War Studies

Prime Minister appoints King's Senior Research Fellow to The House of Lords as Labour peer | King's College London Dr Sophy Antrobus MBE appointed to the House of Lords as Labour peer

Congratulations to FASI's Senior Research Fellow & Co-Director, @sophyantrobus.bsky.social who has been appointed to the House of Lords as a Labour peer.

Dr Sophy Antrobus will join the House of Lords to debate & shape UK legislation and Government policy.

⬇️
www.kcl.ac.uk/news/prime-m...

Following the release of 'Abiding Influence' earlier this month, it was wonderful to hold my book launch event last Friday evening, chaired by Dr Nicola Leveringhaus at King's College London @warstudieskcl.bsky.social

@stanfordpress.bsky.social @mngupbooks.bsky.social

📜 2025 Sir Michael Howard Annual Lecture - Resistance: The Underground War in Europe, 1939-1945

📅 03 Dec | 📍Bush House

Dr Halik Kochanski will explain how and why all across Nazi-occupied Europe some people decided to resist the Third Reich.

🎟️ RSVP: ow.ly/Bbne50X5C5l

📢 Join the public launch of the new CBRN Disinformation Tracker - an interactive resource demonstrating disinformation's impact on WMD disarmament debates

Developed by King's Dr @filippalentzos.bsky.social & Dr Gemma Bowsher

📅 20 Oct 2025
🕒 15.00 GMT | 10.00 EST
🔗 bit.ly/4hrUgM1

It’s early in the academic year, but I may have peaked. Yesterday, I led on the delivery of a new @warstudieskcl.bsky.social course, Strategic Intelligence for Senior Executives, alongside Emergent Risk International. Engaging F2F with global business leaders was informative & huge fun.
@kcsi.uk

And the Brazilians Arrived | Love, Loss & Humanity in WWII This documentary is directed by Dr Vinicius Mariano de Carvalho, Reader in Brazilian and Latin American Studies at King's College London. Three years after the start of World War II, in 1942, Brazil ended its neutrality and declared war on the Axis. Brazil then decided to send troops to fight alongside the Allies, and began preparing what would become known as the Brazilian Expeditionary Force (FEB). 25,834 Brazilians from all regions of the country were quickly recruited and trained, and in August 1944, they were deployed to Italy. Shortly thereafter, they were already engaged in combat in the Apennines. Among them, 457 gave their lives for the values of democracy and freedom. Through interviews with those who lived alongside Brazilian soldiers, this documentary recall both the moments of pain and the moments of collaboration that the war brought. Mario Pereira recalls his father's arrival in Italy and the devastation of the war. His mother, Giuliana Menichini, tells us how their love story began. Iolanda Marata and Vanna Fedi recount the months spent living with Brazilian soldiers and how this exchange brought them joy and hope, at a time when nothing was certain. Claudio Careli reminds us how important it is not to forget the past, and Antonio Inham, a Brazilian Veteran known as Toninho, takes us back to the painful moments of the landing in Italy and the fighting in the Apennines. This film is not about the battles and military actions of these soldiers, but about what they brought as human beings to Italy and its people. It's a film about love and humanity, even during the cruelties of war.

🎬 And the Brazilians Arrived – A story of love, humanity & resilience in #WWII.

In 1942, Brazil sent 25,000 soldiers to Italy. This film recalls not battles, but the bonds of solidarity, love and hope they shared with the Italian people.

▶️ Watch now: bit.ly/41OU7LQ

Public Lecture by the Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs, Rep. of Indonesia Join us for a captivating public lecture by H.E. Arif Havas Oegroseno, Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia.

Join us for a public lecture by H.E. Arif Havas Oegroseno, Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Rep. of Indonesia, on the country’s sustainability agenda and response to global geopolitical trends.

📅 17 September | 🕕 13:30 | 📍King's College London

🔗Join now: bit.ly/4pzGRVM

🎨 The Guardian (@theguardian.com) cartoonist Ella Baron’s exhibition reveals the unseen toll of the #UkraineWar through intimate drawings and testimonies—capturing trauma, memory & hope.🖊️

“There’s nothing left to draw of an amputated limb but memories.” — Ella Baron

🔗Register: bit.ly/4g99jJJ

Dr Domitilla Sagramoso discusses the broader implications of the #SCOSummit, noting that it sends a clear message that "the policy of the United States to decouple Russia from China is really not being very successful."

⏯️Watch:https://bit.ly/3UYuKUc

#SCO2025 @dsagramoso.bsky.social

Dr Natasha Kuhrt describes the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (#SCO) as a "loose grouping" with "disparate interests", emphasising that it "is not an organisation like #NATO" & doesn't function as a collective security or defence alliance.

⏯️ bit.ly/45KkUeG

#SCOSummit @natashakuhrt.bsky.social

Dr Lukasz Olejnik reveals that AI-driven propaganda systems can now be easily deployed, from laptops to cloud rentals. These systems, powered by small open language models, can generate political messaging with minimal human input.

➡️ bit.ly/4nar8dJ

@lukaszolejnik.bsky.social #AI #Cybersecurity

EVENT: Joseph Torigian, Author of 'The Party's Interests Come First' will be discussing his new book about Xi Jinping's father, Xi Zhongxun.

Join us 6-7pm, Friday 3 October, KCL Strand.

Sign up to attend: www.kcl.ac.uk/events/book-...

The US's absence from #PacificFutureForum has sparked concern among experts.

Prof Alessio Patalano called it “remarkable” that the US missed “the opportunity to be on stage alongside #NATO and East Asian allies to discuss the value of ever-closer ties.”

