Episodes
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Understanding the Houthis, their history and their role in the current Middle East conflict
The crisis in the Middle East has once again thrown a spotlight on the Houthis, a militia group from Yemen who, in conjunction with Iran, have been disrupting international shipping and global supply chains. The Houthis have long been derided as an Iranian "proxy", but their recent attacks…
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Why do white people still own most of South Africa's land?
More than 30 years after apartheid ended in South Africa, why is it still the most unequal country in the world?Guests: Bulelwa Mabasa - Director and Head of Land Reform, Werksmans Attorneys Professor Ruth Hall - Director, Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies at University of the...
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How an obsession with time has come to enslave us
The English language is dotted with expressions that betray a distrust of time – we talk of “racing against time” or we express a frustration that “time is not on our side”. In this episode of Rear Vision, we look at the history of time as a concept. Why time from the Industrial Revolution…
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The American Israel lobby – powerful political force or antisemitic fiction
Depending on who you talk to the American Israel Lobby is either one of the most powerful forces in US politics or an anti-Semitic conspiracy theory. In this Rear Vision we explore the history and ask if the Israel Lobby exist? And if it does what impact it may have had on US politics and US...
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Ebola – a fifty-year history of outbreaks, fear and misunderstanding
Once again communities in Central Africa are plagued by Ebola and the current outbreak shows no sign of being brought under control any time soon. What have medical researchers and practitioners learnt about the nature of the virus over its fifty-year history and just as importantly, how it’s...
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Pacific pit-stop: cannabis to cocaine
Drug trafficking across the Pacific. Why is it increasing and can it be stopped?
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Alberta Separatists and the grey hand of foreign interference
Separatist sentiments are stirring in the Canadian province of Alberta. Voters will soon cast their ballots in a referendum on whether to begin moves to formally separate from the rest of the nation. We look at the history of separatism in Canada and at the pernicious impact of foreign...
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Pine Gap - 60 years of Secrecy
How a Cold War listening post in outback Australia has become a nerve centre of U.S. surveillance
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Why Australian history has always had a revisionist edge
Our understanding of the past has always been contentious and ripe for argumentation. How we think and write about historic events changes as new sources of information are found, and fresh details emerge about people and events. In this episode, as part of ABC Radio National’s Top 100 Australian...
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The Red Sea - maritime mayhem at Bab el-Mandeb
Today the Red Sea’s crucial choke-point at the Bab el-Mandeb is becoming as infamous as the Strait of Hormuz.
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Reality check - why a belief in human rights has never really been universal
Dictators and autocrats deride human rights as a “western concept” – think Vladamir Putin and Xi Jinping, among others. They reject the narrative that a global concern for individual freedoms has steadily grown since the end of WWII. What if they’re correct? At least partially so. What if...
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North Korea - powerplay in the Northwest Pacific
This year has seen an uncharacteristic flurry of meetings and engagement between North Korea, China and Russia. Is a North Asia bromance blossoming or are we seeing a calculated collaboration?
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Israel Lebanon and the Palestinian story
The conflict between Israel and Lebanon that flared up in March this year is not new. Despite having no major border dispute or a struggle over resources, Israel and Lebanon have been in conflict for decades. The history of Lebanon’s relationship with Israel and how it continues to be shaped by…
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Hezbollah: Resistance fighters or terrorists
Hezbollah has been a key political and military player in Lebanon for decades. In 2000 it forced the Israeli military out of Southern Lebanon and since then has been in almost constant conflict with Israel. Since the October 7 terrorist attack by Hamas in Israel, that conflict has escalated...
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Whatever happened to Libya?
Fifteen years ago, events in Libya dominated world headlines. In 2011, during the “Arab Spring”, Western leaders pledged their determination to free the Libyan people from decades of oppression under Muammar Gaddafi. NATO jets were deployed. Today, a decade and a half later, Libya is effectively...
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Islam in Australia - history and hysteria
Despite their long history in this country, Muslims in Australia are often the flashpoint for immigration fears and concern about extremism.
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Understanding slavery as an enduring form of economic and social control
The United States has just imposed new tariffs on Australia and other countries for supposedly not doing enough to combat forced labour in international supply chains. Analysts say the move is political, but regardless it does once again highlight the ongoing issue of slavery. Slavery has been a...
