CONFLICTED

Anand Gopal, award-winning journalist and author known for immersive reporting on Afghanistan and Syria. He explores Manbij as a mirror of Syrian modernity. They discuss how local society, economic pressures, and liberal experiments collapsed. Conversation traces personal journeys, insurgency dynamics, ISIS’s political tactics, and the limits of Baathist redistribution.

Aimen Dean, former Al-Qaida member turned MI6 spy and security consultant, walks through Iranian sleeper cell networks and financing. He outlines types of cells and recounts being embedded in operations. Conversations cover port and nuclear risks, South American laundering hubs, covert business fronts like restaurants, and how networks move money and people.

A deep dive into how Lebanon’s state was hollowed out over decades and how a powerful non-state force rebuilt after heavy blows. They unpack regional strategy from Gulf pressure to U.S. island operations and explain why Lebanese institutions struggle to disarm militias. The conversation also examines legal arguments for self-defense and the wider risks of Lebanon being pulled into full-scale conflict.

Nadwa Al-Dawsari, a veteran researcher and conflict analyst with 20 years in Yemen, discusses Yemeni tribal dynamics and how tribes maintain order. She unpacks Houthi ideology, recruitment and messianic leadership. She explains IRGC influence over Houthi strategy, their growing Horn of Africa presence, ties with al Qaeda, and when they might enter wider regional fighting.

Sven Beckert, Harvard history professor and author of Capitalism, A Global History, offers a concise mini bio: historian of global capitalism and cotton. He traces capitalism’s non-Eurocentric, networked origins and merchant innovations. He explores merchant trust networks, state and capitalist coevolution, Atlantic expansion’s role, and capitalism’s clash with environmental limits.

A sweeping look at the Strait of Hormuz’s deep historical and strategic role, from ancient flood legends and medieval spice routes to Portuguese forts. They map Kharg Island’s archaeology and modern oil importance. The conversation focuses on how the U.S. plans to reopen Hormuz, seize Kharg, and how regional workarounds, drones, pipelines and allied contributions shape the conflict.

Ali Ansari, Professor of Modern Middle East History at the University of St Andrews, discusses Iran's deep cultural roots and his childhood ties to the Shah's court. He explores the revolution's mismanagement of state institutions, corruption and the IRGC's growing power. He also examines the limits of the nuclear deal, Iran's diplomatic choices, and how ordinary Iranians view the regime and war.

They unpack Mojtaba Khamenei’s rise from teenage wartime fighter to Tehran’s power broker. They explore his control of access, security ties, and vast financial networks. They trace medieval Shia apocalyptic myths, the Khurasani figure, and how prophecy maps onto modern actors across the region. They examine how eschatological belief shapes Iranian politics and regional conflict.

Wassim Nasr, French journalist on Middle East policy and intelligence. Tom Tugendhat, former UK Security Minister and Foreign Affairs chair with military experience. They debate Britain’s hesitant, legalistic reaction to the Iran war and France’s push for strategic independence. Conversations cover military readiness, the IRGC debate, European deterrence, France’s Gulf ties, intelligence cooperation, and regional flashpoints.

Aimen Dean, a former Al Qaeda jihadi turned MI6 informant and security analyst, shares frontline knowledge from Dubai amid regional bombardment. Short, vivid scenes cover Iran’s multi-front missile and drone strikes, the assassination of Ayatollah Khamenei and its political ripple effects, internal power struggles in Tehran, and the shifting military and diplomatic alignments across the Gulf.