*** 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.

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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:

• DSC and Bar SASR commander reveals moral compass shift in combat
• Civilian casualties & how tolerance hardened over deployments
• Fat Lady's Arms hypocrisy: PMs drank, troops demonized
• IGADF as weaponized injustice - Royal Commission critique
• Green-on-blue murders & partner force cultural clashes
• O6 and below values vs One Star and above interests: Leadership cowardice exposed
• Healing through truth: Veteran recognition & future lessons