With Saudi Arabia launching a renewed offensive against the Houthis, and comparisons being drawn with the rapid fall of Assad, Rob and Ruairí explore why these two conflicts are fundamentally different. From the Houthis’ roots in Yemeni society and their relative independence from Iran to the fractured opposition they face, there are plenty of reasons to be sceptical of predictions that they will suffer the same fate as Assad.

Rob also examines the role of Turkey and the United States in Syria, the contrasting approaches of Saudi Arabia and its allies in Yemen, and the importance of unity, local legitimacy and geography in determining the outcome of a war. Could the renewed Saudi campaign end up strengthening the very forces it was intended to defeat? And what does Yemen tell us about the limits of military power?

Join Rob and Ruairí for a deep dive into the conflicts in Syria and Yemen, the realities of intervention in the Middle East, and why history rarely repeats itself quite as neatly as pundits would like to believe.

The More Freedom Foundation Podcast — independent analysis, foreign policy and a healthy dose of scepticism.

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Pakistan has spent much of its modern history caught between powerful neighbours, competing foreign powers and an enormously influential military establishment. In this episode of The More Freedom Foundation Podcast, Rob Morris and Ruairi take a deep dive into how Pakistan got here — and why the country remains so politically fragile.

The conversation goes all the way back to British India and Partition, examining how Pakistan inherited a difficult frontier, complicated borders and deep tensions with India and Afghanistan. Rob and Ruairi then explore the rise of military rule, Pakistan's long relationship with the United States, the influence of Saudi Arabia, the Soviet-Afghan War and the radicalisation that followed.

They also look at Pakistan's more recent history: the rise and fall of Imran Khan, his confrontation with the military establishment, his relationship with the United States, China and Russia, and the controversy surrounding his imprisonment and political movement.

Beyond domestic politics, the episode considers Pakistan's increasingly important role in a changing region — from its relationship with China and Iran to the possibility of being drawn into the conflict in Yemen and the wider Middle East.

And there are some surprising developments too, including Pakistan's extraordinary solar boom, which has seen millions of people turn to rooftop solar as the country's traditional energy system struggles.

Is Pakistan doomed by the circumstances of its creation, or does it still have the resources and people to build something very different?

Rob and Ruairi discuss Pakistan's past, present and uncertain future.

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Rob and Ruairi take a deep dive into the renewed Saudi-Yemen conflict and the rapidly changing situation on the ground in Yemen.

Why did Saudi Arabia restart its war with the Houthis? What does the Houthis’ recent territorial advance mean for the conflict, and for Saudi Arabia itself? And why has a war that has dragged on for more than a decade suddenly become so important for oil markets and global trade?

The conversation covers the history of Saudi Arabia’s intervention in Yemen, the Houthi movement, the Saudi- and UAE-backed forces, the collapse of the previous ceasefire, and the strategic importance of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. They also discuss the roles of the United States and Israel, Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 ambitions, Mohammed bin Salman, and the enormous humanitarian cost of the conflict.

With the fighting once again affecting Saudi oil infrastructure and pushing oil prices higher, Rob and Ruairi ask what happens next — and whether a negotiated peace between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis is still possible.

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