Government

Talk War

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Talk War

Talk
Freestone DigiDebates - Spotify

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Freestone DigiDebates - Spotify

Jaylen Chua
Pekingology

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Pekingology

Center for Strategic and International Studies

07/12/2021

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S2E2 - State of the World Review 2021

In this episode, Jaylen Chua, Fatima Musharrat and Kim Wong go around the world to reflect and analyse issues and events from 2021 - from COVID-19 and the Omicron Variant to gun control in the U.S. to the effects of Taliban rule in Afghanistan. Thank you for your support! We hope you learnt something! *NOTE: We apologise for all the audio issues in this episode. We are recording this episode remotely due to COVID-19. CONTACTS Freestone Government Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/freestone_government/

07/12/2021

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2h 19m
3 MAR

2

Ex-MI6 Boss: Iran Has Sleeper Cells In The UK And Starmer “Sat On The Fence”

Jeremy Kyle is joined by former MI6 chief Sir Richard Dearlove for a blunt assessment of the Iran crisis, the terror threat to Britain and Keir Starmer’s handling of the special relationship with Donald Trump. Dearlove says the Prime Minister “sat on the fence when he didn’t need to”, arguing the UK should have immediately backed the US and Israel as Australia and Canada did. He dismisses overreliance on international law as “a movable feast” and says national interest should have come first. On NATO, he acknowledges that an attack on RAF Akrotiri is serious, but stops short of calling for full Article 5 escalation. On domestic security, the former spy chief confirms there are groups in Britain sympathetic to Tehran and warns of the risk of Iranian-linked activity, including potential sleeper cells. While he says the security services are well equipped to disrupt organised plots, he flags the greater danger of lone actors. Dearlove, who reveals he has been personally sanctioned by the Iranian regime, describes that as a “badge of honour” and argues Iran’s ability to project power has been severely weakened — with the next chapter hinging on whether the Iranian people move against the IRGC from within. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

3 Mar

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12 min
2 MAR

3

Trump, Iran And The UK-US Rift: Rear Admiral Mike Hewitt On Nuclear Strikes And The Special Relationship

On Talk War, Alex Phillips is joined by Rear Admiral Mike Hewitt, former US Navy officer, to analyse the escalating US and Israeli strikes on Iran, Donald Trump’s shift from diplomacy to military action, and the growing strain on the UK-US special relationship. Hewitt explains that negotiations in Oman ultimately collapsed over Iran’s refusal to give up uranium enrichment, which he describes as the core pathway to a nuclear weapons capability. He outlines what a true nuclear programme entails — enriched uranium, missile delivery systems and a functioning detonator — and argues there is “no doubt” Iran possesses key elements of that infrastructure. According to Hewitt, Trump even offered to fund a civilian nuclear energy programme for Iran, but the regime refused to abandon enrichment, making military escalation increasingly likely. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2 Mar

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10 min
2 MAR

4

Starmer And The US-Iran Strikes Row: International Law And The Right To Self Defence

On Talk War, Alex Phillips is joined by barrister and UK Lawyers for Israel legal director Natasha Hausdorff to dissect the escalating row over Iran, US airstrikes and the UK government’s position on international law. The discussion centres on reports that the Prime Minister initially refused permission for US forces to use RAF Fairford or Diego Garcia for strikes on Iranian missile systems, before apparent backpedalling amid Iranian retaliation targeting British assets in Cyprus. Hausdorff backs the legal analysis set out by Lord Wolfson, arguing that international law permits force in the face of imminent threat and within the context of an ongoing armed conflict. She maintains that Iran’s long record of proxy attacks, direct strikes and nuclear ambitions provides a clear legal framework for collective self-defence by Israel and the United States. In her view, critics focusing narrowly on “pre-emptive strikes” are ignoring the broader reality of an entrenched conflict and misapplying international humanitarian law. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2 Mar

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20 min
2 APR

5

How the Chinese Communist Party Stays in Power

In this episode of Pekingology, CSIS Senior Fellow Henrietta Levin is joined by Ben Hillman, Director of the Australian Centre on China in the World at Australian National University and co-editor of the new book, The Communist Party of China: Understanding the Durability of the World's Most Powerful Political Organization. Ben explains how the Party has managed to stay in power, becoming the world's second-longest ruling party (barely losing out to North Korea's communist party) and maintaining an iron grip on power across vastly different phases in China's development. Ben addresses the role of ideology in Party governance, the utility of linguistic engineering and patriotic symbols in bolstering political legitimacy, the role of the United Front Work Department in manufacturing buy-in, and the Party's tremendous capacity for coercion.

