Conflicts of Interest
The world is in turmoil — from wars in Europe and the Middle East, to political crises, violent protests, and rising global unrest.
Conflicts of Interest goes beyond the headlines to explain the forces shaping today’s conflicts. Hosted by conflict experts Professor Clionadh Raleigh and Dr Caitriona Dowd, this fortnightly podcast unpacks wars, protests, political violence, and international power struggles with clarity and context.
No drama, no sensationalism — just what happened, why it matters, and how it fits into the bigger picture. For listeners who want to understand war, politics, and global conflict without the noise, Conflicts of Interest makes sense of a world on edge.
Brought to you by ACLED (Armed Conflict Location and Event Data)
Conflicts of Interest
2025: when global violence hit the fan
2025 marked a turning point in global conflict — not because violence suddenly appeared, but because it reached a scale, spread, and persistence that now feels like a new normal.
In this year-end episode of Conflicts of Interest, Prof. Clionadh Raleigh and Dr Caitriona Dowd look back at what 2025 revealed about political violence around the world.
Drawing on data and analysis from ACLED, they unpack where violence was most concentrated, how it evolved across regions, and why civilians faced unprecedented levels of risk.
Using ACLED’s global conflict index, we explain how violence is measured — including how dangerous, widespread, fragmented, and lethal conflicts have become — and why these indicators matter for understanding today’s security landscape. The picture that emerges is deeply concerning: more countries experiencing extreme violence, conflicts becoming harder to contain, and distinctions between war, criminal violence, and political unrest increasingly blurred.
This episode breaks down the key trends that defined 2025, challenges common assumptions about where and how violence occurs, and asks what these patterns mean as the world heads into 2026.
#GlobalConflict #PoliticalViolence #ConflictTrends #GlobalSecurity