Dr Mike Martin on War & Politics

What can war and politics teach us about human risk? On this episode, I'm joined by a guest with insights into both fields.

About Mike
Dr Mike Martin is a former British Army officer who's a senior visiting research fellow in the Department of War Studies at King's College London, where he's interested in the evolutionary psychology of warfare and humans, internal conflict in societies and strategy formation.

He’s had a fascinating career, having served with distinction in the British Army as a political officer in Afghanistan. His job was to talk to all sides in the. And build relationships. In fact, he invented that job for the British military, and a new unit was created as a result. Since leaving the army, Mike's been a senior executive in a global charity that works to bring people and communities together, and he currently runs his own business advising organizations on how to understand and navigate conflicts.

More recently, Mike has moved into politics and is a parliamentary candidate for the Tunbridge Wells constituency where he’ll be standing for the Liberal Democrats in the next election.

Discussion Topics
In our discussion, we explore:

• Mike's career, what drove him to move from the military to war studies, and then onto politics.
• Insights into the human risk of decision-making around the war in Ukraine,
• Misconceptions people have about the realities of war; and
• What drives his passion and interest in politics;