Shows / The EI Podcast
The EI Podcast
The EI Podcast brings you weekly conversations with leading writers, thinkers and historians. Hosted by Alastair Benn, Jack Dickens and Paul Lay. Produced by Max Mitchell.
Episodes
The EI PodcastGuittone 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…
The EI PodcastThe 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 is…
The EI PodcastFredrik Logevall on the Vietnam War
EI's Angus Reilly discusses the history and legacy of the Vietnam War with Fredrik Logevall, author of Embers of War: The Fall of an Empire and the Making of…
The EI PodcastKori 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…
The EI PodcastPaul 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…
The EI PodcastDavid 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…
The EI PodcastThe problem with VAR
EI's Alastair Benn discusses how technology is transforming the world of sport with Daisy Christodoulou, education expert and author of I Can't Stop Thinking…
The EI PodcastElisabeth 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…
The EI PodcastAndrew Roberts on Brendan Bracken, ‘more Churchillian than Churchill’
Andrew Roberts profiles Brendan Bracken, Winston Churchill's faithful and most trusted political adviser. Read by Sebastian Brown. Engelsberg Ideas is funded…
The EI PodcastKissinger's century with Thomas A. Schwartz
EI's Angus Reilly discusses the life and legacy of Henry Kissinger with Thomas A. Schwartz, author of Henry Kissinger and American Power: A Political…
The EI PodcastHenrik 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…
The EI PodcastHow 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, Estonia's Ambassador to the…
The EI PodcastRory 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…
The EI PodcastThe 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…
The EI PodcastAndreas 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…
The EI PodcastMaria Golia on Carl Akeley, early pioneer of wildlife photography
Maria Golia profiles Carl Akeley, an inventor, sculptor, and taxidermist. His life's lessons still echo in the effort to conserve wildlife. Read by Sebastian…
The EI PodcastThe lessons of the 1968 presidential election with Luke A. Nichter
EI’s Angus Reilly is joined by Luke A. Nichter, author of The Year that Broke Politics: Collusion and Chaos in the Presidential Election of 1968, to discuss…
The EI PodcastKenneth 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…
The EI PodcastWhy Europe needs a grand strategy with Marina E. Henke
EI's Alastair Benn is joined by Marina E. Henke, Professor of International Relations at the Hertie School, Berlin, to discuss how Europe can defend itself…
The EI PodcastAlina 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…
The EI PodcastAdrian Wooldridge on Philippa Fawcett, wrangler extraordinaire
Adrian Wooldridge profiles Philippa Fawcett, the first female Senior Wrangler at Cambridge University and a trailblazer for women's achievement in a nascent…
The EI PodcastPhilip 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…
The EI PodcastHow 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…
The EI PodcastKristin 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…
The EI PodcastGraham 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…
The EI PodcastBenedetta 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…
The EI PodcastThe 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 |…
The EI PodcastFredrik 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…
The EI PodcastJessica 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…
The EI PodcastKentaro 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…
The EI PodcastThe making of Xi Jinping with Michael Sheridan
Michael Sheridan, author of The Red Emperor: Xi Jinping and His New China, joins EI's Angus Reilly to discuss the personal and ideological roots of one of the…
The EI PodcastDaisy 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…
The EI PodcastRob 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…
The EI PodcastKori 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…
The EI PodcastThe search for a promised land with Rachel Cockerell
EI's Alastair Benn speaks to Rachel Cockerell, author of Melting Point: Family, Memory and the Search for a Promised Land, a history of the quest for a Jewish…
The EI PodcastSergey 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…
The EI PodcastAgnès 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…
The EI PodcastMunira 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…
The EI PodcastWhat the Romans found funny with Orlando Gibbs
