The Burning Archive

The Burning Archive

By Jeff RichHistory
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The Burning Archive episodes

  • 112. Social differences, elite competition and political breakdown

    Why can't we just all get along? Is all history class struggle, or a fight between the people and the elites? Or, as Peter Turchin suggests, do elites fight hardest against other elites? And how can Stockholm show us a better way to live together?

    Quote of the show: "Identity is an invitation to dialogue, not a prison." (Vaclav Havel)

    44 min
  • 109. NATO in Vilnius - What does it mean?

    The NATO Summit in Vilnius disappointed Volodomyr Zelenszky and Ukraine. He might be singing, Is that all there is to an alliance? Find out what it means for NATO, for the war in Ukraine, and risks of war with China in the Indo-Pacific. Is it the beginning of the end game? Or is it the old game of the End and the Beginning?

    43 min
  • 108. Atlantic Romantics, Part II: How NATO emerged from Atlantic History

    Atlantic Romantics, Part II gives you a rapid fire history of the Altlantic, structured around seven key dates. These dates provide glimpses into the multipolar history of the Atlantic Ocean, and the chameleon-like character of the Atlantic idea, institutions, alliance, cultures and civilizations. This podcast will take you in less than an hour from late Bronze Age Portugal to the July 11-12 NATO Summit in Vilnius.

    47 min
  • 107. Atlantic Romantics, Part I: Will NATO’s Special Relationship break up?

    Three big regional ideas dominate the world: the Indo-Pacific, Eurasia, and the Atlantic. What is the Atlantic? Is it an ocean? An alliance? An idea? Is it Western civilization? Is it a special relationship between the USA and Britain? Could the NATO alliance be about to break up? Find out the answers and some surprising fun facts about the Atlantic on this podcast. Imagine the world differently with a little bit of history.

    Find more details on world history reimagined and the Burning Archive at jeffrich.substack.com

    Credit: The Models, Atlantic Romantic (1981) via YouTube

    41 min
  • 106. How do ideas of Eurasia influence world politics and history today? Eurasia Part II.

    There are not two continents of Europe and Asia. There is one physical continent of Eurasia. Ideas of Europe and Asia, and their place in world history have formed two continents from one. And ideas of Eurasia in Russia and in the West threaten war between the Eurasian and Atlantic worlds. But it does not need to be so. Halford Mackinder has a lot to answer for, including Aleksander Dugin.

    Join my free weekly newsletter at jeffrich.substack.com for more details on each show.

    39 min
  • 105. Why is Eurasia so important in world history and geopolitics today?

    There are not two continents of Europe and Asia. There is one physical continent of Eurasia, and the countries of Eurasia are becoming more important, more wealthy and more assertive in world politics. Find out why, and how powerful new international institutions, infrastructure projects and foreign policies are strengthening this region, including its Heartland, Russia, compared to the Atlantic powers.

    Time Stamps

    0:00-0:40 Introduction

    0:40-2:45 What is Eurasia?

    2:45-10:10 Eurasian Geography in History

    10:10-13:30 Books on Eurasia

    13:30-20:00 Eurasian Institutions

    20:00-31:00 Russian and Western Foreign Policy Ideas on Eurasia

    31:00-34:00 Latest Writing on World Crisis






    34 min
  • 104. Lost in the Indo-Pacific - Strategy, Oceans, History or Illusion?

    I wrote recently that the Free and Open Indo Pacific is like the Holy Roman Empire. It is not free, not open, and not even the Indo-Pacific. Find out why on this intriguing podcast that covers

    - my article on Australia, India and the Indo-Pacific, "Australia, Little Country Lost"

    - some real history you can read to get a better understanding of the history of the Indian and Pacific Ocean regions, including 4 history book recommendations?

    - some surprising revelations and legacies of the German author of the original Indo-Pacific strategy, Karl Haushofer.

    And happy Oceans Day for June 8, everyone.

    Details of all the books and texts referred to in the show are available by subscribing to my free weekly newsletter at jeffrich.substack.com.

    You can also listen or watch this podcast at my YouTube channel, (please like, share and subscribe) and follow me on Twitter.

    50 min
  • 103. World Crisis, Polycrisis, or Another Day at the Office?

    Some leaders say the world is in a crisis it has not seen in 100 years. Adam Tooze (historian) says the world is in a polycrisis, and that we all struggle to cope with the shock of the many. Some cynics might say, the more things change, the more they stay the same. Who is right? Or are they all right? How do we make sense of the cascading crises of war, diplomacy, pandemic, politics, economy, society, environment and culture that we have all experienced in recent years?

    On this podcast , I cover

    - what is true or false about the claims that we are seeing changes we have not seen for 100 years and are in a polycrisis?

    - how does today's crisis compare to the world crisis of 1910-1920, when the world slept walk to World War One? and

    - in the fragment of the Burning Archive, who is afraid of what Virginia Woolf said about how the world changed in 1910?

    You can find more details in my free weekly newsletter at jeffrich.substack.com.

    51 min

About The Burning Archive

From the publisher's feed

History helps us understand the cultures and conflicts of the changing multipolar world. But there is so much to read! Where to begin? Let Jeff Rich, writer historian, and ex-government official, be…