
The EI Podcast
The EI Podcast brings you weekly conversations and audio essays from leading writers, thinkers and historians. Hosted by Alastair Benn and Paul Lay. Find the EI Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or search The EI Podcast wherever you get your podcasts.
Latest episodes

Mar 15, 2024 • 28min
EI Weekly Listen — Barry Strauss on Ancient Greek geopolitics
The Greeks invented the notion of the interrelationship of geography and politics; indeed, they elaborated it in myriad ways. Read by Leighton Pugh.
https://engelsbergideas.com/essays/duality-determinism-and-demography-the-greeks-on-geopolitics/
Image: The Athenian fleet. Credit: INTERFOTO \ Alamy Stock Photo

Mar 14, 2024 • 13min
EI Portraits — Jenny McCartney on Jean Denis, Comte Lanjuinais, fearless opponent of The Terror
Jenny McCartney on Comte Lanjuinais, who risked his life by defying the Jacobins. Read by Sebastian Brown.
Image: Comte Lanjuinais speaks at a febrile meeting of the National Convention, 1793. Credit: Chronicle / Alamy Stock Photo

Mar 8, 2024 • 28min
EI Weekly Listen — Josef Joffe on the end of 'the end of history'
We equated a brief respite from history with the dawn of a new age. Read by Leighton Pugh.
Image: Fall of the Berlin Wall. Credit: Agencja Fotograficzna Caro / Alamy Stock Photo

Mar 6, 2024 • 1h 7min
EI Talks... Werner Herzog with Geoff Andrew and Muriel Zagha
Dive into Werner Herzog's visionary films with discussions on his unique blend of fiction and documentary, exploration of empathy and ethical dilemmas, unconventional upbringing, extreme storytelling techniques, and fearless portrayal of unsettling themes.

Mar 1, 2024 • 35min
EI Weekly Listen — Michael Broers on how Napoleon built a continent
Delve into the Napoleonic era with discussions on France's colonial ambitions, Napoleon's diplomatic triumphs, and the lasting influence of his governance on Europe. Explore societal dynamics, geopolitical paradoxes, and the significant reforms brought about by Napoleon's rule.

Feb 29, 2024 • 16min
EI Portraits — Aspasia of Miletus: queen of the Athenian salon
Armand D'Angour on Aspasia of Miletus, wife of Pericles and friend to philosophers. Read by Sebastian Brown.
Image: 19th Century lithograph of Aspasia of Miletus. Credit: GRANGER - Historical Picture Archive / Alamy Stock Photo

Feb 23, 2024 • 19min
EI Weekly Listen — Norman Stone on the 1860s
In the 1860s, commentators might have been justified in forecasting 'the end of history' and lauding universal progress. History was to return with a vengeance. Read by Leighton Pugh.
Image: A lifeboat rescuing passengers from the ship Alarm in the 1860s. Credit: North Wind Picture Archives / Alamy Stock Photo

Feb 22, 2024 • 1h 25min
Worldview — Ukraine, two years on
Two years on from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, a solution, military or diplomatic, seems as far away as ever.
On Worldview, leading historians and commentators reflect on a conflict that has altered the state of global geopolitics.
Jade McGlynn, author of Russia’s War, calls in from Kyiv (00:56).
Shashank Joshi, defence editor of the Economist and Hew Strachan, military historian, illuminate the battlefield picture (24:18).
The possible outcomes are considered by Sergey Radchenko, expert on Russian foreign policy, and Tim Marshall, best-selling author, whose most recent book is The Future of Geography (1:00:45).
Engelsberg Ideas is funded by the Axel and Margaret Ax:son Johnson Foundation for Public Benefit. Worldview is produced by Alastair Benn and Marie Jessel. The sound engineer is Gareth Jones.
Image: The national flag of Ukraine above the Kyiv skyline. Credit: Mykhailo Prysiazhnyi / Alamy Stock Photo

Feb 16, 2024 • 17min
EI Weekly Listen — David Frum on how empire-states are changing the game
From the Engelsberg Ideas Archive. States are back and they're out to challenge the international order.
Image: Vladimir Putin captured from screen. Credit: Anton Dos Ventos / Alamy Stock Photo

Feb 16, 2024 • 43min
EI Talks... Horace
Llewelyn Morgan, author of Horace: A Very Short Introduction, joins EI's Paul Lay to explore the Augustan poet's vast and complex legacy.
Image: Bust of Horace. Credit: Cum Okolo / Alamy Stock Photo
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