CONFLICTED

We welcome back friend of the show Baraa Shiban, who was recently on the front lines in Yemen. The Houthis have surrounded Taiz once again. Can the city that has defied Yemen's tyrants for generations hold out against another devastating siege? For mind-expanding Q&A's with Aimen, join the CONFLICTED COMMUNITY here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://conflicted.supportingcast.fm/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Baraa and Thomas discuss: Baraa's eyewitness journey into besieged Taiz along its treacherous mountain supply route. Life under siege: ruined streets, sniper fire, shelling and hospitals running short of supplies. Displaced families, makeshift schools and the children dreaming of justice. Taiz's defiant celebration of Yemen's 1962 republican revolution. From Rasulid capital to republican stronghold: Taiz's turbulent history. Taiz's political traditions: Nasserists, Socialists, Islamists and resistance to the Imamate. Outgunned defenders confronting Houthi artillery, drones and Iranian support. The fall of…

In this latest Conflicted Conversation, Ruben Andersson, professor of social anthropology at Oxford University's Department of International Development, discusses his new book Age of Security: The Rise of a Global Obsession. For deeper dives and world-class Q&As with Aimen Dean, join the CONFLICTED COMMUNITY here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://conflicted.supportingcast.fm⁠⁠⁠⁠ Ruben and Thomas explore: How security replaced politics Why failed security breeds more security The border crackdown that fuels illegal migration How neoliberalism hollowed out social order Sweden’s slide into gang violence When Big Tech became Big Security China and the rise of the Paranopticon How surveillance blurred civilian and military life Why Covid made us surrender freedom so easily Can we escape the politics of fear? Find us on X: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://x.com/MHconflicted⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ And Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/MHconflicted⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ And Instagram:…

In this latest Conflicted Conversation, journalist Adrian Wooldridge discusses his latest book Centrists of the World Unite: The Lost Genius of Liberalism. For deeper dives and world-class Q&As with Aimen Dean, join the CONFLICTED COMMUNITY here: ⁠⁠⁠https://conflicted.supportingcast.fm⁠⁠⁠ Adrian and Thomas explore: Why liberalism is in crisis — and whether it can reinvent itself Modernity, permanent change and the birth of the liberal world Erasmus, tolerance and the case for a “chastened liberalism” Hobbes, individualism and whether liberalism misunderstands human nature John Stuart Mill, moral formation and the need for cultural elites Power, authority and how liberal distrust became a “democracy of disdain” Meritocracy, elite failure and the rise of the examination class Identity politics, minority rights and the limits of anti-majoritarian liberalism America, China and the unraveling of the liberal international order Can liberalism recover its moral foundations without Christianity? Find us on X:…

Sudan’s civil war has become a regional proxy struggle, with the UAE, Egypt, Iran, Turkey and other powers backing rival armed camps as the country fragments under the pressure of war. But while the RSF’s foreign support has drawn intense scrutiny, the forces sustaining Sudan’s army — from Islamist networks to drones, money and weapons supplied from abroad — have received far less attention. For mind-expanding Q&A's with Aimen, join the CONFLICTED COMMUNITY here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://conflicted.supportingcast.fm/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Aimen and Thomas discuss: Why Sudan has become everyone’s proxy war The UAE, the RSF — and the case against the usual narrative Who is really backing Burhan’s army? How the Muslim Brotherhood returned through Sudan’s war Iran, Turkey and the drone war changing the battlefield The hidden regional contest between Egypt and Ethiopia Did Sudan’s army use chemical weapons? Can the outside powers stop the war they helped sustain? Find us on X:…

The war is widening, diplomacy has stalled, and the Middle East is once again sliding towards escalation as the relationship between Israel and the Gulf states grows closer while pressure on Iran is mounting at sea, in the air, and across its network of regional allies. For mind-expanding Q&A's with Aimen, join the CONFLICTED COMMUNITY here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://conflicted.supportingcast.fm/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Aimen and Thomas discuss: The failure of the latest US-Iran diplomacy at the UN and the growing risk of renewed escalation. Israeli claims of renewed Iranian nuclear activity at Pickaxe Mountain and the wider nuclear question. The secret Abu Dhabi meeting and the emerging Saudi-UAE-Israeli security alignment. The war in Yemen, the Houthi advance, and Saudi plans for a major counter-offensive. Pakistan’s growing military role in Saudi Arabia and the significance of the Mecca Pact. The widening regional front: Somaliland, al-Shabaab, Eritrea, Europe, and security around the Bab…

In this latest Conflicted Conversation, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Joby Warrick tells Thomas all about his latest book The Jackal: The Rise and Fall of Carlos, the World's First Super-Terrorist. For deeper dives and world-class Q&As with Aimen Dean, join the CONFLICTED COMMUNITY here: ⁠⁠https://conflicted.supportingcast.fm⁠⁠ Joby explains: Carlos the Jackal: From Venezuelan Marxist to Global Terror Icon Wadi Haddad, the KGB and the Birth of International Terrorism Dawson’s Field and the Rise of Made-for-TV Terror How the Media Created the Myth of “Carlos the Jackal” OPEC 1975: Gaddafi, Ransom Millions and Carlos’s Biggest Coup Carlos Inc: How Dictators Turned Terrorism Into a Hired Service From Carlos to Bin Laden: The Shift From Marxism to Jihadism Joby Warrick Meets Carlos: Unrepentant After 30 Years in Prison Find Joby on X: https://x.com/JobyWarrick Find us on X: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://x.com/MHconflicted⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ And Facebook:…

