The EI Podcast

Adrian Wooldridge, global business columnist at Bloomberg and former long-time Economist writer, argues for reviving liberalism’s core: individualism, tolerance and limits on power. He traces liberal roots from Hobbes to Mill. He calls for a more muscular, centrist politics, tougher tech regulation, stronger education and cultural renewal to defend liberal democracy.

A deep dive into Britain’s early butterfly enthusiasts and the dramatic 1748 Swan Tavern fire. Exploration of Georgian illustrated books, aristocratic patrons, and barriers faced by women collectors. Traces the shift from elite taste to mass Victorian collecting and ends with the move from rampant collecting toward modern conservation.

Brendan Simms, Professor of the History of International Relations at Cambridge, links Trump’s worldview to formative 1980s convictions. He traces fixation on allies’ burden‑sharing, the tanker‑war moment that shaped oil and security thinking, the shift toward hemispheric focus, and a push for a new hierarchical economic‑defense order. He also explores risks of coercion driving allies toward China.

A historical audio essay tracing how the idea of being left alone faded in the 1970s. It covers public uproar over proposed databanks, fears about centralized data collection, and cultural touchstones like early reality TV that blurred home privacy. The piece explores shifting concepts from Victorian seclusion to modern informational privacy and generational changes in valuing self-exposure.

Shiraz Maher, Reader in non-state actors at King’s College London and Middle East analyst, unpacks Gulf anxiety over US‑Iran fallout. He compares the Gulf city‑states, traces post‑1979 regional shifts, and examines Iran’s proxies, the China‑brokered Saudi–Iran thaw, and how crises threaten investment and reform plans.

A dive into how mega-influencers shape public imagination and replace institutions as arbiters of truth. Discussion of charisma, aesthetics, and tribal loyalty overtaking evidence. Exploration of AI’s role in amplifying narrative-driven misinformation. Consideration of the spiritual and cultural costs of losing discerning habits.

An exploration of Chekism and the historical roots of Russia’s security culture. A look at how early Soviet terror doctrine shaped the Chekist worldview. Stories about Vasili Mitrokhin’s archive and what it revealed. Tracing Vladimir Putin’s attraction to and rise through the KGB, and how state symbolism restored Chekist prestige.

A narrative history of how Edo was reinvented as modern Tokyo. Vivid scenes from 19th century streets, pleasure quarters and popular theatre. Political upheaval, foreign pressure and nationalist prints that pushed rapid change. Urban transformation from castles and woodblock culture to railways, telegraphs and new industries.

Emma Smith, Professor of Shakespeare Studies at Oxford, offers a brisk tour of Hamlet’s tangled history. She traces lost sources and textual versions. She compares Hamlet to history plays and Prince Hal, probes its revenge-tragedy roots, theatrical life, censorship effects, Montaigne’s influence, and shifting views of Ophelia and Gertrude.

Rana Mitter, historian and China expert at Harvard, unpacks Xi Jinping’s personal formation and political lens. He traces Xi’s Cultural Revolution trauma, princeling background, rise through party ranks, anti‑corruption drive, Da Fuxing national ambition, Belt and Road state‑led globalism, and pragmatic yet ideological foreign policy framing.