EI's Alastair Benn sits down with Orlando Gibbs to discuss what the Romans found funny, what we might find not so funny about ancient humour, and whether there…
The EI PodcastAli 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…
The EI PodcastAndrew Wilton on Amanda McKittrick Ros, the Florence Foster Jenkins of the romantic novel
Andrew Wilton profiles Amanda McKittrick Ros, a late Victorian novelist admired in her day but now largely forgotten. Read by Sebastian Brown. Image: A typical…
The EI PodcastLucy 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…
The EI PodcastThe atomic human with Neil D. Lawrence
Neil D. Lawrence, inaugural DeepMind Professor of Machine Learning at the University of Cambridge and author of The Atomic Human: Understanding Ourselves in…
The EI PodcastAlexander Lee on why Machiavelli wrote The Prince
If we want to understand the ‘meaning’ of The Prince, we should start with Machiavelli himself. Read by Helen Lloyd. Image: A statue of Niccolo Machiavelli in…
The EI PodcastRana Mitter on Tsiang Tingfu, pre-revolutionary China’s last bridge with the West
Rana Mitter profiles Tsiang Tingfu, the American-educated diplomat and historian, who sought Chinese national revival on cosmopolitan lines. Read by Sebastian…
The EI PodcastFrancis J. Gavin on the terrible dilemmas of leadership in a thermonuclear world
Nuclear weapons are likely to be around for a long time to come – and the predicaments they create for world leaders are unlikely to be easily solved. Read by…
The EI PodcastParis in the Belle Époque with Marie Kawthar Daouda
Marie Kawthar Daouda, author and a lecturer in French language and literature at the University of Oxford, joins EI's Alastair Benn to discuss how Belle…
The EI PodcastJames Marriott on why human art matters in the age of AI
A world of machine art would be an eerie one. Art connects us to one another. We cannot, and we should not, replace that connection with an uncanny simulacrum…
The EI PodcastLawrence Freedman on John McDonald, poker-playing popularizer of game theory
Lawrence Freedman profiles the Fortune journalist and best-selling author who played a key role in shaping mid-20th century perceptions of strategy and the…
The EI PodcastBringing history to the public with Alice Loxton
The historian and broadcaster Alice Loxton joins the EI team to discuss her forthcoming book, Eighteen: A History of Britain in 18 Young Lives, and her fight…
The EI PodcastKatja Hoyer on East Germany's battle for technology
East Germany’s quest to catch up with the technological innovations of the West prompted some remarkable successes, but also expanded the oppression of its…
The EI PodcastHow advertising consumed the counter-culture with Ian Leslie
EI's Alastair Benn sits down with Ian Leslie, author of Conflicted: Why Arguments Are Tearing Us Apart and How They Can Bring Us Together, to discuss how the…
The EI PodcastGudrun Persson on Russia’s forever war against Ukraine
An often-overlooked fact about the current Russo-Ukrainian War is that over the centuries Russia has waged several wars to try to conquer Crimea and the Donbas…
The EI PodcastCatherine Ostler on Maria Antonia of Bavaria, Electress of many talents
Catherine Ostler profiles Maria Antonia, Electress of Saxony, an artistic polymath who helped re-shape elite culture in the Enlightenment age. Read by…
The EI PodcastRonald Reagan's grand strategy with William Inboden
EI's Angus Reilly discusses how Ronald Reagan put economic openness at the heart of the battle for ideas against Soviet Communism with William Inboden, author…
The EI PodcastIskander Rehman on early modern information overload
The sense of being overwhelmed and constantly distracted is nothing new. Historians and policymakers should look to the 17th century for guidance on how to…
The EI PodcastMarketing Classical music with Richard Bratby
EI's Alastair Benn discusses the condition of Classical music today with Richard Bratby, chief Classical music critic of The Spectator. Image: Music scores…
The EI PodcastJulian Jackson on De Gaulle’s world in motion
Part statesman, part prophet, Charles de Gaulle knew instinctively that political success and failure are inevitably interlinked, and that history would be the…
The EI PodcastJohn Law and financial crises with Kwasi Kwarteng
EI's Iain Martin is joined by Kwasi Kwarteng, historian and former Chancellor of the Exchequer, to discuss the turbulent life of the 18th-century financial…
The EI PodcastLaura Freeman on Helen Sutherland, brave cultivator of the beautiful
Laura Freeman profiles Helen Sutherland, an isolated, austere, and fastidious heiress who dedicated herself to art. Read by Sebastian Brown. Image: Woman…