The Brink

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In this episode of The Brink, Andrew is joined by David Draiman, frontman of Disturbed, for a deeply personal conversation about October 7th, antisemitism, Israel and why he has refused to remain silent despite the potential cost to his career.

Drawing on his own experiences of antisemitism and his family's history, from grandparents who survived Auschwitz and Dachau to relatives who served in the IDF, Draiman explains why defending the Jewish people has always been central to his identity. He reflects on how October 7th transformed that fight and why the reaction that followed left him deeply concerned about the future of Jews in the West.

Draiman also addresses one of the most controversial moments of his activism: writing “F*ck Hamas" on an Israeli artillery shell. He explains why he has no regrets, while also speaking candidly about Palestinian suffering, his hopes for coexistence, and his belief that Israelis and Palestinians ultimately deserve a future beyond perpetual war.

Finally, Draiman reflects on the power of music after Disturbed's Hold On to Memories was played at the funeral of Shiri, Ariel, and Kfir Bibas, and on his friendship with Yarden Bibas. He explains why, whatever the professional consequences of speaking out, being able to act according to his conscience matters more than becoming "the next Metallica."

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Chapter

00:00 David Draiman On Speaking Up

02:58 Why October 7th Changed Everything

05:56 Growing Up With Anti-Semitism

09:27 How Jewish Identity Shaped Disturbed

16:16 Jews, Division & Survival

19:43 Hollywood, Music & Israel

25:49 Israel, Gaza & Legitimate Criticism

33:15 Fighting Back Against Anti-Israel Narratives

34:57 Why Celebrities Won’t Debate Him

40:57 “I Wrote F*** Hamas”

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Watch the full uncut interview HERE: https://thebrinkpodcast.substack.com

In this episode of View from The Brink, Andrew Fox examines a growing crisis inside the Pentagon, asking whether Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth’s drive for loyalty and ideological control is beginning to undermine the military effectiveness of the United States.

Andrew examines Hegseth’s transformation of the Pentagon itself, from the removal of senior military leaders and interventions in promotion decisions to restrictions on the traditional press and the undisclosed government roles given to sympathetic online influencers. Andrew asks whether a culture intended to restore discipline and merit is instead making military officers increasingly reluctant to deliver unwelcome advice.

Finally, Andrew makes the case that the readiness leak should be understood as a warning about the health of civilian-military relations. If senior officers believe professional objections are being ignored or punished, he argues, the greatest danger is not disobedience but a Pentagon in which uncomfortable truths can no longer travel safely upwards…

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Watch the full uncut interview HERE: https://thebrinkpodcast.substack.com

In this episode of The Brink, Jake is joined by Hussain Abdul-Hussain, author of The Arab Case for Israel, for a fascinating conversation about Israel, the Arab world, and why he believes peace requires a fundamental change in the way the Middle East thinks about politics, identity, and prosperity.

Growing up between Saddam Hussein’s Iraq and Hezbollah-dominated Baalbek, Hussain absorbed the politics of Arab nationalism, sectarianism, and hostility towards Israel. He explains how moving to Beirut, encountering different religious communities, and eventually teaching himself Hebrew by listening to Israeli radio transformed his understanding of the Jewish state.

Hussain argues that much of the Arab world has prioritised land, honour, and historical grievance over economic prosperity and individual liberty. Drawing on the UAE and the Abraham Accords, he makes the case for a different model: abandoning permanent conflict with Israel, raising living standards, and allowing political reform to emerge gradually rather than through revolution.

The conversation also explores the decline of Christian and Jewish minorities across the Middle East, Hezbollah’s grip on Lebanon, the prospects for Arab-Israeli normalisation, and why Hussain believes many ordinary Arabs may be considerably more open to peace than their governments and political movements suggest.

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Chapters

00:00 From Hezbollah Sympathiser To Supporting Israel

02:43 The Arab Case For Israel

04:17 Why Hussein Changed His Mind

09:13 Prosperity, Palestine & National Pride

21:46 Minorities In The Muslim World

28:33 Growing Up Around Hezbollah

35:53 How Beirut Changed Everything

38:01 Discovering The Real Israel

42:52 Why Hussein Broke With The Left

47:15 Can The Arab World Really Change?

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Watch the full uncut interview HERE: https://thebrinkpodcast.substack.com

In this episode of The Brink, Andrew and Jake are joined by bestselling historian and author Simon Sebag Montefiore for a sweeping conversation about the history of the Middle East and his new book, The Cauldron: The Making of the Modern Middle East.

Sebag challenges many of the assumptions shaping today's debates about Israel, Islam, and the wider region. He explains why Islam cannot be treated as a single political or religious force, why Israel is in many ways more typical of Middle Eastern history than Western audiences realise, and how Zionism fits into a much longer history of Jewish attachment to the Holy Land.

