What Britain Will Look And Feel Like When Things Get Nasty In Its Ethnic & Religious Conflicts

David Betz is Professor of War in the Department of War Studies at King's College London where he heads the MA War Studies programme. He is also a Senior Fellow of the Foreign Policy Research Institute. Prof. Betz's most recent book, The Guarded Age: Fortification in the 21st Century, is published by Polity. In this episode, David and I think out loud about the role of political institutions in civil conflict, the impact of demographics on politics & how the election of Zohran Mamdani for Mayor of New York City and continued election of Sadiq Khan for the Mayor of London are instructive about the future of Anglophone countries, whether the white British are displaying an anger and spiritedness following suppression and dismissal of their national identity, what Britain looks and feels like if it descends into inter-tribal civil conflict, how the elites have betrayed the British people, why Britain’s youth are discontented, the rival visions and consequences for Britain’s future, and what David has changed his mind on and much, much more. Follow David on X: https://x.com/DavidBe31099196 Buy David's book here: https://amzn.to/49jtByS Chapters 00:00 Intro and why civil conflict is on the table 01:18 Host summary of Betz’s argument (civil war risk) 03:55 Three drivers of civil war: factionalism, “downgrading”, loss of legitimacy 11:35 Wealth, obedience, elite quality – the three traditional brakes (and why they’re weakening) 18:10 Loss of faith in politics and the rise of “one-party state” sentiment 23:45 Reform UK, expectations, and why institutional change may still fail 29:05 Demographics as destiny: bloc voting, London, New York 33:10 Thumos and honour: the return of “spirited” politics 39:15 Post-heroic warfare and how the West lost with superior firepower 42:55 “Civil war” vs “war between peoples” – definitions and why they matter 47:20 Two vectors of conflict: tribes vs tribes, and street vs elite 52:10 Fractures within the “non-native” bloc (Leicester, South Asian sectarianism) 56:40 Information operations and “divide and incite” tactics 1:00:35 Civic vs ethnic nationalism under real violence 1:05:30 Crown, Crescent and Pitchfork – mapping the three zones of a breaking polity 1:09:05 System disruption: cities, infrastructure and siege by other means 1:13:40 What Betz changed his mind on: God, fatherhood and the nation-state 1:16:00 Where to find Betz and what he’s working on next Get in touch in the comments below or head to: Twitter: / thinkingclasses Substack: https://thinkingclass.substack.com/ Email: [email protected] About Thinking Class: Thinking Class is a free-speech YouTube show and podcast that reclaims the space to think out loud. Join John Gillam (@thinkingclasses) and his guests to learn how to pay attention to what matters.