As the fallout from the US and Israel's ongoing Iran war spreads, we examine the broader regional impact, particularly for Lebanon.

Lebanese economist and political analyst Nadim Shehadi joins me to discuss the implications of the Iran US war for the country, deeply exposed to the middle east war's shifting power dynamics.

This episode explores the complex geopolitics news surrounding the conflict and its effects on Lebanon.

In this conversation we cover:

🌍 Why this war's consequences extend far beyond Iran

⚖️ The collapse of international law — and who it hurts most

🔄 How proxy conflicts trap entire populations with no say in the fight

🌐 Two competing visions for the Middle East — and why both carry enormous risk

🇱🇧 Lebanon's impossible position: caught between outside powers and internal fractures

🤝 What a stable Middle East would actually require — and how far away it is

🇺🇸 Trump, the old world order, and the dangerous vacuum being created

Nadim Shehadi is a Lebanese economist, political analyst, and associate fellow at Chatham House. He is one of the most measured and incisive voices on Lebanese politics, Iran's regional role, and the future of the Middle East — bringing insider perspective without partisan framing.

🎙️ The Voices of War — scratching below the surface of war's simple narratives.

📌 Subscribe for deep-dive analysis on conflict, geopolitics, and the stories the headlines miss.

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Trump's Iran War: Strategic Confusion With No Way Out | Dr. Samir Puri

What happens when the world's most powerful military goes to war with no clear objective and no exit strategy?

Dr. Samir Puri — former UK diplomat, Chatham House director, and bestselling author of Westlessness — joins Maz fresh from the Raisina Dialogue in New Delhi, where he sat in the room with Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister as the attacks began.

In this episode, Samir breaks down why the US is playing both arsonist and firefighter in the Middle East — and why that contradiction may define America's strategic position for years to come.

What we cover:

A standout line from Samir: "This is not just a live fire weapons display. What it will show is that the United States is liable to engage in military activities for misconstrued goals — and is not a stabilizing force."

If you want analysis that goes beyond the headlines, this is the episode.

🎙️ The Voices of War is your gateway to the untold stories and nuanced perspectives of conflict. Hosted by Vedran 'Maz' Maslic — military leader, entrepreneur, and strategic thinker.

Subscribe | Leave a Review | Share with someone who needs to hear this

*** As this episode contains clips from other sources, I recommend watching it on YouTube on this link: https://youtu.be/uenKNmiHP10

Australia has just passed sweeping new "hate-speech" laws. Former Army officer and Bosnia war refugee Vedran ‘Maz’ Maslic warns they could be used to silence criticism of Israel even from Jewish scholars and peace activists. In this solo monologue, Vedran breaks his silence on the Bondi attack aftermath, the "Combatting Antisemitism, Hate and Extremism Bill 2026," and what he sees as an escalating campaign to reshape what Australians can say about Israel, Gaza, and Zionism.

🔍 WHAT HE COVERS:

• How the Israel lobby shapes Australian politics (ASPI data on political trips, Mayors Summit Against Antisemitism)

• Why Bob Carr warned about disproportionate foreign influence on Australia's foreign policy

• Penny Wong refusing to rule out prosecuting "genocide" accusations under the new law

• How Western allies (UK, Canada, France, Australia) are recognising Palestinian sovereignty and why that matters

• Media ownership shift: Ellison family controlling CBS News, TikTok US, with explicit Israel advocacy

• Why Tucker Carlson, Candace Owens, and Megyn Kelly have all turned against Israel and what that signals

• A Bosnian refugee's warning: "We didn't grow up hating each other. We were manipulated."

⚖️ THE QUESTION: Are Australia's new hate-speech laws genuinely about protecting communities from violence or are they about reshaping what we can say about Israel at the exact moment its closest allies are stepping back?

📹 KEY CLIPS REFERENCED:

• Bob Carr on Israel lobby influence: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4psBTp6CVk

• Michael West investigation: https://michaelwest.com.au/sponsoring-the-gold-coast-antisemitism-junket-for-mayors-and-councillors/

• Penny Wong on Today Show: https://youtu.be/kc-xLKertvU?t=285 • Netanyahu's domestic speech (no Palestinian state): https://www.youtube.com/shorts/E5j0CPLZJ9o

• Tucker Carlson on Israel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qd_LN4fDf6s

🎙️ ABOUT VEDRAN MASLIC: Bosnian war refugee (1990s), Australian Army veteran, and host of The Voices of War podcast. Has interviewed genocide scholar William Schabas, Israeli historian Ilan Pappé, and dehumanisation scholar David Livingstone Smith all Jewish experts critical of Israel's Gaza operations.

