Conflicted Community: Aaron Zelin – Assad’s Fall and the Future of Syria

Conflicted Community: Aaron Zelin – Assad’s F...

Up next

How the US is Abandoning its Afghan Allies

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 freez ...  Show more

The CIA’s Zero Units in Afghanistan

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 lin ...  Show more

Recommended Episodes

Syria: Can The Tyrant Assad Fall? With Razan Saffour
The Thinking Muslim

Become a member to get access to exclusive monthly calls: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/membershipIt’s been a spectacular week in Syria. The world had written off the rebellion that began in 2011, believing Assad, with the support of Russian air power and Iranian militias, had c ...  Show more

Syria After Assad
New Books in Middle Eastern Studies

What are the prospects for democracy in Syria? Is this the right question to ask? What do we need to better understand about Syria’s new leader, its civil society, and the challenges it faces in a new era for Syria? Join Rana Khoury, Daniel Neep, and Emily Scott for this special ...  Show more

Understanding HTS and the New Syria with Bilal Abdul Kareem
The Thinking Muslim

Become a member to ger access to exclusive monthly calls: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/membershipSyria is now free. But what does the future hold for a revolution that we believed had all but been decimated? The most recent spectacular offensive has given the rebel groups contr ...  Show more

Why the West Wants to Bring Down the New Syrian State - with Sami Hamdi (Part 2)
The Thinking Muslim

In this second session of our 2024 roundup we have Sami Hamdi back on the show to discuss Syria in more detail. Syria is in many ways a ray of hope but also raises all sorts of uncertainties. What path will the revolution take? How do we assess Jolani and the rebel movement? What ...  Show more