Watching the Jackals: Cold War terror, espionage, and Prague’s secret role

Watching the Jackals: Cold War terror, espionage, and Prague’s secret role

Author: Department of War Studies May 21, 2025 Duration: 47:49
How did communist Czechoslovakia become a hub for Cold War terrorists like Carlos the Jackal and Abu Daoud? And what can today’s intelligence professionals learn from its uneasy covert alliances? In this episode, Dr Daniela Richterova, Senior Lecturer in Intelligence Studies at the Department of War Studies, joins Dorothea Gioe, Visiting Research Fellow at the King’s Centre for the Study of Intelligence, to discuss her new book Watching the Jackals. Drawing on newly declassified archives, she reveals how Czechoslovakia’s State Security Service (StB) navigated its complex, and often contradictory, ties with radical non-state actors—and how those Cold War entanglements still echo in today’s security landscape.

Drawn from the work of the School of Security Studies at King's College London, War Studies offers a direct line to one of the world's largest and most dedicated academic communities focused on security, defence, and international relations. This isn't about surface-level headlines; each episode digs into the intricate realities of conflict, diplomacy, and global power. You'll hear scholars and researchers unpack the underlying forces that shape world affairs, moving beyond theory to examine the tangible challenges faced by those navigating these complex spaces. The Department of War Studies produces this podcast to share its world-leading research, treating each conversation as an opportunity to question assumptions and deepen understanding. Tuning in means engaging with rigorous analysis that connects academic insight to the pressing security issues of our time. The consistent thread is a belief that examining the nature of war is essential for comprehending the broader landscape of human conflict and cooperation. Expect thoughtful, evidence-driven discussions that refuse to simplify the difficult questions.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

War Studies
Podcast Episodes
China, India and the USA’s different approaches to climate security [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 41:57
The three major powers at the centre of COP26 - China, India and the USA, have differing perspectives on the link between climate and security. Yet how does this impact their climate policy? What are the drivers behind t…
Drivers and obstacles of the UN Climate Change Agenda [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 33:53
What's the UN's role in addressing the security risks of climate change? And what are the obstacles faced by UN bodies in meeting these challenges? In the second episode of this five-part mini-series on Climate Change an…
Government responses to climate change and national security [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 29:16
Throughout October and November we're bringing you the special podcast mini-series ‘Climate Change and National Security’, in the run up to the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26), hosted by the Environ…
A new approach to peacebuilding with Severine Autesserre [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 43:52
Billions of dollars are spent every year on pacifying conflict zones by international organisations and NGOs. However, the past five years have seen the worst refugee crisis in the world since World War II, and conflicts…