Pittacus, the good tyrant
After unpromising beginnings and innumerable controversies, Pittacus, seventh-century ruler of Mytilene on Lesbos, should be remembered as one of the great leaders of his age. Read by Sebastian Brown.
12m Feb 06, 2025
12m
The power of shareholder democracy
The limited liability company remains the best vehicle for capitalistic endeavour. Read by Helen Lloyd.
17m Jan 31, 2025
17m
The dawn of the post-literate society
Is the era of mass literacy over? And what might a post-literate society look like?
47m Jan 30, 2025
47m
Sergey Radchenko on what drives Vladimir Putin
Putin’s justifications for invading Ukraine uncannily reflect the motivations of one of Russian literature’s most famous antiheroes, Dostoevsky's Rodion Raskolnikov. Read by Helen Lloyd.
18m Jan 24, 2025
18m
Tim Marshall on Konstantin Tsiolkovsky, rocket man
The Russian recluse, a scientific self-starter who left school at 14, developed pioneering theories of space travel that anticipated the great feats of the Space Race fifty years later. Read by Sebastian Brown. Engelsberg Ideas (https://engelsbergideas.com/) is funded by the Axel and Margaret Ax:son Johnson Foundation for Public Benefit (https://axsonjohnsonfoundation.org/) . Image: Soviet p...
14m Jan 23, 2025
14m
Liberty in the shadow of Bonaparte
Benjamin Constant’s considered response not only to the mass murder inflicted by the French Revolution, but to the attempt to reduce the whole French population to the condition of willing slaves under Bonaparte’s First Empire, provides a diagnosis of the character of many subsequent totalitarian regimes. Read by Helen Lloyd. Engelsberg Ideas (https://engelsbergideas.com/) is funded by the Axe...
19m Jan 17, 2025
19m
The case for Classics
Is the study of Latin in peril? And what does the future hold for the ancient inheritance? EI's Alastair Benn (https://engelsbergideas.com/author/alastair-benn/) is joined by Daisy Dunn (https://engelsbergideas.com/author/daisy-dunn/) , classicist and author, Armand D’Angour (https://engelsbergideas.com/author/armand-dangour/) , Professor of Classics at Oxford University, and Paul Lay (https://...
43m Jan 16, 2025
43m
How 1970s California created the modern world
What happened in California in the 1970s played an outsized role in creating the world we live in today – both in the United States and in large parts of the globe – for better or worse. Read by Helen Lloyd. Engelsberg Ideas (https://engelsbergideas.com/) is funded by the Axel and Margaret Ax:son Johnson Foundation for Public Benefit (https://axsonjohnsonfoundation.org/) . Image: 1970s commer...
22m Jan 10, 2025
22m
Guittone d’Arezzo, Dante’s forgotten muse
At a time of moral and political crisis, the medieval poet pioneered a daring and emotive vernacular style which inspired generations of Italian literature. Read by Sebastian Brown. Engelsberg Ideas (https://engelsbergideas.com/) is funded by the Axel and Margaret Ax:son Johnson Foundation for Public Benefit (https://axsonjohnsonfoundation.org/) . Image: A sketch of Guittone d'Arezzo from the...
18m Jan 09, 2025
18m
The writer's right to speak freely
While we may think we have moved beyond the censorship of the past, writers' artistic freedoms are still constrained. Read by Helen Lloyd. Engelsberg Ideas (https://engelsbergideas.com/) is funded by the Axel and Margaret Ax:son Johnson Foundation for Public Benefit (https://axsonjohnsonfoundation.org/) . Image: Lady Chatterley's Lover by D.H. Lawrence was the subject of a watershed obscenity...
18m Dec 20, 2024
18m
Fredrik Logevall on the Vietnam War
EI's Angus Reilly (https://engelsbergideas.com/author/angus-reilly/) discusses the history and legacy of the Vietnam War with Fredrik Logevall (https://engelsbergideas.com/essays/jfks-abiding-legacy/) , author of Embers of War: The Fall of an Empire and the Making of America’s Vietnam. Engelsberg Ideas (https://engelsbergideas.com/) is funded by the Axel and Margaret Ax:son Johnson Foundation ...
32m Dec 19, 2024
32m
Kori Schake on the price of freedom
The arc of history only bends towards justice when people of goodwill grab hold of it and wrench it in the direction of justice. Read by Helen Lloyd. Engelsberg Ideas (https://engelsbergideas.com/) is funded by the Axel and Margaret Ax:son Johnson Foundation for Public Benefit (https://axsonjohnsonfoundation.org/) . Image: The Freedom is Our Religion banner in Maidan Square, Kyiv. Credit: Ali...
18m Dec 13, 2024
18m
Paul Lay on Thomas Gage, a man of unintended consequences
His intense faith led Thomas Gage to switch his religious allegiance during the tumultuous 17th century - he went on to have an enormous impact on Britain's colonial future. Read by Sebastian Brown. Engelsberg Ideas (https://engelsbergideas.com/) is funded by the Axel and Margaret Ax:son Johnson Foundation for Public Benefit (https://axsonjohnsonfoundation.org/) . Image: Title Page from Thoma...
13m Dec 12, 2024
13m
David Butterfield on Epicurus, Lucretius, and the myth of mythlessness
Myths frame and tailor the past in a way that can ground and stabilise a community, however large or small. By situating them within the fabric of history, myths provide a sense of tradition and belonging to rally around. Read by Helen Lloyd. Engelsberg Ideas (https://engelsbergideas.com/) is funded by the Axel and Margaret Ax:son Johnson Foundation for Public Benefit (https://axsonjohnsonfoun...
22m Dec 06, 2024
22m
The problem with VAR
EI's Alastair Benn (https://engelsbergideas.com/author/alastair-benn/) discusses how technology is transforming the world of sport with Daisy Christodoulou (https://engelsbergideas.com/author/daisy-christodoulou/) , education expert and author of I Can't Stop Thinking About VAR (https://swiftpress.com/book/i-cant-stop-thinking-about-var/) , an eloquent examination of the use of the video assist...
49m Dec 05, 2024
49m
Elisabeth Braw on the importance of understanding the West's adversaries
With deterrence and compellence becoming more crucial than they have been in over three decades, understanding what makes foreign leaders tick is of the utmost importance. Read by Helen Lloyd. Image: Silhouettes of Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin. Credit: KLYONA / Alamy Stock Photo
19m Nov 29, 2024
19m
Andrew Roberts on Brendan Bracken, ‘more Churchillian than Churchill’
Andrew Roberts (https://engelsbergideas.com/author/andrew-roberts/) profiles Brendan Bracken (https://engelsbergideas.com/portraits/brendan-bracken-more-churchillian-than-churchill/) , Winston Churchill's faithful and most trusted political adviser. Read by Sebastian Brown. Engelsberg Ideas (https://engelsbergideas.com/) is funded by the Axel and Margaret Ax:son Johnson Foundation for Public B...
11m Nov 29, 2024
11m
Kissinger's century with Thomas A. Schwartz
EI's Angus Reilly (https://engelsbergideas.com/author/angus-reilly/) discusses the life and legacy of Henry Kissinger with Thomas A. Schwartz (https://engelsbergideas.com/author/thomas-schwartz/) , author of Henry Kissinger and American Power: A Political Biography. Engelsberg Ideas (https://engelsbergideas.com/) is funded by the Axel and Margaret Ax:son Johnson Foundation for Public Benefit (...
29m Nov 28, 2024
29m
Henrik Meinander on Gustaf Mannerheim, leader of a free Finland
Gustaf Mannerheim's rise from a troubled youth to Finland's great wartime leader illustrates how leadership is forged by both personal traits and the unpredictable tides of history. Read by Helen Lloyd. Engelsberg Ideas (https://engelsbergideas.com/) is funded by the Axel and Margaret Ax:son Johnson Foundation for Public Benefit (https://axsonjohnsonfoundation.org/) . Image: Field Marshal Car...
20m Nov 22, 2024
20m
How to deter Russia with Kristjan Prikk and Eitvydas Bajarūnas
EI's Paul Lay discusses how the Baltic states have survived, and thrived, in the shadow of Russian aggression, with Kristjan Prikk (https://washington.mfa.ee/ambassador-2/) , Estonia's Ambassador to the United States and Eitvydas Bajarūnas (https://cepa.org/author/eityvdas-bajarunas/) , a former Lithuanian senior diplomat, who has served as the Ambassador to Sweden, Russia and the UK. Engelsbe...