Aimen's away this week. But not to worry! Sitting in his seat is Mohammed al-Basha: a Yemeni-American analyst with over twenty years of experience. Basha is the perfect person to help us understand better the larger forces at work in the Yemen Civil War — with consequences for the entire world. For world-class Q&A's with Aimen, join the CONFLICTED COMMUNITY here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://conflicted.supportingcast.fm/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Basha and Thomas discuss: How the Houthis Smashed Yemen’s Western Front in Just Seven Days Inside the Houthi Machine: From Mountain Rebels to a Revolutionary State Abdul-Malik al-Houthi: The Hidden Leader His Followers Treat Like a Sacred Authority How Gaza Supercharged Houthi Recruitment, Weapons and Global Ambition Why Yemen’s Anti-Houthi Forces Keep Falling Apart Tareq Saleh: The Warlord Who Embodies Yemen’s “Game of Thrones” Saleh Co-Opted the Tribes — the Houthis Are Trying to Crush Them Could the Houthis Take All of Yemen — and Would Yemen Survive It? Find…

In this latest Conflicted Conversation, historian Anthony Kaldellis of the University of Chicago discusses his new book 1453: The Conquest and Tragedy of Constantinople. For deeper dives and world-class Q&As with Aimen Dean, join the CONFLICTED COMMUNITY here: ⁠https://conflicted.supportingcast.fm⁠ Anthony explains: Why the ‘Byzantines’ were really Romans The Roman state’s extraordinary longevity Constantinople’s strategic importance The rise of the Ottoman state Ottoman slavery, the devşirme, and the janissaries Romans, Italians and Turks living side by side Venice and Genoa’s role in the East Ottoman cannon and the myth of Orban Why the siege was not inevitable The enslavement and dispersal of the Romans How ‘Byzantium’ was reinvented after its fall Find us on X: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://x.com/MHconflicted⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ And Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/MHconflicted⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ And Instagram:…

In this week’s Conflicted Conversation, UCL associate professor Philip Cunliffe makes a provocative case: far from being polar opposites, global Islamism and American unipolarity were born of the same globalised order. But what happens when that order starts to fall apart? And is today’s rising New Left inadvertently fighting to save the liberal-imperial system it says it wants to destroy? For deeper dives and world-class Q&As with Aimen Dean, join the CONFLICTED COMMUNITY here: https://conflicted.supportingcast.fm Philip and Thomas discuss: How U.S. unipolarity and globalisation reshaped the world after the Cold War Why Cunliffe thinks ‘global Islam’ is a distinctly modern political phenomenon How early state-seeking Islamism gave way to transnational Islamism and jihadism Why neoliberal globalisation weakened state sovereignty and boosted Islamist networks The strange overlap between liberal humanitarianism and jihadist causes How the CIA, Afghanistan and Syria blurred the line between ally and enemy Why…

Every region-watcher was stunned over past week as the anti-Houthi forces in Yemen suffered an extremely brutal reversal—with global consequences. Aimen lifts up the curtain of inter-Gulf politics to help Thomas understand better what went wrong, and why Saudi Arabia's confused foreign policy may deserve the lion's share of the blame. For mind-expanding Q&A's with Aimen, join the CONFLICTED COMMUNITY here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://conflicted.supportingcast.fm/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Aimen and Thomas discuss: Did Iran dupe Saudi Arabia? How the Houthis humiliated their rivals Mocha falls: Bab al-Mandab exposed Saudi Arabia’s oil lifeline gets hit Why Yemen’s anti-Houthi coalition imploded The bitter Saudi-UAE divorce Has Qatar reshaped Saudi foreign policy? Why Trump refused MBS’s rescue call Find us on X: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://x.com/MHconflicted⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ And Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/MHconflicted⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ And Instagram:…

To commemorate the 25th Anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, Aimen and Thomas take a deeper, wider look at the historical, ideological, and geopolitical context on either side of that momentous world-changing event. Join the CONFLICTED COMMUNITY here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://conflicted.supportingcast.fm/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Aimen and Thomas discuss: Was 9/11 an ending as well as a beginning? The myth of the peaceful 1990s America inherited a geopolitical mess after the USSR's collapse America as a revolutionary power Could preserving Middle Eastern monarchies have prevented later disasters? Al-Qaeda and liberal globalisation Jihadism amid the wreckage of earlier promises Was the War on Terror a rupture or an acceleration? Bin Laden’s selective use of history History without a puppet master Find us on X: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://x.com/MHconflicted⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ And Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/MHconflicted⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ And Instagram:…

Where did the nation-state come from—and what happens if the conditions that made it powerful are now disappearing? Thomas discusses these questions and much more in this wide-ranging Conflicted Conversation with award-winning novelist and essayist Rana Dasgupta, whose new book After Nations: The Making and Unmaking of a World Order sets out to explain where our world order came from and where it could be going. Rana explains: The origins of the modern nation-state and the decline of universal sacred empires Louis IX, the Crown of Thorns and the sacralisation of the French state How Enlightenment political theology transformed God, sovereignty and individual rights Industrialisation, mass democracy, welfare states and the political power of workers Liberalism, populism and the changing relationship between elites and mass democracy The origins of international law in empire, property rights and global capitalism Why the postwar rules-based international order is now weakening The East India Company, Silicon…

