Westminster Round-Up | April 2020

27 April 2020

Liam Walpole and Megan Karlshoej-Pedersen discuss the latest defence and security developments in UK politics. This month the two talk about how the COVID-19 pandemic could impact the forthcoming integrated review and the recent election of Sir Keir Starmer as Labour Party leader.

Music by BenSound.

Image credit: UK Parliament/Flickr.

About the discussants

Liam Walpole is the Policy Manager at ORG's Remote Warfare Programme.

Megan Karlshoej-Pedersen is the Research and Policy Officer at ORG's Remote Warfare Programme.

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Sustainable Security: Defining, Measuring and Building Security after Covid-19

This article makes the case for Sustainable Security, incorporating a broader range of risk drivers and responses than the national security approach. Embracing this would be an opportunity for the UK to strategise a more secure society and world after Covid-19.
WarPod Ep #17 | Remote Warfare and Private Military and Security Contractors

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WarPod Ep #16 | The Remote Warfare Paradox

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WarPod Ep #14 | COVID-19 and the Prospects for Peace in Somalia

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This article discusses what direction Labour's security polices could take under Keir Starmer's leadership.

The Role of Youth in Peacebuilding: Challenges and Opportunities

Young people are frequently ‘othered’ in discussions about conflict. This is a dangerous practice as youths can play a very positive role aiding peacebuilding in societies recovering from conflict.
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Oxford Research Group (ORG) is an independent organisation that has been influential for for nearly four decades in pioneering new, more strategic approaches to security and peacebuilding. Based in London since 2006, ORG continues to pursue cutting edge research and advocacy in the United Kingdom and abroad while managing innovative peacebuilding projects in several Middle Eastern countries.
Remote Warfare: Lessons Learned from Contemporary Theatres

This report is a first attempt to identify some of the factors that have helped or hindered the UK’s current approach to remote warfare.
Weavers of Peace: The Higaonon Tribe in the Philippines

The Higaonon, an indigenous tribe in Northern Mindanao in the southern Philippines, have preserved an ancient system of conflict resolution which has enabled them to be a truly peaceful community. However, there is a need to ensure that this knowledge is not lost in the future.
The Cyprus Problem: Why Solve a Comfortable Conflict?

Several diplomatic efforts have been made both domestically and internationally to enhance peaceful unity since the start of the Cyprus Problem. Despite the shortcomings of past efforts, it is still desirable not only to resolve the issue, but also to do so in a timely manner.
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Over the past two decades, the United Nations Security Council has responded more strongly to some humanitarian crises than to others. This variation in Security Council action raises the important question of what factors motivate United Nations intervention.
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The Expanding Role of Chinese Peacekeeping in Africa

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