📌 SUBSCRIBE for expert analysis on war, conflict prevention, and the politics of violence.

🔗 FOLLOW: Twitter / X: https://x.com/thevoicesofwar Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_voices_of_war/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-voices-of-war/ Website: https://thevoicesofwar.com #Australia #FreeSpeech #Israel #Gaza #Palestine #HateSpeechLaws #VedranMaslic #TheVoicesOfWar #BobCarr #Netanyahu #CivilLiberties #Politics

Is 2026 the year of global conflict escalation?

In this in-depth conversation, Richard Atwood, Executive VP of International Crisis Group and host of Hold Your Fire! podcast, discusses the top 10 conflicts to watch in 2026 and how Trump's foreign policy is reshaping global order.

Richard Atwood, one of the world's leading conflict analysis and prevention experts, draws on 20+ years of field research across 50+ war zones (Ukraine, Gaza, Venezuela, Syria) to explain:

• Venezuela: a dramatic US raid, but no clear ‘day after’

• Latin America: pressure politics over intervention wars

• Greenland: how seriously should Europe take Trump?

• Europe & NATO: defence burden-shifting and US unpredictability

• Ukraine: diplomacy stalled, deterrence doing the heavy lifting

• China-Taiwan: mixed signals, high stakes

• Iran: regime under pressure, options narrowing

• Israel-Palestine: ceasefire without resolution, West Bank escalation

• Syria: Assad gone, opportunity or new instability?

• Gulf politics: Saudi-UAE tensions beneath the surface

• Sudan-Yemen: neglected wars reshaping the region

Advising UN, EU, US State Dept and cited by world leaders, Atwood delivers unfiltered analysis on rules-based order collapse, Trump 2.0 impact, and which wars pose the greatest global threat. For geopolitics analysts, policymakers, and anyone tracking 2026 flashpoints, this is essential predictive intel.

If you value independent analysis like this, please like , comment, share, and subscribe to The Voices of War for long-form interviews with top geopolitics experts.

Resources & Links

🎧 The Voices of War Website (episodes, notes): https://thevoicesofwar.com

Full episodes: https://thevoicesofwar.com/episodes

📰 Newsletter Weekly geopolitics insights: https://thevoicesofwar.substack.com

📺 Subscribe Long-form geopolitics: @thevoicesofwar

📱 Social

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📘 About Richard Atwood Executive VP International Crisis Group | Hold Your Fire! host | Oxford IR expert | UN/State Dept advisor

🎙️ Related episodes Crisis Group reports, Trump policy, great power competition: thevoicesofwar.com #10ConflictsToWatch #TrumpForeignPolicy #GreatPowerCompetition #RichardAtwood #CrisisGroup #Geopolitics #Ukraine #Venezuela #ChinaTaiwan #Iran #Gaza #RulesBasedOrder

In this episode of The Voices of War, Maz speaks with Brigadier (Ret.) Dan Fortune, DSC and Bar, a retired SASR commander and one of Australia’s most decorated special operations officers, reflecting on leadership, accountability, and the human cost of Australia’s war in Afghanistan.

Dan served extensively within SASR Sabre Squadrons as both an enlisted operator and later a commissioned officer. His career includes multiple combat deployments to Afghanistan, senior targeting and command roles, counter-terrorism operations, combat freefall missions, and leadership appointments within Australian and NATO Special Operations Task Groups. He also served alongside US Tier One special forces and commanded the ADF Tactical Assault Group during the Sydney Olympics.

Building on themes raised in the award-winning documentary Bravery and Betrayal and Episode 1 on this topic with Vando and Brett, this conversation explores the effects of relentless operational tempo, repeated rotations, and prolonged exposure to violence on moral judgement and decision-making. Dan discusses how cultural mismatch and partner force dynamics shaped operational realities on the ground, including green-on-blue incidents and force protection failures.

The episode examines the conduct and consequences of the IGADF and Brereton processes, including findings later characterised by the Royal Commission as ‘weaponised injustice’. Dan reflects on how bureaucratic risk aversion, strategic distance, and institutional self-protection displaced accountability downward, leaving tactical operators to absorb blame, reputational damage, and long-term moral injury.

