David's Politics Show David Israelachvili

One of the most salient and interesting aspects of the war in Ukraine is the seemingly omnipresent threat of what
is still a relatively new technology: the drone. Whether Bayraktars or Lancets, small reconnaissance drones or long-range strike ones, both the Ukrainian and Russian armies have designed, bought, and deployed an stonishing variety of these new weapons.

What does the proliferation of this new platform tell us about the role or roles drones are likely to play in the future? And what can we extrapolate, from the rapid evolution of drone technology and tactics, about the shape and dynamics of major state-on-state warfare in the coming decades?

To discuss all this and more I’m delighted to be joined again by a previous guest on this podcast, Dr. Mauro Gilli, Senior Researcher in Military Technology and International Security at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology’s Center for Security Studies in Zurich.

Two years on since Russia’s full-scale re-invasion of Ukraine, I’m joined by Dr. Andreas Umland from the Swedish Institute of International Affairs to take stock both of the current military situation in Ukraine and of the politics of the war in Ukraine, Russia, and the West.

Now that we’ve reached the 100-day mark in Israel’s war against Hamas, where does the Israeli operation in Gaza stand, both militarily and politically? And lifting our eyes to more distant horizons, how is the strategic force field changing in the Middle East as a result of the historic caesura that October 7 already represents?

To discuss all this and more I’m delighted to be joined on the podcast by Dr. Ahron Bregman, senior teaching fellow in the Department of War Studies at King’s College, London.

The nature of undersea warfare is changing and the “silent service” has to evolve to meet today’s and above all tomorrow’s challenges – but just what will that adaptation look like? How is the role played by the submarine changing in an increasingly contested undersea environment? And how should the U.S. Navy, in particular, think about choosing platforms and a force structure that will meet the non-trivial challenges posed by the PLAN’s increasingly sophisticated and already quite numerous submarine force?

 

With me to discuss all this is Bryan Clark, senior fellow and director of the Center for Defense Concepts and Technology at Hudson Institute in Washington D.C. A former submariner himself, he is an expert in naval operations, electronic warfare, and autonomous systems, and has led studies for the DoD Office of Net Assessment as well as DARPA on new technologies and the future of warfare.

Three weeks have passed since the dramatic events of the 7th of October. What kind of failure did October 7 represent? What are Israel's options now and what are the possible risks? And is there a sliver of hope that this dramatic crisis will create an opening for a better future in the region? With me to discuss all this and more is the noted Iraq and Hezbollah expert Amatzia Baram, Professor Emeritus at the University of Haifa.

Pakistan is mired in crisis, economic and political. With a caretaker government having been nominated but elections as yet still uncertain, how is the latest saga in Pakistani politics, centered this time around Imran Khan, likely to play out? And what are the consequences for India and the wider region? I’m delighted to have had Sushant Sareen of the Observer Research Foundation on the podcast to discuss all this and more.