The conversation also examines what Sebag describes as the West's almost religious commitment to the two-state solution, despite the realities on the ground. From the collapse of the Ottoman Empire and the creation of modern nation-states to Turkey, Iran, and the decline of Christianity across the region, he explores how history continues to shape today's conflicts.

Finally, we look at America's changing role in the Middle East and the emergence of a new geopolitical order in which conflicts from Ukraine and the Caucasus to the Horn of Africa are increasingly interconnected.

Chapters

00:00 The Two-State Solution Has Become A Religion

02:28 Simon Sebag Montefiore On The Brink

07:25 The Truth About Islam

13:37 Israel’s Crisis From Within

18:50 Will Israel Survive Its Divisions?

24:15 The Real History Of Zionism

30:44 Why The Two-State Solution Keeps Failing

32:12 The West’s Contradiction On Nationalism

35:36 Does The Middle East Need America?

45:37 Why Israel Isn’t Historically Exceptional

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Watch the full uncut interview HERE: https://thebrinkpodcast.substack.com

In this episode of The Brink, Jake is joined by author and activist Ayaan Hirsi Ali for a wide-ranging conversation about Islam, antisemitism, Israel, and what she sees as a crisis of confidence across Western civilisation.

Drawing on her own journey from growing up as a Muslim to leaving Islam and more recently converting to Christianity, Ayaan reflects on her changing relationship with Jews and Israel. She argues that the West has misunderstood the ideological challenge posed by Islamism and discusses whether meaningful reform within Islam is possible.

The conversation explores the influence of the Muslim Brotherhood, the growth of Islamist movements in Europe and America, and why Ayaan believes Western freedoms have been exploited by organisations seeking to undermine liberal societies. She also sets out the five forces she believes are driving modern antisemitism, from immigration and the internet to the wider political realignment taking place across the West.

Finally, Jake and Ayaan discuss Christianity, the decline of religious confidence in Europe, and why she believes the West must rediscover its Judeo-Christian foundations. Drawing on her recent return to Israel, Ayaan argues that the country's sense of identity and purpose offers lessons for Western societies struggling with their own cultural uncertainty.

A conversation about Islam, Israel, Christianity, antisemitism, and whether the West can rediscover the confidence to defend its own civilisation.

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Chapters

00:00 Introduction

03:52 Growing Up With Hatred of Jews

06:13 Is “Radical Islam” Really Radical?

08:57 Muslims, Islam & the Problem of Doctrine

16:53 Can Islam Be Reformed?

17:00 The Origins of Modern Islamism

20:24 Where Modern Antisemitism Comes From

25:00 Moderate Islam & the Muslim World

28:42 The Muslim Brotherhood in the West

33:52 The Five Causes of Modern Antisemitism

38:41 Islamophobia & Silencing Criticism of Islamism

44:58 How the West Lost Confidence in Itself

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Watch the full uncut interview HERE: https://thebrinkpodcast.substack.com

In this episode of View from The Brink, Jake tackles one of the most difficult issues facing Britain today: illegal migration, border control, and the growing public anger over the way the system is being managed.

Jake examines the scale and cost of small boat crossings, as well as a series of serious criminal and terrorist cases that have intensified concerns about Britain's asylum and immigration system. He argues that legitimate worries about security, integration, and rapid demographic change can no longer simply be dismissed or ignored.

But the episode also turns to the response emerging on parts of the political right. Jake warns that ethno-nationalism and the idea that Britishness should be determined by race or ancestry offer a dangerous alternative to the failures of the political establishment.

Instead, he makes the case for a tougher but fundamentally British approach: secure borders, effective enforcement, the removal of those with no right to remain, and a system rooted in the rule of law rather than race or religion.

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Watch the full uncut interview HERE: https://thebrinkpodcast.substack.com/

In this episode of The Brink, Andrew and Jake are joined by journalist and commentator Allister Heath for a conversation about the battle for the future of the British right, the rise of Restore, and why he believes conservatism risks being consumed by a new form of ethno-nationalism.

Following his explosive intervention against Rupert Lowe and Restore, Heath explains why he felt compelled to draw a line against racial politics and antisemitism. They discuss Reform, Restore, immigration and integration, and why legitimate anger over Britain's failures must not become a politics based on ancestry or racial purity.

The conversation also looks at the influence of America on British politics, from Donald Trump and Elon Musk to Tucker Carlson and the online right, as well as the collapse of the traditional centre-right and the failure to offer a convincing economic alternative.

Finally, they discuss Israel, the rise of anti Zionism, Britain's wider crisis of confidence and what it actually means to be British in a multiracial and multifaith country.

A timely conversation about the crisis of the right, the dangers of political extremism and whether conservatism can find a way forward without losing the values it is supposed to defend.