In this Conflicted Conversation, journalist Chris Horton talks about his new book Ghost Nation: The Story of Taiwan and Its Struggle for Survival. Chris explains: Why China wants Taiwan and why the island is vital to control of the western Pacific. Taiwan’s strategic position in the First Island Chain between China, Japan and the Philippines. How a Chinese invasion, blockade or maritime quarantine of Taiwan could unfold. Why a war over Taiwan could devastate global trade and the world economy. What Taiwan’s fall would mean for US power, Japan and the Philippines. Why Taiwan is an independent democracy but still officially called the Republic of China. Who the Taiwanese are: Indigenous peoples, Hoklo, Hakka and post-1949 mainlanders. How martial law, dictatorship and democratisation created modern Taiwanese identity. Why the Kuomintang, once Communist China’s enemy, is now Taiwan’s most Beijing-friendly major party. Whether Taiwan could eventually choose closer integration with China through democracy rather…

Aimen's prediction on 4 August came true, and in the intervening weeks the United States have ramped up the economic pressure on the Iranian regime. The question is: how with the IRGC react? The war re-escalated over the weekend, and as the Iranian people began to make their feelings felt, all indications are that peace is farther away than ever. Aimen and Thomas discuss: Operation Economic Outcast: US sanctions and regional trade restrictions tighten Iran’s economic isolation. Strait of Hormuz: US demining, Gulf oil exports and Iran’s new underwater drone threat reshape the naval war. Iran’s economic crisis: collapsing rial, inflation, shortages and possible unrest increase pressure on the IRGC. UAE-Iran trade: Dubai’s historic commercial role shrinks as Gulf states join Washington’s economic campaign. US strategy in the Gulf: Trump administration cohesion, long-term military deployment and growing concern about China. Iran escalation risks: attacks on Gulf infrastructure, domestic repression and renewed…

In this Conflicted Conversation, Simon Sebag Montefiore returns to the show, this time to talk about his new book The Cauldron: The Making of the Modern Middle East. Simon explains: How Britain and France tried — and often failed — to shape the post-Ottoman Middle East Why Sykes–Picot is a misleading shorthand for the region’s modern borders How Atatürk, Nasser and other Middle Eastern leaders remade the region through their own choices The violent shift from Ottoman pluralism to nationalist, more homogeneous states Why Nasser’s charisma produced a powerful Arab myth but a disastrous authoritarian model Why traditional monarchies in Morocco, Jordan and the Gulf often outlasted revolutionary republics How America became the Middle East’s dominant anti-imperial imperial power after Europe’s retreat Why militias, parastates and insurgencies make “total victory” in today’s Middle East so elusive Find Simon on X: x.com/simonmontefiore Visit Simon’s website: www.simonsebagmontefiore.com Join the Conflicted…

In this Conflicted Conversation, Ian Kumekawa (a fellow of Harvard University and a lecturer at MIT) talks about his book Empty Vessel: The Story of the Global Economy in One Ship. Ian explains: The offshore global economy: where loopholes, ships and responsibility slip beyond ordinary jurisdiction From Little Toot to rusting barges: how industrial capitalism lost its confident postwar world Sweden’s socialist shipyards, private tax dodges, and the strange birth of the Vessel Containerisation’s hidden cost: how global trade hollowed out Manhattan’s working waterfront The Falklands War, Thatcherism, and the private infrastructure behind imperial sovereignty New York’s floating prison: mass incarceration meets offshore legal ingenuity Wall Street goes offshore onshore: banks, deregulation and International Banking Facilities Neoliberalism, legality and injustice: when the modern economy makes the immoral lawful Visit Ian’s website: www.iankumekawa.com Join the Conflicted Community here:…

Yemeni researcher and political analyst Baraa Shiban (and dear friend of the show) is back not only to give us an update on Yemen now that the civil war (and Saudi Arabia’s role in it) are heating up again, but also to give Thomas a much-deserved dressing down for not going far enough to hold Jeremy Hunt to account for his role in the Stockholm Agreement. Baraa explains: The collapse of the 2022 Yemen truce and renewed Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia and Red Sea shipping The Yemen battlefield map: Houthi control of Sanaa, Hodeidah and the northwest versus government-held south and east The strategic importance of Marib and Hadramaut, including Saudi-trained National Shield and Emergency Forces Mocha, the Giants Brigades and the impact of the UAE withdrawal on anti-Houthi military capabilities The Stockholm Agreement and how the 2018 ceasefire strengthened long-term Houthi leverage Why the Houthis are escalating now and how renewed fighting serves Iran’s regional strategy Houthi links with the IRGC, Hezbollah…

Turning their attention away from Iran and toward another Middle Eastern hotspot, Aimen and Thomas explain the course of events in Libya since the Arab Spring. Seismic political events are underway in that sad country, which has been riven by civil war and political division for over fifteen years. They discuss: The difference between East and West Libya First Libyan Civil War: state collapse and militia fragmentation NATO intervention and Western short-termism Khalifa Haftar: from Gaddafi officer to eastern strongman Second Libyan Civil War: Operation Dignity and divided government Libya proxy war: Egypt, UAE, Russia, Turkey and Qatar Libyan oil politics: NOC, Central Bank and Haftar’s leverage U.S.-backed Libya deal: Saddam Haftar, Dbeibah and Pakistan mediation Join the Conflicted Community here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://conflicted.supportingcast.fm/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Find us on X: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://x.com/MHconflicted⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ And Facebook:…

