All Episodes
The Burning Archive — 133 episodes · page 1 of 2
152. Nobel Prize for Literature Reading Challenge (Read all 120 winners since 1901). 1907-13, from Kipling, poet of empire to visionary anti-empire writer, Tagore.
151. How Western leaders can regain a sense of reality. Isaiah Berlin, "On political judgment"
150. Tagore on Nationalism in the West - a warning to today's world from 1917
149. Rabindranath Tagore on Crisis in Civilization... in 1941 and today.
147. How the Japanese classic Chōmei, Hōjōki, from 1200 teaches us how to live wisely today
146. Can the USA Empire bounce back from decline? My review of the RAND report on "Renewed National Dynamism"
145. Are we living through an end of empire moment, like the Suez Crisis?
144. Halford Mackinder, The Geographical Pivot of History
143. Mackinder and geopolitics: mad, bad and dangerous to know?
142. Sophie Loy-Wilson on the intertwined history of Australia and China
141. History, Destruction and Sebald, The Rings of Saturn
140. How to mend Australia-China relationships: a conversation with Warwick Powell
139. A conversation with Sam Roggeveen on defence, diplomacy and Australia's role in a multipolar world
138. Civilizations of the Ocean - the Atlantic and the rise and fall of the West
137. Civilisations of the Sea - Sri Vijaya in the Indonesian 'Middle Ages'
136. Civilizations in highlands - from Afghanistan to the Incas
135. Civilizations in fields of mud - how we get the story of Sumer and Babylon wrong.
134. Civilizations in Tropical Lowlands - Benin, Africa and Papua New Guinea
134. Civilizations in the Frozen North and the Steppe
132. Summer of Civilizations III Where were the cradles of civilisation?
131. Summer of Civilizations 2 -Is civilization the biggest and baddest idea in world history?
130. Summer of Civilizations 1 - Idea, History, Game
129. Year in Review and Summer of Civilisations
128. Napoleon: movies, myths and histories.
127. Kissinger is Dead. Is US diplomacy dead too?
126. How the Mongol Horde Changed the World: interview with Marie Favereau, historian
125. How to spot bad histories in narratives of geopolitics.
124. Beowulf. How a legend was saved from the fire.
117. History of the Nobel Prize for Literature and 2022 Winner Annie Ernaux
123. In a time of war, nurture empathy with history
122. Six Intriguing New History Books from the Wolfson History Prize. Please Discuss.
121. Jon Fosse's Slow Prose. My reaction to 2023 Nobel Prize for Literature Announcement
120. Why read Olga Tokarczuk, 2018 Nobel Prize for Literature?
119. Why read Patrick White, 1973 Nobel Prize for Literature, the Exile at Home?
118. Why read WB Yeats, Winner of 1923 Nobel Prize for Literature?
116. Professions vs. Managers. The rise and fall of the professions. Interview with Hannah Forsyth
115. Exploring World History with Leading Historian Felipe Fernández-Armesto - Part 2
114. Exploring World History with Leading Historian Felipe Fernández-Armesto - Part 1
112. Social differences, elite competition and political breakdown
111. Four Social Changes Unsettling the Modern World
110. Social Progress, Collapse and Fragmentation - 7 changes that define the modern world
109. NATO in Vilnius - What does it mean?
108. Atlantic Romantics, Part II: How NATO emerged from Atlantic History
107. Atlantic Romantics, Part I: Will NATO’s Special Relationship break up?
106. How do ideas of Eurasia influence world politics and history today? Eurasia Part II.
105. Why is Eurasia so important in world history and geopolitics today?
104. Lost in the Indo-Pacific - Strategy, Oceans, History or Illusion?
103. World Crisis, Polycrisis, or Another Day at the Office?
102. Modi in Sydney, and the Indian Way to Reform the United Nations
101. Mental Illness. Government Failure. Human Imperfection.
99. Fear and Loathing After Pandemic Democracy
98. Madness and Western Civilization, Today
97. Macron, European Sovereignty, and Reflections on a Philosopher President
96. France’s People’s Revolt on Pensions. Tricoleur Revolution?
95. The End of the US Dollar Empire?
94. Bank Collapses and Political Crises. Calm or Contagion?
93. The Health of Western Democracy Through the Eyes of China
92. India. Mother of Democracy
91. Democracy’s Discontents
89. Is Democracy Losing the War in Ukraine?
88. 13 Ways of Looking at a Bureaucrat. How I wrote my upcoming book.
87. How I, a very minor government official, wrote and published my poetry book
86. How I wrote and published my book, From the Burning Archive, while working full-time
85. How India is becoming the real leader of the free and fair world.
84. STOP Thinking the War in Ukraine is the Start of World War 3 - Five Alternative Histories of the War
83. STOP Thinking the War in Ukraine is the Start of World War 3 - even if Emmanuel Todd said it was
82. Six Histories of the War in Ukraine in Search of Dialogue and Diplomacy
81. The Ukraine Conflict - How to stay sane when different narratives of the war conflict.
80. Who is winning the war in Ukraine - Ukraine, Russia or NATO?
79. The War in Ukraine - the whole story to the end of 2022.
78. Kievan Rus and the origin stories of Russia, Ukraine and Belarus
77. For the Horde? Russian History and the Mongol Empire
76. Ivan the Terrible - Part Two
75. Ivan the Terrible - Part One
74. Russia's First Civil War - The Time of Troubles and Two Murder Mysteries
73. Peter the Great, Catherine the Great and the Russian Enlightenment
72. War and Peace and Conservatism in Russia's 19th Century - Part II
71. War and Peace and Conservatism in Russia's 19th Century - Part I
70. 2022 Nobel Prize Winners
69. Special Episode on 2022 Nobel Prizes for Literature and Peace
67. Mikhail Gorbachev's Dark Night
66. Remembering Mikhail Gorbachev
65. The Black Legend of Russian History
64. A Field Guide to History for Decision-Making
63. What are the Lessons of History?
62. What is Australia's role in a Multipolar World?
61. Will America Break?
59. Clash of Civilizations in Ukraine - What if Russia Wins?
58. Civilization and the Decline of the West
57 Civilizations of Mud, Highlands, Seas and Oceans
56. Civilizations in Ice, Grasslands and Tropical Lowlands
55. Cradles and Concepts of Civilization
53. The Medici in Games and History
52. Professions and Guilds in Games and History
51. War and Peace and the Conflict in Ukraine
50. What thou lovest well - Ezra Pound, Cantos from a Cage
49. When Winter Came and the Norse Myths were Born
48. Penultimate Special Episode on Ukraine Conflict - History Wars
47. Dragons and Dragonslayers
46. Ukraine Conflict - Who Miscalculated Most - Russia or USA?