CONFLICTED
CONFLICTED

CONFLICTED

Message Heard

Overview
Episodes

Details

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.

Recent Episodes

The True Origins of Modern Terrorism
APR 16, 2026
The True Origins of Modern Terrorism
In this Conflicted Conversation, Thomas speaks to journalist Jason Burke about his new book The Revolutionists: The Story of the Extremists Who Hijacked the 1970s. Jason explains: Why the origins of modern terrorism lie earlier than the Afghan jihad of the 1980s The global revolutionary ferment of the 1960s and 70s Why early terrorist attacks were often designed to attract attention rather than cause mass casualties The role of Palestinian militant groups in pioneering modern tactics like hijacking Connections between European radicals, Japanese militants, and Middle Eastern groups How states adapted to terrorism through new counterterrorism measures The shift from theatrical violence to mass-casualty and suicide attacks The relationship between secular revolutionary movements and later Islamist militancy The Iranian Revolution as a turning point in the evolution of political violence Why many common narratives about the origins of jihadism are incomplete Find Jason on X: https://x.com/burke_jason Join the Conflicted Community here: https://conflicted.supportingcast.fm Find Conflicted on X: https://x.com/MHconflicted And Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MHconflicted And Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/conflictedpod And YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sdlF1mY5t4 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Conflicted is a Message Heard production. Executive Producers: Jake Warren & Max Warren. This episode was produced by Thomas Small and edited by Lizzy Andrews. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
play-circle icon
77 MIN
Iran War: Will the Ceasefire Hold?
APR 10, 2026
Iran War: Will the Ceasefire Hold?
Aimen does his best to explain the sudden and somewhat unexpected ceasefire between the United States and Iran which was announced early on Tuesday. Aimen and Thomas discuss: Pakistan's role: what game are they playing? Russia's delicate balancing act between Iran and the GCC How GCC leaders cope with President Trump's erratic shifts in messaging and policy Did Netanyahu know about the ceasefire in advance? The potential coup in Lebanon which Israel's intervention stopped Whether Lebanon is included in the ceasefire or not What U.S. military hardware is on its way to the region Why European politicians and diplomats still support containment when it comes to Iran while being gung-ho against Russia How energy dependence helps explain the posture of Pakistan, Egypt, and Turkey How the Islamabad talks between Vance and Ghalibaf are likely to go down Join the Conflicted Community here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://conflicted.supportingcast.fm/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Find us on X: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://x.com/MHconflicted⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ And Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/MHconflicted⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ And Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/conflictedpod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠megaphone.fm/adchoices⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Conflicted is a Message Heard production. Executive Producers: Jake Warren & Max Warren. Produced and edited by Thomas Small. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
play-circle icon
82 MIN