Jeb Sharp
Robert Fatton on Jean-Bertrand Aristide
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On this edition of How We Got Here, political scientist Robert Fatton of the University of Virginia helps us understand Jean-Bertrand Aristide’s place in Haitian politics and history. Ever since former dictator Jean-Claude “Baby Doc” Duvalier returned to Haiti in January there’s been speculation that former President Aristide would return as well. His lawyer even flew to Port au Prince to collect a passport for him. So far there’s no sign of his return though, and it’s clear the United States and the Haitian government would prefer him to stay away at least until Haitians have voted in presidential runoff elections on March 20th. But all the speculation got us thinking about Aristide again, and wondering about the historical currents that led to his overthrow and exile, not just once, but twice, in 1991 and again in 2004. Download MP3
Dirk Vandewalle on Gaddafi and Libya
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Dirk Vandewalle of Dartmouth College and author of A History of Modern Libya tells us about the life and times of Muammar Gaddafi. Also we hear eyewitness accounts of the 1969 Coup in Libya from the BBC World Service program Witness. Download MP3
Mona Russell on Women in Egypt
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How We Got Here #61 looks at the role of women in Egypt and in Egyptian protest movements. Historian Mona Russell of East Carolina University, author of Creating the New Egyptian Woman, underscores the central place of women in Egyptian society. Also The World’s Lisa Mullins interviews historian Mike Rapport, author of 1848: Year of Revolution. Lots of parallels between Europe in 1948 and the uprisings we’re witnessing in North Africa and the Middle East today. Download MP3
Robert Springborg on the Egyptian Military
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We continue our coverage of Egypt on How We Got Here, The World’s history podcast. On this episode Lisa Mullins interviews Robert Springborg of the Naval Post-Graduate School in Monterey about the role and structure of the Egyptian military. All the coverage and analysis suggests the military will play a key role in any transition of power. Robert Springborg says it may appear that the military sides with “the people” but in fact, President Mubarak is still very much in control, for now. Download MP3Fighting for Darfur
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Marco Werman interviews Rebecca Hamilton, about her new book Fighting for Darfur: Public Action and the Struggle to Stop Genocide. Download MP3
Change in Egypt
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Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has said he will not stand for re-election in September, as protests against his rule grow. In the latest episode of ‘How We Got Here’, Michael Wahid Hanna of the Century Foundation (pictured) discusses the historical context behind events in Egypt. Download MP3Drones – The New Normal
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P.W. Singer the author of Wired for War tells us about the use of drones (robotic or unmanned or remotely-piloted aircraft) in war. He says the fact that pilots can engage in war from thousands of miles away and without risk to themselves represents a fundamental change in the nature of warfare as its been waged for thousands of years. He also likens the development of drones to the development of airplanes themselves–that each followed similar stages of evolution. As for the political and legal and ethical dilemmas they pose–he points out that the technology is moving far faster than the ability of human organizations to keep up with the implications. Just as it has been with the computer. This week’s How We Got Here is a fascinating primer from a scholar who realizes drones are no longer the futuristic stuff of science fiction; they are the new normal. Download MP3
Remembering Richard Holbrooke
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The tributes poured in after Richard Holbrooke’s death on Monday at the age of 69. His career spanned from the Vietnam War to the current war in Afghanistan but it’s probably true that he will be most remembered for his role in brokering the Dayton Peace Accords for Bosnia. We’ll take this episode of How We Got Here (#56) to remember him and his work and to look back at the end of the war in Bosnia. (Photo: Martha Stewart/Harvard’s Institute of Politics)Download MP3
Reporting on history and memory in Germany
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Independent radio producer Daniel Estrin gives us the backstories to three features he reported from Germany earlier this year, all of them about history and memory in one way or another. The first is a visit to the newly-opened SS quarters at the Ravensbruck concentration camp memorial. The second is a tour of Germany’s “Central Hiding Place,” a national archive of cultural documents buried in a vault under the Black Forest. And the third is a look at the German practice of recycling cemetery plots. Download MP3
A Rope and a Prayer
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David Rohde and Kristin Mulvihill speak at length about their new book A Rope and a Prayer: A Kidnapping from Two Sides. Rohde is a New York Times reporter who was kidnapped by the Taliban and held for seven months before he escaped. Mulvihill is his wife. She directed the efforts to secure his release throughout the ordeal. They talk about David’s ill-fated decision to set out to interview a Taliban leader, what it was like for Kristen to find out he’d been kidnapped, how they both endured, what he did to escape, what she did to try to find out where he was. Download MP3
The Trouble with the Congo
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News programs don’t usually devote much coverage to The Democratic Republic of Congo. When they do the stories are usually about horrific violence, including mass rape, in the eastern part of the country. If you’ve ever wondered what that violence in eastern Congo is all about, this episode of How We Got Here is for you. Political scientist Severine Autesserre walks us through the complexities of Congo’s recent (and extremely destructive) wars. Download MP3Chilean Miners and Spanish Civil War Photos
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How We Got Here #52 highlights two recent stories from The World with historical angles. First a grim backstory to the Chilean miners’ tale brought to you by Mark Ensalaco, director of the Human Rights Program at the University of Dayton. And second, Adeline Sire’s look at The Mexican Suitcase exhibit at New York’s International Center of Photography. As she says, it’s not about a suitcase and it’s not really Mexican–the show features recovered Spanish Civil War images by three iconic photographers.Download MP3Revisiting the Trial of Slobodan Milosevic
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In How We Got Here #51, we revisit the trial of Slobodan Milosevic with lawyer Judith Armatta, the author of the new book Twilight of Impunity. Armatta spent three years in the Hague monitoring the historic trial for the Washington-based Coalition for International Justice. Her book is both a detailed account of what transpired in the courtroom and an in-depth analysis of its meaning and implications for the burgeoning new world of international criminal justice.
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Yael Hersonski’s A Film Unfinished
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Jeb Sharp interviews Israeli filmmaker Yael Hersonski about her documentary A Film Unfinished. It’s about the Nazi propaganda footage shot in the Warsaw Ghetto in 1942. Hersonski pieces together the backstory to the reels of film found after the war and in so doing challenges our assumptions about memory, history and reality. (photo by Steven Davy) Download MP3
Reflections on Serving in Iraq
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Former U.S. Army Captain Blake Hall reflects on his time in Iraq. A shorter version of this interview ran on the radio show on August 19, 2010.
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