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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

24:15

CC: Alex Vatanka – How has the 12 Day War Changed Iran?

CONFLICTED ·

2025/10/08

This week on Conflicted, host Thomas Small is joined by Alex Vatanka, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute and a leading scholar of Iranian domestic and foreign policy. Together, they explore the profound impact of the recent 12-Day War between Iran, Israel, and the United States on the Islamic Republic. As an Iranian who has studied the regime for decades, Alex offers a vital look into the power struggles between revolutionary ideology and Iranian nationalism that are now at play in

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53:08

7/7: The Inside Story – The Lone Wolf • Episode 5

CONFLICTED ·

2025/10/06

Conflicted: 7/7 The Inside Story is now live to all our dear listeners! New episodes of this 6 part Conflicted special documentary series will release every Monday. But if you want to listen to them all right now and ad-free, you'll have to sign up to the Conflicted Community. All the information you need to sign up is on this link: ⁠https://conflicted.supportingcast.fm/⁠ -- On March 22, 2017, the Westminster Bridge attack killed five people, marking the start of a year which would see five

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52:59

7/7: The Inside Story – How to Spot a Radical •...

CONFLICTED ·

2025/09/29

Conflicted: 7/7 The Inside Story is now live to all our dear listeners! New episodes of this 6 part Conflicted special documentary series will release every Monday. But if you want to listen to them all right now and ad-free, you'll have to sign up to the Conflicted Community. All the information you need to sign up is on this link: https://conflicted.supportingcast.fm/ -- Just months after the 7/7 bombings, a new terror plot emerged in East London: British-born men were planning to bring

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24:29

CC: Aaron Zelin – New Syrian Government, Same Old...

CONFLICTED ·

2025/09/24

This week on Conflicted, host Thomas Small is joined by returning guest, Aaron Zelin - the Gloria and Ken Levy Fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy and founder of the acclaimed website Jihadology. Following up on their last conversation after the fall of the Assad regime, Aaron gives us an in-depth analysis of the current state of play in Syria as the new transitional government, led by Ahmad al-Shara, attempts to consolidate its power. Since the last time we spoke, Aaron has been

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32:28

7/7: The Inside Story – The Hunt • Episode 3

CONFLICTED ·

2025/09/22

Conflicted: 7/7 The Inside Story is now live to all our dear listeners! New episodes of this 6 part Conflicted special documentary series will release every Monday. But if you want to listen to them all right now and ad-free, you'll have to sign up to the Conflicted Community. All the information you need to sign up is on this link: https://conflicted.supportingcast.fm/ -- With the smoke still rising from the attacks of 7/7, the race is on to find out who was responsible. As the authorities

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51:00

7/7: The Inside Story – The Voices of Londonistan •...

CONFLICTED ·

2025/09/17

Conflicted: 7/7 The Inside Story is now live to all our dear listeners! Episodes 1 & 2 are available from today, with the following episodes of this 6 part series on the terror attacks which changed the face of modern Britain coming every week... -- Four years before 7/7, there was 9/11. The attacks on New York's World Trade Center utterly changed the world and counter terrorism was conducted in the modern age. It left the question: could a similar attack happen in London/ In this second

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37:49

7/7: The Inside Story – A Thursday in July • Episode 1

CONFLICTED ·

2025/09/17

Conflicted: 7/7 The Inside Story is now live to all our dear listeners! Episodes 1 & 2 are available from today, with the following episodes of this 6 part series on the terror attacks which changed the face of modern Britain coming every week... -- On a regular Thursday in July 2005, the peaceful morning air was shattered as four bombs ripped through the underground in central London. 52 people were killed, over 700 others were injured. London had never seen bombings of this magnitude before,

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71:58

Conflicted Revisited... 9/11

CONFLICTED ·

2025/09/11

On the anniversary, we go all the way back to where it all started with Conflicted, Episode One - 9/11. Where were you on 9/11? Thomas and Aimen use this historic event as a starting point as they tease out how al-Qaeda went from being a small army of jihadists seeking a caliphate in the Middle East to main player, at the centre of the global stage. Season 5 has ended, but if you still want to have your Conflicted fix , then you’ll have to join our Conflicted Community. Subscribers will get

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25:12

CC: Burcu Ozcelik – The End of the PKK & Turkey’s...

CONFLICTED ·

2025/09/10

This week Thomas is joined by academic and RUSI fellow, Dr. Burcu Ozcelik, a leading expert on Turkish domestic and foreign policy, particularly its relations with the Kurds and the Middle East. With a Ph.D. from Cambridge University on the topic of the PKK and their path to political reconciliation, Burcu has written widely about the Kurds and their relationship with the Turkish state - you can find her work over on X @BurcuAOzcelikBurcu provides a deep dive into the history of the Kurds, a

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71:17

CC Revisited... Eugene Rogan – What do the 1860...

CONFLICTED ·

2025/09/03

Another revisited Conflicted Community episode for you this week, as we gear up for a new season of Conflicted. This time we bring you the FULL episode of Thomas' conversation with Eugene Rogan, who back in 2024 told us about his latest book, 'The Damascus Events'. Enjoy... -- The 1860 ‘Damascus Events’ saw Syrian Christians murdered by their Sunni Muslim neighbours in a brutal genocidal moment that reshaped the late Ottoman Empire. It’s an example of how previously harmonious communities can

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24:35

CC: Jakub Jajcay – The Raw Reality of Modern Warfare...

