Former “Diplomat” on Iraq, Gaza, and Espionage | Chris Merritt

Former British Foreign Office official Chris Merritt joins us to discuss his time as a diplomat in Iraq, Gaza, and Jerusalem, including Basra’s deteriorating security situation, Iranian-backed militias, Hamas, the Fatah split, and the realities of doing diplomacy in war zones. He also breaks down how those experiences shaped his later work as a trauma psychologist and spy novelist, including Committed and his new book Octagon.
Grab Chris' new book here:⬇️
https://amzn.eu/d/0haKB5uW
Chris' other books:⬇️
https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B07B9ZHBF5/allbooks?_encoding=UTF8&ref_=aufs_ap_ahdr_dsk_ab&pd_rd_w=O64uG&content-id=amzn1.sym.7e190e19-9f6f-4df8-807a-5a7608594741&pf_rd_p=7e190e19-9f6f-4df8-807a-5a7608594741&pf_rd_r=144-9783160-8516900&pd_rd_wg=RnoiZ&pd_rd_r=09cfe4a7-daad-4ab8-9dc1-dc378f894a38&ccs_id=6c35d69b-90e0-4701-8fc4-178090b51c0e
Today's Sponsors:
GhostBed ⬇️
https://www.ghostbed.com/house
FOR 10% off! 
Van Man ⬇️
Go to http://vanman.shop/teamhouse and use
code TEAMHOUSE for 15% off your first order.
Quince⬇️
go to: https://www.quince.com/house
for free shipping and 365 day returns 
For ad free video and audio and access to live streams and Eyes On Geopolitics...JOIN OUR PATREON! 
https://www.patreon.com/c/TheTeamHouse
To help support the show and for all bonus content including:
-live shows and asking guest questions 
-ad free audio and video
-early access to shows
-Access to ALL bonus segments with our guests
Subscribe to our Patreon! ⬇️
https://www.patreon.com/TheTeamHouse
Support the show here:⬇️
https://www.patreon.com/TheTeamHouse
___________________________________________________
PRE ORDER JACK'S NEW BOOK "THE MOST DANGEROUS MAN" 
⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/803651/the-most-dangerous-man-by-jack-murphy/paperback/
Subscribe to the new EYES ON podcast here:⬇️
https://www.youtube.com/@EyesOnGeopoliticsPod/featured
__________________________________
Jack Murphy's new book "We Defy: The Lost Chapters of Special Forces History" ⬇️
https://www.amazon.com/We-Defy-Chapters-Special-History-ebook/dp/B0DCGC1N1N/
——————————————————————
Or make a one time donation at: ⬇️
https://ko-fi.com/theteamhouse
Social Media: ⬇️
The Team House Instagram:
https://instagram.com/the.team.house?utm_medium=copy_link
The Team House Twitter:
https://twitter.com/TheTeamHousePod
Jack’s Instagram:
https://instagram.com/jackmcmurph?utm_medium=copy_link
Jack’s Twitter:
 https://twitter.com/jackmurphyrgr?s=21
Team House Discord: ⬇️
https://discord.gg/wHFHYM6
"Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio"
00:00 — Start / Chris Merritt joins The Team House
01:02 — Growing up near London, languages, and the road toward foreign service
05:03 — Learning Arabic and getting drawn into Middle East geopolitics
06:08 — Applying to the British Foreign Office and surviving the assessment process
10:10 — First Foreign Office job and wanting something more active
12:18 — Volunteering for Iraq and deploying to Basra in 2005
17:04 — Britain’s role in southern Iraq and the worsening IED threat
19:03 — Diplomatic work in a war zone: gathering ground truth in Basra
23:47 — Iranian-backed militias, helicopter shootdowns, and the badger conspiracy
27:41 — “Aggressive diplomacy” and working alongside the British military
30:05 — Rockets, mortars, and watching Basra deteriorate
32:53 — SAS contacts, close protection, and hostile-environment training
39:15 — Jerusalem, Gaza, and working the Palestinian side of the conflict
43:53 — Hamas wins elections, the Fatah split, and Gaza’s power struggle
47:26 — Trying to understand Hamas without being allowed to talk to them
50:07 — The Alan Johnston kidnapping...