Rather than focusing on individual wrongdoing, this episode interrogates systems: how wars are managed from afar, how leadership decisions cascade, and how justice, recognition, and responsibility are applied after conflict. It offers a sober, first-hand perspective on command, culture, and the enduring costs of a war of choice.

Key Moments:

In this episode of ‘The Voices of War’, Maz sits down with two former Australian special operations officers whose careers unfolded at the sharp end of Australia’s longest war in Afghanistan.

Vando served 24 years in the Australian Army, including 16 in special operations with the Special Air Service Regiment (SASR). Across 10 deployments to Iraq, East Timor, the Solomon Islands, North Africa and three tours of Afghanistan, he held command at troop, squadron and senior staff levels, carrying responsibility across tactical and operational decision-making within the Special Operations Task Group (SOTG).

Brett came into special operations through law and intelligence. He first served as the principal intelligence officer (S2) at 1 Commando Regiment and later as the S2 for SASR, before transferring to the Legal Corps. In that role, he advised special operations forces on the laws of armed conflict, rules of engagement, and some of the most complex legal and ethical challenges of the Afghanistan war. His five deployments included Kosovo, three tours of East Timor and an extended tour of Afghanistan.

Together, they reflect on their involvement in the award-winning documentary ‘Bravery and Betrayal’, unpacking how sustained operational tempo, political decision-making, legal constraints, and leadership silence shaped the war in Afghanistan and what those choices cost individuals, families, veterans, and institutions.

This is a conversation about systems, not slogans; about war as it was lived, not how it was sold.

Key Moments:

- Why special forces became the ‘force of choice’

- Endless rotations and the absence of genuine rest

- The impact of ‘catch and release’ policy on decision-making

- How killing became routine over time

- The human and institutional fallout of the IGADF inquiry

- Moral injury and leadership silence that hurt deepest

- Why their story matters now

Resources & Links ‘Bravery and Betrayal’ documentary WEBSITE https://wanderingwarriors.org/bravery-betrayal-the-documentary/

BRAVERY & BETRAYAL 2025 | Trailer https://youtu.be/-3rS0h-pjqc?si=4_zStLj4KxR7w1xL

STREAMING

Madman Streaming https://www.madman.com.au/bravery-and-betrayal/

Prime https://www.primevideo.com/region/fe/detail/0I6EPX8QDL0CP8HN9HQTSENWY5?ref_=atv_sr_fle_c_Tn74RA_1_1_

Apple TV https://tv.apple.com/au/movie/bravery-and-betrayal/umc.cmc.1vql2nd3lpc381hnq1xjmxjcx

Youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tuzpNCIB_P0

Fetch https://www.fetchtv.com.au/movie/details/3011300/bravery--betrayal

Docplay https://www.docplay.com/shows/bravery-betrayal

Vimeo https://vimeo.com/ondemand/braverybetrayal/1129397949

DONATE https://wandering-warriors.mygiveeasy.com/bravery-betrayal/donate

🎧 Listen to more from The Voices of War Website (episodes, show notes, transcripts, extras): https://thevoicesofwar.com

Full episodes & archives: https://thevoicesofwar.com

📰 Newsletter Reflections, episode drops, and behind the scenes notes: https://thevoicesofwar.substack.com

📺 Subscribe to the channel Long‑form conversations on war, peace and everything between: @thevoicesofwar

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📘 About Brett & Vando Vando - SASR Troop/Squadron Commander featured in Bravery and Betrayal documentary. 16 years SASR across 10 deployments. Brett - Special Forces Task Group legal officer. Combined intelligence and law background with 5 deployments.

🎙️ Related episodes & reading Explore more conversations on special operations, Afghanistan, moral injury and veteran leadership at https://thevoicesofwar.com

#SASR #Afghanistan #BrettVando #BraveryAndBetrayal #SpecialForces #AustralianMilitary #VeteranStories #MilitaryJourney #SASRCommander #AfghanistanVeterans #MoralInjury #WarDocumentary #ADF #SpecialOperationsAustralia #CombatVeteran #MilitaryLeadership #TheVoicesOfWar #AustralianSASR #VeteranJourney #WarStories #IGADF

Is Israel beginning to collapse from within?