27m Nov 21, 2024
27m
Rory Medcalf on the Australian way of war and peace
Australia stands at the forefront of democratic resistance against China's expanding influence, reshaping its strategy and alliances to meet the challenges of a contested Indo-Pacific. Read by Helen Lloyd. Engelsberg Ideas (https://engelsbergideas.com/) is funded by the Axel and Margaret Ax:son Johnson Foundation for Public Benefit (https://axsonjohnsonfoundation.org/) . Image: Two US Air For...
27m Nov 15, 2024
27m
The making of the post-Wall world with Mary Elise Sarotte
The fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 offered opportunities to reset relations between East and West. EI's Paul Lay discusses how these opportunities were squandered with Mary Elise Sarotte (https://engelsbergideas.com/author/mary-elise-sarotte/) , Marie-Josée and Henry R. Kravis Distinguished Professor of Historical Studies at the Henry A. Kissinger Center for Global Affairs. Engelsberg Ideas (...
25m Nov 14, 2024
25m
Andreas Rödder on Konrad Adenauer and the German realignment
Konrad Adenauer combined Realpolitik and German values and interests with international cooperation. The multilaterally integrated, co-operative nation state he championed was a fundamental innovation in European history. Read by Helen Lloyd. Engelsberg Ideas (https://engelsbergideas.com/) is funded by the Axel and Margaret Ax:son Johnson Foundation for Public Benefit (https://axsonjohnsonfoun...
17m Nov 08, 2024
17m
Maria Golia on Carl Akeley, early pioneer of wildlife photography
Maria Golia (https://engelsbergideas.com/author/maria-golia/) profiles Carl Akeley (https://engelsbergideas.com/portraits/carl-akeley-the-contradictory-life-of-a-taxidermist-and-hunter-turned-wildlife-photographer/) , an inventor, sculptor, and taxidermist. His life's lessons still echo in the effort to conserve wildlife. Read by Sebastian Brown. Engelsberg Ideas (https://engelsbergideas.com/)...
14m Nov 07, 2024
14m
The lessons of the 1968 presidential election with Luke A. Nichter
EI’s Angus Reilly (https://engelsbergideas.com/author/angus-reilly/) is joined by Luke A. Nichter (https://engelsbergideas.com/author/luke-a-nichter/) , author of The Year that Broke Politics: Collusion and Chaos in the Presidential Election of 1968, to discuss Lyndon B. Johnson, Hubert Humphrey, Richard Nixon, and the battle for the future of America in a year that offers notable parallels to ...
46m Nov 04, 2024
46m
Kenneth Payne asks: will machines make strategy?
The emergence of Artificial Intelligence capable of deducing human intentions signals a new frontier in technology that could transform the world of strategy, diplomacy and warfare. Read by Helen Lloyd. TV screens showing the live broadcast of the Google DeepMind Challenge Match at Yongsan Electronic Technology Land in Seoul, South Korea. Credit: ZUMA Press, Inc. / Alamy Stock Photo
22m Nov 01, 2024
22m
Why Europe needs a grand strategy with Marina E. Henke
EI's Alastair Benn is joined by Marina E. Henke (https://engelsbergideas.com/essays/europe-needs-a-grand-strategy/) , Professor of International Relations at the Hertie School, Berlin, to discuss how Europe can defend itself from the latest threats and thrive in a contested world. Engelsberg Ideas (https://engelsbergideas.com/) is funded by the Axel and Margaret Ax:son Johnson Foundation for P...
21m Oct 31, 2024
21m
Alina Polyakova on Ukraine and the future of US global leadership
If Russia is allowed to walk away with any of its ill-gotten gains in Ukraine, the deterrent power of the United States and the transatlantic alliance will be lost. Read by Helen Lloyd. Image: The flags of the United States and Ukraine flying side by side. Credit: Todd Bannor / Alamy Stock Photo
13m Oct 25, 2024
13m
Adrian Wooldridge on Philippa Fawcett, wrangler extraordinaire
Adrian Wooldridge (https://engelsbergideas.com/author/adrian-wooldridge/) profiles Philippa Fawcett (https://engelsbergideas.com/portraits/philippa-fawcett-wrangler-extraordinaire/) , the first female Senior Wrangler at Cambridge University and a trailblazer for women's achievement in a nascent meritocratic society. Read by Sebastian Brown. Engelsberg Ideas (https://engelsbergideas.com/) is fu...
