Rear Vision — How History Shaped Today

Over 95% of the world’s communications travels over undersea cables. In the last few months, in two of the most politically volatile regions of the world, the Baltic Sea and the waters around Taiwan, communication cables have been cut. So just how vulnerable are these cables to both accidental and malicious damage and what does this mean for the security of are our communications networks.

In his first weeks in office, President Donald Trump has made a point of purging the federal government of D.E.I. - Diversity Equity and Inclusion initiatives. For many Americans the message is clear –  women, African Americans and non-white communities are less capable, and if they are in positions of power or authority in business or government, it’s because the standards were lowered.​The story of race relations and inclusion in America has a long history. Over three weeks we trace that history from the end of the Civil War through to the presidency of Donald Trump. In part one we looked at the period from the end of the Civil War through to the beginning of the 20th century, and part two we move into the 20th century and the events that led to the Civil Rights movement. And in this the final program, why - segregation and discrimination remains stubbornly entranced in America today.

In his first weeks in office, President Donald Trump has made a point of purging the federal government of D.E.I. - Diversity Equity and Inclusion initiatives. For many Americans the message is clear –  women, African Americans and non-white communities are less capable, and if they are in positions of power or authority in business or government, it’s because the standards were lowered.​The story of race relations and inclusion in America has a long history. Over three weeks we trace that history from the end of the Civil War through to the presidency of Donald Trump. In part one we looked at the period from the end of the Civil War through to the beginning of the 20th century. In this episode part two - the civil Rights movement and its impact on 20th century America.

In his first weeks in office, President Donald Trump has made a point of purging the federal government of D.E.I. - Diversity Equity and Inclusion initiatives. For many Americans the message is clear –  women, African Americans and non-white communities are less capable, and if they are in positions of power or authority in business or government, it’s because the standards were lowered.​The story of race relations and inclusion in America has a long history. Over three weeks we trace that history from the end of the Civil War through to the presidency of Donald Trump. In this part one - the end of the Civil War and the freeing of millions of slaves through reconstruction and the emergence of the Jim Crow laws 

Historically Germany has been one of the most politically stable nations in Europe and an economic powerhouse. But over the past few year’s things have changed – the German economy has started to slow; politics has become more fragmented and the extreme far right party the Alternative for Germany or AfD has doubled its political support.Last year the centre left three-party coalition government of Olaf Scholz collapsed. Next Sunday Germany goes to the polls to elect a new government, also likely to be a coalition. What are the key election issues, will the new collation government be any more stable and why does this election matter not just in Germany but also across Europe?

President Donald  Trump wants Panama to hand back, one of the most important waterways on the planet, the Panama Canal, to the United States and he hasn’t ruled out force if Panama won’t agree. It’s a far cry from 48 years ago when another very different US President - formally gave the Panama canal to the nation of Panama.This week from the Rear Vision archives - the story of the building of the Panama Canal and a US president who believed that fairness and not force should lie at the heart of the United States dealing with the nations of the world.

President Trump wants to buy or take control of Greenland from Denmark. But Denmark has made very clear, they don’t have the right to sell Greenland because Greenland is owned by the people of Greenland. Donald Trump is not the first US president to try and buy Greenland. The story of Greenland and America’s many attempts to gain control of the largest island on the planet.

On 26 January 1788, the ships of the First Fleet started unloading the first of more than a thousand people – convicted criminals, officers, marines, women and children – who would set up camp in what became the city of Sydney.What happened during the first days, weeks and months of contact between the British who arrived and the Aboriginal people who lived there?

In June 2015 Donald Trump, real estate tycoon and TV personality, announced he was running in the Republican Presidential race. At first many people dismissed him as having no chance but within weeks of nominating, his polling numbers rocketed, and he became the front runner in a field of 17 candidates and the rest as they say is history. This week on Rear Vision we revisit the story of Donald Trump before he became US President.

It’s a truism of peace talks that we’re not negotiating with our friends but rather our enemies. And when most of our enemies have been designated as terrorist and murderers it’s not an easy task. How have violent conflicts ended in the past and are there lessons we can learn from previous peace negotiations.