In this in depth conversation, renowned Israeli historian Ilan Pappé explains why he believes Zionism has entered its final phase, how Israeli society is disintegrating internally, and what a just future for Palestinians and Israelis could look like.

Pappé, director of the European Centre for Palestine Studies and author of The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine, Lobbying for Zionism on Both Sides of the Atlantic and Israel on the Brink, draws on decades of archival research to argue that Israel is a classic settler colonial project built on ethnic cleansing, apartheid and permanent military rule over Palestinians. He details the social implosion inside Israel, the growing split between secular and religious Jews, the role of the U.S. and European powers, and why he thinks decolonization is inevitable.

We discuss 1948 and the Nakba, the Gaza war, accusations of genocide, the collapse of the two-state solution, one democratic state between the river and the sea, Jewish-Palestinian coexistence, and what real decolonization might require in practice.

For anyone trying to understand the future of Israel-Palestine, this is an unfiltered, long form analysis from one of the conflict’s most important dissident historians.

If you value independent conversations like this, please like the episode, leave a comment, share it, and subscribe to The Voices of War for more long‑form interviews with critical thinkers from around the world.

Resources & Links 🎧 Listen to more from The Voices of War Website (episodes, show notes, extras): https://thevoicesofwar.com

Full episodes & archives: https://thevoicesofwar.com

📰 Newsletter Reflections, episode drops, and behind the scenes notes: https://thevoicesofwar.substack.com

📺 Subscribe to the channel Long‑form conversations on war, peace and everything between:  @thevoicesofwar 

📱 Follow on social Twitter / X: https://x.com/thevoicesofwar

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_voices_of_war/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-voices-of-war/

📘 About Ilan Pappé Renowned Israeli historian, director of the European Centre for Palestine Studies, and author of The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine, Ten Myths About Israel and Israel on the Brink.

🎙️ Related episodes & reading Explore more conversations on Palestine, Gaza, decolonization and the lived experience of war at https://thevoicesofwar.com

#IlanPappé #IsraelPalestine #Gaza #Zionism #Decolonization #Nakba #SettlerColonialism #EndTheOccupation

Is the UK really on the brink of collapse - or are we victims of our own narratives?

In this revealing conversation, Dr. Mike Martin, former British Army officer, author of Why We Fight, and now Member of Parliament, breaks down what’s really driving Britain’s political, social, and moral crisis.

From the rise of authoritarian narratives to the weaponization of social media, Mike reveals why our biggest enemy isn’t immigration or the economy, it’s misinformation. Drawing from his experience on the battlefield and now in Parliament, Mike explains:

⬛ Why migration isn’t the crisis we think it is

⬛ How social media and foreign influence are polarizing the West

⬛ Why “the House of Commons is just theatre”

⬛ How the real work of politics happens behind the scenes

⬛ The connection between Ukraine, Gaza, and the global information war

⬛ What gives him hope about Britain’s future

A candid, no-nonsense conversation that cuts through political noise to uncover the psychology of modern conflict, the truth about migration, and what leadership really looks like. If you want to understand how narratives shape nations, and how to fix a broken system from within, this is a must-listen.

🎧 Listen to more from The Voices of War

🌐 Website: https://thevoicesofwar.com

📰 Newsletter: https://thevoicesofwar.substack.com

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_voices_of_war/

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💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-voices-of-war

📘 About Dr. Mike Martin Author of Why We Fight and How to Fight a War Website: https://mike-martin.co.uk/ Twitter/X: https://x.com/threshedthought

#MikeMartin #UKPolitics #MigrationCrisis #SocialMediaWarfare #Geopolitics #InformationWarfare #Democracy #PoliticalPolarization #IsraelGaza #UkraineWar #GlobalPolitics #WhyWeFight

What if the real story of Gaza isn’t about sides but about people?

In this powerful and deeply personal conversation, Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib, a Palestinian writer and policy analyst from Gaza, breaks through decades of noise, propaganda, and polarization to share what life in Gaza really means.

From surviving war to speaking truth in the West, Ahmed reveals the human reality behind the headlines, the pain, hope, and determination of ordinary Palestinians caught between Hamas, occupation, and a collapsing system. Now living in the U.S., Ahmed has become one of the most courageous Palestinian voices of his generation, challenging both Israeli and Palestinian narratives while calling for something radical: pragmatism, empathy, and moral courage.

