Rear Vision — How History Shaped Today
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- 243
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- Último episodio
- 13 Nov 2026
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Move beyond the headlines to see how the past defines our world. Whether it's a local or international story, Rear Vision's expert analysis gives you the background you need to understand today's news.
Episodios 243
Putting One Nation in historical perspective
The state of Victoria will soon go to the polls with all eyes on how the anti-establishment/nativist party One Nation will perform. If it does well, as many predict, there are some who believe the party could …
Notas del episodio
The state of Victoria will soon go to the polls with all eyes on how the anti-establishment/nativist party One Nation will perform. If it does well, as many predict, there are some who believe the party could emerge as a significant political force not just in Victoria, but at a federal level. So, what does history tell us about the rise of insurgent parties? And why have we seen a decades long voter-drift away from the two major parties?
Guests:
Sam Roggeveen - Director of the Lowy Institute’s International Security Program
Dr Clement Macintyre – Professor Emeritus of Politics, Adelaide University
Dr William Partlett - Associate Professor of Public Law, University of Melbourne
Bill Browne – Director of The Australia Institute’s Democracy & Accountability Program
Understanding the Houthis, their history and their role in the current Middle East conflict
The crisis in the Middle East has once again thrown a spotlight on the Houthis, a militia group from Yemen who, in conjunction with Iran, have been disrupting international shipping and global supply chains …
Notas del episodio
The crisis in the Middle East has once again thrown a spotlight on the Houthis, a militia group from Yemen who, in conjunction with Iran, have been disrupting international shipping and global supply chains. The Houthis have long been derided as an Iranian "proxy", but their recent attacks against Saudi Arabia and capture of the Strait of Bab el-Mandeb show they are a formidable force in their own right. In this episode we examine the Houthis origins and rising influence.
Jane Kinninmont - Middle East specialist, United Nations Association, UK
Baraa Shaban - Associate Fellow at the Royal United Services Institute
Martin Smith - Producer and correspondent for PBS
Isel van Zyl – Coordinator of the AVERT Research Network, Deakin University
Why do white people still own most of South Africa's land?
More than 30 years after apartheid ended in South Africa, why is it still the most unequal country in the world?Guests:Bulelwa Mabasa - Director and Head of Land Reform, Werksmans AttorneysProfessor Ruth Hall …
Notas del episodio
More than 30 years after apartheid ended in South Africa, why is it still the most unequal country in the world?Guests:
Bulelwa Mabasa - Director and Head of Land Reform, Werksmans Attorneys
Professor Ruth Hall - Director, Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies at University of the Western Cape
Wandile Sihlobo - Chief Economist, Agricultural Business Chamber of South Africa and South Africa’s Presidential Envoy on Agriculture and Land
How an obsession with time has come to enslave us
The English language is dotted with expressions that betray a distrust of time – we talk of “racing against time” or we express a frustration that “time is not on our side”. In this episode of Rear Vision, we …
Notas del episodio
The English language is dotted with expressions that betray a distrust of time – we talk of “racing against time” or we express a frustration that “time is not on our side”. In this episode of Rear Vision, we look at the history of time as a concept. Why time from the Industrial Revolution onwards became wedded to ideas of progress and productivity. And how at both a personal and societal level time became a means of constraint as much as organisation.
Guests:
Dr Adrian Bardon – Professor of Philosophy, Wake Forest University
Dr Emily Thomas – Professor and Head of the Department of Philosophy, Durham University
Dr Iwan Rhys Morus – Professor of History and Welsh History, Aberystwyth University
Judith Shulevitz – American journalist, editor and culture critic
Dr David Henkin – Professor of History, University of California, Berkeley
Tom Greene – Atlanta-based syndicated columnist and podcaster
The American Israel lobby – powerful political force or antisemitic fiction
Depending on who you talk to the American Israel Lobby is either one of the most powerful forces in US politics or an anti-Semitic conspiracy theory.In this Rear Vision we explore the history and ask if the …
Notas del episodio
Depending on who you talk to the American Israel Lobby is either one of the most powerful forces in US politics or an anti-Semitic conspiracy theory.
In this Rear Vision we explore the history and ask if the Israel Lobby exist? And if it does what impact it may have had on US politics and US foreign policy in the Middle East.
