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CONFLICTED

Message Heard

An ex-Al Qaeda jihadi turned MI6 spy and a former monk turned filmmaker, have been embedded at the heart of conflicts in the Middle East. Together Aimen Dean and Thomas Small unpack the realities of war, fundamentalism and their global implications through first-hand experience.

  1. 1 HR AGO

    Can Lebanon Ever Be Free of Hezbollah?

    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/⁠⁠⁠⁠ 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

    1hr 18min

  2. 3 DAYS AGO

    When Will Iran Play the Houthi Card?

    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 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

    1hr 24min
  3. Capitalism Is Not What You Think

    19 MAR

    Capitalism Is Not What You Think

    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

    1hr 9min

  4. 17 MAR

    The Strait of Hormuz and Kharg Island: How America Intends to Win This War

    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/⁠⁠⁠ 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

    1hr 32min
  5. Iran: The Long Road to War

    12 MAR

    Iran: The Long Road to War

    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

    1hr 4min

  6. 10 MAR

    Who is Iran's New Supreme Leader and What Does He Believe?

    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/⁠⁠ 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

    1hr 25min
  7. The Iran War: British Uncertainty vs. French Resolve

    5 MAR

    The Iran War: British Uncertainty vs. French Resolve

    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

    1hr 5min

  8. 3 MAR

    The Death of Ayatollah Khamenei & The Future of Iran

    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: Iran’s unprecedented drone and missile strikes across the GCC and Israel Life under bombardment in Dubai and the regional military response The assassination of Ayatollah Khamenei and what it means for Iran’s future Whether this war marks the death of the 1979 Islamic Revolution The internal dynamics of the Iranian regime at this critical moment The United States’ strategic calculus and the question of escalation 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

    1hr 9min
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About

An ex-Al Qaeda jihadi turned MI6 spy and a former monk turned filmmaker, have been embedded at the heart of conflicts in the Middle East. Together Aimen Dean and Thomas Small unpack the realities of war, fundamentalism and their global implications through first-hand experience.

Information

  • Creator
    Message Heard
  • Years Active
    2018 - 2026
  • Episodes
    187
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2021 All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    CONFLICTED
  • Provider

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