In this Conflicted Conversation, Nicholas Morton discusses his new book The Crusader Storm: A Global History of the Wars for the Middle East. Associate Professor in History at Nottingham Trent University, Nicholas reframes the Crusades as one part of a much larger transformation of the medieval Middle East, driven above all by Seljuk-Turkmen expansion, Byzantine contraction, Fatimid decline and the fragmentation of political power. Nicholas explains: The Seljuk-Turkmen transformation of the medieval Middle East Why the Crusades were not the region’s main event Dandanqan, nomadic warfare and the rise of Seljuk power Abbasids, Fatimids and fragmented government before the First Crusade Manzikert, Byzantine civil war and the Turkish conquest of Anatolia Frankish-Turkish rivalry, alliances and shared warrior culture Crusader violence and Christianity’s uneasy relationship with holy war Nizari Ismailis, Seljuk civil wars and competing Muslim priorities Damascus and Byzantium as key powers in Crusader geopolitics…

In this Conflicted Conversation, Justin Marozzi discusses his new book Captives and Companions: A History of Slavery and the Slave Trade in the Islamic World. Justin traces the long, varied history of slavery in the Islamic world, arguing that slavery could sometimes offer remarkable paths to freedom and power, but that these exceptions never erased the violence of capture, ownership and exploitation—or the uneasy entanglement of abolition with Western imperialism. Justin explains: The scale and longevity of slavery in the Islamic world The spiritual status of enslaved people in early Islam The Quran, manumission and the legal regulation of slavery The Islamic conquests and the expansion of slave-taking Anti-black racism and the Zanj Revolt in Abbasid Iraq Concubines, eunuchs, and sexual slavery Mamluks, Janissaries and elite forms of servitude Christian and Muslim slave-raiding across the Mediterranean Ottoman abolition and its entanglement with Western imperialism Modern slavery, Daesh and hereditary…

Donald Trump has once again stepped back from a threatened major attack on Iran. So has America lost the Iran War? Or is Trump’s apparent hesitation part of a longer strategy to exhaust the Iranian regime? Aimen and Thomas discuss: Whether Iran has outmanoeuvred Trump despite America’s overwhelming military superiority Aimen’s three possible futures for the war: US withdrawal, prolonged attrition or extreme escalation Why an American retreat could unleash an even more destructive regional war Israel, the Gulf states and Pakistan in a Middle East without American restraint The revival of the US–Iran MoU and President Pezeshkian’s lack of authority over the IRGC America’s possible ‘death by a thousand cuts’ strategy against Iran’s military and economy Iran’s collapsing currency, soaring inflation and ability to withstand prolonged pressure Trump’s highly personal style of government and the absence of a stable American war strategy The limits of air power and America’s repeated failure to convert destruction…

In this Conflicted Conversation, Thant Myint-U talks about his new book Peacemaker: U Thant, the United Nations and the Untold Story of the 1960s. It tells the story of his grandfather U Thant, the Burmese schoolteacher turned UN Secretary-General who guided the United Nations through some of the most dangerous crises of the 1960s, yet is now woefully forgotten or badly misremembered. Thant explains: U Thant’s forgotten role as UN Secretary-General during the great crises of the 1960s His sociability, humour, directness, and moral imagination How Buddhism shaped U Thant’s approach to crisis How newly independent post-colonial states tried to remake the world order Burma/Myanmar after empire: colonial destruction, weak institutions, and postcolonial state-building The Non-Aligned Movement: Afro-Asian internationalism beyond the US–Soviet Cold War Congo, Katanga and sovereignty: U Thant’s defence of postcolonial borders against neo-imperial fragmentation The Cuban Missile Crisis: U Thant’s overlooked role in…

French war reporter and global jihadism expert Wassim Nasr was part of the presidential press party during Emmanuel Macron’s recent visit to Damascus. He shares his first-hand account not only of what happened between Macron and Syrian president Ahmad al-Sharaa during the visit, but also what he discovered afterwards, during a trip to Aleppo and to the northern town of Kobane. Wassim and Thomas discuss: What it was like inside Macron’s presidential delegation to Syria France–Syria relations after the fall of Bashar al-Assad Macron and Ahmed al-Sharaa at the Umayyad Mosque and Mount Qasioun Islamic State bombings during Macron’s Damascus visit French investment in Syrian reconstruction, energy, ports and transport Aleppo’s security, political representation and slow post-war recovery Kobani, SDF integration, PKK influence and Arab–Kurdish tensions Ahmed al-Sharaa’s Islamist pragmatism and Syria’s dependence on his leadership Join the Conflicted Community here:…

In this Conflicted Conversation, Thomas meets Laura Spinney, author of Proto: How One Language Went Global, the story of the Proto-Indo-European language and its descendants, which are spoken today by half of humanity. Laura explains: How, where, and among whom Proto-Indo-European emerged How Indo-European split into English, Hindi, Persian, Russian, Greek, Latin-derived Romance languages, Celtic, Germanic, Baltic and Slavic tongues How linguists reconstruct an unwritten prehistoric language through sound laws, comparative vocabulary and ancient texts Why ancient DNA has transformed the debate over Indo-European origins by restoring migration to the centre of the story Who the Yamnaya were, and how mobile pastoralists north of the Black Sea spread language through cattle, wagons, dairy and steppe mobility How a small number of steppe migrants may have transformed Europe’s languages through disease, prestige, violence, intermarriage and social networks Why Tocharian, Sanskrit and Persian reveal extraordinary…

The MoU with Iran has broken down, war has returned to the Middle East, and so Aimen walks us through the events since the war re-ignited on 7th July. More than anything, the fighting now focuses on the Strait of Hormuz. In Iran’s eyes, it has won control of the Strait as a spoil of war. In the rest of the world’s eyes, freedom of navigation through the Strait remains a cast-iron principle of international law. Aimen and Thomas discuss: Why the US–Iran MoU collapsed over control of the Strait of Hormuz Iran’s attacks on Gulf shipping and the return of the US naval blockade US strikes on Bandar Abbas and Iran’s coastal military infrastructure GCC retaliation: Kuwait, Bahrain, UAE and Jordan confront Iran Trump assassination threats and divisions inside the US administration Saudi Arabia’s internal debate over Iran and renewed war with the Houthis Houthi threats to close Bab al-Mandab and attack Saudi infrastructure Oman, NATO and Israel’s roles in the widening Iran war Join the Conflicted Community here:…

In this latest Conflicted Conversation, Thomas talks with Yaakov Katz, the former editor-in-chief of The Jerusalem Post and co-author of ⁠While Israel Slept: How Hamas Surprised the Most Powerful Military in the Middle East⁠. Yaakov explains: October 7 intelligence failure and Israel’s missed warnings Hamas’s ‘Jericho Walls’ plan and ignored Unit 8200 alerts The Israeli conceptzia: why leaders believed Hamas was deterred Netanyahu’s Gaza containment strategy and Qatari money policy Hamas as a political asset against Palestinian statehood Israel’s overreliance on technology, SIGINT and border barriers Unit 504, HUMINT failure and the absence of agents in Gaza Gaza’s tunnel network and Hamas’s hidden underground military city Operation Guardian of the Walls and Israel’s exaggerated ‘Metro’ success Netanyahu’s responsibility, Israeli division and the post–October 7 media war **PLUS: Yaakov answers listener questions! FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY!** Join the Conflicted Community here:…

In this latest Conflicted Conversation, Thomas talks with retired US lieutenant general Ben Hodges, former commanding general of US Army Europe. Drawing on his experience at the heart of NATO’s military leadership, Hodges explains: His proposed path to Ukrainian victory Ukraine’s deep strikes on Russian oil and gas infrastructure Ukraine’s campaign to isolate and recover Crimea Why Hodges overestimated the speed of Ukraine’s victory The risk of Russia using nuclear weapons in Ukraine America’s failure to define clear political objectives in war Ukraine’s emergence as a European defence-industrial centre Why Western armies have been slow to learn from Ukraine Pentagon procurement and the military-industrial complex The NATO summit in Ankara and support for Ukraine The damage Trump has done to trust between NATO allies The geopolitical importance of Ukraine to Europe and the United States Why the Kremlin fears a successful democratic Ukraine Join the Conflicted Community here:…

As Aimen works hard to uncover the truth of what's going on in the region now that the MoU has been torn to shreds — or so it seems — and in recognition of Syria being taken off the State Sponsor of Terrorism list, we are rerunning this episode from last year where Aimen tells the story of his nephew who joined the jihad against the Assad regime. Join the Conflicted Community here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://conflicted.supportingcast.fm/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Find us on X: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://x.com/MHconflicted⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ And Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/MHconflicted⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ And Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/conflictedpod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠megaphone.fm/adchoices⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Conflicted is a Message Heard production. Executive Producers: Jake Warren & Max Warren. Produced and edited by Thomas Small. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this Conflicted Conversation, Thomas discusses the true foundations of modernity with Clifton Crais, author of The Killing Age: How Violence Made the Modern World. Clifton explains: The Mortecene as an alternative to the Anthropocene Why global violence accelerated after 1750 How firearms destabilised traditional political orders The role of credit and debt in expanding slavery Global complicity beyond a simple West-versus-rest narrative The industrial destruction of whales, elephants and bison Vodun and other religious responses to predatory power What muskets can teach us about drones and AI Join the Conflicted Community here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://conflicted.supportingcast.fm/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Find us on X: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://x.com/MHconflicted⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ And Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/MHconflicted⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ And Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/conflictedpod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠megaphone.fm/adchoices⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Conflicted…

In this special episode, we bring you an exclusive audio episode of ‘Undiscovered’ the new YouTube-first documentary series from Conflicted’s executive producer and Message Heard founder, Jake Warren. Jake sits down with the legendary journalist Robert Young Pelton to discuss the infamous battle of Qala-i-Jangi, which he experienced first hand, and how it changed the war on terror forever. In this episode they discuss: How Robert became a journalist and documentarian Robert’s documentary ‘Heavy D and The Boys’ Meeting and spending time with General Dostum The rumours and myths about General Dostum Being an eyewitness to the battle of Qala-i-Jangi Finding John Walker Lindh, the American Taliban The death of CIA officer Johnny Micheal "Mike" Spann Where the US went wrong in Afghanistan Find Robert on X: https://x.com/RYP__ And on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_robert_young_pelton_ And on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmfzgtljwtgY1IgXt2YGiFg Join the Conflicted Community here:…

In this Conflicted Conversation, Thomas sweats his way through a personally revealing exchange with Quinn Slobodian, Professor of International History at Boston University and the author of Hayek’s Bastards: The Neoliberal Roots of the Populist Right. Quinn explains: Friedrich Hayek’s “knowledge problem” and his defence of markets over central planning. Hayek’s later theory of cultural evolution, inherited institutions, and the limits of universal market society. The split between “cultural Austrians” at George Mason University and “racial Austrians” around the Mises Institute. Murray Rothbard’s move from courting anti-war hippies to building alliances with paleoconservatives and racial nationalists. Hans-Hermann Hoppe, anarcho-capitalism, secession, and racially homogeneous private communities. The Bell Curve, Charles Murray, IQ research, and the politics of scientific claims about race and inequality. The difference between ideas that are empirically false and ideas rejected because they are morally…

As the Middle East wakes up to an unnerving new normal following the signing of the M.O.U., Aimen and Thomas turn their attention to something truly cutting edge: the AI Arms Race that is rapidly transforming the Gulf into the front lines of a truly global U.S.-China confrontation. Aimen and Thomas discuss: Iran’s drone attacks on Gulf data centres. AI in missile defence and military targeting. The physical infrastructure behind cloud computing. Cheap Gulf energy and rapid data-centre construction. The UAE–Saudi competition for AI leadership. Sheikh Tahnoon, G42 and MGX. Saudi Arabia’s HUMAIN strategy. The US–China global AI rivalry. Israel’s cybersecurity and military-AI role. Whether AI-generated art can be genuinely creative. Join the Conflicted Community here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://conflicted.supportingcast.fm/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Find us on X: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://x.com/MHconflicted⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ And Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/MHconflicted⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ And Instagram:…

In this Conflicted Conversation, Yeganeh Torbati, the Iran correspondent for the New York Times, discusses her excellent new book Stolen Revolution: Betrayal and Hope in Modern Iran. Yeganeh explains how: The 1979 revolution promised justice but created clerical authoritarianism. Islamic law was subordinated to preservation of the supreme leader. Institutions created to help the poor became engines of economic corruption. The IRGC became a military-economic oligarchy. Khatami-era reformism failed by refusing to challenge the constitutional source of authoritarian power. Ahmadinejad promised to overthrow corrupt elites but merely installed new ones. Rouhani promised economic normalization but enabled even greater corruption. The destruction of all sources of organized opposition left protesters exposed to overwhelming violence. Foreign powers encouraged expectations they did not possess the strategy or commitment to fulfil. Iranian society continues to resist socially and culturally, making the future…

In this Conflicted Conversation, George Osborn draws on his excellent new book Power Play: Video Games, Politics and the Battle for Global Influence to reveal the hidden political power of video games. Once dismissed as a niche hobby, gaming has become one of the largest social environments ever created: a vast digital third space where billions of people form identities, build communities, and increasingly encounter politics — often aligned with authoritarian agendas. George explains: The history of video games: from arcades to global digital networks How gaming helped drive the modern technology revolution Why video games became the ‘third spaces’ of the internet age Steam, online gaming, and the rise of digital communities How China controls and regulates gaming culture Saudi Arabia's investment strategy in gaming and esports Russia, information warfare, and influence operations in gaming Gamergate and the politicisation of gaming communities Steve Bannon, online culture, and the rise of populist politics…

In the wake of the recently published Memorandum of Understanding between the White House and the Iranian regime, Aimen and Thomas explore what the MoU means and reflect on everything they got wrong about the Iran War. They discuss: How the MoU is a strategic lifeline for the Islamic Republic How it legitimises Iran’s proxy network, from Hezbollah to the Houthis How billions in frozen Iranian funds have already been released through Qatar — with American approval How the proposed $300 billion reconstruction fund for Iran has corruption written all over it How it enshrines the principle that Iran can charge for access to the Strait of Hormuz Whether Netanyahu lured Trump into a war he did not fully understand The collapse of the Abraham Accords' vision for a new Middle East If Conflicted itself has misread Trump, populism, and the future of American power Join the Conflicted Community here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://conflicted.supportingcast.fm/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Find us on X:…

Elizabeth Tsurkov returns for another Conflicted Conversation. This time, the conversation turns to Israel after October 7th. Elizabeth traces her own political journey from the Israeli right to a hard-won humanism, then explains how Israel’s old security doctrine collapsed — and why the new one may lead not to safety, but to permanent war. Elizabeth and Thomas discuss: Israel’s security doctrine after 7 October Israel’s shift from deterrence to pre-emption Why deterrence without a political endgame failed Gaza, Hamas and the limits of military victory Hezbollah, Lebanon and Israel’s buffer-zone strategy Israel’s new "buffer zone" security perimeter Iran’s missile threat and Israel’s war with Tehran The Abraham Accords, IMEC and bypassing Palestine Why real Israeli fears may be producing the wrong answers Join the Conflicted Community here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://conflicted.supportingcast.fm/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Elizabeth's personal website: ⁠https://elizabeth-tsurkov.net/en/⁠ Find Elizabeth on X: ⁠https://x.com/LizHurra⁠ Find…

Aimen returns to bring us up to date on all the latest manoeuvrings in the Middle East. Aimen and Thomas discuss: Trump’s chaotic, micromanaged Iran diplomacy and reliance on inexperienced “real estate” advisers. Pakistan, Qatar, Oman, Turkey, and Egypt as flawed or compromised mediators with “skin in the game.” Why Aimen thinks Switzerland would be the proper neutral US–Iran mediator. Oman’s tilt toward Iran amid assumptions of American decline and future Iranian regional weight. The UAE–Saudi split over Iran: Emirati hawkishness versus Saudi caution and strategic bruising. Saudi resentment over Yemen, Houthi attacks, Israel’s freer hand, and lack of US security guarantees. Israel, Hezbollah, Lebanon, and Iran: efforts to decouple the Lebanon front from the US–Iran track Join the Conflicted Community here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://conflicted.supportingcast.fm/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Find us on X: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://x.com/MHconflicted⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ And Facebook:…

