Conflict of Interest

The Falklands Conflict, with Katherine Parkinson

This year marks the 40th anniversary of the Falklands Conflict. But why did the United Kingdom, steered by Margaret Thatcher, send its Navy to defend the Falklands, a tiny group of islands over 8,000 miles from Britain? Why were the islands so important to Argentina and its government? And what are the prospects for reconciliation forty years later? In this episode we were joined by actor and comedian Katherine Parkinson.

May 18, 2022

54 min

The Vietnam War, with Cerys Matthews

The Vietnam War is one of the twentieth century’s most well-known conflicts. It has become a buzzword for military failure, synonymous with the most horrific aspects of irregular warfare between states and guerilla forces, and has had a profound impact on politics and popular culture in the United States and around the world. But why did America get involved in the first place? Who were the Viet Cong and the Viet Minh? Why were there mass peace protests back in the US? And what lessons, if any, can be learned from the conflict? In this episode we were joined by Cerys Matthews - singer, songwriter, author, and BBC Radio 6 broadcaster, alongside Phan Thi Kim Phuc, better known as the ‘Napalm Girl’, and renowned photographer Don McCullin. —------ CREDITS: Excerpt from ‘Eisenhower Two Vietnams’ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPet4zFh4sI&ab_channel=M.D.Jones Excerpt from Lyndon B. Johnson-Speech on Vietnam (September 29, 1967) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Tf2xGb5Nsg&ab_channel=MCamericanpresident Excerpt from Kennedy Speaks On Vietnam (1962): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iph_KkKLfcA&ab_channel=BritishPath%C3%A9 Excerpt from Behind The Viet Cong Lines (1965) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s6sPC1YLIdM&ab_channel=NuclearVault Excerpt from NBC News Special Report, January 31, 1968 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wA8n114eYXc&ab_channel=NewsActive3 Excerpt from President Richard Nixon Address to the Nation on the War in Vietnam, November 3, 1969 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPpOBu2LNCo&ab_channel=RichardNixonPresidentialLibrary Exerpt from 50 years ago: Walter Cronkite calls for the U.S. to get out of Vietnam https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dn2RjahTi3M&ab_channel=CBSEveningNews

May 11, 2022

57 min

The Korean War, with Eddie Izzard

Why is Korea divided between North and South? Who was Kim Jong Un’s grandfather Kim Il Sun, and what did he want? Why did the United Nations intervene in Korea? And did the Korean War really almost go nuclear? In this episode we were joined by celebrated stand up comedian, writer, actor and activist Eddie Izzard, in a special recording that took place on the ship HMS Belfast. ---- Excerpt from Combat footage, Korean war - newsreel (1950): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OF_Ts_6oSi8&ab_channel=MilitaryPublicDomain Excerpt from Korean War: President Truman Reports - June 1950: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWWiMS1E3nQ&ab_channel=JosephHewes Excerpt from Inchon Landings - First Pictures (1950) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ORilghHW0UQ&ab_channel=BritishPath%C3%A9

May 4, 2022

58 min

The Mau Mau Uprising, with Nikita Gill

The Mau Mau Uprising was another lesser-known conflict that took place during the end of the British Empire between Kenyan insurgents and British forces. We ask questions like, What does Mau Mau actually mean? What happened in Britain’s detention camps? What was decolonisation? And what is the legacy of the conflict today? In this episode we were joined by renowned poet and writer Nikita Gill. This episode contains references to racism and sexual violence in conflict. Some listeners may find descriptions distressing. ----- CLIPS: Excerpts from CNN ‘UK settles with Mau Mau victims in Kenya’ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=izo4JSaQeWY&ab_channel=CNN Excerpts from 'Mau-Mau (1955) | Early Grindhouse Exploitation Documentary' https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fT-cJC4EKAo&t=2188s&ab_channel=reelblack

April 27, 2022

51 min

The Malayan Emergency, with Phil Wang

Few are aware of the secretive conflict that took place in the jungles of Malaysia in the 1940s and 1950s between British colonial forces and communist guerillas. So what tactics were used by both sides? Why was it called an Emergency and not a War? What happened to ordinary civilians caught in the crossfire? And why did this conflict become so important for future counterinsurgency campaigns? In this episode we were joined by stand up comedian Phil Wang. -------------- CREDITS: Excerpt from "Malayan Jungle Patrol Aka Malaya Report (1953)" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vo6W2s1_AfY&ab_channel=BritishPath%C3%A9 Excerpt from "Malayan jungle fighting in 1952" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0PzaBY8-58&ab_channel=MichaelRogge Excerpt from "Sir Eden introduces new Malaya High Commissioner (1952)" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4h1zqqttu3c&ab_channel=BritishPath%C3%A9

April 20, 2022

47 min

The Berlin Wall, with Russell Tovey

The Berlin Wall was one of the most important symbols of the Cold War, signifying the division of Europe into communist East and capitalist West. But why was the Wall built? How did it affect the lives of ordinary Berliners? And how did it come crashing down in 1989? In this episode we were joined by Russell Tovey, renowned actor who has starred in Being Human, The History Boys and Him & Her. --------- CREDITS: Excerpt from Ronald Reagan: "Mr. Gorbachev, Tear Down This Wall!" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCO9BYCGNeY&ab_channel=NRCCCommunications Excerpt from John F. Kennedy's Speech at the Berlin Wall: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yBQvKXIDiuc&ab_channel=NBCNewsLearn Excerpt from Vollständige Pressekonferenz Günter Schabowski / Full press conference Günter Schabowski 1989: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F65XKAc4BrA&ab_channel=historictv. Excerpt from Berlin Airlift - The Story Of A Great Achievement (1949) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_nHdB1vJNsg&ab_channel=AIRBOYD Excerpt from Nikita Khrushchev's speech at the United Nations in 1960. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8BZlTxRQuU&list=PLA50AB7N5S7dxS68CKFmhSkjRzCj-LSnd&index=17&ab_channel=jabarbadi Excerpt from David Bowie Heroes - Live front of the Reichstag in Berlin 1987 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCI9o5IErwc

April 13, 2022

41 min