Peace is easy to want and hard to keep. London Real has spoken to soldiers, survivors, a human rights campaigner, a former prison warder and a Harvard psychologist about what drives conflict and what ends it. These conversations cover the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, the Holocaust, life as a refugee, post-traumatic stress, human rights in China and the argument that violence has declined over the long run. The guests often disagree on causes and solutions. Every full interview is free to watch.
From Holocaust survivor the late Eva Schloss and Harvard psychologist Steven Pinker to retired US Army Colonel Douglas Macgregor, former Human Rights Watch director Kenneth Roth, actress and former refugee Masiela Lusha and Nelson Mandela’s prison warder Christo Brand: the cost of war and the hope of peace.
Colonel Douglas Macgregor, a decorated combat veteran and retired US Army Colonel, warns that the world is on the brink of total war. He discusses the Israel and Hamas war, asks whether World War Three is on the horizon, and looks at Ukraine’s uncertain future and why he believes America is falling apart at home. Jake Wood, a Territorial Army soldier, shows the human cost. He describes his tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan, how he is haunted by his part in the killing of a Taliban fighter and the PTSD that led him to seek treatment.
Eva Schloss, Anne Frank’s stepsister, told Brian Rose about her childhood in Vienna, hiding in Amsterdam, Auschwitz-Birkenau and the life she rebuilt after liberation. She died in 2026, aged 96. Masiela Lusha describes escaping Albania aged three and her work as an ambassador for Prince Harry’s charity Sentebale. Christo Brand guarded Nelson Mandela on Robben Island from 1978 to 1987 and became his friend. Kenneth Roth, then executive director of Human Rights Watch, explains how he believes China’s abuses can be challenged. Iftikar Ali argues that xenophobia is not confined to East or West.
Steven Pinker, Professor of Psychology at Harvard, makes a case that runs against the headlines. In Too Much Morality and its Redux, recorded after the rise of Islamic State, Boko Haram and the attacks in Paris, he argues that violence is actually in decline over the long run. In Enlightenment Now he credits reason, science and humanism for that progress. His optimism is a useful counterpoint to Colonel Macgregor’s warnings, and the two views together frame the central question of this page.
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Who has London Real interviewed about peace and conflict? Brian Rose has interviewed Colonel Douglas Macgregor, Steven Pinker, Kenneth Roth, the late Eva Schloss, Masiela Lusha, Christo Brand, Jake Wood and Iftikar Ali, among others.
Is the world becoming more peaceful? The guests disagree. Steven Pinker argues that violence has fallen over the long run, even if the news suggests otherwise. Colonel Douglas Macgregor warns that today’s conflicts risk escalating into a much wider war.
How is Peace different from War & Conflict? Peace focuses on survivors, human rights, reconciliation and the long-term decline of violence. The War & Conflict page covers military strategy and current wars in more depth.
Are the full peace episodes free to watch? Yes. Every full-length interview on this page can be watched free on londonreal.tv.
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