Hamza Abu Howidy returns for another Conflicted Conversation. Last time he appeared, he told us his personal story of growing up in Hamas-ruled Gaza, how he was imprisoned and tortured by Hamas for speaking out against their oppression, and how he entered into exile in Germany just before the 7 October attacks changed everything. This time he switches from Gaza to the West Bank, telling Thomas all about the other side of Palestine — a side which goes overlooked, but which is increasingly becoming a zone of almost unbearable conflict. Hamza and Thomas discuss: Settler violence as settler terrorism How Israeli settlements undermine the Oslo process Settlement expansion as a strategy to prevent a Palestinian state The shift from a two-state ideal to a one-state reality The Hardal movement and Smotrich’s political world The Hilltop Youth: origins, ideology and violence The dual legal system in the West Bank The Yehuda Shmuel Sherman incident and the revenge attacks that followed E1 and the threat to a viable…

Because Aimen is still away, we’re taking this opportunity to introduce you all to our executive producer Jake Warren. A journalist and programme-maker, Jake not only had the idea for Conflicted, he is also the founder of Message Heard, the company that produces the show. Jake and Thomas discuss: Conflicted’s origin story Jake’s Hungarian-Jewish grandfather who escaped on the Kindertransport His early work for Vice Media in North Korea, Rwanda, and Lebanon How he won the trust of notorious Islamist preacher and organiser Anjem Choudary while covering his story Visiting the family of murdered soldier Lee Rigby How Jake first came across Aimen’s story How Thomas and Aimen became friends Join the Conflicted Community here: https://conflicted.supportingcast.fm/ Find Jake on X: https://x.com/TheJakeWarren Find us on X: https://x.com/MHconflicted And Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MHconflicted And Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/conflictedpod And YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ConflictedYoutube Learn…

In this latest Conflicted Conversation, Thomas talks with Tory MP Sir Jeremy Hunt. Over fourteen years of Conservative government, Hunt served as Culture Secretary, Health Secretary, Foreign Secretary and Chancellor of the Exchequer. But in this discussion, Jeremy draws especially on his eventful year running the Foreign Office to argue against Western defeatism and to make the case for liberal democracy. Sir Jeremy discusses: The view from inside power during Britain’s 2010–2024 crisis years Britain’s imperial inheritance, post-Brexit identity, and the “Global Britain” problem Trump’s 2018 NATO shock and Hunt’s case for higher European defence spending China, Russia and Iran as the new autocratic challenge to liberal democracy Yemen and the Stockholm Agreement as a tragic test of humanitarian diplomacy Iran, hostage diplomacy, the JCPOA and the limits of Western coercive power Join the Conflicted Community here: https://conflicted.supportingcast.fm Find us on X: https://x.com/MHconflicted And Facebook:…

Is Donald Trump mad? Or is he a practitioner of the Madman Theory — and therefore not mad at all? James D. Boys, author of ⁠⁠U.S. Grand Strategy and the Madman Theory: From Nixon to Trump⁠⁠, argues that the Madman Theory is not madness, but the performance of madness: a tactic by which a sane leader feigns irrationality to make an adversary believe there is even a one percent chance of overwhelming, disproportionate force. In this new Conflicted Conversation, Boys explains: What the Madman Theory means Donald Trump, unpredictability and Trump Derangement Syndrome Nuclear strategy, Eisenhower, and Cold War brinkmanship Barry Goldwater, the Cuban Missile Crisis and the politics of nuclear fear Richard Nixon, Henry Kissinger and the Madman Theory in Vietnam Trump’s use of Madman tactics against North Korea, Iran, NATO and trade partners Whether Trump’s second-term grand strategy is chaos, coercion or calculated geopolitical pressure Follow James on X: ⁠https://x.com/jamesdboys⁠ Join the Conflicted Community…

Aimen is back with a huge amount of behind-the-scenes information on what’s been happening in the Middle East in the past three weeks—especially on the real reasons the UAE withdrew from OPEC, and what’s been going on inside Donald Trump’s head as he tries to chart a course to victory in the Iran War. Aimen and Thomas discuss: The recent discovery of HUGE shale oil reserves in the UAE The Mar-a-Lago deal the UAE struck with Trump Why the recent OPEC shake-up had NOTHING to do with Saudi Arabia The truth about UAE and Saudi attacks on Iran Did the UAE, Saudi, and Qatar really beg Trump not to resume the war? How Iran’s military capability remains STRONGER than people think The corruption behind Pakistan’s mediation efforts in the Iran War The benefits and liability of Trump as a War Leader Join the Conflicted Community here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://conflicted.supportingcast.fm/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Find us on X: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://x.com/MHconflicted⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ And Facebook:…

In this Conflicted Conversation, Thomas talks to Marc David Baer, Professor of International History at the London School of Economics, about his new book Children of Abraham: The Story of Jewish-Muslim Relations. Marc discusses: The recent stabbing in Golders Green, North London The myth of utopian co-existence and the counter-myth of total antagonism The earliest encounters of Jews and Muslims in Arabia The Qur'an's mixed messaging about Jews The reality of Sharia dhimmitude laws Jewish-Muslim relations in the Khazar Kingdom, in Al-Andalus, and in the Ottoman Empire Colonialism and the rupture of Jewish-Muslim relations Antisemitism, Islamophobia, and Jewish-Muslim solidarity today Join the Conflicted Community here: ⁠⁠⁠https://conflicted.supportingcast.fm⁠⁠⁠ Find Marc on X: https://x.com/MarcDavidBaer1 Find Conflicted on X: ⁠⁠⁠https://x.com/MHconflicted⁠⁠⁠ And Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/MHconflicted⁠⁠⁠ And Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/conflictedpod⁠⁠⁠ And YouTube:…

