31 Dec 2022

Outreach

Boots Off the Ground: Security in Transition in the Middle East and Beyond

Presented by the Middle East Institute, National University of Singapore.

In this series of monthly podcasts, we invite eminent speakers to share what they see in the future of warfare, as well as the transformation and transition of security architecture in the Middle East, North Africa and Central Asia. Through the episodes, we will observe how uniformed soldiers, or boots on the ground, are being replaced by private military companies and automated weapons and will also notice a shift in the theatres of war, from territorial borderlands to shared oceans, air and cyberspace.

All podcasts will be uploaded onto this website, as well as on Podbean and Spotify.

Completed Podcasts

1) The New Rules of War (released on 15 April 2020)

Speaker: Dr Sean McFate (Professor of Strategy at the National Defence University and Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service)

Abstract: In the first podcast, Dr McFate explains his theory of the world returning to a state of “durable disorder and how private actors and mercenaries are replacing uniformed soldiers on the ground.

2) Transparent and Accountable Private Military and Security Companies (released on 15 May 2020)

Speaker: Mr Jamie Williamson (Executive Director of International Code of Conduct Association)

Abstract: In the second podcast, Mr Williamson will examine the role of the International Code of Conduct Association in promoting transparency and accountability for the private security sector.

3) The US Private Military Stance in the Middle East (released on 8 June 2020)

Speaker: Mr Doug Brooks (Founder & President Emeritus of International Stability Operations Association)

Abstract: In the third podcast, Mr Doug Brooks, the founder of the International Stability Operations Association (ISOA) elaborates on the role of the US private military sector in the Middle East and beyond.

4) Returning Foreign Fighters a Growing Threat? (released on 7 July 2020)

Speaker: Mr Raffaello Pantucci (Senior Associate Fellow, Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies)

Abstract: In this podcast, Mr Pantucci will talk about the risks and threats posed by returning foreign fighters.

5) China’s Private Security and Anti-Piracy (released 5 August 2020)

Speaker: Mr Liu Qing (director of international business development and management division, Huaxin Zhongan Security Group)

Abstract: In this podcast, we will talk about the role Chinese private security companies play in the industry.

6) The Rise of Drones (released 9 September 2020)

Speakers: Dr Francesco Milan (teaching fellow at King’s College, London) & Dr Aniseh Bassiri Tabrizi (senior research fellow at the International Security Studies department, Royal United Services Institute)

Abstract: In this podcast, we will talk about the role drone usage in contemporary warfare, breaking down the political risks and implications of using drones as opposed to human soldiers.

7) United Nations Working Group on Mercenaries (released 14 October 2020)

Speaker: Dr Sorcha MacLeod (UK, member of UN Working Group on the use of Mercenaries)

Abstract: In this episode, Dr MacLeod will speak about the vision of the UN Working Group on the use of mercenaries as a means of violating human rights and impeding the exercise of the right of people to self-determination.

8) Regulation and Accountability of Private Military in the Eyes of International Law (released on 18 November 2020)

Speaker: Professor Simon Chesterman (Dean of Faculty of Law at National University of Singapore)

Abstract: This episode will discuss the possibilities and limitations of regulating private military and security companies through international law, and explore whether there are better local and market-based solutions to the problem.

9) From Private Security to Cybersecurity: When Virtual Threats Become Real Risks (released on 9 December 2020)

Speaker: Mr Gene Yu (Group CEO and co-founder of Blackpanda Group)

Abstract: In this episode, we make the transition from discussions on private military to digital protection and explore how much physical and digital security services have in common. We will be talking to Mr Gene Yu, the chief executive officer of Blackpanda Group, a firm that started with ransom-negotiation services but has pivoted towards cyber security.

10) Decoding Russian Private Military Security Companies (released on 6 January 2021)

Speaker: Professor Candace Rondeaux (Professor of Practice, School of Politics and Global Studies, Arizona State University)

Abstract: In this episode, Ms Candace Rondeaux, an expert on international security apparatuses, breaks down the purpose, demographic and long-term implications of Russian private military companies in the international and domestic arena.

11) Future of Chinese PSC’s in Central Asia (released on 4 February 2021)

Speaker: Ms Niva Yau, Researcher at the OSCE Academy, Bishkek

In this episode, Ms Niva Yau, an expert on China’s Western peripheral diplomacy, shares about the role of Chinese private security companies across central Asia.

12) Kidnap and Ransom Insurance: Managing Risk in the Cyber and Maritime Space (released on 10 March 2021)

Speakers: Mr Ashley Coles, Director of Security Risks, Price Forbes & Mr Brett Davey, Founder and Managing Director of Insurance Consultants & Experts, I.C.E, Singapore

Abstract: This podcast looks at the insurance sector – from kidnap and ransom risk management techniques to anti-piracy and cyber security crisis management.

13) Humanitarian Aid Agencies Risk Management (released on 8 April 2021)

Speaker: Mr Jason O’Connor, Deputy Director (North America), Global Interagency Security Forum (GISF)

Abstract: In this episode, Mr Jason O’Connor speaks about protecting people working in the development and humanitarian response sectors (in challenging environments) from physical violence and cyber risks. He also elaborates on how to promote proper security risk management practices and improving security of aid workers.

