Spying on the Revolution: Gunnar Ekberg, Infiltration, and the Birth of Modern Terrorism.

In this episode, Antonia Senior speaks with journalist and author Jason Burke about The Revolutionists, and the extraordinary true story of Gunnar Ekberg — the Swedish spy who infiltrated radical left-wing movements in Europe during the late 1960s and early 1970s. Ekberg witnessed first-hand a moment of enormous ideological energy: when secular, nationalist and progressive revolutionary groups believed they were the vanguard of global change. Embedded inside these movements, he saw their organising, their fervour, their drift toward violence — and ultimately, their decline. But Ekberg’s story also marks the hinge-point in modern terrorism. As the decade unfolded, the revolutionary energy that once drove secular movements shifted dramatically. Islamism emerged as the dominant revolutionary force in the Middle East, while Western Europe’s security focus transformed as left-wing groups faded and jihadist networks rose. Through Ekberg’s eyes — and Burke’s deep analysis — this conversation explores how ideology, violence and global power structures evolved, and why that shift still shapes the world we live in today. terror history, Gunnar Ekberg, Jason Burke, The Revolutionists, 1970s radicalism, secular nationalism, Islamism, hijackings, European terrorism, Middle East extremism, podcast interview, history of terrorism.If you enjoyed this conversation, please subscribe, rate us, and check the links below for Jason Burke’s book. UK: https://amzn.eu/d/4R5tIYd UK Independent Bookshop: https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/the-revolutionists-the-story-of-the-extremists-who-hijacked-the-1970s-jason-burke/1c42ef7f8d866dbe?ean=9781847926067&next=t https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/the-revolutionists-the-story-of-the-extremists-who-hijacked-the-1970s-jason-burke/1c42ef7f8d866dbe?ean=9781847926067&next=t Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices