CONFLICTED

Latest Episodes:

Why Freedom Failed in Syria Apr 02, 2026

Show notes

In this Conflicted Conversation, Thomas speaks to journalist and author Anand Gopal about his wonderful new book Days of Love and Rage, a profoundly moving and intellectually stimulating history of the Syrian revolution told from the perspective of the northern town of Manbij.

Anand and Thomas discuss:

Anand's first-hand witnessing of 9/11
How Anand embedded with the Taliban
Revolution as a crisis of faith and collapse of social reality
Manbij as a microcosm of the tensions of Syrian modernity
The failure of Manbij's democratic experiment and the limits of liberalism
How ISIS exploited both material grievances and liberal norms
Baathism: egalitarian ethos vs authoritarian reality

Find Gopal on X: https://x.com/Anand_Gopal

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Conflicted is a Message Heard production.

Executive Producers: Jake Warren & Max Warren.

This episode was produced by Thomas Small and edited by Lizzy Andrews.

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IRGC Sleeper Cells: The Inside Story Mar 31, 2026

Show notes

As all sides in the Iran War escalate their attacks, another spectre looms on the horizon: Iran-backed sleeper cell agents across the world launching terrorist attacks against strategic assets — including in the West. Aimen opens the lid on this little-known dimension of the IRGC's activity.

Aimen and Thomas discuss:

How the U.S. will deal with the problem of Bandar Abbas before launching an amphibious assault on islands in the Gulf
The recent escalation: the Houthis join the war, an AWACS plane destroyed in Saudi Arabia, a desalination plant attacked in Kuwait
The history of the sleeper cell as a tool of revolutionary subversion
The five types of Iranian sleeper cell
Aimen's experience embedded in sleeper cells as a double agent
How Iranian sleeper cells launder money
The prevalence of sleeper cells in South America
Aimen's work investigating the finances of sleeper cells
How London restaurants are secret IRGC fronts

Join the Conflicted Community here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://conflicted.supportingcast.fm/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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Conflicted is a Message Heard production.

Executive Producers: Jake Warren & Max Warren.

Produced and edited by Thomas Small.

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Can Lebanon Ever Be Free of Hezbollah? Mar 27, 2026

Show notes

Aimen's back after a few days away uncovering the secret info and true motivations behind the Iran War.

Today he and Thomas focus on the Lebanon front in the war, telling the story of how the Lebanese state was progressively undermined over several decades, as non-state actors acted like a cancer on the body politic — with the largest tumour being, of course, Hezbollah.

Aimen and Thomas discuss:

The method behind the madness of Pres. Trump's chaotic messaging.
The likelihood of a U.S. assault on Iran's islands in the Gulf.
Whether Gulf leaders are really egging the U.S. on to bring an end to the regime.
The U.S.'s objective of 'regime destruction' and how that differs from 'regime change'.
The failure of energy traders to price risk properly.
Abdul Malik al-Houthi's speech on 26 March and what it reveals about his intentions
The long history of Lebanon's experience of militant non-state actors and foreign intervention
How Hezbollah was able to re-arm and re-build after the catastrophe of autumn 2024.
How deep corruption within the Lebanese government and military is preventing the state from disbanding Hezbollah.
What to think about all those seasoned analysts who are convinced that America will lose this war.

Join the Conflicted Community here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://conflicted.supportingcast.fm/⁠⁠⁠⁠

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Conflicted is a Message Heard production.

Executive Producers: Jake Warren & Max Warren.

Produced and edited by Thomas Small.

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When Will Iran Play the Houthi Card? Mar 24, 2026

Show notes

Aimen has been called away for important last-minute insider meetings, so sitting in for him on today's episode is Nadwa Al-Dawsari, veteran researcher, conflict analyst, and policy advisor with 20 years of field experience in Yemen and the broader Middle East.

Nadwa and Thomas discuss:

How Yemeni tribalism really works
The IRGC agents who are in control of Houthi war policy
Houthi eschatological beliefs
When the Houthis are likely to join the Iran War in force
What the military capabilities of the Houthis really are
The long shadow of the Stockholm Agreement
Houthi techniques of indoctrination and control
The growing Houthi presence in the Horn of Africa
How the Houthis and Al Qaeda are now effectively allies
Why Western decision-makers get the Middle East so disastrously wrong

Join the Conflicted Community here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://conflicted.supportingcast.fm/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Find Nadwa on X: ⁠⁠https://x.com/Ndawsari⁠⁠

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And Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/conflictedpod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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Conflicted is a Message Heard production.

Executive Producers: Jake Warren & Max Warren.

Produced and edited by Thomas Small.

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Capitalism Is Not What You Think Mar 19, 2026

Show notes

In this Conflicted Conversation, Thomas speaks to Harvard professor Sven Beckert about his new book Capitalism: A Global History.

Sven explains:

Why the history of capitalism matters for understanding the present
How most histories of capitalism are too Eurocentric
How merchant communities in the medieval Muslim world and other regions laid the foundations of capitalism
How European merchants learned from and interacted with merchants in the Muslim world
Trust networks in global trade, including family, religious, and city-based merchant networks
How capitalism and state power grew together
European divergence: why Europe became central to capitalism
Effects of Ottoman control and European geopolitical weakness on Atlantic expansion
Role of conquest, slavery, and colonial expansion in building capitalist societies
Tension between capitalism’s drive for unlimited growth and nature’s limits
Challenges to neoliberalism from the left and the populist right

Find Sven on Bluesky: @svenbeckert.bsky.social

Visit Sven’s personal website: svenbeckert.com

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: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sdlF1mY5t4

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Conflicted is a Message Heard production.

