War and security news

Masters of the Air: ten other films and TV shows about the ‘friendly invasion’ of the American Eighth Air Force

New Apple TV series Masters of the Air tells the story of the famed 100th Bomb Group. The “Bloody 100th” (as they became known), were a part of the United States Eighth Air Force, a huge organisation which operated out of around 70 airfields in eastern England from 1942 to 1945.
person being rescued by stretcher in war torn Ukraine

BESIEGED PODCAST: “The sound of bombs, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, was nonstop.” Ukrainian aid workers describe life on the frontline

Loughborough University graduate Madeline MacKenzie is in Ukraine working for a humanitarian aid agency, STAY SAFE UA – set up by five friends who refused to stand by and watch people suffer. Earlier this year, Madeline, Andriy, Taras, Yuriy, David and Libby (the rescue dog) visited Loughborough’s London campus to talk to Peter Warzynski – host of the University’s Besieged podcast – to give firsthand accounts of the war which ravages their home.

myanmar police standing in a line

Myanmar’s military junta appears to be in terminal decline

Myint Swe, the acting president of Mynamar’s military government, has warned that the country “will be split into various parts” after his armed forces suffered huge territorial losses to resistance fighters recently. His response was to call on Mynamar’s people to support his military forces, a call that is likely, based on previous experience, to fall mainly on deaf ears.
Computer generated image showing a lock on top of a digital/tech looking background comprised of lines and small dots

Expert comment: AI Safety Summit - why it's important and what can be expected

For the next two days, leaders, tech executives, and experts - including Elon Musk, will gather at Bletchley Park for the AI Safety Summit 2023.

Loughborough bolsters ties with RAF to improve the future of military technology

Loughborough University has strengthened its long-standing relationship with the Royal Air Force by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) - an agreement which will see the two institutions working towards common goals.
Ukrainian flag flying over city

Loughborough to host roundtable discussion supported by the Fund of the President of the Ukraine

Loughborough is proud to be hosting one of the ‘World Academic Talks’ events, a series of roundtable discussions supported by the Fund of the President of the Ukraine.

How nurturing refugee businesses can help with integration

A global surge in the number of people being housed in temporary refugee camps means new opportunities need to be created to allow those communities to integrate into their host countries.

New scheme will enable Ukrainian refugees to rebuild their country after the war

Ukrainians who have fled the war in the East will soon have access to expert mentoring to help them rebuild their country once the fighting has stopped and it is safe to go home.

How climate change and net zero commitments will impact the future of war

A new project will assess the impact that achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050 will have on the UK’s armed forces.

Revolutionary forensic fingerprint technique could help fight against fraud

Forensic examiners can now determine whether a fingerprint was placed on a piece of paper before or after any text was printed on it.
Myanmar flag

Myanmar: death penalty the latest tactic for military junta’s murderous regime

Since the 2021 coup, Myanmar’s death penalty moratorium has been a myth. The junta has routinely targeted civilians for extra-judicial killing, including using army snipers to callously pick off peaceful protesters.

The ethics of trading with Putin

Western leaders should consider cutting business ties with Russia even if it impacts their own economies, according to Loughborough’s business Dean.
Landing of Italian Troops in Tripoli, Libya in October 1911. (Image supplied by the Illustrations Bureau (Whitefriars, London)).

Photos of wartime Europe still shape views of conflict – here’s how we’re trying to right the record

A war in Europe instantly creates parallels with the world wars for people in the UK and other European countries. This connection represents what most people know and are taught about conflict on the continent. The media coverage and response to the war in Ukraine have also invoked familiar images of the second world war, in particular those of bombed buildings, armed soldiers and civilians, and children clinging to their parents.

Ukraine war: Sweden and Finland eye the Nato option, but it’s a security dilemma for the west

The Kremlin has issued an ominous warning to Nato about the consequences for the Baltic if it allows Sweden and Finland to join the alliance, as has been widely reported.

Dignity, Strategy, Regret – Putin's actions explained

Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine is an attempt to regain dignity and stave off the threat he sees moving in from the West, according to international relations expert Dr Afzal Ashraf.

Ukraine war: Turkey’s unique role in peace negotiations

After more than a month of fighting, a fresh round of negotiations between Russia and Ukraine has begun in Istanbul in the hope that progress can be made. Following weeks of fruitless talks in Belarus, negotiations were hosted by the Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who made a short opening statement telling both sides: “The world is waiting for good news, and good news from you.”

University launches podcast about the impact of Putin’s invasion of Ukraine

A new podcast has been launched which examines the impact the conflict in Ukraine is having on the world as well as assessing the future implications for the global economy and our everyday lives.

St. Basil's Cathedral, Russia. Image courtesy of Getty Images.

Vladimir Putin: risk-taker who is gambling his country’s future

In the early 1990s, when he was deputy mayor of St Petersburg, Vladimir Putin was known to a member of the city’s legislature, Viktor Talanov. A psychologist by profession, Talanov prepared a study of Putin in which he concluded that one of his subject’s fundamental psychological characteristics was a very high tolerance of risk.
Photograph of Italian troops in Libya in October 1911. It was taken by journalist and reporter Victor Forbin for several French newspapers. (Image from the Service Historique de la Défense (2K34-161) form the Rumpf archival fonds.)

“Historical photographs of armed violence can impact our view of present conflicts”: New project to use AI to collate overlooked war images

“When we focus too much on the First and Second World Wars, this has an impact on our view of present conflicts.

Ukraine war: how Ghana is vulnerable, and what can be done

The seismic aftershocks of Russia’s invasion of its neighbour, Ukraine, on 24 February 2022 continues to reverberate across the globe.
red square, moscow

SWIFT: ejecting Russia is largely symbolic – here’s why

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is horrifying. Western leaders, fearing a broader war, are responding primarily with economic sanctions. A prominent economic sanction has been Russia’s exclusion from the international payments messaging system SWIFT, presented as a powerful means of undermining its economy.

How to minimise the chances of a terror attack at the Olympic Games – new paper

Counter-terrorism experts have proposed a method for minimising the chances of a terrorist attack at this summer’s Olympic Games.
US flag and the white house.

US election 2020: a toolkit for ‘democracy-worthy’ coverage for journalists

As election day approaches in the US, journalists around the world are working in the most challenging environment of their lifetimes.

Football net

Bahrain v Israel: how sports could help cement peace accords in the Middle East

Back in 2016, I was excited for the Bahrain Women’s National team to compete in the Aphrodite Cup, an international football tournament held in Cyprus.

Three UK police officers

Why we need to stay alert to the terror threat as the UK reopens

The UK has faced a persistent threat from terrorism over the past decade, with recent attacks focusing on busy public spaces. In June 2020, this threat was highlighted once again by an attack in a public park in Reading. This was the first reported terrorist event in the UK since the beginning of the pandemic.