TAG:Lines – the TAG International podcast

Our latest TAG:Lines podcast takes a different approach this time, featuring a discussion between Matilda Martin, Samira Amarquaye, and Florence Boafo about their experiences as women working in International Development and security. They explore the challenges of operating in patriarchal societies, reflect on breaking gender norms and stereotypes, and discuss how far the industry has progressed—and the work still needed to achieve true equality.

As the world gathers for COP 29, the ongoing discussions on climate change have never been more urgent, particularly around its impact on global security. The latest TAG:Lines podcast with Antoine Kallab explores the intricate link between climate change and conflict. Environmental stressors are increasingly recognised as exacerbating tensions and fuelling conflict, especially in fragile states. The episode further explores the link between climate change and extremism, with environmental degradation marginalised communities becoming more susceptible to radicalisation. To mitigate these complex challenges, we must apply conflict-sensitivity principles to environmental governance. By incorporating these into development programmes, we can help prevent tensions from escalating into violence. As climate change continues to shape global security concerns, adopting such strategies is crucial for building resilience.

Over many decades, Lebanon has regularly found itself at the epicentre of Middle Eastern conflict. In part, this is proof that ‘geography is destiny’. But for historical reasons Lebanon has also faced unique challenges in forging a unified state that can assert its sovereignty, making it a convenient operating base for sectarian forces, a focal point for regional power struggles, and a battleground for other people’s wars.In the latest episode of the TAG:Lines podcast series, we invited Ralph Baydoun, Analyst and Director of InflueAnswers, to discuss the spillover of conflict into Lebanon. What are the roots of Lebanon’s vulnerability, how should it respond to current and future conflict within its borders, and can it ever become a state capable of asserting its own right to sovereignty and self-determination?

The internet transcends borders, and less developed regions face unique challenges in navigating cybersecurity threats. The internet was not designed as a secure system, and advanced cybersecurity technology and structures are prohibitively expensive for many developing nations, leaving them vulnerable to cyber attack by both states and criminals.The Global Cyber Alliance (GCA) is dedicated to a secure internet. By mobilising key actors and building cross-sector support, GCA works tirelessly to reach at-risk audiences, raise awareness of the dangers, and implement strategies to protect the most vulnerable. In the latest episode in TAG:Lines podcast series, we invited Kayle Giroud, a Director at the Global Cyber Alliance, to discuss this work. The conversation delved into the history of the internet, its inherent security challenges, and what needs to be done to bolster cyber security worldwide.

Liverpool Football Club and its charity, the LFC Foundation, are a trusted brand for young people at risk of being drawn into serious and organised crime. Building on this influence, the LFC Foundation implements preventative measures to disrupt youth recruitment into criminal activities, achieving remarkable success in Liverpool and the broader North-West region.Liverpool's support is international, and by partnering with the Home Office and TAG International, the LFC Foundation expands on its international acclaim to prevent crime recruitment in Nigeria. In our recent TAG:Lines podcast, we invited Andy O’Connor and Matt Parish to discuss and elaborate on these UK and international interventions.

With numerous conflicts dominating the headlines, the ongoing situation in Mozambique’s Cabo Delgado receives little media attention. The conflict is defined by complex drivers and multiple actors including violent extremist organisations, identity-aligned group interests, historically marginalized populations, the state at national and local level, international assistance forces from South Africa and Rwanda, and the mining and gas sectors. This complexity has generated multiple competing narratives to ‘explain’ why the conflict is happening – most of which have elements of truth, but none of which tells the whole story.In delivering the Peace and Stability Mozambique Programme, TAG is working across Cabo Delgado to support long-term local partnerships across intra- and inter-community faultlines to address the drivers, enablers and effects of violent extremism. PSMP complements existing initiatives through research-led collaboration and learning to help contribute to the growing body of knowledge on what works to mitigate conflict and strengthen resilience in Northern Mozambique, what does not, and why.In our next TAG:Lines podcast, PSMP development and peacebuilding experts Joana Martins and Rufino Sitoe analyse the current situation, unpack the narratives surrounding it, discuss the importance of understanding Mozambique as more than a ‘conflict zone’, and highlight emerging lessons from current on-the-ground practice.

For centuries, global powers have sought to hold and exercise political and economic influence in Africa – from the formidable trading strength built by Arabic nations along the continent’s eastern seaboards to the massive power exerted over more than two centuries by European colonial powers.In keeping with this history, today’s dominant powers are engaged in their own ‘scramble for Africa’. From massive China-led infrastructure projects – in some cases funded through a model of debt which African countries struggle to service – to the Wagner Group’s role in multiple ‘small wars’, this struggle will determine the role that Africa’s massive populations and unique natural resources play in global geopolitics, the world economy and international security throughout the 21st Century.In the latest episode of the TAG Lines podcast, journalist and author Mary Harper explores these evolving influence dynamics and tactics, and asks whether ‘our’ understanding of Africa may hinder Western influence. In conversation with Matilda Martin, we look at the role of multilateral organisations on the continent, the potential for future conflicts and how for African resources, hearts and minds will shape the world we live in for many years to come.

Ten years ago, Ecuador was one of the safest countries in Latin America. Now it is afflicted by high levels of organised crime, bringing with it horrific violence, weakening the reach of day-to-day government in major cities, and putting everyday citizens under immense social and economic pressure. In conversation with Jorge Núñez, cofounder of Kaleidos at the University of Cuenca and co-director of the Ecuadorian Prison Observatory, TAG looks into the issues behind this decline in security and the rule of law. We ask what has changed and why, and what Latin American governments and their international partners can do to help countries afflicted by organised criminality and weakened governance return to normality.