➡️Read more: bit.ly/45VKnAz

📄Read the full analysis by Dr Zeno Leoni and Dr Geraint Hughes:

“A ‘Reverse Kissinger’? Why Trump’s Anti-China Rapprochement with Russia Is Likely to Fail”

➡️ bit.ly/4lWoO9d

Dr Zeno Leoni says Trump’s idea to “un-unite” Russia and China misreads today’s geopolitics.

Unlike the Cold War, Russia and China now share a stable partnership. The US should focus on strengthening alliances and managing competition with China.

🔗Read: bit.ly/3HCwaka

Canadian PM reiterates funding support for Ukraine including $3.5m for a project fighting WMD disinformation, co-led by Associate Prof Filippa Lentzos of the Department of War Studies.

More: 🔗 bit.ly/4oY35At

@filippalentzos.bsky.social

#WMDDisinformation #Disinformation #Propaganda #WMD

Dr Rod Thornton and Dr Marina Miron highlight Ukraine’s western #Donetsk “fortress belt” as a crucial defence against Russia.

“If Kyiv does accede, though, then this may amount to #Ukraine accepting its overall defeat. It may, indeed, lose the war.”

➡️Read more: bit.ly/4lSppIU

RUSI @rusi.bsky.social invited experts to discuss strengthening UK cyber defences ahead of the new cyber strategy.

Dr @joedevanny.bsky.social emphasises doing more with existing resources through strategic collaboration across government, industry & international partners.

🔗Read: bit.ly/423GwQT

🎧 New Podcast – The Untold Story of Chinese Naval Officers in D-Day

📺 Watch on YouTube: bit.ly/45QBng8

🎧 Listen to the podcast:
☁️ bit.ly/4678EoF
🟢 bit.ly/4lKUvSz
🍎 bit.ly/46cyFTq

📅 Just a few days left to catch the exhibition—don’t miss it!

🔗Learn more: bit.ly/46cIG36

Dr @bencenemeth.bsky.social highlights a marked shift in perceptions of the Chinese military. Once seen as large but outdated, it is now “either reached or is nearing military parity” with the US in key areas, marking a “dramatic shift.”

🔗Read more: bit.ly/4n6i61p

#ChinaMilitary #IndoPacific

Dr Joe Devanny (@joedevanny.bsky.social) explains that "using #foreignfighters is a way for #Russia to increase numbers while mitigating the domestic costs of the war."

However, he adds that many have been recruited through coercion and false promises.

🔗Read more: bit.ly/4mR1eeL

#UkraineWar

Beyond its resources, Putin's #Donbas demand may be a tactic, according to Prof Michael Clarke, to provoke Ukraine’s refusal, shift blame to #Zelensky, and reduce US support—thereby making it easier for #Russia to advance its broader objectives in #Ukraine.

🎧Listen now:
bit.ly/4g6fCxP

Ransomware and Beyond: Exploring Strategic Objectives of Chinese Cyber Operations This seminar explores the Chinese Communist Party's ties to criminal networks and their use of cybercrime tactics like ransomware.

Join us for a seminar exploring the evolution of cyber operations, the use of plausible deniability, and China’s efforts to influence global cyber narratives.

📅3 Oct | 🕘16:00 | 📍Strand Campus

🛡️Secure your spot now:
bit.ly/4mRb3cv

#CyberSecurity #CyberCrime

Dr Natasha Kuhrt explores Russia’s economic influence amid the #UkraineWar and China’s growing investments in #CentralAsia. It also examines evolving security dynamics, with Russia’s traditional role challenged by China’s expanding engagement.

🔗Read more:
bit.ly/4oIkHzV

@natashakuhrt.bsky.social

Dr Samir Puri explains, “The standout factor was the presence of European leaders who had travelled to Washington DC in a show of solidarity, the biggest display of Western unity in the cause of backing #Ukraine...”

➡️Read more: bit.ly/45GVwFr

#UkraineWar #PeaceDeal #SecurityGuarantees

What really came out of the Trump–Putin summit in #Alaska?

In his latest analysis, Sir Lawrence Freedman examines the miscommunications, symbolic optics and the shift in focus from ceasefire negotiations to discussions of a final settlement.

🔗Read more:
bit.ly/4oDHY6l

Will the #Alaska summit change the course of the war in Ukraine?

Prof Michael Clarke says Russia’s message has been consistent & grown tougher over time, while American preparations were chaotic, leading to ambiguity around the summit’s outcome.

Watch:
bit.ly/4mQENGL

@mikeclarke2020s.bsky.social

UK spy chiefs spooked as Trump strains the special relati... When the US president doesn’t accept intelligence he doesn’t like, where does that leave the UK?

What if close intelligence allies see the world differently?

“Abandoning a close partner in an existential conflict left NATO allies, including the UK, wondering whether Washington viewed any standing commitments as firm.” - Prof David Gioe, a former US intelligence officer.

🔗Read:
bit.ly/3JdPsNc

What does the #Alaska summit suggest about US–Russia relations & global stability?

“It tells the world that the Trump administration does not consider the Russian government to be an adversary, but a partner and perhaps a friend.” - Dr @ruthdeyermond.bsky.social

🔗 www.kcl.ac.uk/trump-putin-...

Dr @paulmcgarr.bsky.social draws on newly declassified British documents to reveal how, during the #ColdWar, India’s Congress government, the CIA & British intelligence took covert actions to undermine the Communist Party of India in #Kerala in the late 1950s.

Read more:
bit.ly/3JjPwe6