Former U.S. Defense Secretary Robert McNamara was an architect of the Vietnam War who came to regret it later in life. He was a towering, complicated, enigmatic figure. This week’s How We Got Here podcast tackles his legacy. Listen
As U.S. forces pull back from Iraqi cities we revisit the British experience in Iraq in the first half of the 20th century. This isn’t the first time outside forces have had to disentangle from Iraq or worry about its future stability. Listen
Africa’s longest-serving leader died this week. Omar Bongo ruled for more than four decades and the small country of Gabon must now figure out how to go on without him. He’s credited with Gabon’s relatively stability and yet tainted by all-too-familiar allegations of corruption and abuse. Listen
Journalist and car aficionado Giles Chapman tells the tale of what Britain did to try to stave off disaster in its own auto industry in the 60′s and 70′s; The World’s Mary Kay Magistad explores China’s silence on Tiananmen Square and The World’s Alex Gallafent takes us to a bastion of Czech immigrant culture in New York City. Listen
Revisit the events of 20 years ago with James Miles. He was the BBC’s China correspondent back then. He’s put together a documentary that weaves archival tape with present-day interviews. The audio brings back the intensity of the protests and the shock of the subsequent crackdown, and the contemporary reporting puts it in historical perspective. Listen