2 Apr

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42 min
9 APR

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'HUMILIATED': Can the UK Recover From Iran War Embarrassment?

Sir Keir Starmer is currently visiting the Middle East to talk with Gulf leaders about the ceasefire deal and ongoing peace in the Middle East. But given the UK's dismal response to the conflict, what does he hope to achieve? On this episode of Talk War, Jeremy Kyle is joined by Mail on Sunday columnist Dan Hodges to discuss the "humiliation" of the British Royal Navy during this conflict, the chronic underinvestment in British defence, and what Starmer hopes to achieve on his visit. And Julia Hartley-Brewer is joined by retired Lieutenant General Ben Hodges, Former Commander US Army Europe, to discuss the ceasefire deal, the ongoing disagreement between the U.S. and Iran about what the deal says, and what will actually happen with the Strait of Hormuz. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

9 Apr

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30 min
19 FEB

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Can China Sway Australia?

In this episode of Pekingology, CSIS Senior Fellow Henrietta Levin is joined by Charlie Edel, Senior Adviser and Australia Chair at CSIS. Charlie unpacks China’s strategy towards Australia, an influential, democratic middle power that maintains strong economic ties to China and a security alliance with the United States. How has Beijing used economic coercion and inducements to try and sway Australian policy? Why has Australian public opinion turned sharply against China? And why has Australia come to see Chinese actions in the South China Sea and the Taiwan Strait – thousands of miles from the Australian coast – as a threat to Australia’s national security?

19 Feb

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50 min
5 MAR

8

Understanding Chinese Power

In this episode of Pekingology, CSIS Senior Fellow Henrietta Levin is joined by Zoe Liu, Fellow in China Studies with the Council on Foreign Relations. They discuss Zoe’s new Foreign Affairs piece, China’s Long Economic War: How Beijing Builds Leverage for Indefinite Competition. Zoe offers a new framework for understanding China’s national power, evaluating the country’s evolving capacity, capital, character, and credibility.

5 Mar

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51 min
18 MAR

9

Trump Attacks Starmer And The BBC As Iran War Splits NATO

On this episode of Talk War, former White House official Matthew Bryza and ex-US Army Europe commander Ben Hodges join the show as tensions escalate between Washington and London over the Iran conflict. With Donald Trump publicly attacking the BBC, comparing Keir Starmer unfavourably to Winston Churchill and accusing Britain of weakening the “special relationship”, the debate turns to whether the transatlantic alliance is entering dangerous territory. Matthew Bryza warns that Trump’s strategy in Iran appears increasingly chaotic, arguing the president expected a quick regime collapse but underestimated the complexity of Iran’s internal power structure and the likelihood of retaliation. He says the conflict is also fracturing Trump’s own political base in the United States, with many prominent MAGA figures opposing another foreign war. Retired Lieutenant General Ben Hodges offers a stark military assessment, saying Britain’s armed forces still have world-class quality but no longer have the scale to match it after decades of underinvestment. He also explains why NATO remains critical to US security despite Trump’s criticisms, and why European allies are reluctant to follow Washington into a war whose objectives remain unclear. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

18 Mar

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21 min
24 MAR

10

Did Trump blink first - and is he really beating Iran?

On this episode of Talk, Colonel James Sunderland, Greg Swenson, and Matthew Syed joined Kevin O'Sullivan to discuss the latest developments for the UK, U.S. and Iran as the Gulf Crisis continues. Three weeks after the RAF Akrotiri was hit by an Iranian missile, the HMS Dragon finally arrived in Cyprus. Col. James discusses the systemic failures that have contributed to the decline of a naval force, Keir Starmer's wobbly commitment to an increase in defence budget, and his reluctance to comment on the risk of a British strike from Iran. And after Donald Trump threatened Iran with a 48-hour deadline - and then delayed it - it looks increasingly like the U.S. President doesn't have control of the situation. Kevin debates Trump's handling of the crisis with Republicans Overseas UK chair Greg Swenson, and Times columnist Matthew Syed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

24 Mar

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25 min

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