PODCAST · history
Roger Retrospective
by Roger Horn
The Roger Retrospective connects the dots between history and today's headlines — because the past isn't prologue, it's a playbook. Each episode takes a pivotal moment from world history and traces its arc into the present, revealing the patterns, miscalculations, and ironies that keep repeating. Hosted by Roger Horn, a veteran emerging markets strategist with 20+ years on the front lines of global finance and a passport stamped in 50+ countries.
Episodes
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Can the United States Just Grab a Foreign President? (#20)
January 3rd has a habit of being a rough day for Latin American strongmen. In 1990, Manuel Noriega walked out of the Vatican embassy in Panama City after ten days of nonstop rock music and surrendered to U.S. forces. In 2026, on the same date, helicopters hit Caracas and Nicolás Maduro ended up...
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Why Presidents Can Pick Supreme Court Justices — But Can’t Control Them (Episode 19)
A president gets to nominate a Supreme Court justice. The Senate confirms them. And then something remarkable happens: the justice never has to answer to that president again. Donald Trump has publicly expressed frustration with Supreme Court justices he appointed after they ruled against…
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The Ghost of 1979: What Happens When Inflation Comes Back? (Episode 18)
Inflation isn't just a number. Eventually, it can become a way of life. In Episode 18 of The Roger Retrospective, we go back to the Great Inflation of the 1970s — when Americans waited in gas lines, wore “Whip Inflation Now” buttons, rushed into gold, assumed old mortgages because new ones…
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$5.85 Diesel: When a War in Iran Hits America’s Grocery Bill (Episode 17)
Diesel has hit a record high — and most Americans may not realize how much that matters. In this episode of The Roger Retrospective, we look beyond the price of gasoline to the fuel that quietly powers the American economy: diesel. From Rudolf Diesel’s mysterious disappearance in 1913, to...
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Who Killed the Starter Home? (Episode 16)
🏠 Who Killed the Starter Home? In the 1970s, a modest three-bedroom house was an attainable path to family life—not a luxury. So what changed? In this episode of The Roger Retrospective, we trace the history from the New Deal mortgage and GI Bill to Levittown, Co-op City, zoning, supersized…
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America Needs People Who Know How to Build Things Again (Episode 15)
For decades, America told its young people the path to success was simple: go to college, get a degree, and find a white-collar job. Then artificial intelligence arrived — and suddenly some of the most future-proof workers in America may be electricians, plumbers, welders, machinists and HVAC...
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AAA to Aftermath: The Venezuela Story with Ray Zucaro
From Concorde flights and a Moody’s Aaa rating to one of the deepest collapses in modern history. Roger Horn sits down with RVX CIO Ray Zucaro to examine how Venezuela went from “Dame dos” prosperity to crisis — and what the reversal still teaches investors and policymakers. Despite the profound...
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Economic Sanctions: Why They Work, Fail, and Sometimes Backfire (Episode 13)
For 2,500 years, rulers have tried to defeat their enemies without firing a shot. From Athens sanctioning Megara, to Napoleon trying to strangle British trade, to Britain’s blockade of Germany, the League of Nations confronting Mussolini, America’s oil embargo on Japan, apartheid South Africa,...
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The AI Panic Isn't New: America Has Always Feared the Next Machine (Episode 12)
Artificial intelligence has become the defining technology story of our time. Every day brings new headlines predicting that AI will replace lawyers, programmers, teachers, designers, and countless other professions. But is this fear really unprecedented? In this episode of The Roger…
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The Great American Comeback: Why Small Towns Are Rising Again (Episode 11)
For decades, the story of small-town America seemed to be one of slow decline. Young people left for the big cities. Factories moved overseas. Main Streets emptied, and many communities were written off as relics of another era. But what if that wasn't the end of the story? In this episode of The...
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Who Governs Britain - the Prime Minister or the Markets (episode 10)
Britain has produced some of the world’s greatest political leaders—but it also has an extraordinary habit of breaking them. This week on The Roger Retrospective, I explore why British prime ministers seem uniquely vulnerable whenever the economy turns against them. Beginning with Keir Starmer’s...