Ebola – a fifty-year history of outbreaks, fear and misunderstanding
Once again communities in Central Africa are plagued by Ebola and the current outbreak shows no sign of being brought under control any time soon. What have medical researchers and practitioners learnt about …
Notas del episodio
Once again communities in Central Africa are plagued by Ebola and the current outbreak shows no sign of being brought under control any time soon. What have medical researchers and practitioners learnt about the nature of the virus over its fifty-year history and just as importantly, how it’s spread? Given its deadly nature, why isn’t there more concern about the possibility of global transmission?
Guests:
Dr Holly Seale – Professor of Social Science, School of Population Health, University of New South Wales
Dr Seth Judson - Assistant Professor-in-Residence, Division of Infectious Diseases, University of California Los Angelos
Dr Paul Griffin – Professor of Infectious Diseases and Microbiology, University of Queensland
Pacific pit-stop: cannabis to cocaine
Drug trafficking across the Pacific. Why is it increasing and can it be stopped?
Alberta Separatists and the grey hand of foreign interference
Separatist sentiments are stirring in the Canadian province of Alberta. Voters will soon cast their ballots in a referendum on whether to begin moves to formally separate from the rest of the nation. We look at …
Notas del episodio
Separatist sentiments are stirring in the Canadian province of Alberta. Voters will soon cast their ballots in a referendum on whether to begin moves to formally separate from the rest of the nation. We look at the history of separatism in Canada and at the pernicious impact of foreign interference.
Guests:
Marcus Kolga - Director of DisinfoWatch. Senior fellow, Macdonald-Laurier Institute
Robert Currie – King’s Counsel. Professor of Law, Schulich School of Law, Dalhousie University
Randy Boissonnault - former Member of the Canadian Parliament for Edmonton Centre
Dr Ryan Griffiths – Professor of Political Science, Syracuse University
Pine Gap - 60 years of Secrecy
How a Cold War listening post in outback Australia has become a nerve centre of U.S. surveillance
Why Australian history has always had a revisionist edge
Our understanding of the past has always been contentious and ripe for argumentation. How we think and write about historic events changes as new sources of information are found, and fresh details emerge about …
Notas del episodio
Our understanding of the past has always been contentious and ripe for argumentation.
How we think and write about historic events changes as new sources of information are found, and fresh details emerge about people and events.
In this episode, as part of ABC Radio National’s Top 100 Australian Books, we hear from three leading Australian authors about the history of Australian history.
Guests:
Dr Anna Clark – Professor of History, University of Technology Sydney
Dr Tim Rowse – Emeritus Professor, Western Sydney University
Dr Michelle Arrow – Professor of Modern History, Macquarie University, Immediate Past President of the Australian Historical Association
The Red Sea - maritime mayhem at Bab el-Mandeb
Today the Red Sea’s crucial choke-point at the Bab el-Mandeb is becoming as infamous as the Strait of Hormuz.
Reality check - why a belief in human rights has never really been universal
Dictators and autocrats deride human rights as a “western concept” – think Vladamir Putin and Xi Jinping, among others. They reject the narrative that a global concern for individual freedoms has steadily grown …
Notas del episodio
Dictators and autocrats deride human rights as a “western concept” – think Vladamir Putin and Xi Jinping, among others. They reject the narrative that a global concern for individual freedoms has steadily grown since the end of WWII. What if they’re correct? At least partially so. What if international support for the ideal of universal human rights was never really as strong as it seemed? Could a reassessment of the history of human rights help us explain current threats to personal freedoms across the globe?
Guests:
Dr Alison Brysk – Distinguished Professor of Global Studies, University of California, Santa Barbara
Dr Samuel Moyn – Professor of Law and History, Yale University
Dr Barbara Keys – Professor of US History, Durham University
Dr Jenna Reinbold – Associate Professor of Religion, Colgate University
North Korea - powerplay in the Northwest Pacific
This year has seen an uncharacteristic flurry of meetings and engagement between North Korea, China and Russia.Is a North Asia bromance blossoming or are we seeing a calculated collaboration?
