The EI Podcast

By Engelsberg IdeasArts Books Government History

The EI Podcast episodes

July 02 250 years of the American experiment
Paul Lay speaks to Phil Tinline, author of Ghosts of Iron Mountain: The Hoax that Duped America and its Sinister Legacy, about the variety and violence of a country built on high ideals and low conspiracies.
Image: The interior of the United States Capitol. Credit: Alamy
47 min
June 29 Where is Russia’s place in the world?
Russia is a Near Eastern country now subordinated to East Asia. But Stephen Kotkin argues that historically it has prospered most when tied closely to Europe.
Read the original essay here: https://engelsbergideas.com/essays/where-is-russias-place-in-the-world/.
Image: Map of Russia, 1562. Credit: Alamy
43 min
June 25 Christianity’s debt to Rome
What does Christ’s Kingdom owe to the culture of the Roman Empire? Tim Whitmarsh speaks to EI’s Alastair Benn about his new book, Rome’s Age of Revolution: Augustus, Empire and the Making of Christianity.

Image: A statue of Augustus Caesar in Turin. Credit: Alamy

46 min
June 22 Jean Eustache: the outsider who reshaped French cinema
The filmmaker Jean Eustache’s interest in rural France and his sardonic scepticism about the May ’68 ideologues mark him out from his Nouvelle Vague contemporaries. Read by Leighton Pugh.
Read the original essay here: https://engelsbergideas.com/portraits/jean-eustache-the-outsider-who-reshaped-french-cinema/.
Image: The film director Jean Eustache. Credit: Alamy
17 min
June 18 How to end a war
Margaret MacMillan speaks to EI’s Jack Dickens about how wars – and attempts to bring about peace – have shaped every era of human history.
Image: Franklin D. Roosevelt and Joseph Stalin at the Yalta Conference, 1945. Credit: Alamy
44 min
June 15 Testament to doomed media
The old media has failed to rise to the challenge of tech, but we'll miss it when it's gone.
Read the original essay here: https://engelsbergideas.com/essays/testament-to-doomed-media/.
Image: Woman reading a newspaper. Credit: Alamy
18 min
June 11 Why Armenia’s elections matter
Thomas de Waal joins EI’s Jack Dickens to discuss how the recent elections in Armenia could reshape geopolitics in the Caucasus and beyond.
Image: Armenian flag with Mount Ararat in background. Credit: Alamy
34 min
June 08 Len Deighton’s spycraft
The late Len Deighton produced novels that were packed with excitement and suspense but also infused with moral complexity and psychological insight. Read by Leighton Pugh.
Read the essay here: https://engelsbergideas.com/essays/len-deightons-spycraft/.
Image: Michael Caine in The Ipcress File. Credit: Allstar Picture Library Ltd
34 min
June 04 China's bid for economic supremacy
George Magnus speaks to EI’s Jack Dickens about the geopolitical logic behind China’s economic strategy.
Image: A container ship from China. Credit: Rudmer Zwerver
48 min
June 01 A Jewish-American dream
The largest Jewish community in the world is defined by its deep integration into America's national story, its liberal traditions and scepticism towards Israeli governments. Read by Leighton Pugh.
Read the essay here: https://engelsbergideas.com/essays/a-jewish-american-dream/
Image: A member of the American Jewish Congress participating in the 1965 Montgomery March, advocating for civil rights. Credit: Image Bank
25 min

About The EI Podcast

From the publisher's feed

The EI Podcast brings you weekly conversations with leading writers, thinkers and historians. Hosted by Alastair Benn, Jack Dickens and Paul Lay. Produced by Max Mitchell.