Saudi Arabia’s New Bargaining Chip

The Middle East is shifting again, and fast. In this wide-ranging overview, Aimen and Thomas break down the hidden forces reshaping the geopolitical chessboard as 2025 draws to a close.

In this episode, Aimen and Thomas uncover:

• The power of Saudi Arabia’s discovery of vast rare-earth reserves

• The U.S.–Saudi grand bargain

• Why the F-35 sale to Saudi Arabia rattled Israel and what it means for the future of the Abraham Accords

• Iran’s deepening water crisis and Gulf states’ preparations for instability

• The simmering tensions between India and Pakistan

• Afghanistan’s compounded crises

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Conflicted is a Message Heard production.

Executive Producers: Jake Warren & Max Warren.

Produced by Thomas Small and edited by Lizzy Andrews.

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