 91
Following Donald Trump’s election victory, we ask if this could be the beginning of the end of the fighting in Ukraine. President-elect Trump has famously claimed he can end the Ukraine war in a day. While there is skepticism about this claim, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has recently indicated that Russia’s war in Ukraine will end ‘faster’ when Trump re-enters the White House. But what would a deal to stop the fighting look like, and what will the implications of a ceasefire be for Uk...
Nov 27, 2024•49 min•Season 1Ep. 90
As Russia turns to Pyongyang for reinforcements against Ukraine, we explore the events that have shaped North Korea as a security actor. Following the stalling of the ‘Six Party’ talks about North Korea’s nuclear weapons programme in 2008, the country attracted little international attention until 2019 and Donald Trump’s ultimately fruitless attempts to unlock the relationship through summit diplomacy. During the Biden administration there have been few initiatives towards North Korea; Washingto...
Nov 13, 2024•46 min•Season 1Ep. 89
The world order is being challenged by new organisations and initiatives designed to sideline existing Western-led institutions. The latest summit of the group of states known collectively as the BRICS is a case in point. Originally involving Brazil, Russia, India and China, with South Africa joining later, the group has now expanded to bring in new members, including Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia and the UAE, with a long waiting list of other potential members building up. Often seen as a ‘talking shop...
Oct 30, 2024•52 min•Season 1Ep. 88
One year on from Hamas’ 7 October attack on Israel, we look at the current state of the conflict in the Middle East and its future trajectory. Last week marked the one-year anniversary of the horrific Hamas attacks on 7 October. There are still no indications of how and under what conditions the war will end. To the contrary, all indications are that the region is on the precipice of a wider and deadlier war. The second in our series on the evolving crises in the Middle East, this episode will a...
Oct 16, 2024•54 min•Season 1Ep. 87
Two years on, how has Japan progressed with its planned national security reforms, and how is it adapting to regional security challenges? In December 2022, Japan announced plans to almost double its defence budget and acquire a new set of strike capabilities. The context for that decision was a sense of rising danger and a need to be prepared to assume a larger defence burden. The plans progressed under the leadership of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, but he has now been replaced in this post. S...
Oct 02, 2024•47 min•Season 1Ep. 86
As tensions continue to rise in the Middle East, we launch a new mini-series dedicated to understanding the dynamics shaping the region. We are launching a regular new series of episodes of Global Security Briefing designed to foster a better understanding of the current situation in the region, entitled ‘The Middle East in Crisis’, which aims to review and provide analysis on the unfolding political, economic and security dynamics reshaping the region. After months of tensions, including the de...
Sep 25, 2024•55 min•Season 1Ep. 85
In this edition, we will be returning to Russia’s war against Ukraine as both sides increasingly look towards another winter of fighting. Since the autumn/winter of last year, there have been further swings in the war as Russia launched a long offensive and Ukraine suffered a lack of weapons due to political deadlock in the US Congress and a shortage of manpower. More recently, in a surprise operation, Ukraine has launched a successful incursion into Russia itself – seizing territory in Kursk – ...
Sep 04, 2024•56 min•Season 1Ep. 84
This episode of Global Security Briefing explores NATO's interest in China and the Indo-Pacific amid ongoing security challenges in Europe. At last month’s NATO summit in Washington, DC, China was identified as a ‘decisive enabler’ of Russia’s war against Ukraine. It was also noted that China ‘continues to pose systemic challenges to Euro-Atlantic security’. Many argue that the principal need is for NATO to concentrate on Europe. This is not just because of the Russo-Ukrainian war, but also beca...
Aug 21, 2024•47 min•Season 1Ep. 83
Concluding our series on how the UK’s new Labour government is approaching key foreign policy questions, we turn to the Middle East. It is in the Middle East that Labour’s ‘progressive realist’ foreign policy will be most tested – especially in the context of the Israel-Palestine conflict. Signalling the importance of the Middle East to the new government, Foreign Secretary David Lammy visited Israel and the Palestinian Territories just over a week after Labour’s election victory. The UK’s disti...
Aug 07, 2024•52 min•Season 1Ep. 82
Current UK China policy is defined by the three main concepts of protecting national interests, aligning with allies and engaging with China on key matters such as climate change where possible. But how are these approaches coordinated and prioritised? The previous UK government was prepared to live with the ambiguity inherent in this approach, arguing that complexity of relations with China demanded a policy which takes into account the divergent and simultaneous trends in UK–China ties. But wh...
Jul 24, 2024•46 min•Season 1Ep. 81
On the heels of a landslide victory, this episode examines the newly elected UK Labour government’s plan to refashion the UK’s security and defence ties with Europe. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and his team have identified the forging of a new relationship with the EU as a priority. Security, which was not part of the withdrawal agreement, is seen as a low-hanging fruit in this context, given the UK’s important resources and London’s generally shared interests with the EU. However, since Bre...
Jul 10, 2024•51 min•Season 1Ep. 80
In this episode, GSB takes a look at how the 75th Anniversary Summit of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization aims to shape the future of the Alliance. The summit takes place in Washington, DC, from 9 to 11 July, and is being billed as a celebration of the Alliance, often termed the most successful in history. There will also be attention to NATO’s recent efforts to rebuild its capacity to deter and defend against threats, notably from Russia, but with an eye on China too. In this episode, host...
Jun 26, 2024•45 min•Season 1Ep. 79
The South Atlantic and the Antarctic have drawn considerable attention from big powers, who are racing to strengthen their regional footprints and presence as the region opens up for navigation and other potential uses. Despite very low tensions, the South Atlantic is a recurrent area of discussion in the UK given the territorial claim over the Falkland archipelago by Argentina. The UK’s commitment to defend its overseas territories, blending both soft and hard power, has larger strategic implic...
Jun 13, 2024•48 min•Season 1Ep. 78
In the face of growing security challenges, this episode discusses what is on the agenda for Taiwan’s new leadership. Taiwan is not merely a democracy; it is an outstanding example of a democracy. The Economist Intelligence Unit’s 2023 Democracy Index ranked Taiwan top in Asia and 10th globally (ahead of the UK and US) among the 167 countries and territories it surveys. Like all democratic countries, Taiwan’s electoral preoccupations are a mix of domestic and foreign. But the inauguration of the...
May 29, 2024•48 min•Season 1Ep. 77
An in-depth exploration of the Australia–UK–US defence capability agreement (AUKUS) and what it means for the UK’s foreign and security policy in the Indo-Pacific. Launched in September 2021, AUKUS is well into its third year. The unique trilateral partnership has the potential to bring about massive changes in the Indo-Pacific security landscape. But what exactly is it? Should we see it as a new type of alliance, or simply another arms deal? Is it just a trilateral procurement framework, or som...
May 15, 2024•52 min•Season 1Ep. 76
How is Russia reorienting its relationship with Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan? Since the collapse of the USSR, Russia has sought to strengthen its security position in the South Caucasus, notably around the region’s protracted conflicts and using its strategic relationship with Armenia. Vladimir Putin’s decision in March 2022 to invade Ukraine has, however, raised questions about Russia’s ability to maintain its regional leverage. At the same time, Azerbaijan’s series of military actions in th...
May 01, 2024•55 min•Season 1Ep. 75
