The EI Podcast brings you weekly conversations with leading writers, thinkers and historians. Hosted by Alastair Benn, Jack Dickens and Paul Lay. Produced by Max Mitchell.
9: David Omand on what it takes to think like a secret agent
Dec 14, 2020
Show notesMattias Hessérus is in conversation with David Omand, former director of GCHQ, on how we can all learn to think like a spy.
8: Fredrik Logevall on JFK
Dec 04, 2020
Show notes
Over 40,000 books have been written on JFK since his assassination, yet none have succeeded in getting behind the myth of Camelot. Join Mattias Hessérus in discussion with Fredrik Logevall on the making of the man who enchanted America.
7: Covid and reform: can the West fix its governing systems?
Nov 13, 2020
Show notes
Iain Martin with guests Adrian Wooldridge and Vernon Bogdanor discusses the covid crisis and the long-term impact that it might have on the development of the West.
6: Alexander Lee on Machiavelli
Sep 28, 2020
Show notes
In this episode of History Lessons, Mattias Hesserus is joined by Alexander Lee to discuss Machiavelli’s life and works. Was he always an adept politician? Was he as immoral as is often claimed?
5: Asian Philosophies of Rebirth with Jessica Frazier
Sep 11, 2020
Show notes
In this episode of History Lessons, Mattias Hesserus and Jessica Frazier are in conversation about the differences between Eastern and Western philosophies of crisis. Is the desire for a return to ’normal’ inherently western? What can we learn from narratives of rebirth? And, was the global lockdown a mass-participation yogic experiment?
4: Can the West be revived?
Jul 23, 2020
Show notes
How did the West land in, what we might politely call, a 'sub-optimal' condition? And is a revival of the West feasible? To discuss these questions Iain Martin is joined by Peter Frankopan and David Frum. This is an Engeslberg Ideas podcast.
3: Leadership in a Crisis with Andrew Roberts
Jul 10, 2020
Show notes
On this episode of History Lessons, Mattias Hessérus is joined by the historian and author Andrew Roberts to look through the careers of great figures like Napoleon Bonaparte, Winston Churchill and Margaret Thatcher (as well as some of history's great villains, Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin) and see how they handled the pressure of a crisis. History Lessons is an Engelsberg Ideas podcast. Hosted by Mattias Hessérus. With Andrew Roberts. Produced by Nick Hilton for Podot.
2: The History of Quarantine with Lincoln Paine
Jul 01, 2020
Show notes
On this episode of History Lessons, Mattias Hessérus speaks to the maritime historian Lincoln Paine, author of The Sea and Civilization, about the history of quarantine, how pandemics have affected trade and travel in the past, and whether globalisation can survive the current moment. Hosted by Mattias Hessérus. With Lincoln Paine. Produced by Nick Hilton for Podot.
Art, History and Pandemics with Tom Holland
Jun 17, 2020
Show notes
On this, the first episode of History Lessons, Mattias Hessérus speaks to the historian Tom Holland about the relationship between reality and art in the age of a pandemic. Hosted by Mattias Hessérus. With Tom Holland. Produced by Nick Hilton for Podot.
Our TOPPODCAST Picks 
Stay Connected