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Chapters

00:00 Introduction

02:51 The Battle Between Restore, Reform & the Conservatives

08:02 The Far Right, Far Left & Antisemitism

12:12 How Online Politics Is Changing the British Right

16:54 The Fallout From Alistair’s Restore Column

18:51 Why the Conservative Party Failed

24:26 Why Britain’s Political Establishment Is Failing

27:21 Which Part of the Far Right Is Most Dangerous?

33:00 Can Extremism Be Removed From the Right?

36:47 Trump, Elon Musk & the Changing Right

38:27 What Comes After Trump?

41:24 Why Alistair Is Pessimistic About the West

42:04 America’s Institutional & Military Crisis

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Watch the full uncut interview HERE: https://thebrinkpodcast.substack.com

In this episode of The Brink, Andrew and Jake sit down for a conversation about British identity, immigration, and the growing battle over the future of the political right. The discussion examines the rise of ethno-nationalism and the rhetoric surrounding Rupert Lowe and Restore, asking where legitimate concerns about mass immigration and integration end and racial politics begin. Andrew and Jake explore what it actually means to be British and why identity cannot simply be reduced to ancestry, race, or religion.

They also turn to Islam in Britain, arguing that serious concerns around extremism, integration, and political Islam need to be confronted without treating millions of Muslims as a single hostile group. From British Muslims who have served in the armed forces to communities struggling with integration, they consider how Britain can defend its culture while avoiding the politics of collective blame.

Finally, the conversation looks at the influence of social media, populism, and foreign actors in pushing politics towards the extremes, and why simplistic solutions to Britain's problems risk destroying the very values they claim to protect.

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Chapters

00:00 What Does It Mean To Be British?

03:35 The Battle Over British Identity

07:20 Who Really Counts As British?

09:35 Mass Immigration & National Identity

12:43 The Rise Of Ethno-Nationalism

15:45 What Makes Someone British?

20:22 The Problem With Populism

23:12 Britain’s Failure To Integrate

25:20 Race, Faith & Britishness

35:15 Is Islam Compatible With Britain?

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In this episode of The Brink, Andrew is joined by historian Lawrence Goldman, former Oxford professor and Executive Editor of History Reclaimed, for a wide-ranging conversation on the crisis facing universities, the rewriting of British history, and the growing influence of ideology in academia.

Drawing on more than four decades at Oxford, Goldman explains how the study of history has shifted away from archival research and evidence towards theory, ideology, and present-day moral judgments. He argues that today's students are increasingly taught to interpret the past through modern political frameworks, rather than understanding historical events on their own terms.

The conversation also explores the rise of anti-Semitism on university campuses, the relationship between anti-Zionism and academic culture, and why Goldman believes many institutions have failed to defend free inquiry and intellectual diversity. We discuss the expansion of higher education, the internationalisation of universities, and the growing disconnect between academia and wider society.

Finally, Andrew and Lawrence examine what it would take to restore trust in higher education. From academic freedom and leadership to educational standards and the purpose of universities themselves, they ask whether Britain's institutions can return to the pursuit of truth over ideology.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction

05:19 The Rise Of Ideology In Universities

11:25 When Did It Start?

14:57 Why Academia Changed

17:45 Is Diversity Of Thought Disappearing?

19:24 The Cost Of Speaking Out

23:00 Why History Reclaimed Was Created

26:03 Does Oxford Have An Antisemitism Problem?

35:46 Why Antisemitism Is Getting Worse

39:19 Foreign Influence In British Universities

42:56 Has Academia Lost Its Purpose?

45:39 Are Universities Producing Better Students?

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Watch the full uncut monologue HERE: https://thebrinkpodcast.substack.com/

In this solo episode of The Brink, Andrew Fox examines the extraordinary events unfolding in Ceuta, where tens of thousands of migrants crossed into Spanish territory in just 24 hours. But was this really an invasion of Europe, or something far more calculated?

Andrew breaks down the competing explanations behind the crisis, from social media-driven mobilisation and organised criminal smuggling networks to the possibility of state-backed coercion. He explores Morocco's long history of using migration as political leverage, the strategic importance of Western Sahara, and why the timing of the crisis has raised serious questions about Rabat's intentions.

The episode also examines Russia's growing influence across North Africa and the Sahel, including its links to Libya, the Wagner Group, human trafficking networks, and the weaponisation of migration as a geopolitical tool. Andrew explains what the evidence does and does not show, separating established facts from speculation while asking whether Moscow stands to benefit from Europe's latest border crisis.

Finally, Andrew explores what happens next. How does Spain process tens of thousands of arrivals? Can they freely move across Europe? And why might the political impact of the images prove even more significant than the number of people who crossed the border?

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