FRDH Podcast with Michael Goldfarb

Latest Episodes:

How Brexit Killed the Conservative Party Sep 08, 2019

Show notes

In the first week of September 2019, Brexit killed Britain's Conservative Party stony dead. It was a self-inflicted event. In this FRDH podcast, Michael Goldfarb looks at the quarter century long history that led to the week's fast moving events. A spoken First Rough Draft of History as an idea, and an account of the self-immolation of the Tories, as its loudest Brexiters cheered on and Boris Johnson watched his government disintegrate.

Brexit Britain Breaking Up? Are You Sure? Aug 07, 2019

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Conventional wisdom in the UK says Brexit will cause Britain to break-up. Scotland and Northern Ireland both voted to remain in the EU. Both will now seek to leave the United Kingdom. But are the conventional wisdom mongers right about the break-up of Brexit Britain? In this FRDH podcast, Michael Goldfarb challenges the conventional wisdom about Northern Ireland, specifically.

Trump, Pelosi, the Squad and a Great American Novel Jul 21, 2019

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The infighting and race baiting surrounding Donald Trump, Nancy Pelosi and the Squad is symptomatic of a political system dominated by truths learned 50 years ago. In this FRDH podcast, Michael Goldfarb looks at what happens to people who cling to hard to the "truth", a lesson he learned from one the great American novels: Winesburg, Ohio.

Brexit and the British Ambassador Jul 13, 2019

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Brexit has cost the British Ambassador in Washington DC his job. In this FRDH podcast Michael Goldfarb talks to Bronwen Maddox about the effect British Ambassador Kim Darroch's resignation will have on the people who administer Britain's government: the civil service and what it means for Anglo-American relations and Brexit.

Iran War Fever: a 40-year History May 18, 2019

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For the last 40 years there has been Iran War Fever in Washington DC. With the latest bout exhausting talking heads on 24-hour news channels, Michael Goldfarb, who has reported from Iran and around the Middle East, explains why in the 40 year history of Iran War Fever, there hasn't actually been a war with Iran.

Republic or Empire: Pax Americana? May 02, 2019

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Pax Americana is a documentary essay about Republics vs empires and what it means to be a citizen of both. It is about America’s long argument with itself about what it should be: empire or republic. In the age of Donald Trump, republican values seem to be disappearing at an accelerated pace. Oligarchy has replaced republican democracy. Is it just repeating a process that went on 2000 years ago in in Rome at the time of Augustus and Tiberius, a republic that had become a global power changing inevitably into something far from its founding ethos? FRDH host Michael Goldfarb looks for an answer.

Remembering the Forgotten: Gabriel Riesser Apr 19, 2019

Show notes

Remembrance lies at the heart of Judaism and Christianity. Every spring Jews and Christians remember the great events that shaped their faiths and cultures: the Passover and the Crucifixion. But in the millennia that have passed since those events there have been other great moments in the development of those faiths that have fallen out of historical memories. IN this FRDH, First Rough Draft of History, podcast Michael Goldfarb remembers Gabriel Riesser, a very important and interesting person

Brexit: a Ghost Story Apr 02, 2019

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If you've been having a hard time understanding Brexit maybe it's because you don't get that it is a ghost story. Brexit is about how the ghost of Margaret Thatcher has come to haunt Britain's Conservative Party. In this FRDH podcast, Michael Goldfarb looks back at the nearly 30 year story of how the Tory Party has tried to appease her ghost and atone for the sin of forcing her to resign by carrying forward what they think she would have wanted: Britain out of the EU ... Brexit.

The Very, Very First Rough Draft of HIstory: What Assyria Can Teach Us Mar 14, 2019

Show notes

FRDH stands for First Rough Draft of History and the very first drafts of history were written in cuneiform in the Akkadian language at the time of the Assyrian Empire, around 1,000 BCE. In this podcast, Michael Goldfarb talks to Assyriologist Dr. Moudhy al-Rashid, about the world described in the cuneiform covered fragments she works with. Her specialization is in medical texts. You think depression is a modern malady? It isn't. Listen to Dr. al-Rashid describe how the ancient people of Assyria and Babylon dealt with it.

America's Decades Long Incivil War Mar 01, 2019

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Since at least 1994 America has been in the grip of an incivil war. That year, led by Newt Gingrich, the Republicans regained control of the House of Representatives for the frst time in 40 years. Incivil war may sound like a figure of speech, something in the realm of the metaphorical - but it is not. The weapons may be words but the they are deployed in support of a radical reordering of American society. This documentary originally aired on BBC Radio 4. If you want to understand how America got to Trump you must understand this history recounted with great detail by Michael Goldfarb. Please share this documentary widely, urgently.