Aimen's in the thick of it this week so isn't able to appear on the show. Sitting in for him is Elizabeth Tsurkov, a Russian-Israeli researcher and analyst, and a doctoral student at Princeton University. During field research in Iraq in 2023, she was kidnapped by Kata'ib Hezbollah and held in captivity for over two years, suffering torture and solitary confinement.
In what we hope will be the first of many appearances on Conflicted, Elizabeth discusses:
Saddam Hussein’s faith campaign and the rise of Shia religious politics in Iraq
The Sadrist movement in Iraq and Muqtada al-Sadr
The politicisation of sectarian identity in post-2003 Iraq
Iraqi militias as criminal-political enterprises engaged in in theft, extortion, oil smuggling, and dollar smuggling
The difference between Iraqi militias and Lebanese Hezbollah
The impact of militia rule on ordinary civilian life
Iraq’s extreme inequality despite its oil and gas wealth
The 2003 Iraq War and the debate over American responsibility
Iraqi elite agency and the failures of Iraq’s political class
The 2010 Iraqi election crisis and Nouri al-Maliki’s return to power
The Iraqi constitution and the failure of constitutional democracy
Iraq’s dependence on oil revenues and the Strait of Hormuz
The impact of the current Iran war on Iraq’s economy
Iranian attacks on Iraqi oil exports and oil tankers
The U.S. military presence in Iraq after ISIS
American influence over Iraqi prime ministerial politics
Nouri al-Maliki, Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, and Ali al-Zaidi
Fa’iq Zaidan and the power of Iraq’s judiciary
Join the Conflicted Community here: https://conflicted.supportingcast.fm/
Elizabeth's personal website: https://elizabeth-tsurkov.net/en/
Find Elizabeth on X: https://x.com/LizHurra
Find Elizabeth on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elizabeth-tsurkov-79491b15/
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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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May 5
1 hr 14 min
In this Conflicted Conversation, Thomas speaks to journalist Tim Weiner about his new history of the CIA in the 21st century, The Mission, and about the enduring tension between intelligence gathering and covert action. Drawing on four decades of reporting, Weiner argues that the CIA’s greatest failures arise when it abandons its core purpose of understanding the world in favour of trying to change it.
Weiner explains:
How he began covering the CIA during the Reagan era and what drew him into intelligence reporting
Why the CIA is best understood as an instrument of presidential power, not an independent actor
The agency’s post–Cold War collapse and its loss of mission before 9/11
How the War on Terror transformed the CIA into a global counterterrorism and paramilitary force
The origins, logic, and consequences of torture, black sites, and the failure of interrogation
The intelligence failures behind the Iraq War and how ‘facts were fitted around the policy’
The rise of drone warfare under Obama and the normalization of targeted killing
Covert operations from Peru to Syria, including the limits and dangers of programs like TIMBER SYCAMORE
The difference between espionage and covert action—and why only the former can prevent war and save lives
Why the greatest danger today is a president who ignores intelligence while using the CIA’s coercive power
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.
This episode was produced and edited by Thomas Small .
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May 1
1 hr 12 min
Thomas expresses his growing conviction that President Trump has utterly mishandled the Iran War, while Aimen describes: how the final, fatal phase of the Islamabad peace talks was a utter humiliation for Trump; what's going on inside the heads of GCC leaders regarding the White House's leadership; and the Islamic Republic's new delay tactics.
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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
Apr 28
1 hr 2 min
In this Conflicted Conversation, Thomas speaks to bestselling novelist and historian Jack Carr. A former Navy SEAL sniper, Carr talks about his phenomenal book Targeted: Beirut: The 1983 Marine Barracks Bombing and the Untold Origin Story of the War on Terror as well as his upcoming novel The Fourth Option.