14m Oct 24, 2024
14m
Philip Zelikow on the study of statecraft
The study of statecraft would profit by spending less time on ‘should’ and more time on ‘how’. Read by Helen Lloyd. Image: Woodrow Wilson delivering a Christmas address to soldiers of the A.E.F. Langres, Haute Marne, France, December 1918. Credit: Hum Images / Alamy Stock Photo
21m Oct 18, 2024
21m
How to win Cold War II with Dmitri Alperovitch
EI's Paul Lay is joined by Dmitri Alperovitch, leading geopolitical analyst, entrepreneur, and co-founder and chairman of Silverado Policy Accelerator, to discuss the parallels between US-Soviet rivalry and that of the US and China. Engelsberg Ideas (https://engelsbergideas.com/) is funded by the Axel and Margaret Ax:son Johnson Foundation for Public Benefit (https://axsonjohnsonfoundation.org...
29m Oct 17, 2024
29m
Kristin Ven Bruusgaard on the paradox of nuclear strategy
The vision of nuclear strategy as a means to prevent war remains a powerful but contested idea in international politics. As global rivalries intensify and nuclear arsenals expand, the risk of conflict seems more pronounced than ever. Read by Helen Lloyd. Image: A photograph of nuclear testing at Pacific Island test sites. Credit: EMU history / Alamy Stock Photo
17m Oct 11, 2024
17m
Graham Stewart on Joseph Galloway, the forgotten Founding Father
Was the revolution that created the United States of America inevitable? The life of Joseph Galloway shows what might have been. Read by Sebastian Brown. Image: An illustration of Joseph Galloway by Thomas Emmett, 1885. Credit: Wikimedia Commons
16m Oct 10, 2024
16m
Benedetta Berti on the past, present and future of the transatlantic alliance
Over the last decade, NATO has embarked on a significant process of military and political adaptation to ensure it can effectively enable the collective defence of allies in a competitive, contested and unpredictable world. Read by Helen Lloyd. Image: NATO flag waving in the wind. Credit: Zoonar GmbH / Alamy Stock Photo
16m Oct 04, 2024
16m
The attention dilemma
EI's Paul Lay and Alastair Benn discuss an attention dilemma that has haunted western thought for centuries. READING LIST Our attention dilemma is age-old | Alastair Benn (https://engelsbergideas.com/essays/our-attention-dilemma-is-age-old/) Epistulae Morales ad Lucilium | Seneca (https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Moral_letters_to_Lucilius) The Essays of Michel de Montaigne (https://www.gutenb...
45m Oct 03, 2024
45m
Fredrik Logevall on JFK's abiding legacy
Through his visionary leadership, inspired rhetoric, and willingness to compromise, John F. Kennedy summoned the narrative of American hope, his most powerful and enduring legacy. Read by Helen Lloyd. Image: Senator John F. Kennedy at Hyannis Port. Credit: Phillip Harrington / Alamy Stock Photo
17m Sep 27, 2024
17m
Jessica Frazier on Akbar the Great, the ultimate Renaissance ruler
One of the few leaders on whom history has bestowed the title ‘the Great’, Akbar was a noted connoisseur of cultures and architect of political pluralism. Read by Sebastian Brown. Image: Akbar the Great hunting. Mughal Scool, 1590. British Museum. Artist Unknown. Credit: CM Dixon/Heritage Images/Getty Images
14m Sep 26, 2024
14m
Kentaro Fujimoto on Japan's global future
Like it or not, Japan has become one of the most critical actors in contemporary international politics. Read by Helen Lloyd. Image: A naval exercise conducted by Japan. Credit: World History Archive / Alamy Stock Photo
21m Sep 20, 2024
21m
The making of Xi Jinping with Michael Sheridan
Michael Sheridan (https://engelsbergideas.com/author/michael-sheridan/) , author of The Red Emperor: Xi Jinping and His New China, joins EI's Angus Reilly (https://engelsbergideas.com/author/angus-reilly/) to discuss the personal and ideological roots of one of the world's most powerful, and inscrutable, leaders. Engelsberg Ideas is funded by the Axel and Margaret Ax:son Johnson Foundation for...
