Disrupting Peace explores why peace hasn’t worked, and how it still could. In each episode, Bridget Conley, research director at the World Peace Foundation, speaks with a researcher specializing in one obstacle to peace, and an activist who’s changing systems from the ground up. Together they explore what worked, what didn’t, and why we shouldn’t give up.
This season, we talked about corruption in the arms trade. We talked about decisions to keep sending weapons to countries that commit atrocities. And we examined how corporations and individuals profit from these injustices. So today, in our last episode of the season, we ask: how do we dismantle the arms trade?
Our guests help us explore the limitations of current arms control policies, look at pathways out of a permanent war economy, and break down what it would actually look like to transform this system.
Anna Stavrianakis consults with Shadow World Investigations (https://shadowworldinvestigations.org/), and is a Professor of International Relations at the University of Sussex. She's also a contributor to Making a Killing: how the west profits from slaughter in Yemen and Gaza, and the author of Taking Aim at the Arms Trade: NGOs, Global Civil Society and the World Military Order, among many other publications. Follow Anna on Instagram @arms_trade_prof and on X @StavrianakisA.
Khem Rogaly is co-founder of the Transition Security Project (https://transitionsecurity.org/), a new research center that researches the US and UK military industrial complexes. Follow Khem on X @KhemRogaly.
Pre-Order the Book: Making a Killing: How the West Profits from Slaughter in Gaza and Yemen (https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/827011/making-a-killing-by-andrew-feinstein/) (out Nov 24, 2026)
Episode Resources:
Find Case Updates Regarding the Filton 25: Meet the Filton 25 (https://filtonactionists.com/meet-the-filton-24/)
Statement – Europe lost 200 000 people to heat in 4 years yet nearly all of them were preventable (https://www.who.int/europe/news/item/11-06-2026-statement---europe-lost-200-000-people-to-heat-in-4-years-yet-nearly-all-of-them-were-preventable)
At least 35,000 excess deaths recorded in Europe’s back-to-back heatwaves (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/aug/25/at-least-35000-excess-deaths-europe-back-to-back-heatwaves)
The SIPRI Top 100 Arms-Producing and Military Services Companies, 2024 (https://www.sipri.org/sites/default/files/2025-11/fs_2512_top_100_2024.pdf) (List on pages 9-11)
Disrupting Peace is a production of The World Peace Foundation. Find out more at worldpeacefoundation.org. Follow us on Instagram and TikTok at @worldpeacefdtn, and sign up for WPF's newsletter here (https://worldpeacefoundation.org/sign-up/).
This episode was produced by Bridget Conley, Emily Shaw, and Anna Van Dine. Engineering by Jacob Winik and Aja Simpson. Marketing and Social media by Frayashti Shekhawat. Show artwork by Simon Fung.
Special thanks to Lisa Avery, Michelle Anderson, Alex de Waal, and the Tufts Digital Design Studio team.
6 Oct 2026
Who are the suits and soldiers of fortune in the arms trade?
In this episode, we connect the dots between the arms trade and personal enrichment. Paul Holden and Jack Cinamon, contributors to Making a Killing: How the West Profits from Slaughter in Gaza and Yemen (https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/827011/making-a-killing-by-andrew-feinstein/), share who gets rich off war, how people move between positions in government and arms companies - and even work for foreign governments and militaries - and why this is a problem.
Paul Holden is the Director of Investigations at Shadow World Investigations. Originally from Johannesburg, South Africa, he has over a decade of experience investigating cases of grand corruption and state capture, which is when elites gain sufficient control over the state so that they can bend it to serve their personal interests. He is the author of 6 books, including most recently: The Fraud: Keir Starmer, Morgan McSweeney, and the Crisis of British Democracy. He’s also a contributing author to Making a Killing: how the West profits from slaughter in Gaza and Yemen. You can follow Paul on X @pauleholden.
Jack Cinamon is a researcher and Parliamentary Liaison with Shadow World Investigations, where he investigates issues around militarism, the global arms trade, and all the corruption that comes with it. He is also a Researcher for the Corruption Tracker (https://corruption-tracker.org/), where he documents the ways that the arms trade contaminates politics on a global scale. You can follow Jack on X at @jackcinamon (https://x.com/jackcinamon) and on Instagram at @jack.cinamon (https://www.instagram.com/jack.cinamon/).
This conversation was recorded on July 27, 2026.
Pre-Order the Book: Making a Killing: How the West Profits from Slaughter in Gaza and Yemen (https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/827011/making-a-killing-by-andrew-feinstein/) (out Nov 24, 2026)
Resources:
Indefensible: The Seven Myths That Sustain The Global Arms Trade (https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/indefensible-9781783605651/)
From revolving door to open-plan office: The ever-closer union between the UK government and the arms industry (https://worldpeacefoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/OpenPlanOffice.pdf)
Dropsite News (https://www.dropsitenews.com/)
OpenSecrets (https://www.opensecrets.org/)
Find out more about the World Peace Foundation at worldpeacefoundation.org. Follow us on Instagram and TikTok at @worldpeacefdtn, and sign up for WPF's newsletter here (https://worldpeacefoundation.org/sign-up/).