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War damage - the cost of rebuilding after conflict
What happens when the bombs and the fighting stop? Who pays for all the damage? It’s estimated that rebuilding Gaza alone, will cost more than US$70 billion. What strategy is needed to turn battlefields and ruins into peace and prosperity?
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Are France’s indo-pacific ambitions coming unstuck?
The government of Emmanuel Macron is struggling to deal with ongoing tension and resentment in France’s external territory, New Caledonia. The latest diplomatic and legislative efforts to determine the archipelago’s future have failed, and recent local elections have only cemented the stalemate...
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Gas to grain - when fertiliser supply stops
One third of the world's fertiliser is shipped through the Strait of Hormuz. How did fertiliser supply become so concentrated in the Middle East and what happens when this supply is suddenly at risk?
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The true story of the American Revolution
Americans are preparing for an orgy of red, white and blue as the 250th anniversary of their Declaration of Independence draws near. But what’s not likely to be widely mentioned is the fact that the conflict wasn’t just a revolution against British rule, it was actually America’s first civil war…
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Saudi Arabia and the U.S - a marriage of convenience under strain
As the war in the Middle East teeters on a peace deal, the carefully managed relationship between Saudi Arabia and the United States is starting to show cracks.
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Beyond NATO – is it finally time for a pan-European Army?
Despite constant criticism from the Americans, European NATO members are actively rebuilding and strengthening their militaries. Some are even beginning to think beyond the Alliance and the United States, to an independent united European fighting force. NATO members will meet in early July for...
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Trump might be sceptical of nuclear diplomacy, but it’s worked between enemies in the past
President Trump has made it clear he doesn’t think diplomacy on its own will stop Iran from developing nuclear weapons.So what does history tell us about what actually works? We’re looking back at one of the greatest nuclear risk reduction efforts ever — when the US and Russia joined forces to...
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America – land of the free, home of the gerrymander!
Gerrymandering is endemic in the United States and could determine the outcome of this year's mid-term elections. It has been a feature of the American political system since the beginning of the republic, according to Princeton University's Samuel Wang. So, how did the self-styled “world’s...
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Russia's Oil story - pipelines to Putin
The closure of the Strait of Hormuz continues to affect economies around the world. But Russia has not only escaped the financial fallout, but has prospered.
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Who has the power and right to declare war in a democracy?
It may surprise you to know that the Australian parliament has no real say over whether the country goes to war. In the United States its effectively the same, with analysts saying the US Congress has now basically ceded its war powers to the president. A process, by the way, that began long…
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Capital gains tax in Australia — the essential backstory
The Federal Government is hoping tax reform will help address the widening generational wealth gap and rebalance the tax system in favour of younger people.One policy being targeted for an overhaul in this year's budget is the 50 per cent capital gains tax discount. Australia started taxing…
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Is Scottish independence once again in play?
In 1707 the Scottish national parliament was disbanded, not to be reconvened until 1999. How and why Scotland regained its own Assembly is the story of rising Scottish nationalism and Westminster’s attempts to dampen such feelings and keep Scotland in the Union. On May 7th, Scots go to the polls,...
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Cuba and the US President - from FDR to Trump
IN 1959 Fidel Castro transformed Cuba into a socialist state. And ever since then, American presidents have been trying to undo it. Now it’s Donald Trump’s turn – and he’s determined to succeed.
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The history and future of women in combat
Australia’s incoming Chief of Army, Lt. General Susan Coyle, will be the first woman ever to hold the Army’s top post. Her appointment in the lead-up to Anzac Day reflects a change that’s been decades in the making. The true history of warfare is the story of men and women together on the...
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Ending conflict — the art of negotiation
It’s a truism of peace talks that we’re not negotiating with our friends but rather with our enemies. And when our enemies have been designated as terrorists and murderers, it’s not an easy task. How have violent conflicts ended in the past and are there lessons we can learn from previous peace...
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Australia’s energy security and resilience
The conflict in the Middle East has led to a sharp rise in energy prices – and highlighted the issue of Australia’s energy security. Why haven’t we all transitioned to renewables? The story of Australia’s energy transition and why it’s had so many false starts and missteps.
