History behind the headlines - podcast cover

History behind the headlines

David Keys•david-keys.com
History
Government
True Crime

The History Behind The Headlines - Introduction:

Politically, culturally and even psychologically, the past, often tragically, helps shape our world's present and its future.

So, by more fully understanding history in its broadest terms, we improve our chances of tackling our world's problems.

Planet Earth is a pretty horrifying place. Last year statistics show that 120,000 people lost their lives in more than 30 wars in virtually every region of our world.

Finding just and lasting solutions to those crises requires huge skill and perseverance.

But it also requires the public globally and their politicians to more fully understand the nature and histories of those conflicts.

For without a better global public and political understanding of how and why those conflicts and crises evolved in the first place, it's much more difficult to solve them.

For the past 15 years my tiny contribution to seeking solutions has been to study and publish detailed analyses of the historical origins of many of the political and military conflicts, crises and potential crises which currently challenge our world. Some of the crises I've analysed are disturbingly violent. Others are more peaceful, yet have the potential to cause substantial economic and social harm.

So far I've investigated and analysed the historical trajectories behind more than 70 recent and current wars and crises.

My research has involved in-depth interviews with literally hundreds of historians, political scientists, sociologists, and aid workers. My aim has been to be as objective and comprehensive as humanly possible – and to provide a unique record of how conflicts start and how tragically only too often they expand with such lethal consequences.

I hope you find this rolling series of podcasts of interest. Here are the first four. If you like them, I'll do more.

Thank you,

David

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Episodes

Episode 4 - Scotland - THE HISTORY BEHIND THE HEADLINES

Brexit of course has huge implications for Britain's relationship with continental Europe. But it also has disturbing implications for the long-term survival of the United Kingdom itself. That's because Brexit has provided renewed impetus to Scotland's independence movement. For many centuries, Scotland traditionally saw itself as being geopolitically closer than England to continental Europe – and indeed the majority of Scottish voters voted against Brexit in the referendum of 2016 and against ...

Feb 24, 2020•15 min•Season 1Ep. 4

Episode 3 - Kashmir - THE HISTORY BEHIND THE HEADLINES

India's continued abrogation of normal human rights in Kashmir - the only Muslim-majority region in India – is compromising the world's biggest democracy's relationship with several other key geopolitical players – including Turkey, China, Malaysia and potentially the European Union. An EU/India summit meeting on India/Europe relations is due to take place in Brussels next month. Above all, the situation in Kashmir continues to heighten tension between South Asia’s two great nuclear-armed rivals...

Feb 22, 2020•14 min•Season 1Ep. 3

Episode 2 - Mexico's drug war - THE HISTORY BEHIND THE HEADLINES

To the south of the United States’ 2,000-mile-long border with Mexico, a terrible war has been gathering pace over the past 13 years. So far, the conflict has claimed 230,000 lives, with countless others maimed, bereaved and impoverished. Tens of thousands of children have lost one or both their parents – and several hundred thousand people have been forced to flee their homes, creating a ever-growing army of refugees. Mexico’s drug war – an ultra-violent multi-sided conflict over who controls t...

Feb 22, 2020•14 min•Season 1Ep. 2

Episode 1a - Israel and Palestine- THE HISTORY BEHIND THE HEADLINES

IT IS A COLLISION between two nationalisms – both forged substantially in exile. It is a struggle between two peoples whose militant wings both still lay claim to the same territory. It is perceived by some as a clash between the first and third worlds or between Islam and Judaism, even between Islam and the West. At its heart lie thousands of years of history and some of the holiest places on earth. But how did this epic conflict arise and what are the histories of the peoples involved? Today t...

Feb 22, 2020•14 min•Season 1Ep. 1
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