Sounds Strategic

Podcast host Meia Nouwens is joined by IISS experts Veerle Nouwens, Morgan Michaels and Darshana Baruah to reflect on the 22nd IISS Shangri-La Dialogue, which was held on 30 May–1 June 2025. 

Meia, Veerle, Morgan and Darshana discuss key takeaways and topics include: 

• US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and his landmark speech on the US’ new ambitions for the Indo-Pacific; 
• President Macron’s proposal for g...

In this Sounds Strategic episode, podcast host Meia Nouwens is joined by Veerle Nouwens, Evan A. Laksmana and Nick Childs to discuss the upcoming 22nd IISS Shangri La Dialogue, which will be held in Singapore from 30 May–1 June. 

This year’s dialogue is held against the backdrop of Russia’s ongoing war of aggression against Ukraine, an intense US trade and tariff war with China, heightened tensions between India and ...

Europe’s defence posture is evolving rapidly — but is the pace of change sustainable? In this episode, IISS experts examine global and regional defence spending trends, the EU’s emerging industrial initiatives and the implications of Germany’s policy shift. 

Host Meia Nouwens is joined by Fenella McGerty, Ester Sabatino and Ben Schreer to discuss whether current trends represent a pivot in European strategic capability or i...

Podcast host Meia Nouwens is joined by Dr Nigel Gould-Davies, Dr Maria Shagina and Franz-Stefan Gady to discuss the recent developments in Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. 

Almost three years to the date of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, a new US administration has drastically changed the course of events. President Trump has signaled a desire for the war to end, and for the US’ attention to focus on strategic p...

In this episode of Sounds Strategic, we explore the main takeaways from the 20th IISS Manama Dialogue, held in Bahrain from 6 to 8 December 2024. IISS host Meia Nouwens is joined by experts Air Marshal (Retd) Martin ‘Sammy’  Sampson, Dr Irene Mia and Dr Hasan Alhasan to discuss to their views on the themes that emerged from the Dialogue ranging from conflict resolution to post-conflict reconstruction. 

The IISS...

In this podcast episode, Meia Nouwens is joined by Dr Ben Schreer, Fenella McGerty, Tom Waldwyn and Ester Sabatino to discuss the status and future trajectory of European defence and look back on the main take-aways from the IISS Prague Defence Summit. 

Meia, Ben, Fenella, Tom and Ester analyse the trends in European and NATO defence spending and what’s next given the Trump election victory in the recent US presidential ele...

In this episode of Sounds Strategic, podcast host Meia Nouwens is joined by Emile Hokayem, Hasan Alhasan and Fabian Hinz to discuss the ongoing developments in the Middle East.

One year after 7 October, the speakers share their insights on the regional developments – from the status of the war in Gaza to the broadening of Israel’s operations in the region. The IISS experts discuss the strategic calculations behind Israel’s ...

In this episode of Sounds Strategic, podcast host Meia Nouwens is joined by Douglas Barrie and Timothy Wright to discuss the return of long-range US missiles to Europe. 

Amid Russia's war of aggression in Ukraine and following Russian violations of arms control measures, Washington and Berlin have announced they would begin episodic deployments of conventionally-armed surface-to-surface missiles. IISS experts Douglas B...

In this latest episode, host Meia Nouwens, IISS Senior Fellow for Chinese Security and Defence Policy, is joined by IISS experts Henry Boyd, Fenella McGerty and Karl Dewey to dissect the critical outcomes of the NATO Leaders Summit held in Washington DC.  

The discussion navigates through the latest trends in NATO defence spending, the need for greater budget transparency, and the pressing challenges the alliance faces...

Host Meia Nouwens is joined by IISS experts Dr Bastian Giegerich, Veerle Nouwens, Dr Ben Schreer and Morgan Michaels to discuss the key themes and takeaways from the 21st Shangri-La Dialogue. 

The episode delves into the proliferation of new partnership formats amidst the strategic competition between the US and China. The discussion also features analyses of the keynote speeches by President Marcos of the Philippines and...

Podcast host Meia Nouwens is joined by IISS experts Evan A. Laksmana, Julia Voo, Nick Childs and Viraj Solanki to discuss the upcoming IISS Shangri-La Dialogue.

This year's Dialogue comes after a turbulent year in the Indo-Pacific. US-China competition is ongoing and both countries continue to promote their competing offers to the Indo-Pacific region. Small and medium powers in the region remain committed to forging independent ...

In the first Sounds Strategic episode of 2024, host Meia Nouwens is joined by Veerle Nouwens, Dr Evan A. Laksmana and Timothy Wright to discuss the Indo-Pacific security landscape. The IISS experts explore the developments in the US-China relationship, Southeast Asian military modernisation plans in response to growing Chinese assertiveness, and the impact of recent elections in the region. Meia, Veerle, Evan and Tim also discuss t...

The IISS celebrated the 20th anniversary of its IISS Shangri-La Dialogue on 2-4 June and underlined the prime importance of in-person defence diplomacy in the region and beyond.  

In this episode of Sounds Strategic, guest host James Crabtree, Executive Director, IISS–Asia, is joined by IISS experts Dr Bastian Giegerich, Dr Nigel Gould-Davies, Dr Evan A. Laksmana and Veerle Nouwens to share their reflections and key ...

At a time of ever-greater focus on the geopolitical and security dynamics of the Asia-Pacific, the importance of in-person debate among the region’s key actors is greater than ever. In the latest episode of Sounds Strategic, host Meia Nouwens is joined by James Crabtree, Dr Lynn Kuok, Aaron Connelly and Dr Ben Schreer to discuss the themes and topics at the upcoming IISS Shangri-La Dialogue, which will take place in Singapore on 2–...

In the latest episode of Sounds Strategic, Meia Nouwens is joined by to Euan Graham and Nick Childs to discuss Australia’s relationship with China, and what role AUKUS plays in Australia’s defence and alliance policy settings.   

The speakers assess Australia’s policy towards China following a souring of bilateral relations and discuss what AUKUS aims to achieve in the shot and medium terms. They also touch on pot...

Since the start of Russia’s war against Ukraine, the world has witnessed unprecedented sanctions against Russia, and military and humanitarian support for Ukraine against a backdrop of ongoing military campaigns and loss of civilian life. In this new Sounds Strategic episode, host Meia Nouwens is joined by Dr Nigel Gould-Davies, Maria Shagina and Franz Stefan-Gady to discuss geopolitical, economic and military takeaways from the pa...

Two conflicts mark a new fault line in geopolitics. The West’s withdrawal from Afghanistan ended the two-decade ‘war on terror’. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine six months later began the first major European war since 1945 – reshaping security, driving innovation in economic statecraft and testing Russia’s cohesion. This podcast episode marks the launch of Strategic Survey 2022 with a discussion about the main themes and trends ...

Geopolitical competition is an increasingly common feature of armed conflicts around the world. From Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to competing regional influences in Yemen, regional contests in Mozambique and climate-change mitigation efforts across continents. This podcast episode marks the launch of The Armed Conflict Survey 2022 with a discussion about the global conflict landscape and the conflict trends and developments t...

In this episode, Sounds Strategic podcast host Meia Nouwens is joined by IISS expert Nigel Inkster, Senior Adviser for Cyber Security and China, to discuss the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, which took place mid-October in Beijing. The event was widely anticipated to cement Xi Jinping's third term in power. 

Meia and Nigel discuss their reflections, including the following topics: 

• Xi Ji...