Israel Lebanon and the Palestinian story
The conflict between Israel and Lebanon that flared up in March this year is not new. Despite having no major border dispute or a struggle over resources, Israel and Lebanon have been in conflict for decades …
Notas del episodio
The conflict between Israel and Lebanon that flared up in March this year is not new. Despite having no major border dispute or a struggle over resources, Israel and Lebanon have been in conflict for decades.
The history of Lebanon’s relationship with Israel and how it continues to be shaped by the story of the Palestinian people.
Hezbollah: Resistance fighters or terrorists
Hezbollah has been a key political and military player in Lebanon for decades. In 2000 it forced the Israeli military out of Southern Lebanon and since then has been in almost constant conflict with Israel …
Notas del episodio
Hezbollah has been a key political and military player in Lebanon for decades.
In 2000 it forced the Israeli military out of Southern Lebanon and since then has been in almost constant conflict with Israel. Since the October 7 terrorist attack by Hamas in Israel, that conflict has escalated resulting in an invasion of Southern Lebanon by the Israel military.
For many in the Arab world Hezbollah is an organisation leading the resistance against Israeli aggression in the Middle East. In the West they are seen as an Iranian proxy and a terrorist group. Where does the truth lie and how did Hezbollah come into existence?
Whatever happened to Libya?
Fifteen years ago, events in Libya dominated world headlines. In 2011, during the “Arab Spring”, Western leaders pledged their determination to free the Libyan people from decades of oppression under Muammar …
Notas del episodio
Fifteen years ago, events in Libya dominated world headlines. In 2011, during the “Arab Spring”, Western leaders pledged their determination to free the Libyan people from decades of oppression under Muammar Gaddafi. NATO jets were deployed. Today, a decade and a half later, Libya is effectively two nations not one, tyrany still rules, and the plight of the Libyan people has largely been forgotten. We ask, how and why? We also find out why a Trump emissary is now sniffing around Tripoli and Benghazi
Guests:
Tim Eaton – Senior Researcher Fellow, Middle East and North Africa Programme, Chatham House
Rhiannon Smith – General Manager, Researcher and Analyst, Libya-Analysis
Emadeddin Badi – Associate Fellow, Chatham House
Islam in Australia - history and hysteria
Despite their long history in this country, Muslims in Australia are often the flashpoint for immigration fears and concern about extremism.
Understanding slavery as an enduring form of economic and social control
The United States has just imposed new tariffs on Australia and other countries for supposedly not doing enough to combat forced labour in international supply chains. Analysts say the move is political, but …
Notas del episodio
The United States has just imposed new tariffs on Australia and other countries for supposedly not doing enough to combat forced labour in international supply chains. Analysts say the move is political, but regardless it does once again highlight the ongoing issue of slavery. Slavery has been a constant of human history from ancient to modern times. The human rights group Walk Free estimates that almost 50 million people world-wide live in a modern form of enslavement. So how has our understanding of slavery changed over time? And why is it often still portrayed as a thing of the past?
Guests:
Dr Catherine Armstrong – Reader in Modern History, Loughborough University
Susan Hutchinson – PHD Candidate, Australian National University. Architect of the Prosecute Don’t Perpetrate campaign
Dr Paige Gleeson – Adjunct Fellow, History & Classics, School of Humanities, University of Tasmania
Dr Justine Nolan – Professor of Law and Justice, UNSW Sydney. Director of the Australian Human Rights Institute
War damage - the cost of rebuilding after conflict
What happens when the bombs and the fighting stop? Who pays for all the damage?It’s estimated that rebuilding Gaza alone, will cost more than US$70 billion. What strategy is needed to turn battlefields and …
Notas del episodio
What happens when the bombs and the fighting stop? Who pays for all the damage?
It’s estimated that rebuilding Gaza alone, will cost more than US$70 billion.
What strategy is needed to turn battlefields and ruins into peace and prosperity?
Are France’s indo-pacific ambitions coming unstuck?
The government of Emmanuel Macron is struggling to deal with ongoing tension and resentment in France’s external territory, New Caledonia. The latest diplomatic and legislative efforts to determine the …
Notas del episodio
The government of Emmanuel Macron is struggling to deal with ongoing tension and resentment in France’s external territory, New Caledonia. The latest diplomatic and legislative efforts to determine the archipelago’s future have failed, and recent local elections have only cemented the stalemate between pro-independence supporters and those New Caledonians who want to remain a part of France. We explore what that means for the people of New Caledonia; France’s historic presence in the Pacific; President Macron’s grand Indo-pacific strategy; and for the 2027 French presidential elections.