Disrupting Peace is a production of The World Peace Foundation. The show is produced by Bridget Conley and Emily Shaw. Engineering by Jacob Winik and Aja Simpson. Marketing and Social media by Frayashti Shekhawat. Show artwork by Simon Fung.
Special thanks to Lisa Avery, Michelle Anderson, Alex de Waal, and the Tufts Digital Design Studio team.
29 Sept 2026
How do corporate profits incentivize war?
In 2026, there are more active conflicts than at any other time since World War II. Globally, defense spending is reaching new heights. For most of us, this is horrible news. But for arms producing companies, it’s all good: revenues are skyrocketing. So, in this episode we ask: how do corporate profits incentivize war?
Guests:
Andrew Feinstein is the Executive Director of Shadow World Investigations (https://shadowworldinvestigations.org/). Originally from South Africa, he was a member of the African National Congress (ANC), which was voted into Parliament in the country’s first post-apartheid election. He served on several oversight Committees, but eventually resigned from his position in protest of the ANC and government’s refusal to allow a full investigation into massive corruption in a $10 billion arms deal. Andrew is the author of several books on the arms trade including The Shadow World: Inside the Global Arms Trade (https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250013958/theshadowworld/). You can follow Andrew on X at @andrewfeinstein (https://x.com/andrewfeinstein?lang=en) and Instagram at @andrewfeinstein (https://www.instagram.com/andrewfeinstein/?hl=en).
Janet Abou-Elias is a co-founder of Women for Weapons Trade Transparency (https://www.w2t2.org/) and a researcher with the Democratizing Foreign Policy Program (https://quincyinst.org/program-areas/democratizing-foreign-policy/) at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft (https://quincyinst.org/). Her research focuses on arms trade policies, international humanitarian law, and U.S. foreign policy. Connect with Janet on Linkedin here (https://www.linkedin.com/in/janet-abou-elias-608a64138) and on X at @janetabouelias.
This conversation was recorded on July 27th, 2026.
Correction: Both guests mention an incident that occurred on February 28, 2026, when the U.S. bombed a girl’s school in Minab, Iran. The guests cite different numbers of fatalities from this attack. We found slightly different numbers that also include some adults and boys. Here are some resources:
'What was their crime?': BBC visits Iran school where strike killed 120 children (https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cewrx0ldlkko)
USA/Iran: Those responsible for deadly and unlawful US strike on school that killed over 100 children must be held accountable (https://www.amnesty.org.au/iran-those-responsible-for-deadly-us-strike-on-school-must-be-held-accountable/)
Senate Democrats demand Pentagon release findings on Iran school strike investigation (https://thehill.com/policy/defense/5967941-democratic-senators-report-iran-school-strike/)
Pre-Order the Book: Making a Killing: How the West Profits from Slaughter in Gaza and Yemen (https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/827011/making-a-killing-by-andrew-feinstein/) (out Nov 24, 2026)
References:
The SIPRI Top 100 Arms-Producing and Military Services Companies, 2024 (https://www.sipri.org/sites/default/files/2025-11/fs_2512_top_100_2024.pdf) (List on pages 9-11)
Global Violent Deaths in 2021 (https://www.smallarmssurvey.org/resource/global-violent-deaths-2021)
Resources mentioned by guests:
Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft (https://quincyinst.org/)
Drop Site News (https://www.dropsitenews.com/)
Declassified UK (https://www.declassifieduk.org/)
Middle East Eye (https://www.middleeasteye.net/)
Double Down News Watch (https://www.doubledown.news/watch)
BDS National Committee (https://bdsmovement.net/BNC)
The Corruption Tracker (https://corruption-tracker.org/)
Disrupting Peace is a production of The World Peace Foundation. The show is produced by Bridget Conley and Emily Shaw. Engineering by Jacob Winik and Aja Simpson. Marketing and Social media by Frayashti Shekhawat. Show artwork by Simon Fung.
Disrupting Peace is a production of The World Peace Foundation. This episode was produced by Bridget Conley, Emily Shaw, and Anna Van Dine. Engineering by Jacob Winik and Aja Simpson. Marketing and Social media by Frayashti Shekhawat. Show artwork by Simon Fung.
Special thanks to Lisa Avery, Michelle Anderson, Alex de Waal, Anna Van Dine, and the Tufts Digital Design Studio team.
Find out more about the World Peace Foundation at worldpeacefoundation.org. Follow us on Instagram and TikTok at @worldpeacefdtn.
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
12 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 21 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
22
Social presence
0
YouTube
0
Engagement
51
Contact Disrupting Peace
Guest appearances
Does not typically book guests
Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.
Host of Disrupting Peace?
Claim your podcast to manage its listing and keep your show details accurate.
Pod Engine is an independent podcast discovery and analytics service and is not affiliated with or endorsed by this podcast. Artwork and show content belong to their owners. Full legal notice.
Explore this show Podcast research with Pod Engine
