Tag Archives: Militarism

Ever since Russia attacked Ukraine, there have been predictions that the normative order against aggressive war was under threat. Then the US and Israel attacked Iran. Numerous scholars have predicted this would encourage China to attack Taiwan. The normative restrictions on war are loosening and the US is distracted and hence not able to help defend Taiwan. But two clear developments challenge this prediction. Russia, after 4 full years of war, is not likely to win this war anytime soon. And the US, despite the President’s continual assertions that it has won the war, clearly has not. Technology such as drone warfare might be a reason. Defensive tactics could be another. So on today’s show, we will explore the future of warfare in light of the Russian and American wars and their current lack of success. [ dur: 1h18m ]

Yvonne Chiu is a Jeane Kirkpatrick Visiting Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and serves on the board of directors for the International Society for Military Ethics. She is the author of “Strategic Ambiguity Out of Balance: Updating an Outdated Taiwan Policy” in The Strategy Bridge.
David McCourt, Professor of Sociology at the University of California, Davis. He is the author of The Dragon Defined: How Washington, Canberra, and London Reimagined China.
Ricardo A. Crespo is Associate Professor of Political Science and the chair of the Political Economy Department at Grossmont College. He is the author of “Currency Warfare and Cyberwarfare” in Comparative Politics, and “Currency Warfare and Just War” in the Journal of Military Ethics.
Robert Williams Professor of Political Science at Pepperdine University. He is the author of Seeking Security in an Insecure World, with Dan Caldwell.

We are live in front of an audience at the International Studies Association’s West Regional meetings in Pasadena, California.

This program is produced by Doug Becker, Maria Armoudian, Ankine Aghassian, Anna Lapin and Sudd Dongre.

Politics and Activism, Governance / Law, War / Weapons, Diplomacy, Militarism, Russia, Ukraine, United States, China, Iran

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Scholars' Circle Interviews

Scholars’ Circle – Protesting for the Disappeared in Mexico and US Guns Supply Mexican Gangs – July 19, 2026

July 20, 2026 host

At games played for the World Cup in Mexico, protesters have lined the stadium on behalf of Mexico’s disappeared. It is estimated that 135,000 people have disappeared in Mexico and there has been no accounting of them.

Desapardcidos - Disappeared poster wall showing people missing in Mexico in Mexico City during June of 2026 — Desapardcidos protests by families of the missing during World Cup in Mexico City. Photo by D. Mora.

Their families and loved ones want to know where they are or what happened. So we will explore this issue. Why has the number of disappeared surged in recent years in Mexico? Who are the disappeared? And what has the protest at games meant for a global public whose attention is on the country and are just learning of these disappeared. [ dur: 31mins. ]

David Mora is Senior Analyst for Mexico with the International Crisis Group. He researches organised crime, violence, corruption and conflict. He has worked for VICE News, NBC News, ProPublica and The Atlantic. He has won prestigious awards for his coverage of migration, criminal violence and corruption in Mexico. He is the author of Mexico Struggles for Security under White House Duress and Killing of Mexican Cartel Boss Brings Diplomatic Victory and Domestic Mayhem

Beyond asylum seekers heading north, the problems of US/Mexico Border are also about the flow of guns and drugs. How can we understand the totality of problems related to the US southern border? What are the solutions? [ dur: 27mins. ]

Book cover : Exit Wounds, how America's Guns Fuels Violence across the border

We speak with Ieva Jusionyte, author of a new book Exit Wounds: How America’s Guns Fuel Violence Across the Border. [ dur: 26mins. ].

Note: This is an excerpt from the interview made in May, 2024. You can hear the full interview here.

Ieva Jusionyte is a legal and medical anthropologist and associate professor at Brown University. She is also the author of award-winning ethnography Threshold: Emergency Responders on the US-Mexico Border. She has been studying borders, violence, and security in Latin America and the United States for over fifteen years.

This program is produced by Ankine Aghassian, Doug Becker and Sudd Dongre.

Politics and Activism, Human Rights, Gun Lobby, Militarism, Mexico, Borders

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Scholars' Circle Interviews

Scholars’ Circle – Book Author Interview – Exit Wounds : How Americas Guns Fuel Violence Across the Border – January 4, 2026

January 9, 2026 host

We speak with Ieva Jusionyte the author of a new book Exit Wounds: How America’s Guns Fuel Violence Across the Border. [ dur: 58mins. ]

Ieva Jusionyte is a legal and medical anthropologist and associate professor at Brown University. She is also the author of award-winning ethnography Threshold: Emergency Responders on the US-Mexico Border. She has been studying borders, violence, and security in Latin America and the United States for over fifteen years.

This interview was recorded May, 2024

This program is produced by Doug Becker, Ankine Aghassian, Maria Armoudian and Sudd Dongre.

Politics and Activism, Arms Trade, Gun Lobby, Militarism, Mexico, United States, Borders

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Scholars' Circle Interviews

Scholars’ Circle – Private Military Corporations and State responsibilities – July 14, 2024

July 14, 2024 host

Private Military Corporations have become a growing element of the warfighting landscape. States have historically had a monopoly on the use of military force. But private corporations challenge this monopoly. How much do they increase the lethality and likelihood of war? How much can private corporations be regulated? And what are the challenges to regulation? We explore the political, military, legal, and socioeconomic implications of private military corporations. [ dur: 58mins. ]

Ori Swed is Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Social Work at Texas Tech University. He is the editor of The Sociology of Privatized Security with Thomas Crosby. He is the author of “The Afghanistan War’s Legacy: The Reimagining of the Outsourcing of War and Security” and “No Accounting for Bad Contracting: Private Military and Security Contracts and Ineffective Regulation in Conflict Areas“
Sorcha MacLeod is an Associate Professor at the University of Copenhagen and member of the United Nations Working Group on the use of Mercenaries. She is the author of Certifying Private Security Companies: Effectively Ensuring the Corporate Responsibility to Respect Human Rights?, Defining private security accountability and Regulating human rights in the context of outsourcing military logistics and armed security.
Christopher Kinsey is Lecturer in the Defence Studies Department at King’s College London. He is the author of International Law and the Control of Mercenaries and Private Military Companies, Turning war into business: Private security companies and commercial opportunism and the book Corporate Soldiers and International Security: The Rise of Private Military Companies
Anna Leander is Professor and Chair of the International Relations and Political Science Department at the Geneva Graduate Institute. She is the author of The Power to Construct International Security: On the Significance of Private Military Companies and Militarization matters: rhetorical resonances and market militarism. She is co-editor of Handbook of Private Military-Security Companies with Rita Abrahamsen.

This interview was recorded in July 2023.

This program is produced by Doug Becker, Ankine Aghassian, Maria Armoudian and Sudd Dongre.

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Scholars’ Circle – Sudan’s war between it’s Generals ; Wars in perspective – May 7, 2023

May 7, 2023 host

In April, war broke out in Sudan. How much is the war driven by a power battle between two generals and how much is it embedded in the relationship between Khartoum and marginalized areas of the nation? We explore the recent events, the political and military context of the war, and the prospects for a resolution.[ dur: 31mins. ]

Kon K. Madut is Part-time Professor of Political Studies in the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Ottawa. He is the author of Why did governance and institutional establishments fail in Sudan and South Sudan? and Ethnic Mobilization, Armaments, and South Sudan’s Quest for Sustainable Peace.

Then, scholars note that the world is waging fewer wars, but that the wars that are waged are more brutal and intractable.[ dur: 27mins. ]

This segment was recorded 2013, hosted by Maria Armoudian.

George A. Lopez is the Rev. Theodore M. Hesburgh, C.S.C., Professor Emeritus of Peace Studies at the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies. He is the editor of The Sanctions Enterprise: Assessing a Quarter-Century of UN Action for Peace, Security and Human Rights.
Ervin Staub is Professor of Psychology at the University of Massettuces, Amherst. He is the author of The Psychology of Good and Evil: Why Children, Adults, and Groups Help and Harm Others.
Norrin M. Ripsman is Monroe J. Rathbone Professor in the International Relations Department at Lehigh University. He is the author of Peacemaking from Above, Peace from Below: States, Societies, and Peace Between Regional Rivals and the co-editor of The Political Economy of Regional Peacemaking.

This program is produced by Ankine Aghassian, Doug Becker, Melissa Chiprin, Mihika Chechi, and Sudd Dongre.

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Scholars’ Circle – Israel’s occupation policies challenges its commitment to democracy and human rights – May 30, 2021

May 29, 2021 host

What does the continued occupation and discrimination against its Palestinian population mean for Israeli identity as a democratic nation? What exactly is Israel’s relationship with the world’s Jewish population? And what precisely is the ideology of Zionism? Hosted by Doug Becker. [ dur:58mins. ]

Mira Sucharov is Professor of Political Science and University Chair of Teaching Innovation in the Department of Political Science at Carlton University. She is the author of The International Self: Psychoanalysis and the Search for Israeli-Palestinian Peace and co-editor (with Aaron J. Hahn Tapper) of Social Justice and Israel/Palestine: Foundational & Contemporary Debates.
Brent Sasley is Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Texas, Arlington. He is the author of the book Politics in Israel: Governing a Complex Society and the book chapter “The End of Oslo and The Second Intifada, 2000-2005.”
Joshua Shanes is Associate Professor of Jewish Studies and Director of Arnold Center for Israel Studies at College of Charleston. He is the author of Diaspora Nationalism and Jewish Identity in Habsburg Galicia. And is the co-author of the article We Need a Better Definition for Ant-Semitism.

Produced by the Scholars’ Circle team: Ankine Aghassian, Melissa Chiprin and Sudd Dongre.

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Scholars’ Circle – Pandemic in times of Military occupation in Kashmir -/- Just War in the age of Military privatization – Aug 2, 2020

August 1, 2020 host

First, the difficulties of life under military occupation and a pandemic for the people of Kashmir. [ dur: 18 mins. ]

Mona Bhan is Ford Maxwell Chair of South Asian Studies in the Department of Anthropology at Syracuse University. She is the author of Counterinsurgency, Development, and the Politics of Identity: From Warfare to Welfare? and co-editor of Resisting Occupation in Kashmir, with scholars from the Critical Kashmir Studies collective.

Next, we revisit how privatization of militaries is compromising international conduct, and affecting international law and ethics in honour of Amy Eckert, who passed away this past week. She is the author of Outsourcing War: Just War tradition in the age of military privatization. [ dur: 39 mins. ]

Amy Eckert is Professor of Political Science at the Metropolitan State University of Denver where she teaches and studies international ethics and international law. Her books include The Future of Just War: New Critical Essays and, her latest, Outsourcing War: Just War Tradition in the Age of Military Privatization.

This program is produced by the following team members: Ankine Aghassian, Melissa Chiprin, Tim Page, Mike Hurst and Sudd Dongre.

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Scholars’ Circle – Advance Men and Women of Presidential Campaigns -/- Use of private military by Nation States – February 10, 2019

February 9, 2019 host

First, a look behind the presidential campaign events with one of the top advance men. How do Advance people shape what we see in mass media? Steven Jacques, author of Advance Man. [ dur: 19 mins. ]

Steven Jacques is author and former Advance team leader for the White House and presidential campaigns. He is the author of Advance Man.

Then, how is the privatization of military activities compromising international conduct in conflict? What does it mean for international law and ethics in conflict? We look at the multi-billion dollar private military industry. Amy Eckert is the author of Outsourcing War: Just War Tradition in the Age of Military Privatization. [ dur: 37mins. ]

Amy Eckert is Professor of Political Science at the Metropolitan State University of Denver where she teaches and studies international ethics and international law. Her books include The Future of Just War: New Critical Essays and, her latest, Outsourcing War: Just War Tradition in the Age of Military Privatization.

This program is produced with contributions from the following volunteers: Ankine Aghassian, Melissa Chiprin, Anaïs Amin, Tim Page, Mike Hurst and Sudd Dongre.

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Scholars' Circle Interviews

Scholars’ Circle – Inside Look at Presidential Campaign Events -/- Use of Private Military in International Conflicts – October 29, 2017

October 28, 2017 host

First, a look behind the presidential campaign events with one of the top advance men. How do Advance people shape what we see in mass media? Steven Jacques, author of Advance Man. [ dur: 19 mins. ]

Steven Jacques is author and former Advance team leader for the White House and presidential campaigns. He is the author of Advance Man.

Amy Eckert is Professor of Political Science at the Metropolitan State University of Denver where she teaches and studies international ethics and international law. Her books include “The Future of Just War: New Critical Essays” and, her latest, “Outsourcing War: Just War Tradition in the Age of Military Privatization“.

This program is produced with generous contribution from Ankine Aghassian, Melissa Chiprin, Tim Page, Mike Hurst and Sudd Dongre.

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Scholars’ Circle- Leadership for democracies-/-Privatized Military affects conflict ethics – April 3rd, 2016

April 2, 2016 host

First, our guest argues that strong leaders are not necessarily the best leaders, particularly for democracies. What does history tell us about the best kind of leader for society? We are joined by Professor Archie Brown author of The Myth of the Strong Leader: Political Leadership in the Modern Age. This is part one of a two part interview. [ dur: 21mins. ]

Archie Brown is Professor Emeritus of Politics at Oxford University. His books include “The Myth of the Strong Leader: Political Leadership in the Modern Age“, “The Gorbachev Factor” and “The Rise and Fall of Communism“.

How is the privatization of military activities compromising international conduct in conflict? What does it mean for international law and ethics in conflict? We look at the multi-billion dollar private military industry. Amy Eckert is the author of Outsourcing War: Just War Tradition in the Age of Military Privatization. [ dur: 37mins. ]

Amy Eckert is Professor of Political Science at the Metropolitan State University of Denver where she teaches and studies international ethics and international law. Her books include “The Future of Just War: New Critical Essays” and, her latest, “Outsourcing War: Just War Tradition in the Age of Military Privatization“.

Find book authored by our guest scholars on this Book Shelf .

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The Scholars' Circle Interviews

Tag Archives: Militarism

Scholars’ Circle – We Explore the Future of Warfare – October 4, 2026

Scholars’ Circle – Protesting for the Disappeared in Mexico and US Guns Supply Mexican Gangs – July 19, 2026

Scholars’ Circle – Book Author Interview – Exit Wounds : How Americas Guns Fuel Violence Across the Border – January 4, 2026

Scholars’ Circle – Sudan’s war between it’s Generals ; Wars in perspective – May 7, 2023

Scholars’ Circle – Israel’s occupation policies challenges its commitment to democracy and human rights – May 30, 2021

Scholars’ Circle – Pandemic in times of Military occupation in Kashmir -/- Just War in the age of Military privatization – Aug 2, 2020

Scholars’ Circle – Advance Men and Women of Presidential Campaigns -/- Use of private military by Nation States – February 10, 2019

Scholars’ Circle – Inside Look at Presidential Campaign Events -/- Use of Private Military in International Conflicts – October 29, 2017

Scholars’ Circle- Leadership for democracies-/-Privatized Military affects conflict ethics – April 3rd, 2016

By Maria Armoudian