Guests:
Dr Denise Fisher – Visiting Fellow, Centre for European Studies, Australian National University and former Australian Consul General in Noumea
Cade Winter – Researcher, Yale Review of International Studies, Yale University
Dr Frederic Grare – Senior Research Fellow, National Security College, Australian National University
Nic Maclellan -Correspondent, Islands Pacific Magazine and Pacific Affairs Correspondent, Inside Story
Gas to grain - when fertiliser supply stops
One third of the world's fertiliser is shipped through the Strait of Hormuz. How did fertiliser supply become so concentrated in the Middle East and what happens when this supply is suddenly at risk?
The true story of the American Revolution
Americans are preparing for an orgy of red, white and blue as the 250th anniversary of their Declaration of Independence draws near. But what’s not likely to be widely mentioned is the fact that the conflict …
Notas del episodio
Americans are preparing for an orgy of red, white and blue as the 250th anniversary of their Declaration of Independence draws near. But what’s not likely to be widely mentioned is the fact that the conflict wasn’t just a revolution against British rule, it was actually America’s first civil war – a bloody and divisive internal conflict. And those rebels who rejected the Crown and called themselves "patriots" were by no means in the majority when war broke out. Historians say understanding more about the conflict could help Americans come to terms with the issues they face today.
Guests:
Dr Maya Jasanoff – Professor of History, Harvard University
Dr Richard Bell – Professor of History, University of Maryland, College Park
Dr Rebecca Brannon – Professor of History, James Maddison University
Saudi Arabia and the U.S - a marriage of convenience under strain
As the war in the Middle East teeters on a peace deal, the carefully managed relationship between Saudi Arabia and the United States is starting to show cracks.
Beyond NATO – is it finally time for a pan-European Army?
Despite constant criticism from the Americans, European NATO members are actively rebuilding and strengthening their militaries. Some are even beginning to think beyond the Alliance and the United States, to an …
Notas del episodio
Despite constant criticism from the Americans, European NATO members are actively rebuilding and strengthening their militaries. Some are even beginning to think beyond the Alliance and the United States, to an independent united European fighting force. NATO members will meet in early July for their 36th summit.
Guests:
Dr Hugo Bromley – Historian of manufacturing, geopolitics, and international trade, Centre for geopolitics, University of Cambridge
Dr Simon J. Smith – Associate Professor of Security and International Relations at the Royal Danish Defence College
Stuart Dowell – political journalist and commentator based in Warsaw
Max Bergmann – director of the Europe, Russia and Eurasia Program, Center for strategic and international Studies
Stavros Atlamazoglou – Defence journalist and Greek Army veteran
Trump might be sceptical of nuclear diplomacy, but it’s worked between enemies in the past
President Trump has made it clear he doesn’t think diplomacy on its own will stop Iran from developing nuclear weapons.So what does history tell us about what actually works? We’re looking back at one of the …
Notas del episodio
President Trump has made it clear he doesn’t think diplomacy on its own will stop Iran from developing nuclear weapons.So what does history tell us about what actually works? We’re looking back at one of the greatest nuclear risk reduction efforts ever — when the US and Russia joined forces to contain the weapons fallout from the Soviet collapse and convince countries like Ukraine to give up the nuclear arsenal they inherited.
An effort that was led by diplomacy, pragmatism and scientific expertise during a brief period of goodwill between the two countries.
GUESTSGraham Allison - Douglas Dillon Professor of Government at the Harvard Kennedy SchoolMariana Budjeryin - Senior Researcher at the Centre for Nuclear Security at MIT and author of Inheriting the Bomb: The Collapse of the USSR and the Nuclear Disarmament of UkraineDavid E Hoffman - author of The Dead Hand: The Untold Story of the Cold War Arms
GUESTSGraham Allison - Douglas Dillon Professor of Government at the Harvard Kennedy SchoolMariana Budjeryin - Senior Researcher at the Centre for Nuclear Security at MIT and author of Inheriting the Bomb: The Collapse of the USSR and the Nuclear Disarmament of UkraineDavid E Hoffman - author of The Dead Hand: The Untold Story of the Cold War Arms
America – land of the free, home of the gerrymander!
