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PODCAST

CONFLICTED

An ex-Al Qaeda jihadi turned MI6 spy and a former monk turned filmmaker, have been embedded at the heart of conflicts in the Middle East. Together Aimen Dean and Thomas Small unpack the realities of war, fundamentalism and their global implications through first-hand experience.

history

All Episodes

79:00

Hashemites!

CONFLICTED ·

2022/05/11

As we race toward the 1967 and 1973 Arab-Israeli wars, we’re putting our final duck in its row. After the fall of the Ottoman Empire, Jordan and Iraq both received Hashemite monarchs—and the rivalries and ideological conflicts that followed still reverberate today, perhaps nowhere more powerfully than on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. Focusing mainly on the tragic history of modern Iraq, this episode engages with the clash between modern Arab republicanism and something like traditional monarchism

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70:48

The State of Syria

CONFLICTED ·

2022/04/27

In this episode, we talk about Syria. Or ask the question, really: What is Syria? Syria has been described as a “ fulcrum of geopolitical hegemony...” — a bit like Ukraine, interestingly — “...in the Middle East.” For that reason, for thousands of years Syria has been fought over and smashed up several times by invading armies from all directions, making the country somewhat amorphous, a patchwork of peoples practicing a huge variety of religions. More than perhaps anywhere else, Syria’s road to

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46:35

Introducing: Behind the Sun

CONFLICTED ·

2022/04/20

Before the next episode, we have something a little different for your ears - an introduction to a whole new podcast - Behind the Sun. In Behind the Sun, Nadia, a young Syrian woman in the diaspora, struggles to come to terms with what the world knows about what’s happening in her country. She speaks with Riyad - her father's friend - whom she had first met in the strangest of circumstances. In episode 1, Nadia and Riyad explore the true meaning of "safety and justice" in Syria. He tells her the

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65:30

Zionism and It's Discontents

CONFLICTED ·

2022/04/13

Having avoided it for as long as possible, Aimen & Thomas finally turn their attention to the state of Israel: its backstory, its modern re-emergence, and its impact on the civilizational fault lines crisscrossing the Middle East. In the present day, Arab statesmen have never been closer to their Israeli counterparts, both sides united around a shared enemy: Iran. This marks a dramatic sea change from the past, and to help explain it, as so often this season, this episode reaches back into the

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68:44

Nasser: The Arab Strongman Cometh

CONFLICTED ·

2022/03/30

Following on from our last episode, another CIA adventure in the Middle East kicks off this episode on Egypt. King Farouk’s removal from power is the starting pistol for the Egyptian Revolution—a landmark event in modern middle eastern history. The figure of Nasser reigns supreme, whose dogged attempts to resist incorporation into the new U.S.-led Western order precipitated a crisis that might have led to World War 3: the Suez Crisis. All eyes remain fixed on Egypt today, as the war in Ukraine

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67:16

The Soul of Iran

CONFLICTED ·

2022/03/16

In this episode, we shift our focus to Iran. Nobody could have known this at the time, but with hindsight we can see that at the beginning of the Cold War, Iran had somehow become a whirlpool swirling with all of the 20th century’s clashing ideological and political forces. All the players are there: an autocratic monarch in the old style; a newly formed Communist party conspiring revolution; aristocratic Liberals demanding economic and constitutional reform; Islamist terrorists; Big Oil; a

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60:02

Borderline Post-Soviet Disorder

CONFLICTED ·

2022/03/02

In the last episode we talked about how the American half of the Cold War was established in Saudi Arabia. Today, we’re shifting our focus to the other half of that epic conflict: the Soviet Union. What were the Soviet Union’s designs on the Middle East? Or were their forays into Middle Eastern geopolitics simply countermoves in a Cold War chess game, attempts to wrongfoot their American opponent? And now, as the spectre of war between Russia and Ukraine hangs over Europe, to what extent can Soviet

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78:34

Spying for Saudi

CONFLICTED ·

2022/02/16

In this week’s episode, we focus attention on Aimen’s homeland: Saudi Arabia. Arabia is as old as time, and we explore how the depth and profundity of its history inform the present day. Saudi Arabia is also, as we’ll show, where the Cold War began, and to understand how, we’ll explain the way in which long-standing British power in the region gave way, fitfully and almost without anyone noticing, to those upstart imperialists from Thomas’s homeland: the United States. And we’ll see how the Cold War

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57:12

Clash of Civilisations

CONFLICTED ·

2022/02/02

Introduced in the first episode, we raise the all-important question: what is the “Clash of Civilizations?” We lay the groundwork by explaining the concept and how it relates to the “New World Order” covered in Series 2. Listen as Thomas and Aimen travel back to the end of the Cold War, this time zooming in on a little-known regional conflict, the explosive dispute still raging between Azerbaijan and Armenia. Their struggle over Nagorno-Karabakh offers a topical example of how the Clash of

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61:38

Afghanistan Continued

CONFLICTED ·

2022/01/19

We pick up where we left off, narrating the failure of America’s Afghanistan policy, its chaotic pull-out, and how the future of Afghanistan rests on a game of geopolitical poker—and the dealer is the Taliban! In our first episode of the season, Thomas and Aimen fully unpack Afghanistan’s modern history and its potential future all while introducing us to the idea of the ‘Clash of Civilizations’… Buckle up. Listen to exclusive bonus content and get all episodes ad-free by subscribing to Conflicted

