The EI Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Christianity’s debt to Rome Jun 25, 2026

Show notes

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

Jean Eustache: the outsider who reshaped French cinema Jun 22, 2026

Show notes

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

How to end a war Jun 18, 2026

Show notes

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

Testament to doomed media Jun 15, 2026

Show notes

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

Why Armenia’s elections matter Jun 11, 2026

Show notes

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

Len Deighton’s spycraft Jun 08, 2026

Show notes

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

China's bid for economic supremacy Jun 04, 2026

Show notes

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

A Jewish-American dream Jun 01, 2026

Show notes

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

Muslims and Jews' shared inheritance May 28, 2026

Show notes

Marc David Baer speaks to EI’s Paul Lay about his new book 'Children of Abraham: The Story of Jewish-Muslim Relations', and the deep historical connection between two faiths, bound by common roots.

Image: Tiles at Ali Ben Youssef Medersa in Marrakech, Morocco. Credit: Stelios Michael.

Finding Turkey in Narnia May 26, 2026

Show notes

Re-reading CS Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia, Hannah Lucinda Smith discovers glimmers of the culture and history of the Turkic peoples in the author's work. Read by Leighton Pugh.

Read the essay here: https://engelsbergideas.com/essays/finding-turkey-in-narnia/

Image: Puffin paperback editions of the Narnia tales by author CS Lewis. Credit: NearTheCoast.com / Alamy Stock Photo