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The World's Most Important Waterway: The 500-Year Story of Hormuz
As tensions once again focus the world's attention on the Strait of Hormuz, it's worth asking a bigger question: Why has this tiny stretch of water shaped global history for more than five centuries? In this episode of The Roger Retrospective, Roger Horn traces the remarkable story of Hormuz—from...
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From the Sears Roebuck Catalog to Amazon: 150 Years of Reinventing Commerce
What do the Sears Roebuck Catalog and Amazon have in common? More than you might think. In this episode of The Roger Retrospective, Roger Horn traces 150 years of retail innovation—from the neighborhood general store to the grand department stores of Philadelphia, Chicago, New York, Atlanta…
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China's Demographic Winter: Solving Yesterday's Problem (Episode 7)
ifty years ago, the smartest people alive were terrified the planet would starve. Today, China just posted its lowest birth rate since 1949 — and it's not alone. This week Roger traces the wild swing from 1970s overpopulation panic to 2026's demographic collapse: Paul Ehrlich's Tonight Show tour,...
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How Universities Keep Building the People Who Tear Everything Down (Episode 6)
In June 2026, New York's Democratic primaries handed a clean sweep to a slate of democratic-socialist challengers — the latest chapter in a pattern that's far older and far stranger than this week's headlines suggest. From Ho Chi Minh washing dishes in Paris to the Chicago Boys remaking Chile's...
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New York City: America's Political Laboratory – From Tammany Hall to Mamdani (Episode 5)
or 250 years, New York has been where America tests its future first. This week, Roger traces the throughline from Tammany Hall's patronage machines and the corruption of Boss Tweed, through the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire and the reforms it forced, to Robert Moses and Jane Jacobs's battle over what…
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From Das Kapital to DSA: Why America Never Took the Socialism Bait 🇺🇸 (Episode 4)
Karl Marx thought America would be the FIRST country to go socialist. He was completely wrong — and even he tried to explain why. This week on The Roger Retrospective, I trace 200 years of a question that's suddenly back in the headlines: from Marx & Engels' own theories, to the one time it…
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Happy 250th — Why America Was Never Meant to Be Europe Anyway (Episode 3)
America turns 250 this year, and most of the retrospectives will miss the point entirely. This episode makes the case that the American experiment wasn't a flawed attempt at European civilization — it was never trying to be one. From the "Great Misunderstanding" of the Founding to the frontier…
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Cold War: How Air Conditioning Made America and Exposed Europe (Episode 2)
A European heat wave. A cooling system failure at EU headquarters. And one of history's most underrated inventions. This week, Roger traces air conditioning from ancient Persian windcatchers to Willis Carrier's Brooklyn print shop to the explosive rise of Houston, Phoenix, and the American Sun…
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Why do Europeans keep getting America wrong? (Episode 1)
It’s happening again on social media — tourists arriving expecting hostility and finding warmth, friendliness, pride. The gap between the narrative and the reality is striking.It was also striking in 1941, when Germany’s finest military minds looked at America and saw a soft, undisciplined nation...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
The Roger Retrospective connects the dots between history and today's headlines — because the past isn't prologue, it's a playbook. Each episode takes a pivotal moment from world history and traces its arc into the present, revealing the patterns, miscalculations, and ironies that keep repeating. Hosted by Roger Horn, a veteran emerging markets strategist with 20+ years on the front lines of global finance and a passport stamped in 50+ countries.
HOSTED BY
Roger Horn
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Roger Retrospective have?
Roger Retrospective currently has 20 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Roger Retrospective about?
The Roger Retrospective connects the dots between history and today's headlines — because the past isn't prologue, it's a playbook. Each episode takes a pivotal moment from world history and traces its arc into the present, revealing the patterns, miscalculations, and ironies that keep repeating....
How often does Roger Retrospective release new episodes?
Roger Retrospective has 20 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to Roger Retrospective?
You can listen to Roger Retrospective on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Roger Retrospective?
Roger Retrospective is created and hosted by Roger Horn.
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