Jack describes:
His path from childhood fascination with war to becoming a U.S. Navy SEAL sniper
SEAL training: Hell Week, mental fortitude, and what separates those who quit from those who don’t
Boarding Iraqi oil tankers: enforcing sanctions at sea and policing the post–Gulf War international order
His experience as a sniper in Iraq and Afghanistan
The 1983 Beirut barracks bombing and its role in shaping modern terrorism and U.S. foreign policy
The mistakes in US counter-terrorism policy: how limited responses can shape enemy strategy over time
From warfighter to writer: how Carr’s military experience informs his novels and nonfiction on the War on Terror
Jack Carr's official website: https://www.officialjackcarr.com/
Find Jack on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jackcarrusa/
Find Jack on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jackcarrusa/
Find Jack on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@JackCarrUSA
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.
This episode was produced by Thomas Small and edited by Alan Leer.
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Apr 23
1 hr 5 min
Aimen describes the counter-coup which has taken place inside the Islamic Republic against Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf, Speaker of the Iranian Parliament, the key to understanding the failure of the Islamabad peace talks.
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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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Apr 21
55 min
In this Conflicted Conversation, Thomas speaks to journalist Jason Burke about his new book The Revolutionists: The Story of the Extremists Who Hijacked the 1970s.
Jason explains:
Why the origins of modern terrorism lie earlier than the Afghan jihad of the 1980s
The global revolutionary ferment of the 1960s and 70s
Why early terrorist attacks were often designed to attract attention rather than cause mass casualties
The role of Palestinian militant groups in pioneering modern tactics like hijacking
Connections between European radicals, Japanese militants, and Middle Eastern groups
How states adapted to terrorism through new counterterrorism measures
The shift from theatrical violence to mass-casualty and suicide attacks
The relationship between secular revolutionary movements and later Islamist militancy
The Iranian Revolution as a turning point in the evolution of political violence
Why many common narratives about the origins of jihadism are incomplete
Find Jason on X: https://x.com/burke_jason
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.
This episode was produced by Thomas Small and edited by Lizzy Andrews.
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Apr 16
1 hr 17 min
After the peace talks in Islamabad fail as expected, the United States adopts Plan B: a complete blockade of all Iranian maritime trade. Aimen explains this latest move in the Iran War.
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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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Apr 14
54 min
Aimen does his best to explain the sudden and somewhat unexpected ceasefire between the United States and Iran which was announced early on Tuesday.
Aimen and Thomas discuss:
Pakistan's role: what game are they playing?
Russia's delicate balancing act between Iran and the GCC
How GCC leaders cope with President Trump's erratic shifts in messaging and policy
Did Netanyahu know about the ceasefire in advance?
The potential coup in Lebanon which Israel's intervention stopped
Whether Lebanon is included in the ceasefire or not
What U.S. military hardware is on its way to the region
Why European politicians and diplomats still support containment when it comes to Iran while being gung-ho against Russia
How energy dependence helps explain the posture of Pakistan, Egypt, and Turkey
How the Islamabad talks between Vance and Ghalibaf are likely to go down
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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Apr 10
1 hr 22 min
In this Conflicted Conversation, Thomas speaks to journalist Oliver Bollough about his illuminating new book Everybody Loves Our Dollars: How Money Laundering Won.
Oliver and Thomas discuss:
Iranian oil money flowing into London property
Russian oligarch wealth parked in Western banks
Al Capone to Miami: evolution of money laundering
Jeffrey Epstein and elite financial fixers network
$100 bills fuelling global criminal cash economy
White House insiders profiting from crypto and stablecoins
Chinese gangs laundering cartel money worldwide
Hawala and ancient trade-based money transfer systems
Find Oliver on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/olbullough/
Join the Conflicted Community here: https://conflicted.supportingcast.fm
Find Conflicted on X: https://x.com/MHconflicted
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And YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sdlF1mY5t4
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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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Apr 7
59 min
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
Join the Conflicted Community here: https://conflicted.supportingcast.fm
Find Conflicted on X: https://x.com/MHconflicted
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And YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sdlF1mY5t4
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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.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Apr 2
1 hr 6 min
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