Advertise on podcast: Rear Vision — How History Shaped Today

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 onwards became wedded to ideas of progress and productivity. And how at both a personal and societal level time became a means of constraint as much as organisation. Guests: Dr Adrian Bardon – Professor of Philosophy, Wake Forest University  Dr Emily Thomas – Professor and Head of the Department of Philosophy, Durham University Dr Iwan Rhys Morus – Professor of History and Welsh History, Aberystwyth University Judith Shulevitz – American journalist, editor and culture critic Dr David Henkin – Professor of History, University of California, Berkeley Tom Greene – Atlanta-based syndicated columnist and podcaster

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 foreign policy in the Middle East.

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 spread? Given its deadly nature, why isn’t there more concern about the possibility of global transmission? Guests: Dr Holly Seale – Professor of Social Science, School of Population Health, University of New South Wales  Dr Seth Judson - Assistant Professor-in-Residence, Division of Infectious Diseases, University of California Los Angelos Dr Paul Griffin – Professor of Infectious Diseases and Microbiology, University of Queensland

Drug trafficking across the Pacific. Why is it increasing and can it be stopped?

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 interference. Guests: Marcus Kolga - Director of DisinfoWatch. Senior fellow, Macdonald-Laurier Institute  Robert Currie – King’s Counsel. Professor of Law, Schulich School of Law, Dalhousie University Randy Boissonnault - former Member of the Canadian Parliament for Edmonton Centre Dr Ryan Griffiths – Professor of Political Science, Syracuse University

How a Cold War listening post in outback Australia has become a  nerve centre of U.S. surveillance

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 Books, we hear from three leading Australian authors about the history of Australian history.  Guests: Dr Anna Clark – Professor of History, University of Technology Sydney Dr Tim Rowse – Emeritus Professor, Western Sydney University Dr Michelle Arrow – Professor of Modern History, Macquarie University, Immediate Past President of the Australian Historical Association

Today the Red Sea’s crucial choke-point at the Bab el-Mandeb is becoming as infamous as the Strait of Hormuz.

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 international support for the ideal of universal human rights was never really as strong as it seemed? Could a reassessment of the history of human rights help us explain current threats to personal freedoms across the globe? Guests: Dr Alison Brysk – Distinguished Professor of Global Studies, University of California, Santa Barbara Dr Samuel Moyn – Professor of Law and History, Yale University Dr Barbara Keys – Professor of US History, Durham University Dr Jenna Reinbold – Associate Professor of Religion, Colgate University

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?

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 the story of the Palestinian people.

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 resulting in an invasion of Southern Lebanon by the Israel military.  For many in the Arab world Hezbollah is an organisation leading the resistance against Israeli aggression in the Middle East. In the West they are seen as an Iranian proxy and a terrorist group. Where does the truth lie and how did Hezbollah come into existence?

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 two nations not one, tyrany still rules, and the plight of the Libyan people has largely been forgotten. We ask, how and why? We also find out why a Trump emissary is now sniffing around Tripoli and Benghazi  Guests: Tim Eaton – Senior Researcher Fellow, Middle East and North Africa Programme, Chatham House  Rhiannon Smith – General Manager, Researcher and Analyst, Libya-Analysis Emadeddin Badi – Associate Fellow, Chatham House

Despite their long history in this country,  Muslims in Australia are often the flashpoint for immigration fears and concern about extremism.

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 constant of human history from ancient to modern times. The human rights group Walk Free estimates that almost 50 million people world-wide live in a modern form of enslavement. So how has our understanding of slavery changed over time? And why is it often still portrayed as a thing of the past?  Guests: Dr Catherine Armstrong – Reader in Modern History, Loughborough University Susan Hutchinson – PHD Candidate, Australian National University. Architect of the Prosecute Don’t Perpetrate campaign Dr Paige Gleeson – Adjunct Fellow, History & Classics, School of Humanities, University of Tasmania Dr Justine Nolan – Professor of Law and Justice, UNSW Sydney. Director of the Australian Human Rights Institute