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Flags, “flag-shaggers” and the co-opting of historic symbols
Wrapping yourself in the national flag has become a common practice for far-right activists right across the Western world, particularly anti-immigration demonstrators. In the UK the co-opting of the Union Jack and the flag of St George has become so common it’s now described in derogatory terms…
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Pete Hegseth - war monger or true believer?
Pete Hegseth U.S. Secretary for War (previously Defense) is one of the most powerful people on the planet. He says that two things have defined his life – his military service and his religious faith.
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Beijing’s justification for wanting to invade Taiwan
Donald Trump and China’s Xi Jinping are due to meet in Beijing in the near future, following a March postponement. China’s wish to subsume democratic Taiwan is certain to be one of the topics on the summit agenda. President Xi has reportedly instructed his military to be at capacity for an…
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Innovation — from the spinning jenny to AI
A wide-angle lens on the history of Innovation. An unprecedented surge in human ingenuity has created six great waves of innovation. What drove these breakthroughs? And where are we headed?
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Singapore and the long shadow of Lee Kuan Yew
The government of Singapore this year sacked the leader of the Opposition — that's the way things happen in Singaporean politics. Though it looks like a model Westminster democracy, critics say it's actually a one-party state, dominated for more than 60 years by the People's Action Party. So, how...
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China and the U.S - on a collision course in Latin America?
China is now the number one trading partner of South America. How realistic are U.S. plans to dominate the Western hemisphere?
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High speed rail in Australia - is it a dream that can ever become a reality
High speed rail spread around the globe from the 1960s when the first bullet trains took off in Japan. Rear Vision looks at why previous attempts to introduce high speed rail in Australia have failed. Japan opened the world's first high-speed rail line - between Tokyo and Osaka - in time for the...
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Central bank independence − a tradition under threat
Since the 1970s central banks around the world have increasingly become “independent” of government. They’ve developed that way over time to ensure that monetary policy isn’t impacted by partisan political motives. But there are those who now seek to turn the clock back and to rein in that...
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Bangladesh 2026 - at a turning point
Bangladesh is having its first free and fair election in over 18 years. Rear Vision looks back at the tumultuous history of this young nation.
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From bicycles to “build your dreams” — how China conquered the global car market
Only a few decades ago China was known as the land of the bicycle – today it’s an automotive goliath. The PRC is now the world’s biggest car manufacturer and exporter. It also has the largest domestic car market. We explore how it achieved such a dramatic turnaround in only a few short decades.…
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Controlling global oil — the backstory
Since the start of the 20th century, oil has been the lifeblood of global development. Today, the story behind oil — and the politics of supplying oil and denying oil.
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Weaponised trade and a return to gunboat diplomacy
From sanctions to tariffs to seizing oil fields — it feels like we've entered a new age of economic warfare. But experts say we're really just returning to the past. To the time before the rules-based international order was established at the end of the Second World War. Gunboat diplomacy it…
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The story of Iran, a CIA Coup, a Revolution and the turbulent history that followed
For just over three weeks huge street protests have swept across Iran and threatened to topple The Islamic Republic regime of Iran. The regime has responded with a brutal crackdown on dissent and imposing a total internet blackout. President Donald Trump has urges Iranians to keep protesting and...
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Donald Trump and the wrecking ball: The end of the world as we know it
Is the liberal international rules-based order – that has underpinned international relations for the past 80 years - about to collapse. The United States once its greatest champion is withdrawing funding from hundreds of international organisations, and at the same time unending the global…
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Not so tolerant Allies: The story of Canada and the United States
President Trump not only want to make America great, he also wants to make it bigger and incorporating Canada as the 51st state would certainly do that – except for the fact that Canada is a sovereign nation. The story of Canada and the United States and why President Trump wants to turn Canada...
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Greenland Donald Trump and the politics of empire
President Trump wants to buy or take control of Greenland from Denmark. But Denmark has made very clear, they don’t have the right to sell Greenland because Greenland is owned by the people of Greenland. Donald Trump is not the first US president to try and buy Greenland. The story of Greenland…
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Finland: A mad prepper nation or a role model for all small to medium democracies
As the world becomes an increasingly dangerous and uncertain place – how prepared are we in Australia to face these new challenges? This week on Rear Vision the story of one nation that take security and preparedness very seriously – Finland