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4:00

Conflicted Season 3 Trailer

CONFLICTED ·

2022/01/12

Join us on January 19 for Season 3 as we dive even deeper into the history of the Middle East by looking at the Cold War and travelling as far back as the Bronze Age. We also reflect on today’s state of affairs and digest its complexities to answer the question: is a clash of civilizations really to blame for the Middle East’s history of conflict? Or is the real problem our blindness to the region’s reality? Listen to exclusive bonus content and get all episodes ad-free by subscribing to Conflicted

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80:02

Afghanistan and the Taliban

CONFLICTED ·

2021/08/27

This year marks twenty years since 9/11 and the start of the war in Afghanistan. A war which is now reaching a tragic and extraordinary finale. In this special episode, Thomas and Aimen are back for a deep dive into the ancient and modern history of Afghanistan, Aimen's first hand experiences with the Taliban and an exploration of why the country has been in disarray for decades now. And we can also confirm that we are coming back for Season 3! Listen to exclusive bonus content and get all episodes

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45:39

Iran and the Nuclear Bomb

CONFLICTED ·

2020/12/16

In November, Iran’s top nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh was assassinated, and so Thomas and Aimen return to discuss the regional context of Iran’s nuclear program, what’s next for the region once Joe Biden takes office, and Aimen reveals how the assassination unfolded step-by-step. Plus, you will hear an update on Season 3 and a very special guest. Listen to exclusive bonus content and get all episodes ad-free by subscribing to Conflicted Extra on Apple Podcasts and Spotify for just 99p/month

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48:35

Introducing Untold Killing: Episode 1 - The Siege

CONFLICTED ·

2020/10/22

In this bonus episode, Thomas introduces a new show from the producers of Conflicted about the Srebrenica genocide. Tune in to hear the first episode of Untold Killing in full. The story of the last European genocide starts with the Bosnian War in 1992. Tens of thousands of Bosnian Muslims fleeing from persecution found their way to Srebrenica, a town where they were meant to be protected. And before genocide was carried out in that very town in 1995, the Muslims survived a siege that lasted for

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5:05

Introducing: UNTOLD KILLING

CONFLICTED ·

2020/07/11

Thomas introduces a new podcast about a subject familiar to Conflicted listeners: the Bosnian War. Untold Killing is a deep dive into one particularly tragic event during the war - the Srebrenica Genocide. Listen to the teaser and subscribe to the new show at https://bit.ly/untoldpod Join the Conflicted Community hub on Discord to discuss all things Conflicted with fellow dear listeners, get exclusive content, bonus episodes and ad-free listening. Register your interest through the link:

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81:29

Bonus Episode

CONFLICTED ·

2020/07/01

In this special episode, Thomas and Aimen sit down to answer your questions. They dig deeper into past discussions as well as touch on topics we haven’t covered in the podcast before. Expect to hear discussion about how COVID-19 is impacting the Middle East, western intervention in the Balkans and the role of Faith in Saddam’s regime. A massive thanks to the listeners who sent in questions for this episode and filled our audience survey. Listen to exclusive bonus content and get all episodes

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58:47

Climate Crisis

CONFLICTED ·

2020/04/22

As the financial crisis moved off the front pages, activists and politicians began to organize around another global emergency: climate change. In this episode, Aimen and Thomas discuss and debate their way through the science and politics around this hot topic. If you’d like to help us develop Conflicted for future seasons, please take a few minutes to fill out our questionnaire at bit.ly/conflictedq (and maybe win a little treat!). Thank you! Listen to exclusive bonus content and get all

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61:28

Wall Street

CONFLICTED ·

2020/04/08

From a bomb maker to double agent to… banker? In this episode, Aimen draws on his experience helping banks combat financial terrorism as our hosts explore the 2008 Financial Crisis and its impact on the New World Order. Listen to bonus content and get all episodes ad-free by subscribing to Conflicted Extra on Apple and Spotify. Join the Facebook group here: http://bit.ly/37cqJAY Read the transcript here: https://bit.ly/2RoEruG Join the Conflicted Community hub on Discord to discuss all things

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69:00

China 3.0

CONFLICTED ·

2020/03/25

From the protests in Hong Kong, to the persecution of the Uighurs and the building of the New Silk Road, this episode explores the role China has played in the New World Order. Listen to bonus content and get all episodes ad-free by subscribing to Conflicted Extra on Apple and Spotify. Join the FB group here: http://bit.ly/37cqJAY Read the transcript here: https://bit.ly/2xdNmYL Join the Conflicted Community hub on Discord to discuss all things Conflicted with fellow dear listeners, get

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47:45

Enter Russia

CONFLICTED ·

2020/03/11

After the Iron Curtain fell, America aimed to bring Russia into the fold of their New World Order. Things didn’t go according to plan. In this episode, Thomas and Aimen discuss the rise of Putin, the Second Chechen War and Russia’s role in Syria. Listen to exclusive bonus content and get all episodes ad-free by subscribing to Conflicted Extra on Apple Podcasts and Spotify for just 99p/month. For more info, exclusive updates and to chat with other listeners join our Facebook discussion group:

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