CONFLICTED ·

2025/08/27

This week on Conflicted, host Thomas Small is joined by an old friend and former housemate when they studied in Syria together, Jakub Jajcay. A man of many talents, Jakub studied Arabic with Thomas in Damascus before becoming a Slovakian army officer, while also continuing his studies about the Middle East, including working towards a PHD on Lebanese politics. When Russia invaded Ukraine, he decided to put his professional skills to use, joining the Ukrainian Armed Forces as a foreign

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61:33

CC Revisited... Alex Anastasiades: Britain, Saudi and...

CONFLICTED ·

2025/08/20

This week, we're giving our Conflicted listeners another taste of what they get by joining the Conflicted Community, with an old episode that didn't go out on our normal feed...As Trump, Putin and Zelenskyy seek to find a solution to war in Ukraine, we thought it would be good to throw back to our episode with British diplomat Alex Anastasiades, so you can hear some more about what it is actually like to be in the room when these big diplomatic decisions are made. Enjoy... -- For this week’s

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26:49

CC: Dr. Alick Isaacs – Dialogue and Purpose in a...

CONFLICTED ·

2025/08/13

In this week’s Conflicted Community episode we're joined by Dr. Alick Isaacs, a lecturer at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and co-founder of Siach Shalom. Siach Shalom is am initiative that brings people from all walks of Israeli and wider Middle Eastern society—religious and secular, left and right—together to foster deep listening and dialogue. This conversation explores Dr. Isaacs' personal journey, from his upbringing as a religious Jew in the UK to his military service in Israel during the

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23:59

CC: Philip Cunliffe - The Return of the National...

CONFLICTED ·

2025/07/30

The Conflicted Community is delighted to welcome back on to the show Philip Cunliffe, Associate Professor of International Relations at UCL and co-host of BungaCast! In this insightful conversation, Thomas and Philip dive into his new book, "The National Interest: Politics After Globalization." They trace the evolution of the national interest from medieval times to today, discussing its distinction from nationalism and how it can foster genuine international cooperation. The episode also explores

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76:50

Conflicted Revisited... The Untold Story of the Druze...

CONFLICTED ·

2025/07/23

Over the past few weeks, Southern Syria has been engulfed in violence, between the Al-Sharaa regime, local Druze militias, and even Israel joining the fray. In season 5, we spoke to Nour Salam, a member of the Druze community from Suwayda, who explained the complex dynamics of the region. So this week, we're returning to that episode, to help you make sense of the events going on there today...Nour Salam is a Druze and a human rights and women’s rights activist whose family are originally from

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24:54

CC: Q&A – From Bunker Busters to Sahel Battlefields

CONFLICTED ·

2025/07/16

Thomas and Aimen return to tackle a barrage of listener questions in this special Q&A episode, offering unparalleled insights into the ever-shifting landscape of Middle Eastern geopolitics.We begin with a deep dive into the recent US strikes on Iran, where Aimen details the real impact of "Bunker Buster" bombs on Iranian nuclear facilities. Did they cause the destruction that many in the US government are claiming? The pair then discuss your questions about the prospect of a more comprehensive

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69:43

The Syrian Civil War Pt.9: Aimen’s Nephew Answers the...

CONFLICTED ·

2025/07/09

Conflicted reaches the final episode of Season 5! We've journeyed from Africa to the historic toppling of the Assad regime in Syria, and now, to bring the season to a close, Thomas is joined once again by Aimen to reassess all the topics we’ve discussed this season.In this powerful and deeply personal episode, Aimen and Thomas discuss the state of Syria following 14 years of civil war, exploring the new complexities for Al-Sharaa’s regime. As with our previous Syria episodes, Aimen then shares a

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38:18

7/7: The Inside Story – A Thursday in July • Episode 1

CONFLICTED ·

2025/07/03

On a regular Thursday in July 2005, the peaceful morning air was shattered as four bombs ripped through the underground in central London. 52 people were killed, over 700 others were injured. London had never seen bombings of this magnitude before, never with this coordination.In the first episode of this special series of Conflicted, we hear from survivors, emergency workers and a former Al Qaeda spy as we recount the heart-pounding and tumultuous events of that fateful Thursday in July. It

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7:24

Introducing - 7/7: The Inside Story

CONFLICTED ·

2025/07/02

On July 7th 2005, four bombs ripped through the maze of train tunnels underneath central London, killing 52 people and injuring over 700 others. 20 years on, this event marks the start of two decades where terrorism, and the perceived threat of it, would change the way in which the UK thinks about its own security, societal integration, and the way in which it conducts itself around the globe. Hosted by Thomas Small, co-host of the award winning podcast Conflicted, this series will form a larger

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76:50

The Syrian Civil War Pt.8: The Untold Story of the...

CONFLICTED ·

2025/06/25

Our penultimate episode of season 5 is here, continuing our journey across Syria to bring you the voices of the revolution and civil war, from all perspectives. In the series so far, we’ve given you the perspectives of a Kurd from Aleppo and Afrin, we’ve parachuted you into the siege of Southern Damascus, we’ve shown you what life was like in Raqqa under ISIS - and now, we bring you another fascinating view of the civil war - that of the Druze from Suwayda, a small city in southern Syria. And it’s

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