In the first episode of Unframed, Ahmed Najm sits down with Joe Kent, former head of the U.S. National Counterterrorism Center, former Green Beret, and CIA officer, for a long, unhurried conversation about war, service, and American power in the Middle East.

Kent explains why he left the administration to speak publicly, gives his read on where Iraq really stands after two decades of U.S. involvement, and lays out his own view of the U.S.–Israel relationship and the cost of America's wars. It's a rare, direct account from someone who was in the room for the decisions.