CONFLICTED

74:45

Indo-European: The Language Family That Went Global

CONFLICTED ·

2026/07/23

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

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66:39

Iran Will Never Give Up Hormuz

CONFLICTED ·

2026/07/21

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

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61:39

How Netanyahu Failed to Prevent October 7

CONFLICTED ·

2026/07/16

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

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50:56

Ben Hodges: Russia Can Be Defeated

CONFLICTED ·

2026/07/14

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

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50:21

Syria Turns Another Corner (Conflicted Revisited)

CONFLICTED ·

2026/07/10

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:

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58:59

Guns, Greed and the Making of Modernity

CONFLICTED ·

2026/07/07

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,

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36:09

Undiscovered: The Battle of Qala-i-Jangi

CONFLICTED ·

2026/07/03

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

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63:32

The Bastard Children of Neoliberalism

CONFLICTED ·

2026/06/30

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

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56:53

The Middle East’s AI Arms Race

CONFLICTED ·

2026/06/25

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

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69:37

The Betrayal of the Iranian People

CONFLICTED ·

2026/06/23

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

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98:33

Video Games: The Global Battleground of Modern Politics

CONFLICTED ·

2026/06/18

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

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73:10

Memorandum of Misunderstanding

CONFLICTED ·

2026/06/17

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

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79:17

Israel’s Road to Endless War

CONFLICTED ·

2026/06/11

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

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66:20

Has Trump Lost the Middle East?

CONFLICTED ·

2026/06/09

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.

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65:38

The West Bank Is Reaching Breaking Point

CONFLICTED ·

2026/06/04

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

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63:12

My Road to Conflicted (with Jake Warren)

CONFLICTED ·

2026/06/02

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

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71:59

Jeremy Hunt: Democracy’s Defeat Is Not Inevitable

CONFLICTED ·

2026/05/28

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

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73:41

The Madman Theory from Nixon to Trump

CONFLICTED ·

2026/05/21

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

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69:10

The UAE’s OPEC Withdrawal & Trump’s Wartime Dilemma

CONFLICTED ·

2026/05/20

*** ⁠⁠DONATE to Thomas’s fundraising campaign!⁠⁠ ****** ⁠⁠WATCH Thomas's documentary film!⁠⁠ *** 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

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61:48

Utopia or Dystopia? The Truth About Jewish-Muslim...

CONFLICTED ·

2026/05/14

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

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