As Saudi Arabia celebrates Founding Day, and as the murky underbelly of GCC geopolitics is on everyone's minds, we're re-releasing this classic Conflicted episode from early 2022.
Thomas & Aimen discuss:
The deep history of Arabia
The first foundations of Saudi Arabia
The transition from British to American dominance in the Middle East
Aimenâs ... Show More
Feb 28
đ¨ Emergency Episode: The Iran War Has Begun đ¨
In this very special Emergency Episode, Aimen and Thomas discuss the Iran War, which began this morning with wide-ranging air strikes carried out by Israel and the United States against IRGC and Iranian regime targets, and which almost immediately resulted in Iranian counter-stri ... Show More
56m 10s
Feb 26
African Slavery: The Untold Story
In this Conflicted Conversation, Thomas speaks to former BBC journalist Martin Plaut about his new book Unbroken Chains: A 5,000-Year History of African Enslavement, which tells the whole story of African slavery, a story far older and more global than the one that focuses only o ... Show More
49m 44s
Feb 19
The People Who Became Arabs
In this Conflicted Conversation, Thomas speaks to historian Yossef Rapoport about his new book Becoming Arab, and the revolutionary argument at its heart: that Arab identity in Egypt and the Levant was not the result of mass migration from Arabia, but was forged in the medieval c ... Show More
56m 56s
Feb 2025
372. Syria, al-Sharaa, and the future of the Middle East
What does al-Sharaa's rise to power mean for Syria? Given his surprise takeover, how will todayâs CIA analysts be changing the way they think about the country and what happens next? Will Syria be the next Libya?
Join Rory and Alastair as they discuss Syriaâs rapidly shifting po ... Show More
1h 6m
Dec 2024
Syria: Can The Tyrant Assad Fall? With Razan Saffour
Become a member to get access to exclusive monthly calls: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/membershipItâs been a spectacular week in Syria. The world had written off the rebellion that began in 2011, believing Assad, with the support of Russian air power and Iranian militias, had c ... Show More
59m 5s
Oct 2025
The Untold Story of the Gaza Ceasefire - Thomas Small
Thomas Small is a historian and filmmaker best known as co-host of the Conflicted podcast, where he explores Middle Eastern history, geopolitics, and religious thought alongside ex-jihadi Aimen Dean. He also writes on ancient Christian spirituality and global conflict dynamics. T ... Show More
1h 23m