Sounds Strategic

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...

Taiwan has been at the forefront of geopolitical concern in Asia and beyond, following Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taipei and the string of military exercises conducted by China in early August. Podcast guest host James Crabtree is joined by IISS experts Meia Nouwens, Franz-Stefan Gady and Henry Boyd to discuss the recent developments. 

Topics the speakers address in this episode: 

• Taiwan’s politic...

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 episode of Sounds Strategic, host Meia Nouwens is joined by four IISS experts to discuss the past six months, and what’s next in terms of military operations, political strategies and econ...

NATO held its Madrid summit on 28-30 June 2022 against the backdrop of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine and the signing of an accession protocol for Finland and Sweden to join the alliance. Podcast host Meia Nouwens is joined by IISS experts to discuss the adoption of the new Strategic Concept, its ambitions and challenges. 

Meia Nouwens and IISS experts Dr Bastian Giegerich, William Alberque, Dr Simona So...

The IISS Shangri-La Dialogue was back with a bang earlier this month and underlined the prime importance of in-person defence diplomacy. In the second part of our reflections, guest host James Crabtree is joined by IISS colleagues Dr Lynn Kuok, Dr Euan Graham and Aaron Connelly to discuss Asia’s premium defence summit and what stood out for them.

Topics include:  

• First plenary speech by Lloyd J. Austin III,...

The IISS Shangri-La Dialogue was back with a bang earlier this month and underlined the prime importance of in-person defence diplomacy. For the first time a crisis in Europe loomed large over Asia’s premier security summit, which took place in Singapore on 10-12 June 2022.  

Guest host James Crabtree is joined by IISS colleagues William Alberque, Nigel Gould-Davies, Meia Nouwens and Yuka Koshino to share their exper...

It’s back! Asia’s premier security summit, the IISS Shangri-La Dialogue, will take place in Singapore on 10–12 June 2022. In this episode, guest host James Crabtree, Executive Director IISS-Asia, is joined by IISS colleagues Meia Nouwens, IISS Senior Fellow for Chinese Defence Policy and Military Modernisation, and Aaron Connelly, Senior Fellow for Southeast Asian Politics and Foreign Policy, to discuss themes and topics of the upc...

Russia invaded Ukraine on 24 February 2022 and it remains an ongoing war. In this new Sounds Strategic episode, host Meia Nouwens is joined by Dr Nigel Gould-Davies, William Alberque and Franz-Stefan Gady to discuss the conflict through military, economic and political lenses.

Meia and her guests address some of the most pressing questions in the international security community, share their observations on past and future ...

France, Germany, the UK, the Netherlands and the European Union have published Indo-Pacific strategies, all of which foresee a greater economic, political and security relationship with the region. Military engagement of European powers in the maritime domain has received significant attention in 2021, following the deployment of the US, UK and Netherlands navies in the Carrier Strike Group 2021 voyage, the deploymen...

In this episode, host Meia Nouwens is joined by Sir Tom Beckett, Dr. Hasan al Hasan and Camille Lons to discuss the key themes from the 17th IISS Manama Dialogue, which was held in Bahrain From the 19th to the 21st of November 2021.  

The Manama Dialogue is an annual international security and regional diplomatic summit held in Bahrain that brings together high level representa...

From a cooperation deficit to the prospect of conflict over Taiwan, Strategic Survey 2021 outlines the wide array of challenges faced by the international rules-based order, and shows that great-power competition is becoming more prevalent and complex.

To mark the launch of the annual flagship publication and discuss the main themes and topics, host Meia Nouwens is joined by

• Dr Nigel Gould-Davies | Editor, Strat...