Global Security Briefing: Daily Summaries Delivered

Japan's Intelligence Reforms

Japan's significant intelligence reforms reveal how the country's approach to security is becoming more self-reliant and autonomous. But what is being proposed, and why now? In this edition of Global Security Briefing, host Philip Shetler-Jones, Senior Research Fellow, Indo-Pacific Security at RUSI is joined by Ken Kotani, Professor at Nihon University, Japan and James DJ Brown, Professor of Political Science at Temple University, Japan Campus, to reflect on how Japan is rebuilding its national intelligence capability. They explore the following core questions: Why is this important in terms of the history of the country? What are some of the obstacles? What does this reform tell us about how Japan is changing in terms of its self-perception and threat perception? What are the implications for Japan's relationships with allies and adversaries?

After Ankara: First Reflections on the 2026 NATO Summit

The 2026 NATO Summit convened at a moment of fragile unity for the alliance. What did it deliver? What did it leave unresolved? In this episode of Global Security Briefing, RUSI's Director-General Rachel Ellehuus is joined by three colleagues, each bringing with them a different perspective on the alliance: Natia Seskuria, Senior Research Fellow for Russian and Eurasian Security, Burcu Ozcelik, Senior Research Fellow for Middle East Security, and Oana Lungescu, Former NATO Spokesperson and RUSI Distinguished Fellow. Burcu and Oana join the recording from Ankara and offer their reflections on the atmosphere on the ground. The three core questions explored in this episode are: What did the summit tell us about how NATO as a whole – and individual members – view Russia? Second, what does the summit and its mention of Iran mean for the Middle East, and where does the region now sit among NATO's priorities? Third, what does the summit mean for Europe, and where does the transatlantic relationship now stand? What about the roles of Turkey and Ukraine?

Geopolitics, Statecraft and the Changing Face of Organised Crime

Organised crime no longer operates outside international politics. Criminal networks are increasingly present in spaces once associated with intelligence services, foreign policy and national security. In this edition of Global Security Briefing hosted by Cathy Heanlein, Director of Organised Crime and Policing at RUSI, we look at the blurring of boundaries between crime, statecraft and geopolitics. The discussion coincides with a new special issue of RUSI's flagship Journal on 'the Changing Face of Organised Crime'. The issue brings together leading experts to examine how crime is evolving in a period of technological disruption, geopolitical competition and profound changes in the international order. Cathy is joined by Professor Heather Marquette, Professor of Development Politics at the University of Birmingham, and Dr Magda Long, an international security researcher and consultant, to explore the following questions: How should we understand the relationship between organised crime and state power? Are criminal networks merely opportunistic actors operating in geopolitical spaces, or are they increasingly performing strategic functions for states? Is the role played by criminal networks in Russia comparable to what we see in Iran or the Western Balkans, or do different political environments produce different forms of state–crime interaction? If states such as Russia and Iran are increasingly using criminal networks to evade sanctions, acquire restricted goods or conduct covert operations, are existing laws, institutions and strategies equipped to respond?

Inside Russia's Wartime Economy

What does the Russian wartime economy look like beneath the official data – and what are the implications for regime stability? In early June, President Putin took to the stage at the St Petersburg International Economic Forum – Russia's flagship annual showcase for investors and international media – and delivered a characteristically assured account of an economy not just surviving but adapting. Sanctions, he suggested, had been absorbed. Western predictions of collapse had amounted to little more than wishful thinking. But if we look more closely at the current state of the Russian economy beyond the Kremlin narratives, the picture is more distorted. This is a classic war economy where growth is almost entirely a function of state defence orders, public spending has reached historically elevated levels, and the civilian economy is being systematically drained of labour, capital and technology to feed the military-industrial complex. In this episode, Natia Seskuria, Senior Research Fellow, Russian and Eurasian Security, is joined by RUSI Associate Fellow Charles Hecker, to discuss Russia's wartime economy and explore the following questions: What does the Russian wartime economy actually look like? As economic strain intensifies and the logic of state predation deepens, what are the implications for regime stability? If the conflict extends to another three to five years, how will Western corporate engagement with Russia evolve – and what risks does that trajectory create for sanctions coherence and Euro-Atlantic security?

No Easy Off-Ramp: Iran, the US and the Search for a Deal

Are we seeing the potential for a diplomatic off-ramp in the latest phase of the Iran crisis, or just another pause in a much longer confrontation? The broad picture at the beginning of June 2026 is that the US and Iran appear to be trying to move from immediate crisis management to a more structured negotiation, but the process remains extremely fragile. A reported 60-day ceasefire extension would, in theory, create space for talks on reopening the Strait of Hormuz, easing some economic pressure on Iran, and eventually addressing nuclear concerns. But the hardest issues remain unresolved: Iran's enriched uranium, the future of its nuclear programme, sanctions relief, security guarantees, and the sequencing of who moves first. In this episode, Professor Ali Ansari, RUSI Senior Associate Fellow, International Security at RUSI, joins host Dr Burcu Ozcelik, to explore the following topics: - What Tehran wants from the current round of talks. - Understanding Iran's insistence that Lebanon be included in the ceasefire. - How much room does the Iranian leadership have to compromise, after war and economic pressure, in the renewed negotiations with Washington? - After spending decades studying the way the US fights wars, has Iran read the US more accurately than Washington and Israel have read Iran?

President Trump in Beijing: The Future of US-China Relations

Dr Olivia Cheung and Lyle Morris join Philip Shetler-Jones to assess President Trump's Beijing visit and the future of US-China relations. President Trump's visit to Beijing comes at a pivotal moment in US-China relations, with strategic rivalry, economic tensions, and regional security concerns continuing to shape the world's most consequential bilateral relationship. In this episode of Global Security Briefing, Philip Shetler-Jones is joined by Dr Olivia Cheung, Lecturer in Politics, King's College London and Lyle Morris, Senior Fellow on Foreign Policy and National Security at Asia Society Policy Institute's Center for China Analysis, to examine the significance of the visit, what each side hoped to achieve, and what the meetings reveal about the future trajectory of relations between Washington and Beijing. This episode explores: - The historical and geopolitical context behind President Trump's visit to China. - China's priorities and how Xi Jinping may be approaching relations with the United States. - What each side achieved politically, economically and strategically during the visit. - The implications for Taiwan and US allies in the Indo-Pacific region. - What the meetings reveal about the future direction of US-China relations. - Wider implications for global security, international order, and partners such as the United Kingdom.

How is International Security Changing?

Dr Neil Melvin and Dr Philip Shetler Jones discuss Brexit, European security, the Indo-Pacific and the changing global order. In his final episode as host of Global Security Briefing, Neil Melvin reflects on how international security has evolved in the period since the podcast launched in 2021 and what these changes mean for the United Kingdom and its allies. Joined by Dr Philip Shetler Jones, Senior Research Fellow for Indo-Pacific Security at RUSI, the discussion examines the major geopolitical shifts reshaping Europe, the Indo-Pacific and the wider international system. Topics discussed include: Brexit and the UK's changing security role in Europe. Russia's war against Ukraine and its impact on Europe. The future of US and European security relations. The UK's Indo-Pacific strategy and 'Global Britain'. US-China competition and global security. Multipolarity, BRICS and the Global South. Arctic and High North security. The key security challenges facing the UK over the next five years. The episode also marks Neil Melvin's final appearance as host of Global Security Briefing after nearly 120 episodes exploring regional and international security developments. Stay tuned for future Global Security Briefings coming soon.

What is Driving Turkey's Foreign and Security Policy Agenda?