As we eagerly await Aimen’s return to Conflicted next week, today Wassim Nasr returns to the show. As only Wassim can, he draws on his expertise of the Sahel to explain the remarkable events in Mali over the past several weeks — events which Aimen forecast on the show back in January. Wassim explains: France’s failed counterterrorism strategy in Mali JNIM’s emergence from AQIM and local insurgencies Iyad Ag Ghaly’s political and jihadist leadership The junta’s repression and strategic miscalculations The JNIM–FLA alliance in northern Mali The 25 April 2026 coordinated attacks Negotiating with Islamists after the War on Terror Join the Conflicted Community here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://conflicted.supportingcast.fm/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Follow Wassim on X: https://x.com/SimNasr Find us on X: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://x.com/MHconflicted⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ And Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/MHconflicted⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ And Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/conflictedpod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit…

In this Conflicted Conversation, Thomas talks to Sir Vince Cable, the former leader of the Liberal Democrats in the UK, about his new book Eclipsing the West: China, India and the forging of a new world. Sir Vince discusses: Postcolonial state-building, development economics, and his formative experiences in Kenya Globalisation, financialisation, and the legacy of the 2008 financial crisis The rise of China and India as “superstates” in a new tripolar world Geo-economics, US–China rivalry, and the breakdown of the liberal international order Democracy versus authoritarianism and the crisis of liberal governance Ideology, nationalism, and the limits of rationality in geopolitics Multipolarity, global disorder, climate crisis, and the future of world order Join the Conflicted Community here: ⁠⁠https://conflicted.supportingcast.fm⁠⁠ Find Conflicted on X: ⁠⁠https://x.com/MHconflicted⁠⁠ And Facebook: ⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/MHconflicted⁠⁠ And Instagram: ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/conflictedpod⁠⁠ And YouTube:…

Aimen's in the thick of it this week so isn't able to appear on the show. Sitting in for him is Elizabeth Tsurkov, a Russian-Israeli researcher and analyst, and a doctoral student at Princeton University. During field research in Iraq in 2023, she was kidnapped by Kata'ib Hezbollah and held in captivity for over two years, suffering torture and solitary confinement. In what we hope will be the first of many appearances on Conflicted, Elizabeth discusses: Saddam Hussein’s faith campaign and the rise of Shia religious politics in Iraq The Sadrist movement in Iraq and Muqtada al-Sadr The politicisation of sectarian identity in post-2003 Iraq Iraqi militias as criminal-political enterprises engaged in in theft, extortion, oil smuggling, and dollar smuggling The difference between Iraqi militias and Lebanese Hezbollah The impact of militia rule on ordinary civilian life Iraq’s extreme inequality despite its oil and gas wealth The 2003 Iraq War and the debate over American responsibility Iraqi elite agency and the…

In this Conflicted Conversation, Thomas speaks to journalist Tim Weiner about his new history of the CIA in the 21st century, The Mission, and about the enduring tension between intelligence gathering and covert action. Drawing on four decades of reporting, Weiner argues that the CIA’s greatest failures arise when it abandons its core purpose of understanding the world in favour of trying to change it. Weiner explains: How he began covering the CIA during the Reagan era and what drew him into intelligence reporting Why the CIA is best understood as an instrument of presidential power, not an independent actor The agency’s post–Cold War collapse and its loss of mission before 9/11 How the War on Terror transformed the CIA into a global counterterrorism and paramilitary force The origins, logic, and consequences of torture, black sites, and the failure of interrogation The intelligence failures behind the Iraq War and how ‘facts were fitted around the policy’ The rise of drone warfare under Obama and the…

Thomas expresses his growing conviction that President Trump has utterly mishandled the Iran War, while Aimen describes: how the final, fatal phase of the Islamabad peace talks was a utter humiliation for Trump; what's going on inside the heads of GCC leaders regarding the White House's leadership; and the Islamic Republic's new delay tactics. Join the Conflicted Community here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://conflicted.supportingcast.fm/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Find us on X: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://x.com/MHconflicted⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ And Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/MHconflicted⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ And Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/conflictedpod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠megaphone.fm/adchoices⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Conflicted is a Message Heard production. Executive Producers: Jake Warren & Max Warren. Produced and edited by Thomas Small. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this Conflicted Conversation, Thomas speaks to bestselling novelist and historian Jack Carr. A former Navy SEAL sniper, Carr talks about his phenomenal book Targeted: Beirut: The 1983 Marine Barracks Bombing and the Untold Origin Story of the War on Terror as well as his upcoming novel The Fourth Option. Jack describes: His path from childhood fascination with war to becoming a U.S. Navy SEAL sniper SEAL training: Hell Week, mental fortitude, and what separates those who quit from those who don’t Boarding Iraqi oil tankers: enforcing sanctions at sea and policing the post–Gulf War international order His experience as a sniper in Iraq and Afghanistan The 1983 Beirut barracks bombing and its role in shaping modern terrorism and U.S. foreign policy The mistakes in US counter-terrorism policy: how limited responses can shape enemy strategy over time From warfighter to writer: how Carr’s military experience informs his novels and nonfiction on the War on Terror Jack Carr's official website:…

Aimen describes the counter-coup which has taken place inside the Islamic Republic against Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf, Speaker of the Iranian Parliament, the key to understanding the failure of the Islamabad peace talks. Join the Conflicted Community here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://conflicted.supportingcast.fm/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Find us on X: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://x.com/MHconflicted⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ And Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/MHconflicted⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ And Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/conflictedpod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠megaphone.fm/adchoices⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Conflicted is a Message Heard production. Executive Producers: Jake Warren & Max Warren. Produced and edited by Thomas Small. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices