Worldview — Revolution and evolution: the history of the book
In around 1440 AD, a goldsmith called Johannes Gutenberg began assembling the apparatus that would eventually become known as the first Western printing press. Thirty years later, this invention had transformed Europe, spiritually, economically and politically. In this episode of Worldview Adam Boulton is joined by Professor Alexander Lee and Professor Emma Smith to chart the history of the boo...
44m Dec 02, 2022
44m
Why the nation beat the empire in the battle of nineteenth century ideas by Jeremy Jennings
A history of the nineteenth century tells not just of newly-formed nations, but of newly-developing nationalism. Read by Leighton Pugh. Image: Carving Up The World A satirical cartoon by James Gillray, showing British Prime Minister William Pitt and the French leader Napoleon Bonaparte, carving up the world between them. Entitled 'The Plumb Pudding in Danger' - pub. 26th February 1805
24m Dec 02, 2022
24m
Worldview — Pressure on the power network
The West must have an adaptable power grid to meet the challenges of this geopolitical energy crisis. In this episode of Worldview, Adam Boulton is joined by Margarita Balmaceda, Magnus Henrekson, Olamide Oguntoye and Ariana Kiran Singh to discuss generating and transmitting power in the face of growing geopolitical and environmental concerns. Image description: Electricity pylon. Credit: Dav...
46m Nov 25, 2022
46m
The joy of suffering by Candida Moss
The crucifixion lodged suffering at the heart of Christianity: to suffer was to be like Christ. This reframing of suffering had far-reaching consequences for world history. Read by Leighton Pugh. Image: Jesus Christ on the Cross with St. Mary and St John, painted by Albrecht Altdorfer, circa 1512. Credit: Niday Picture Library / Alamy Stock Photo.
23m Nov 25, 2022
23m
Worldview — The nuclear threat today
There are currently around 13,000 nuclear warheads worldwide, with Russia possessing the largest nuclear arsenal. And yet, nuclear weapons have not been deployed in combat since the US bombed Nagasaki and Hiroshima seventy-seven years ago. So, how and why has the nuclear taboo remained intact and what may jeopardise it in the future? In this episode of Worldview, Adam Boulton is joined by Pr...
40m Nov 15, 2022
40m
The Revolt of the European Masses: the disintegration of accountability in supra-national politics by Janne Haaland Matlary
With forces such as identity politics and supra-national bodies gaining traction across Europe, the concept of the nation state has never been more important. Read by Leighton Pugh. Image: A painting of the Dutch envoy Adriaan Pauw entering Münster around 1646 for the peace negotiations, painted by Gerard ter Borch. Credit: Wikipedia Commons/Stadtmuseum Münster
41m Nov 11, 2022
41m
Worldview — The global struggle for microchip supremacy
When the pioneers of computer engineering created the first integrated circuits in the 1950s they could not have envisaged how this technology would infiltrate all elements of our daily lives. The production of microchips is now rapidly becoming the defining force in geopolitics and will play a fundamental role in the conflicts of the future. In this episode of Worldview, Adam Boulton is join...
50m Nov 09, 2022
50m
Rethinking geopolitics by Jeremy Black
Geography and politics are closely intertwined, although that no more means that all geography is political than that all politics is geographical. Read by Leighton Pugh. Image: An American map of the West Coast of Africa from Sierra Leone to Cape Palmas, 'including the colony of Liberia'. Credit: Everett Collection Historical / Alamy Stock Photo
27m Nov 04, 2022
27m
Why the idea of Carthage survived Roman conquest by Richard Miles
The Romans burnt Carthage’s books and buildings – but ‘Punic’ identity remained influential throughout Antiquity. Read by Leighton Pugh. Image: Print of ancient Carthage. Source: Wiki Creative Commons
22m Oct 28, 2022
22m
EI Weekly Listen — The end of history ends by Walter Russell Mead
The era in world history that began with the fall of the Soviet Union is drawing to its close. The post-Cold War Eurasian settlement that the United States and its allies imposed after 1990 has three big challengers - Russia, China and Iran. Read by Leighton Pugh. Image: A symbol of American power, the National Capitol in Washington, DC. Credit: Christian Offenberg / Alamy Stock Photo.
26m Oct 21, 2022
26m
The restless search for the fun wars by David J Betz
The West, more specifically the United States, with its major allies alongside it, has been chasing the 'fun wars' for forty years and serially coming up empty. Read by Leighton Pugh. Image: British Prime Minister Tony Blair greets an ethnic Albanian by holding up his hand in central Pristina, Yugoslavia during a one-day visit Saturday July 31, 1999. It was Blair's first visit to Kosovo since ...
28m Oct 14, 2022
28m
The impact of the First World War on strategy by Hew Strachan
The First World War fundamentally altered our understanding of strategy — we should heed the insights of the era's leading thinkers and generals. Read by Leighton Pugh. Image: First World War Commanders looking at a battle plan. Painting by Francois Flameng (1856-1923), 1916. Army Museum, Paris. Credit: Leemage/Corbis via Getty Images
46m Oct 07, 2022
46m
The polymath in the age of specialisation by Peter Burke
Crises of knowledge precipitate drives towards specialisation. In our digital age we still need polymaths. Read by Leighton Pugh. Image: This chart is taken from the book 'Ars Magna Lucis Et Umbrae' which was published in 1646 by the Jesuit scientist and inventor, Athanasius Kircher (1602-1680). Credit: SSPL/Getty Images
32m Sep 30, 2022
32m
Authority without knowledge by Erica Benner
The worst form of ignorance in politics is an inflated opinion of one’s own wisdom. In matters of moral judgement, authority-dependence carries grave risks. Read by Leighton Pugh. Image: French painter David's The Death of Socrates. Credit: Universal History Archive/Getty Images
21m Sep 23, 2022
21m
Geopolitics and the Mongol Empire by Morris Rossabi
Political and economic concerns were as critical as environmental and geographic factors in forging the unity of the Mongol Empire. Read by Leighton Pugh. Image: Genghis Khan in combat. Miniature from Jami' al-tawarikh, ca 1430. Found in the collection of Bibliothèque Nationale de France. Artist. Credit: Fine Art Images/Heritage Images/Getty Images
27m Sep 16, 2022
27m
Fairy Tales of Statehood: the politics of sacred land and divine-kings by Jessica Frazier
Land is the silent, steady, partner in the messy realm of politics and national divides between monarchs. Read by Leighton Pugh. You can find the essay featured in this episode here: https://engelsbergideas.com/essays/spirit-lands-and-tyrant-kings-differing-tales-of-statehood/
31m Sep 09, 2022
31m
Why War Again? by Lilia Shevtsova
As hostilities with Russia increase, we must again ask ourselves what drives human beings to conflict, especially after an era of peace. Read by Leighton Pugh. Credit: Eddie Gerald (https://www.alamy.com/search/imageresults.aspx?pseudoid=%7bC04284BC-920D-4963-8421-CF1D17FEAC53%7d&name=Eddie%2bGerald&st=11&mode=0&comp=1) / Alamy Stock Photo
30m Sep 02, 2022
30m
Jihadist Media Strategies by Elisabeth Kendall
While the Islamic State’s savvy media presence may have overshadowed that of al-Qaeda over the past decade, the efforts of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) operating in war-torn Yemen show the group remains a long-term threat. https://engelsbergideas.com/essays/the-war-for-hearts-and-minds-the-evolution-of-al-qaedas-media-strategy/ Credit: REUTERS (https://www.alamy.com/search/imagere...
29m Aug 26, 2022
29m
The Joint Intelligence Committee: Reading the Russian mindset by Michael Goodman
During the Cold War, the British Joint Intelligence Committee was charged with forecasting the actions of states behind the Iron Curtain and the rest of the world. Its record was patchy – the Brits were repeatedly taken by surprise throughout the 20th century. Read by Leighton Pugh. https://engelsbergideas.com/essays/the-joint-intelligence-committee-reading-the-russian-mindset/ Credit: The Ce...
20m Aug 19, 2022
20m
Democracy in crisis: Lessons from Ancient Athens by Erica Benner
Demagogues thrive if moderate politicians flatter citizens into an unrealistic sense of their own greatness. Read by Leighton Pugh. https://engelsbergideas.com/essays/democratic-crisis-lessons-from-ancient-athens-4/ Credit: The Picture Art Collection (https://www.alamy.com/search/imageresults.aspx?pseudoid=%7b3BFFF4BE-75E7-4303-BBFD-C0B79962921D%7d&name=The%2bPicture%2bArt%2bCollection&st=11&...
26m Aug 12, 2022
26m
Tribal bias from the wild to the laboratory by Cory J Clark
It is not just politics that is beset by tribalism. The social sciences are also vulnerable to in-group bias. Read by Leighton Pugh. https://engelsbergideas.com/essays/tribal-bias-from-the-wild-to-the-laboratory-5/ Credit: melita (https://www.alamy.com/search/imageresults.aspx?pseudoid=%7b1EE0438A-6646-47D3-B798-B92F432296BA%7d&name=melita&st=11&mode=0&comp=1) / Alamy Stock Photo
22m Aug 05, 2022
22m
Love as Religion by Simon May
Love has become widely seen as a democracy of salvation open to all. The reality is more complex. Is our religion of love doing more harm than good? Read by Leighton Pugh. https://engelsbergideas.com/essays/is-our-religion-of-love-doing-more-harm-than-good/ Credit: Fine Art Images/Heritage Images/Getty Images
20m Jul 29, 2022
20m
The Gospel of Thomas: casting a new light on Early Christianity by Elaine Pagels
While there may have been striking similarities between the Gospel of Thomas and those of the four Evangelists, closer examination reveals a subtle yet crucially different perspective on salvation. Read by Leighton Pugh. https://engelsbergideas.com/essays/the-gospel-of-thomas-casting-a-new-light-on-early-christianity/ Credit: REUTERS / Alamy Stock Photo
24m Jul 22, 2022
24m
Worldview — The battle for energy resources
In this episode of Worldview, Adam Boulton is joined by Professor Helen Thompson, Tim Marshall and Daniel Yergin to discuss the global energy market. The fallout of Putin's invasion of Ukraine has overthrown energy norms in Europe. However, over the past decade the energy market has been far from stable. With concerns surrounding climate change and the discovery of new resources, we are on the...
50m Jul 13, 2022
50m
Why 16 billion cortical neurons are not enough by Suzana Herculano-Houzel
Humanity has come quite some way in the past 200,000 years but are we really anything more than primates with a few million more neurons than our closest relatives? Read by Leighton Pugh. https://engelsbergideas.com/essays/why-16-billion-cortical-neurons-are-not-enough/ Credit: Martin Harvey via Getty Images
20m Jul 13, 2022
20m
Worldview — Leadership in war
What's a war without its leaders? In this week's Worldview, Adam Boulton speaks to leading historians Margaret MacMillan and Andrew Roberts on how leadership shapes both conflicts and their resolutions. Image description: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, stands for a moment of silence during a ceremony to award medals to service members to celebrate the Day of Defenders of Ukraine in t...
46m Jul 08, 2022
46m
Modern France and the ghosts of the past by Peter Ricketts
France, like all countries, is haunted by events and mistakes of times past. These ghosts will guide modern policy until they are overridden and laid to rest. Read by Leighton Pugh. https://engelsbergideas.com/essays/modern-france-and-the-ghosts-of-the-past/ Credit: Guillaume Louyot / Alamy Stock Photo protests
25m Jul 08, 2022
25m
Lawrence of Arabia on war: How the past haunts the present by Rob Johnson
The Lawrence legend continues to win new devotees while his pragmatic contribution to warfare is neglected. Read by Leighton Pugh. https://engelsbergideas.com/essays/lawrence-of-arabia-on-war-how-the-past-haunts-the-present/ Credit: Science History Images / Alamy Stock Photo
42m Jul 01, 2022
42m
The importance of the individual in history by Vernon Bogdanor
Throughout the ages, oracles, journalists and political scientists have attempted to guess the course fate may take. But should they fail to take the specifics, particularly specific individuals, into account, they are doomed to fail. Read by Leighton Pugh. https://engelsbergideas.com/essays/the-importance-of-the-individual-in-history/ Credit: CBW / Alamy Stock Photo
33m Jun 24, 2022
33m
Worldview — Conflict in space
In our latest episode of Worldview hosted by Adam Boulton we consider the role outer space will play in the future of conflict. How soon will conflicts on Earth spill out into space? What form might these conflicts take and how can we regulate them? Adam speaks to Jacob Geer, Dr Stuart Eves and Professor von der Dunk to find out. Image description: A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off, Cape Cana...
42m Jun 24, 2022
42m
Geopolitics, geoeconomics and Russian revisionism by Mikael Wigell
Traditional geopolitical solutions (accommodation or military containment) are unlikely to work with Putin’s Russia. Instead the West should pursue a unified geo-economic strategy. Read by Leighton Pugh. https://engelsbergideas.com/essays/the-carrot-and-the-stick-geo-economics-and-russian-revisionism/ Credit: Klaus Oskar Bromberg / Alamy Stock Photo
31m Jun 17, 2022
31m
Worldview — The Battlefield
How does the war in Ukraine look on the ground? What does the future of the battlefield hold? In this week's episode of Worldview, Adam Boulton speaks to Professor Hew Strachan and Dr Rob Johnson to discuss these issues and more. Image description: A drone operator from field medicine division, Ukraine. Credit: Mykhailo Palinchak / Alamy Stock Photo.
46m Jun 17, 2022
46m
Worldview — The Russia Problem
Our new series of Worldview, presented by Adam Boulton is considering the future of warfare and geopolitics in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. In this week's episode, Adam Boulton is in conversation with Vladislav Zubok and Sir Roderic Lyne, the former British Ambassador to Moscow. While both were horrified by the invasion of Ukraine last February, they offer varying views on how thi...
48m Jun 12, 2022
48m
Containing and deterring Russia: can Europe act strategically? by Janne Haaland Matlary
The condemnation of the annexation of the Crimea was unified and strong, but the sanctions that followed lacked any real bite. Read by Leighton Pugh. https://engelsbergideas.com/essays/containing-and-deterring-russia-can-europe-act-strategically/ Credit: Nikolay Vinokurov / Alamy Stock Photo
33m Jun 01, 2022
33m
Worldview — The World Remade
Our new series of Worldview, presented by Adam Boulton is considering the future of warfare and geopolitics in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. In this week's episode, Adam Boulton is in conversation with Beatrice Heuser, Baroness Pauline Neville-Jones and Frank Gavin discussing the roles of NATO, the EU and the UN today. How can these twentieth-century institutions tackle the challen...
43m Jun 01, 2022
43m
The long peace and nuclear deterrence by Lawrence Freedman
For the past sixty years, the use of nuclear weapons has become unthinkable. But with every conflict there comes a point where the unthinkable becomes possible. Read by Leighton Pugh. https://engelsbergideas.com/essays/can-nuclear-deterrence-preserve-the-long-peace-between-major-powers/ Credit: RBM Vintage Images / Alamy Stock Photo
25m May 27, 2022
25m
Variety in Judaism by Martin Goodman
In a religious system which presupposed a covenant not just between God and the individual Jew, but between God and Israel as a nation, the sense of communal solidarity had an abiding impact, regardless of the differences between denominations. Read by Leighton Pugh. Credit: Maraike Hofer / Alamy Stock Photo
21m May 20, 2022
21m
America's problem with unconventional warfare by Frederick Kagan
For more than thirty years, the US has sought to avoid deploying ground forces into protracted conflict. It has nevertheless done so in almost every single one of those years. Perhaps it is time to accept reality. Read by Leighton Pugh https://engelsbergideas.com/essays/americas-problem-with-unconventional-warfare/ Credit: Bumble Dee / Alamy Stock Photo
24m May 13, 2022
24m
Suffering, the price of being alive: an Islamic perspective by Mona Siddiqui
Islam — unlike Christianity — may not have a central motif of pain, sin and suffering, but it reveals so much about what it means to live with adversity. Read by Leighton Pugh. https://engelsbergideas.com/essays/suffering-the-price-of-being-alive-an-islamic-perspective/ Credit: Dmitrii Melnikov / Alamy Stock Photo
24m May 06, 2022
24m
Reassessing Christian history by Diarmaid Macculloch
While Christianity may strive to sing in a single voice, no one modern denomination ought to claim a monopoly on the truth. The region's history is in fact far more eclectic. Read by Leighton Pugh. https://engelsbergideas.com/essays/reassessing-christian-history/ Credit: Yogi Black / Alamy Stock Photo
23m Apr 29, 2022
23m
The gods in love by Jessica Frazier
The Hindu tradition of Radha and Krishna calls us to see passion as the kernel of all religion. Read by Leighton Pugh. https://engelsbergideas.com/essays/the-gods-in-love/ Credit: Heritage Arts/Heritage Images via Getty Images
33m Apr 22, 2022
33m
The story of the Jesuits: how the Society of Jesus charted the world by M.Antoni J. Ucerler, S.J.
As Jesuit missionaries spread further across the globe, the order’s founder wanted to ensure that its members remained connected. The result of this was an unparalleled network of knowledge which superseded religious tensions. Read by Leighton Pugh. https://engelsbergideas.com/essays/jesuit/ Credit: Wikipedia Commons/ Bibliothèque Universtaire Moretus Plantin
37m Apr 14, 2022
37m
The Portuguese: Pioneers of globalisation by Roger Crowley
Portugal’s commercial dominance of large swathes of the world lasted little more than a century but the images, transmissions, and trades that it engendered left a significant and long-lasting influence. Read by Leighton Pugh. Credit: Jacques Pavlovsky/Sygma via Getty Images
23m Apr 08, 2022
23m
Elements of seapower, past and present by Lincoln Paine
Sea power derives from resources, a direct interest in sea-based trade, and pressure exerted by enemies. In the modern age, the importance of these factors in international affairs remains paramount. Read by Leighton Pugh. Credit: Lev FedoseyevTASS via Getty Images
21m Apr 01, 2022
21m
Making sense of the Yemen War by Elisabeth Kendall
If a peace deal is not reached, all the key ingredients are present for Yemen to become a failed state. Read by Leighton Pugh. https://engelsbergideas.com/essays/making-sense-of-the-yemen-war/ Credit: MOHAMMED HUWAIS/AFP via Getty Images
31m Mar 25, 2022
31m
The dark side to loving a group by Harvey Whitehouse
Acts of extreme self-sacrifice – such as suicide bombing – are not aberrations. They tell us something about our deepest instincts for group loyalty. Read by Leighton Pugh. https://engelsbergideas.com/essays/the-dark-side-to-loving-a-group/  Credit: TORSTEN BLACKWOOD/AFP via Getty Images
21m Mar 18, 2022
21m
The fake history of civilisational states by Christopher Coker
So-called civilisational states, including Russia, China and India, invoke fake histories to justify and buttress their contemporary political settlements. But those who cannot let go of the past are always at risk of finding themselves imprisoned by it. Read by Leighton Pugh. https://engelsbergideas.com/essays/the-fake-history-of-civilisational-states/ Credit: PUNIT PARANJPE/AFP via Getty Im...
28m Mar 11, 2022
28m
The flag wars are here to stay by Tim Marshall
Flags have become synonymous with nationhood, character, spirit, and power. In an age of renewed nationalism, their power should not be underestimated. https://engelsbergideas.com/essays/the-flag-wars-are-here-to-stay/ Credit: Anthony WALLACE / AFP via Getty Images
24m Mar 04, 2022
24m
Disinformation in the information age by Gill Bennett
The line between disinformation, propaganda and fake news is often blurred. This is especially the case when it is unclear whether these untruths or half truths are being disseminated by the 'good' or 'bad' guys. Read by Leighton Pugh. https://engelsbergideas.com/essays/disinformation-in-the-information-age/ Credit: Franz Aberham via Getty Images
24m Feb 25, 2022
24m
Roman geopolitics, an exercise in myth-making by Richard Miles
Once established, Roman exceptionalism and empire needed to be justified and maintained. The practical application of mythology was one way in which this was achieved. Read by Leighton Pugh. https://engelsbergideas.com/essays/roman-geopolitics-an-exercise-in-myth-making/ Credit: Fred de Noyelle via Getty
22m Feb 18, 2022
22m