Gerrymandering is endemic in the United States and could determine the outcome of this year's mid-term elections. It has been a feature of the American political system since the beginning of the republic …
Notas del episodio
Gerrymandering is endemic in the United States and could determine the outcome of this year's mid-term elections. It has been a feature of the American political system since the beginning of the republic, according to Princeton University's Samuel Wang. So, how did the self-styled “world’s greatest democracy” end up with a system that former California Governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, says is being rigged by both major parties?
Guests:
Dr John Hart – School of Politics and International Relations, Australian National University
Dr Samuel Wang – Professor of Neuroscience and Head of the Princeton Gerrymandering Project, Princeton University
Dr Ben Reid – data analyst and researcher, Australian and European history, Parliament of Victoria
Dr Melissa Rogers – Professor, Politics & Policy and Co-Director, Inequality and Policy Research Center, Claremont Graduate University
Russia's Oil story - pipelines to Putin
The closure of the Strait of Hormuz continues to affect economies around the world. But Russia has not only escaped the financial fallout, but has prospered.
Who has the power and right to declare war in a democracy?
It may surprise you to know that the Australian parliament has no real say over whether the country goes to war. In the United States its effectively the same, with analysts saying the US Congress has now …
Notas del episodio
It may surprise you to know that the Australian parliament has no real say over whether the country goes to war. In the United States its effectively the same, with analysts saying the US Congress has now basically ceded its war powers to the president. A process, by the way, that began long before the arrival of Donald Trump. In this episode we look at how that happened and why calls for war powers reform have had so little success.
Guests:
Dr Russell Berman – Professor in the Humanities, Stanford University
Dr Sarah Percy – Associate Professor of International Relations, University of Queensland
Dr Sarah Burns – Rochester Institute of Technology
Dr Alison Broinowski - Australians for War Power Reform
Dr Nicole Townsend - lecturer in War Studies – University of New South Wales, Canberra
Capital gains tax in Australia — the essential backstory
The Federal Government is hoping tax reform will help address the widening generational wealth gap and rebalance the tax system in favour of younger people.One policy being targeted for an overhaul in this …
Notas del episodio
The Federal Government is hoping tax reform will help address the widening generational wealth gap and rebalance the tax system in favour of younger people.One policy being targeted for an overhaul in this year's budget is the 50 per cent capital gains tax discount.
Australia started taxing capital gains in the mid-1980s to tackle tax avoidance and evasion which was a huge problem at the time.So why in 1999 did the Howard government introduce a discount on that tax?
And why does the concession encourage investment in established housing stock?
Guests:Chris Evans - Emeritus Professor UNSW Business SchoolPeter Martin - economist and presenter of The Economy StupidRick Krever - taxation law and policy specialist at UWACraig Emerson - economist and former Federal Labor MP Joe Aston - author and business journalistPeter Tulip - Chief Economist at the Centre for Independant StudiesRichard Holden - Scientia Professor of Economics at UNSW Business School
Is Scottish independence once again in play?
In 1707 the Scottish national parliament was disbanded, not to be reconvened until 1999. How and why Scotland regained its own Assembly is the story of rising Scottish nationalism and Westminster’s attempts to …
Notas del episodio
In 1707 the Scottish national parliament was disbanded, not to be reconvened until 1999. How and why Scotland regained its own Assembly is the story of rising Scottish nationalism and Westminster’s attempts to dampen such feelings and keep Scotland in the Union. On May 7th, Scots go to the polls, and the outcome could impact significantly on both the nationalist cause in Scotland and on the ongoing viability of Keir Starmer’s Labour government at Westminster.
Guests:
Dr Clement Macintyre – Professor Emeritus, School of Society and Culture, Adelaide University
Dr Nicola McEwen – Professor of Public Policy and Governance, University of Glasgow
Alyn Smith – Former UK MP and MEP, candidate for the 2026 Scottish parliamentary elections, Scottish National Party
Tom Chidwick – Manager, Mile End Institute, Queen Mary University of London
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