43m Sep 19, 2024
43m
Daisy Dunn on the pursuit of greatness
Foundation myths based on the lives of heroic figures are often used by leaders to affirm their own authority — but they can also inspire wider society. Read by Helen Lloyd. Image: Statue showing the mythological origins of Roman society. Credit: LatitudeStock / Alamy Stock Photo
18m Sep 13, 2024
18m
Rob Johnson on Basil Liddell Hart, alchemist of war
Having witnessed first-hand the mechanised onslaught of the Great War, Captain Basil Liddell Hart sought a philosophy of warfare based on the prudent use of technology, psychology and deception – and the avoidance of the 'total war' catastrophes of preceding decades. Read by Sebastian Brown. Image: A picture of Basil Henry Liddell Hart studying a tactical situation in 1947. Credit: Popperfoto ...
15m Sep 12, 2024
15m
Kori Schake on US grand strategy
The US must adopt a grand strategy of democratic expansion. Only then can global security be established. Read by Helen Lloyd. Image: American Second World War-era poster. Credit: Mouseion Archives / Alamy Stock Photo
14m Sep 06, 2024
14m
The search for a promised land with Rachel Cockerell
EI's Alastair Benn speaks to Rachel Cockerell (https://www.rachelcockerell.co.uk/) , author of Melting Point: Family, Memory and the Search for a Promised Land, a history of the quest for a Jewish homeland at the turn of the 19th century and beyond, weaving memoir, documentary, and literature. Engelsberg Ideas is funded by the Axel and Margaret Ax:son Johnson Foundation for Public Benefit (htt...
39m Sep 05, 2024
39m
Sergey Radchenko on the past, present and future of Sino-Russian relations
The tumultuous relationship between Red China and the Soviet Union hints at an uncertain future for the Sino-Russian partnership. Read by Helen Lloyd. Image: Sino-Soviet propaganda poster. Credit: Album / Alamy Stock Photo
23m Aug 30, 2024
23m
Agnès Poirier on Anna de Noailles, bright star of the Belle Époque
Socialite and literary pioneer - Anna de Noailles was a bright star in the firmament of the Parisian Belle Époque. Read by Sebastian Brown. Image: De László's portrait of Anna de Noailles. Credit: Svintage Archive / Alamy Stock Photo
12m Aug 29, 2024
12m
Munira Mirza on how the British elite lost its way
Stagnation at home and turmoil abroad demand a radical rethink of how – and why – Britain forges its future leaders. Read by Helen Lloyd. Image: The Treasury building in Whitehall, London. Credit: mauritius images GmbH / Alamy Stock Photo
20m Aug 23, 2024
20m
What the Romans found funny with Orlando Gibbs
EI's Alastair Benn (https://engelsbergideas.com/author/alastair-benn/) sits down with Orlando Gibbs (https://engelsbergideas.com/author/orlando-gibbs/) to discuss what the Romans found funny, what we might find not so funny about ancient humour, and whether there is something universal about the comedic genre. READING LIST No Laughing Matter? What the Romans Found Funny | Antigone (https://an...
51m Aug 22, 2024
51m
Ali Ansari on the secret to Cyrus the Great’s success
Few ancient monarchs have enjoyed such a consistent positive reputation as Cyrus the Great. Perhaps it’s time to become reacquainted. Read by Helen Lloyd. Image: The Tomb of Cyrus, Iran. Photograph taken in 1898. Credit: Penta Springs Limited / Alamy Stock Photo
19m Aug 16, 2024
19m
Andrew Wilton on Amanda McKittrick Ros, the Florence Foster Jenkins of the romantic novel
Andrew Wilton (https://engelsbergideas.com/author/andrew-wilton/) profiles Amanda McKittrick Ros (https://engelsbergideas.com/portraits/amanda-mckittrick-ros-romance-unbounded/) , a late Victorian novelist admired in her day but now largely forgotten. Read by Sebastian Brown. Image: A typical late Victorian scene. Credit: Dave Rheaume / Alamy Stock Photo
13m Aug 15, 2024
13m
Lucy Ward on the invention of Catherine the Great
Catherine II’s inoculation against smallpox was an extraordinary act of political self-creation. Read by Helen Lloyd. Image: A portrait of Catherine the Great (1729-1796) by Alexey Antropov. Credit: Pictorial Press Ltd / Alamy Stock Photo
18m Aug 09, 2024
18m