Executive Producers: Jake Warren & Max Warren.

This episode was produced and edited by Thomas Small.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Strait of Hormuz and Kharg Island: How America Intends to Win This War Mar 17, 2026

Show notes

All eyes are on the Strait of Hormuz and Kharg Island as the United States and its allies struggle to wrest full control of the Arabo-Persian Gulf from the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Aimen and Thomas lay out the whole story of this geostrategically vital region, from ancient times all the way up to this very morning—explaining why this war is happening, and how it is almost certainly to end.

Aimen and Thomas discuss:

How the Strait of Hormuz caused Noah's Flood
The medieval Kingdom of Hormuz
How the Gulf is always caught up in the Iranian plateau's endless boom-and-bust political cycle
How Europeans staked a claim on Hormuz in 1507—and never really left
The fact that the U.S. did indeed go into this war with a plan for Hormuz
How the U.S. will take Kharg Island—and what they will do with it
The ingenuity of Gulf Arab leadership in planning workarounds for the eventuality of the Strait being closed
How European powers and other allies are really contributing to the war effort

Join the Conflicted Community here: ⁠⁠⁠https://conflicted.supportingcast.fm/⁠⁠⁠

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Conflicted is a Message Heard production.

Executive Producers: Jake Warren & Max Warren.

Produced and edited by Thomas Small.

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Iran: The Long Road to War Mar 12, 2026

Show notes

In this Conflicted Conversation, Thomas speaks with Ali Ansari, Professor of Modern Middle East History at the University of St Andrews.

Prof. Ansari discusses:

The depth and antiquity of Iranian culture
His childhood experiences inside the Shah's inner circle
The Shah's biggest mistake
How the revolution could have better built upon what it inherited
The huge incompetence and corruption that has undermined Iran's political economy
How the new Supreme Leader is the IRGC's man
The clarity of America's military aims alongside the opacity of its political aims
The real weaknesses of the Iran Nuclear Deal
How Iranians inside Iran feel about the regime and the war

Follow Prof. Ansari on X: ⁠https://x.com/aa51_ansari

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: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sdlF1mY5t4⁠

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit ⁠megaphone.fm/adchoices⁠

Conflicted is a Message Heard production.

Executive Producers: Jake Warren & Max Warren.

This episode was produced and edited by Thomas Small.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Who is Iran's New Supreme Leader and What Does He Believe? Mar 10, 2026

Show notes

Iran has chosen its new Supreme Leader: Mojtaba Khamenei, son of the recently assassinated Ayatollah Khamenei. Who is he? What does he believe? And most importantly, is his coming to power the fulfilment of ancient prophecy?

Aimen and Thomas discuss:

Mojtaba's youth and his experience fighting in the Iran-Iraq War as a 17 year old
How he became his father's primary gatekeeper, and how he used this to amass great power and wealth
Mojtaba's self-belief: that he is "the Khorasani", a long-expected End Times figure in Shia eschatology
The long story of Islamic apocalypticism and how the Islamic Republic has used medieval prophecies to justify its ambitions

Join the Conflicted Community here: ⁠⁠https://conflicted.supportingcast.fm/⁠⁠

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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

The Iran War: British Uncertainty vs. French Resolve Mar 05, 2026

Show notes

In this Conflicted Conversation, Thomas speaks to two friends of the show about how Europe is responding to the war with Iran. In the first half, the Rt Hon Tom Tugendhat MP — former chair of the UK Foreign Affairs Select Committee and former UK Security Minister — discusses Britain’s confused response to the conflict, and in the second half, French journalist Wassim Nasr explains France’s position.

Sir Tom and Wassim explain:

The UK government’s uncertain response to the Iran war
What politicians mean when they talk about the ‘legal basis’ for military action
The lessons of the Iraq War and whether they are being misunderstood
Iran’s role in the insurgency against Western forces in Iraq
The debate over designating the IRGC as a terrorist organization in the UK
The state of the British military after decades of defence cuts
The strategic controversy surrounding Diego Garcia and the Chagos Islands
France’s historic Arab Policy and its effort to maintain strategic independence in the Middle East
France’s military agreements with the UAE, Qatar, and Kuwait
The E3 framework (France, Germany, UK) and its role in negotiations with Iran
Macron’s attempt to expand France’s nuclear deterrent to cover Europe
The evolving situation in Lebanon and Hezbollah’s weakening position
Intelligence cooperation between France, Israel, and regional partners
Whether Europe is entering a new era of strategic independence

Follow Sir Tom on X: https://x.com/TomTugendhat

Follow Wassim on X: https://x.com/SimNasr

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: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sdlF1mY5t4

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Conflicted is a Message Heard production.

Executive Producers: Jake Warren & Max Warren.

This episode was produced and edited by Thomas Small.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Death of Ayatollah Khamenei & The Future of Iran Mar 03, 2026

Show notes

With missiles streaking across Middle Eastern skies and the assassination of Iran’s Supreme Leader sending shockwaves through the region, Aimen joins Thomas from a Dubai under fire to unpack a historic turning point.

They discuss: