War Studies

In this third episode of The Helsinki Brief: Inside Finnish Intelligence and Security, Dr Paul McGarr (King’s College London) is joined again by Hannamiina Tanninen of the Finnish Security and Intelligence Service (SUPO) to explore Finland’s 'comprehensive security' model — a point of reference in international debates on resilience.

They unpack what “comprehensive security” means in practice: an all-of-society approach designed to keep Finland functioning as normally as possible during crises, from major disruptions and natural disasters to heightened security threats. The conversation looks at how the model is embedded across government, the private sector and civil society — and why joint exercises, consultation and coordination are central to making it work.

The episode also looks at the foundations that make this approach work in Finland — including high public trust, the welfare state, a broad-based education system and mandatory conscription — as well as the role of the National Emergency Supply Agency. Finally, the discussion considers which elements of the Finnish model might be transferable elsewhere — and which are rooted in Finland’s specific history, size and social cohesion.

Hannamiina Tanninen is a doctoral researcher at the National Defence University in Finland, researching on modelling the strategic environment of the Finnish security of supply system with emphasis on defining economic intelligence and economic security in intelligence studies. She is also a visiting researcher at Imperial College London.

In this episode, Colin Smith, co-ordinator of the UN Security Council’s 1267/1988 Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team, joins Tim Willasey-Wilsey, King’s Visiting Professor, Graham Aikin, PhD researcher at King’s, and Dr Paul McGarr, Lecturer in Intelligence Studies, to examine Afghanistan nearly 25 years after 9/11 and assess whether it is again becoming a base for international terrorism under Taliban rule.

The discussion explores the presence of groups such as al-Qaeda, ISIL-K and regional militants, the Taliban’s internal dynamics, and how the global terrorist threat has become more fragmented and decentralised. It also considers evolving radicalisation pathways, the role of new technologies and the challenges facing Western counterterrorism policy.

Further reading:
1. UN Security Council 1267 Sanctions Monitoring Team Reports: https://bit.ly/4fAnGs3
2. UN Security Council 1988 Sanctions Monitoring Team Reports: https://bit.ly/4dzibc5
3. The British and 9/11: So Near and Yet So Far by Tim Willasey-Wilsey: https://bit.ly/3RGzmzH
4. 'Not your fathers Afghanistan': Has the West taken its eye off the al-Qaeda ball? by Graham Aikin: https://bit.ly/49Jgk1O
5. Operation Enduring Sentinel and Other U.S. Government Activities Related to Afghanistan: https://bit.ly/49Azp6v

In this episode, Dr Nafees Hamid speaks with Dr Craig Larkin (Research Lead on Memory and Conflict for the XCEPT research programme), Dr Clara Voyvodic (Lecturer in Peace Studies at the University of Bradford), and Maria El Sammak (XCEPT Research Assistant and King's College London MA student in the War Studies department) about the powerful and often divisive role of nostalgia in global politics.

As populist leaders from the United States to Turkey increasingly harness nostalgic sentiment to mobilise political support, this episode explores whether this longing for the past is a harmless comfort or a driver of division. Drawing on research on “The Golden Age" of Lebanon, rebel governance in Colombia, The Troubles in Northern Ireland and beyond, the conversation reveals how collective nostalgia can foster intolerance and nativism. Together, they examine why the future can feel so precarious and whether art can help us imagine a more inclusive path forward.

This episode is produced as part of the XCEPT programme, which seeks to understand the drivers of violent and peaceful behaviour in conflict-affected populations and to support practical solutions for peace. Learn more at www.xcept-research.org.

Image credit: RORY NUGENT.com / Shutterstock.com. British Army patrol with neighbourhood kids in West Belfast, Northern Ireland (February 25th 1994)

In the second edition of the King’s College London War Studies War Stories podcast miniseries, hosted by King’s alumni Rupert Lane and Nick Denning (War Studies, 2002-2005), Ru and Nick speak to Jamie Irwin (War Studies, 2000-2003), who served with the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards in Afghanistan on HERRICK 14, with the British Army, having previously served in Iraq on TELIC 12.

Ru and Nick take a deep dive into the high intensity counter-insurgency conflict in Helmand, Afghanistan, 2011, through the eyes of an armoured commander (Warthog Group).

They delve into the challenges Jamie’s unit faced fighting the Taliban in the Afghan summer covering the experience ofarmoured warfare, through tactics, morale and combat, working in a hostile environment with a civilian population just trying to survive.

Further Reading:
1. BBC Documentary: Fighting on the Frontline: War Wagons
https://bit.ly/48uJdhG

Key Locations Described:
· Zumbalay, Adin Za’i, FOB Price (Gereshk), Lashkar Gah, Nad E’Ali

In May 2025 Ella Baron, a political cartoonist at The Guardian, travelled to Ukraine to record and reflect on the human impact of war. In collaboration with NGO Médecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), Ella met patients in a rehabilitation centre for war veterans in Cherkasy and a mental health clinic for internally displaced families in Vinnytsia. The Art & Conflict Hub is currently hosting an exhibition of the artwork Ella produced at the Arcade in Bush House until the end of April 2026, exploring the complex marks war leaves on the human body and mind.

In this episode of the War Studies Podcast, Ella discusses her work as a political cartoonist and the exhibition "Battles of the Mind" with Dr Henry Redwood, co-convener for the MA in Political and Strategic Communications, and co-lead of the Art and Conflict Hub at the Department for War Studies.

Experience "Battles of the Mind" at King’s: https://bit.ly/4m33AIe

You can find below the full Guardian article, and links to Ella's socials: https://bit.ly/4m6GQHv
X: @ebaroncartoons
IG: @ella_baron