He explains:

⬛ Why Hamas’ rule has failed Gaza and its people

⬛ How Palestinians can reclaim agency and rewrite their future

⬛ Why peace requires rejecting victimhood and embracing complexity

⬛ The truth about how Gazans really feel about Hamas and Israel

⬛ Why he still believes in hope after losing everything

This isn’t a political debate, it’s a masterclass in humanity, nuance, and resilience. If you want to understand Gaza beyond the headlines, this is the episode you’ve been waiting for.

🌐 Follow Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib: https://www.instagram.com/afalkhatib

📸 Twitter/X: https://x.com/afalkhatib

🎧 Listen to more from The Voices of War: https://thevoicesofwar.com

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🔔 Subscribe for more conversations on leadership, ethics, and human impact. 🔖

#Gaza #AhmedFouadAlkhatib #Palestine #Israel #VoicesOfWar #Humanity #Peacebuilding #MiddleEast #GazaConflict #WarAndPeace #Hope #Empathy #HumanStories #Resilience #Hamas #Freedom #UnderstandingGaza #IsraelPalestine

Why does nationalism look less like a mistake and more like a structural feature of modern capitalism? In this provocative and deeply researched episode, Professor Zlatko Hadžidedić explains why nationalism often functions as the social glue that stabilizes capitalism’s contradictions and why the current phase of hyper-capitalism risks producing more authoritarian nationalisms over the next decades. Using Bosnia (the Lisbon maps and Dayton aftermath), the Balkans, and contemporary flashpoints as case studies, Zlatko connects theory to concrete history: how imperial legacies, external power strategies, and the logic of the military-industrial complex help produce recurring conflict. He also shows how consumer tech, information flows, and media narratives help pacify populations while power consolidates.

He explains:

⬛ Why nationalism can be a structural necessity for capitalism

⬛ How “hyper-capitalism” creates conditions for authoritarian nationalism

⬛ The Lisbon maps & Bosnia case study — why partition was engineered and what it means today

⬛ How information, phones and consumer culture shape political consent

⬛ Why great-power strategies sometimes manufacture zones of instability

⬛ What citizens and leaders can do to cultivate nuance, media literacy, and democratic resilience

⏱️ Timestamps

00:00 - Introduction: Capitalism, Nationhood & the Big Question

03:10 - Thesis: “No Capitalism Without Nationalism” — the argument explained

08:45 - The Lisbon maps & Bosnia: how partition was made possible

13:30 - From Yugoslavia to the Balkans: external influence and local politics

18:20 - Imperial legacies, Mackinder & geopolitical strategy

22:45 - Hyper-capitalism defined: inequality, pacification, and authoritarian pressures

27:50 - Phones, streaming & control: the tech-consumer pact

32:40 - Gaza, Ukraine & manufactured instability — strategic utility of conflict

37:55 - Predictions: the next 20–30 years of nationalism and power

42:10 - Practical takeaways: media literacy, nuance, and democratic repair

46:00 - Closing reflections & recommended reading

This episode is a must-listen for anyone interested in political economy, history, geopolitics, and media, especially listeners who want frameworks that connect the dots between capitalism, nationalism, and contemporary conflict.

🎧 Listen now to understand the hidden structures shaping modern conflict, from imperial maps to smartphone screens, from Bosnia to the broader global order.

🔗 Resources & Links

🎧 Listen to more from The Voices of War Website: https://thevoicesofwar.com Full episodes + extras: https://thevoicesofwar.com Newsletter: https://thevoicesofwar.substack.com Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@UCLS_kSQmxMAZIByOr9DTS5Q Twitter/X: https://x.com/thevoicesofwar Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thevoicesofwar/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-voices-of-war/ 📘

About Zlatko Hadžidedić Professor, author and analyst focused on nationalism, political economy and Balkan history. (Check episode for recommended reading and sources.)

🎙️ Related Episodes & Reading Look for prior episodes and sources on Bosnia, the Lisbon conference, and imperial legacies in our archives at thevoicesofwar.com.

🔖 Hashtags #ZlatkoHadzidedić #Nationalism #HyperCapitalism #Bosnia #LisbonMaps #Balkans #Geopolitics #InformationWarfare #EmpireLegacy #MultipolarWorld #AuthoritarianNationalism #PoliticalEconomy #MediaManipulation #HistoryOfEmpires #GlobalPolitics