14) Rethinking Military Waste (released on 6 May 2021)

Speaker: Dr Joshua Reno (Professor, Anthropology, Binghamton University)

Abstract: In this podcast, Dr Joshua Reno discusses how the pressure of constant war-readiness produces military waste which in turn animates places and people far from the battlegrounds. He argues that rejected designs, outdated planes, scrapped ships and space debris should be central to calculations of social, political, and economic costs of war.

15) Surrogate Warfare – The Transformation of War in the 21st Century (released on 10 June 2021)

Speaker: Dr Andreas Krieg (UK Defence Academy & the Royal College of Defence Studies, King’s College London)

Abstract: Dr Andreas Krieg illustrates how private security companies are a response to an emerging global phenomenon – surrogate warfare. Military surrogacy involves not only human stand-ins such as proxies, local militias and private contractors; but also, with machine or technological surrogates as such drones, AI and cyber-tech.

16) The Invisible Nepali Labour of US War in Afghanistan (released on 29 July 2021)

Speaker: Dr Noah Coburn (Political Anthropologist, Bennington College, Vermont)

Abstract: In this episode, Dr Noah Coburn discusses his latest book Under Contract: The Invisible Work of America’s Global War. He elaborates how colonial era structures for recruiting Gurkha soldiers from Nepal came to be remobilised for providing low-cost precarious labour for the American war in Afghanistan.

17) America’s Global Military-Labour Infrastructure (released on 12 August 2021)

Speaker: Dr Adam Moore (Associate Professor, UCLA)

Abstract: In this episode, Dr Adam Moore discusses his latest book Empire’s Labor: The Global Army that Supports U.S. Wars. He draws on his research with Filipino and Bosnian migrant labour to sketch out the vast transnational logistical infrastructure employed in running day to day US military affairs around the world.

18) Business and Human Rights – A Role for Private Security Companies? (released on 15 September 2021)

Speaker: Mr John Bray is a risk consultant and policy specialist with more than 35 years experience. In relation to environmental, social and governance (ESG), his particular areas of expertise include business and human rights, anti-corruption strategies for the private sector and private sector policy issues in conflict-affected areas.

Abstract: Mr John Bray, with his vast experience, discusses how private sector companies are evolving in their approach to security and human rights, particularly when operating in complex or conflict-affected environments.

19) The Future of Private Military (released on 15 October 2021)

Speaker: Professor Deborah Avant is the Sié Chéou-Kang Chair for International Security and Diplomacy at the Josef Korbel School of International Studies, University of Denver.

Abstract: Prof Avant describes how privatisation of the monopoly of violence evolved from the two conflicts in Iraq up till the fall of Kabul.

20) The Evolution of Russian Private Military Companies from Syria to Mali (released on 15 November 2021)

Speaker: Dr Sergey Sukhankin (Senior Fellow at The Jamestown Foundation and Advisor at the Gulf State Analytics in Washington, D.C.)

Abstract: In this episode, Dr Sergey Sukhankin discusses the evolution of Russian hybrid warfare and the role of Russian private military companies in the Middle East and Africa.

21) Bellingcat and Open-source Intelligence (released on 15 December 2021)

Speaker: Mr Eliot Higgins (Founder of Bellingcat and the Brown Moses Blog)

Abstract: Mr Eliot Higgins discusses the weapons used in the conflict in Syria and open-source investigation tools and techniques.

22) Glass Ceiling and Private Security Regulations (released on 27 January 2022)

Speaker: Mr Callum Watson, Gender Co-ordinator, Small Arms Survey

Abstract: In this episode, Mr Callum Watson discusses about glass ceiling in the private security industry.

23) Russian Power Projection on the Cheap? Russian Private Military Companies’ Implications for Global Security (released on 28 February 2022)

Speaker: Dr Tor Bukkvoll, Senior Research Fellow (B.A., M.A., PhD), Norwegian Defence Research Establishment

Abstract: In this episode, Dr Tor Bukkvoll discusses The Wagner Group and Russian private military companies from Ukraine to Syria – the emergence of a new tool of clandestine warfare.

24) Walking on Thin Ice – Chinese Private Security Sector in Complex Environments (released on 30 March 2022)

Speaker: Professor Zhou Zhanggui, Director of the Institute for Overseas Safety and Security, under the Centre for NTS-PD, Zhejiang University

Abstract: In this episode, Dr Zhou Zhanggui discusses about the Chinese private security sector in highly complex environments.

25) Russian Mercenaries a Weak Link in Great-Power Competition (released on 28 April 2022)

Speaker: Dr Molly Dunigan, Acting Associate Director & Senior Political Scientist, International Security and Defence Policy Centre, RAND Corporation

Abstract: Dr Molly Dunigan will discuss how Russia’s use of mercenaries exposes what may be critical vulnerabilities in the Russian will to fight and Russian state power.

26) Omri Lavie and the Future of Cybersecurity (released on 30 May 2022)

Speaker: Mr Omri Lavie, Serial Entrepreneur & Angel Investor

Abstract: Mr Omri Lavie discusses the role of artificial intelligence in cyber operations and the future of cyber security management in a complex environment.

27) Chinese PSC High Tech Sector in Complex Environments (released on 29 June 2022)

Speaker: Ms Meia Nouwens, Senior Fellow for Chinese Defence Policy and Military Modernisation, International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS)

Abstract: Artificial intelligence meets boots on the ground. Are the Chinese private security companies the new ambassador for Chinese surveillance technologies?