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CONFLICTED

CONFLICTED

By: Message Heard
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 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.Copyright 2021 All rights reserved. Spirituality World
Episodes
  • How the US is Abandoning its Afghan Allies

    How the US is Abandoning its Afghan Allies
    Feb 12 2026
    In this Conflicted Conversation, Thomas speaks to U.S. Navy veteran Shawn VanDiver, founder of AfghanEvac, about the fate of Afghans who worked alongside American forces during the U.S. occupation, and how the Trump administration’s immigration restrictions are increasingly freezing them out. Shawn explains: Who America’s Afghan allies were and the risks they took The complex tragedy of the National Guardsmen shooting in Washington D.C. The Special Immigrant Visa system and why it failed Trump’s first travel ban and the dismantling of refugee pathways The Doha Agreement and the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan The creation of AfghanEvac and cooperation with the U.S. government How Trump’s second term is closing the door on Afghan allies Join the Conflicted Community here: https://conflicted.supportingcast.fm Follow AfghanEvac: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AfghanEvac Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/afghan_evac X: https://x.com/afghanevac TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@afghanevac LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/afghanevac BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/afghanevac.bsky.social Truth Social: @AfghanEvac Follow Shawn VanDiver: X: https://x.com/shawnjvandiver Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shawnjvandiver LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shawnvandiver/ BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/shawnjvandiver.bsky.social Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shawnjvandiver TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@shawnjvandiver 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 by Thomas Small and edited by Lizzy Andrews. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    52 mins
  • The CIA’s Zero Units in Afghanistan

    The CIA’s Zero Units in Afghanistan
    Feb 10 2026
    After a tragic shooting in Washington, D.C., Thomas and Aimen trace the story back to Afghanistan and to the CIA-backed Zero Units that carried out some of the coalition’s most clandestine kill-or-capture missions. They discuss: The November 2025 D.C. shooting and the alleged link to a former Zero Unit operative What the Zero Units were designed to do and why they were so controversial Afghanistan's geography of terrorism and counterterrorism The lifelong psychological damage caused by black ops How the Doha Agreement sidelined the US’s Afghan partners The halfway house vetting pipeline through German The problem of PTSD, monitoring, and support for both Afghan allies and U.S. veterans Whether America can fight future wars if local allies believe they’ll be left behind 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 by Thomas Small and edited by Lizzy Andrews. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    50 mins
  • Why China’s Rise Cannot Be Stopped

    Why China’s Rise Cannot Be Stopped
    Feb 5 2026
    In this Conflicted Conversation, Thomas speaks to veteran Singaporean diplomat Prof. Kishore Mahbubani about his thesis that the 21st century will be remembered as ‘the Asian Century’, and how the West can prepare peacefully and optimistically for China's return as the fulcrum of world history. Drawing on his books Living the Asian Century, Has China Won?, and Can Asians Think?, Prof. Mahbubani explains: Why the 21st century will be the Asian century and why this need not require Western decline How colonialism shaped Asian self-perception, and the need for intellectual decolonisation How other countries can adopt Singapore’s model for success His meeting with Fidel Castro, Hafez al-Assad, and Yasser Arafat The hypocrisy of Western power and diplomacy How the United States keeps the UN weak on purpose Why Pres. Trump’s China realism has been a good thing The threat of war in Asia Follow Prof. Mahbubani on X: https://x.com/mahbubani_k 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. This episode was produced and edited by Thomas Small. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    1 hr and 6 mins
All stars
Most relevant
Fascinating look at the Middle East and the modern world, great information and insights from the presenters, even if I don’t agree with some of their views. Monarchy is not always the solution….

Fascinating

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