Conflicts of Interest

Escalation, Ebola and Extremism: Can anyone keep up?

The world is moving so quickly it is becoming harder to know where to look first. Iran remains on edge around the Strait of Hormuz. Ebola is spreading through one of the DRC’s most militarized regions. And attacks on places of worship are exposing the messy overlap between extremism, antisemitism, misogyny, and political violence. In this episode of Conflicts of Interest, Professor Clionadh Raleigh and Bron Mills try to make sense of a week where every crisis seems to be accelerating at once — from Iran’s strategic calculus and escalation risk, to the challenge of containing disease in conflict zones, and the growing pressure on free speech from Germany to the UK. Also on the radar: Russia’s shadow fleet, and why sanctions-busting tankers are becoming part of the hybrid warfare conversation. For more conversations like this, subscribe to Conflicts of Interest and watch the full episode on YouTube.  Conflicts of Interest: https://www.youtube.com/@ConflictsOfInterestACLED [https://www.youtube.com/@ConflictsOfInterestACLED] 📱 Did you know you can follow Conflicts of Interest on TikTok? [https://www.tiktok.com/@conflictsofinterestacled?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc]

The attention war: ceasefire one minute, missiles the next

As headlines swing wildly between ceasefire talks, missile strikes, diplomatic breakthroughs and fresh retaliation, this episode of Conflicts of Interest explores the growing sense of global confusion surrounding modern conflict. ACLED CEO Prof. Clionadh Raleigh is joined by Bron Mills to unpack the “attention war” shaping how conflicts are understood online, where algorithms, viral misinformation and nonstop breaking news are increasingly competing with verified reporting and nuance. From Iran and the United States to Russia, Ukraine and the UK, the conversation examines how modern warfare now unfolds across both battlefields and social media feeds — often leaving audiences struggling to understand what is actually happening, what matters, and what comes next. For more conversations like this, subscribe to Conflicts of Interest and watch the full episode on YouTube.  Conflicts of Interest: https://www.youtube.com/@ConflictsOfInterestACLED [https://www.youtube.com/@ConflictsOfInterestACLED] 📱 Did you know you can follow Conflicts of Interest on TikTok? [https://www.tiktok.com/@conflictsofinterestacled?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc]

Drone proliferation: The Ukraine effect

Ukraine has produced millions of drones and lost thousands more — and that hard-won expertise is now in high demand.  In this episode of Conflicts of Interest, ACLED CEO Professor Clionadh Raleigh and ACLED Ukraine expert Witold Stupnicki unpack how Kyiv is exporting its drone warfare knowledge to Gulf states, why a $50 drone can outmanoeuvre a $3 million missile, and what that means for the future of conflict. From frozen front lines to Saudi air bases, the drone revolution is reshaping how wars are fought — and by whom. But as Stupnicki warns, Europe shouldn't feel safe either. A shapeless, ever-present drone threat is already on its doorstep.  This is a conversation you won't want to miss. For more conversations like this, subscribe to Conflicts of Interest and watch the full episode on YouTube.  Conflicts of Interest: https://www.youtube.com/@ConflictsOfInterestACLED [https://www.youtube.com/@ConflictsOfInterestACLED] 📱 Did you know you can follow Conflicts of Interest on TikTok? [https://www.tiktok.com/@conflictsofinterestacled?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc]

Sudan’s next phase of war: fragmentation, spillover, and foreign patrons

As Sudan’s war enters its fourth year, the conflict is not fading — it is evolving, driven by shifting alliances, war economies, and regional opportunism that could reshape the Horn of Africa and the Sahel. While global attention is fixed elsewhere, the forces sustaining this war, from Gulf rivalries to cross-border militia networks, are evolving in ways that extend instability far beyond Sudan’s borders. In this episode of Conflicts of Interest, ACLED CEO Professor Clionadh Raleigh and ACLED Senior Research Assistant Nohad Eltayeb unpack the drivers of this new phase of war: the UAE’s role in RSF supply routes and political pressure on SAF, how Chad’s border closure has driven up RSF transport and fuel costs, militia networks stretching toward Niger, and how fractured loyalties and fluid alliances are entrenching long-term conflict fragmentation. Can a war built on shifting alliances, militia economies, and foreign patrons end through negotiation — or does fragmentation become the next phase of conflict? For more conversations like this, subscribe to Conflicts of Interest and watch the full episode on YouTube.  Conflicts of Interest: https://www.youtube.com/@ConflictsOfInterestACLED [https://www.youtube.com/@ConflictsOfInterestACLED] 📱 Did you know you can follow Conflicts of Interest on TikTok? [https://www.tiktok.com/@conflictsofinterestacled?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc]

The world Iran left overlooked: assassination attempts, suicide bombings, and shifting alliances

An assassination attempt on the US president. A surge of coordinated attacks in Mali. Rising violence in Chad. Continued fighting in Lebanon. As the Iran war reaches 60 days, what’s emerging isn’t a clear path forward, but a global landscape shaped by distraction, opportunism, and escalation. While attention remains fixed on Iran, violence elsewhere is accelerating — often with far less scrutiny. In this episode of Conflicts of Interest, ACLED CEO Professor Clionadh Raleigh and Bron Mills unpack the significant developments over the last 48 hours alone - and the dynamics driving this moment — from stalled negotiations and economic pressure in Iran, to the resurgence of conflict across the Sahel and the Middle East. The question isn’t just whether the Iran war will escalate — but how many other conflicts already are. For more conversations like this, subscribe to Conflicts of Interest and watch the full episode on YouTube.  Conflicts of Interest: https://www.youtube.com/@ConflictsOfInterestACLED [https://www.youtube.com/@ConflictsOfInterestACLED] 📱 Did you know you can follow Conflicts of Interest on TikTok? [https://www.tiktok.com/@conflictsofinterestacled?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc]