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CONFLICTED

CONFLICTED

By: Message Heard
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About this listen

 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.Copyright 2021 All rights reserved. Spirituality World
Episodes
  • CC: Jakub Jajcay – The Raw Reality of Modern Warfare in Ukraine

    CC: Jakub Jajcay – The Raw Reality of Modern Warfare in Ukraine
    Aug 27 2025
    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 volunteer. This episode is a raw, firsthand account of his experience of modern warfare. Jakub recounts his experiences as both an infantryman in the trenches and a drone operator, revealing surprising and often grim truths about the war's reality. The pair discuss a number of misconceptions about the war, from the overrated influence of Western weapons to the true nature of combat in the 21st century. They also dive into the effectiveness of drones, and the deeply personal motivations of Ukrainian soldiers, revealing a quiet, resolute patriotism that is less about grand political ideology and more about the fundamental desire for a sovereign homeland. This is a powerful and sobering conversation that grounds the abstract debates about international law and geopolitics in the grit, mud, and courage of those living it on the ground. To listen to the full episode, you’ll need to subscribe to the Conflicted Community. And don’t forget, subscribers can also join our Conflicted Community chatroom, where you can interact with fellow dearest listeners, discuss episodes past and future, get exclusive messages from Thomas and Aimen, ask future Q&A questions and so much more. All the information you need to sign up is on this link: https://conflicted.supportingcast.fm/ Conflicted is proudly made by Message Heard, a full-stack podcast production agency which uses its extensive expertise to make its own shows such as Conflicted, shows for commissioners such as the BBC, Spotify and Al Jazeera, and powerfully effective podcasts for other companies too. If you’d like to find out how we can help get your organisation’s message heard, visit messageheard.com or drop an email to hello@messageheard.com! Find us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MHconflicted And Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MHconflicted Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    25 mins
  • CC Revisited... Alex Anastasiades: Britain, Saudi and the New Multipolar World

    CC Revisited... Alex Anastasiades: Britain, Saudi and the New Multipolar World
    Aug 20 2025
    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 Conflicted Community bonus episode Thomas sits down with Alex Anastasiades, a British diplomat working for the Ministry of Defence in Riyadh, about Britain’s place in the Middle East. In a wide ranging interview, we discuss what life is actually like for British diplomats in the region, Britain’s historic place as a colonial power and now ally with countries in the Middle East, and how Britain's position might continue to evolve in the new multi-polar world. Alex is a diplomat with a background in international law and international relations, who has previously worked in Brussels and for NATO, before working for various positions within the British MOD. Now stationed in the Saudi capital of Riyadh at a fascinating and hugely consequential moment in the region’s history, Alex advises the defence secretary and government officials in the Foreign Office on geopolitical matters in Saudi and the wider Middle East.Find us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MHconflicted And Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MHconflicted Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    1 hr and 2 mins
  • CC: Dr. Alick Isaacs – Dialogue and Purpose in a Divided Land

    CC: Dr. Alick Isaacs – Dialogue and Purpose in a Divided Land
    Aug 13 2025
    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 First Intifada, before exploring how his profound and sometimes difficult experiences shaped his commitment to peace and led him to a deeper spiritual calling grounded in Jewish tradition. This episode delves into the complex ideas behind the Israel-Palestine conflict, moving beyond the usual political talking points, to challenge common perceptions. The pair unpack the difference between the Western concept of "peace" and the Hebrew idea of "shalom" , while also discussing Alick’s book, ‘Putting God First’, and the idea of a Jewish politics of purpose. This is a conversation that goes to the heart of what it means to heal deep-seated divisions and find a way toward genuine, lasting peace in one of the world's most contested regions. To listen to the full episode, you’ll need to subscribe to the Conflicted Community. And don’t forget, subscribers can also join our Conflicted Community chatroom, where you can interact with fellow dearest listeners, discuss episodes past and future, get exclusive messages from Thomas and Aimen, ask future Q&A questions and so much more. All the information you need to sign up is on this link: https://conflicted.supportingcast.fm/ Conflicted is proudly made by Message Heard, a full-stack podcast production agency which uses its extensive expertise to make its own shows such as Conflicted, shows for commissioners such as the BBC, Spotify and Al Jazeera, and powerfully effective podcasts for other companies too. If you’d like to find out how we can help get your organisation’s message heard, visit messageheard.com or drop an email to hello@messageheard.com! Find us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MHconflicted And Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MHconflicted Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    27 mins
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Fascinating look at the Middle East and the modern world, great information and insights from the presenters, even if I don’t agree with some of their views. Monarchy is not always the solution….

Fascinating

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