245. Inside The Good Friday Agreement with Alastair Campbell
9 April 2025 - 56 minsWhat ended The Troubles? Why was 1998 the right moment for a peace treaty? Which issues caused the most heated debate? What was the food like in the negotiating room? Exactly 27 years on since the Good Friday Agreement was signed, what does its future look like?
Listen as William and Anita are joined by Alastair Campbell, the lead strategist for Tony Blair’s New Labour government at the time, to discuss what it was really like to negotiate peace in Northern Ireland in 1998.
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348. Arab-Israeli Conflict: How 1967 Changed The Middle East Forever (Part 3)
How did The Six-Day War redraw the map of the Middle East and establish Israel as a regional superpower? How did the catastrophic Arab defeat unleash a new wave of armed Palestinian resistance? Did the road to modern Islamic extremism begin in Egyptian prisons? William and Anita are joined once again by Eugene Rogan, Oxford Professor of Modern Middle Eastern History and author of The Arabs: A History, to explore the transformative consequences of the Six-Day War. Join the Empire Club: Unlock the full Empire experience – with bonus episodes, ad-free listening, early access to miniseries and live show tickets, exclusive book discounts, a members-only newsletter, and access to our private Discord chatroom. Sign up directly at empirepoduk.com For more Goalhanger Podcasts, head to www.goalhanger.com. Email: [email protected] Instagram: @empirepoduk Blue Sky: @empirepoduk X: @empirepoduk Assistant Producer: Imogen Marriott Editor: Alex Thornton Social Producer: Charlie Johnson Producer: Anouska Lewis Executive Producer: Dom Johnson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
53 mins
6 April Finished
Jung Chang On Life Under Mao & Being Banned From China
To listen to the full bonus episode, join the Empire Club at empirepoduk.com. Wild Swans author, Jung Chang, joins William to discuss her family’s harrowing experiences during Mao’s Cultural Revolution and how Xi Jinping continues his memory in China today. She tells the story of how her father defied Mao and paid the price in a detention facility. She explains how she travelled across the countryside as a teenager, working as a peasant labourer and a barefoot doctor. And she discusses how Mao’s legacy in China continues to shape global politics, from Iran to Venezuela. Jung Chang’s Fly, Wild Swans, is available to buy now. Join the Empire Club: Unlock the full Empire experience – with bonus episodes, ad-free listening, early access to miniseries and live show tickets, exclusive book discounts, a members-only newsletter, and access to our private Discord chatroom. Sign up directly at empirepoduk.com For more Goalhanger Podcasts, head to www.goalhanger.com. Email: [email protected] Instagram: @empirepoduk Blue Sky: @empirepoduk X: @empirepoduk Assistant Producer: Imogen Marriott Editor: Josh Smith Social Producer: Charlie Johnson Producer: Anouska Lewis Executive Producer: Dom Johnson Wild Swans author, Jung Chang, joins William to discuss her family’s harrowing experiences during Mao’s Cultural Revolution and how Xi Jinping continues his memory in China today. She tells the story of her 2 weeks as a Red Guard, and how her father defied Mao and paid the price in a detention facility. She explains how she travelled across the countryside as a teenager, working as a peasant labourer and a barefoot doctor. And she discusses how Mao’s legacy in China continues to shape global politics, from Iran to Venezuela. Jung Chang’s Fly, Wild Swans, is available to buy now. For more Goalhanger Podcasts, head to www.goalhanger.com. Email: [email protected] Instagram: @empirepoduk Blue Sky: @empirepoduk X: @empirepoduk Assistant Producer: Imogen Marriott Editor: Josh Smith Social Producer: Charlie Johnson Producer: Anouska Lewis Executive Producer: Dom Johnson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
19 mins
2 April Finished
347. Arab-Israeli Conflict: The Six Day War (Part 2)
**Listen to the first 4 episodes of the series today by joining the Empire Club at empirepoduk.com.** How did Israel defeat the armies of Egypt, Jordan and Syria in just six days in 1967? Why did Egyptian media report victory whilst their army was retreating? How did the war replace Palestinian hopes of liberation with the tragedy of a ‘second exodus’? William and Anita are joined by Eugene Rogan, Oxford Professor of Modern Middle Eastern History and author of The Arabs: A History, to explore how Israel won the Six-Day War of 1967. Join the Empire Club: Unlock the full Empire experience – with bonus episodes, ad-free listening, early access to miniseries and live show tickets, exclusive book discounts, a members-only newsletter, and access to our private Discord chatroom. Sign up directly at empirepoduk.com For more Goalhanger Podcasts, head to www.goalhanger.com. Email: [email protected] Instagram: @empirepoduk Blue Sky: @empirepoduk X: @empirepoduk Assistant Producer: Imogen Marriott Editor: Bruno Di Castri Social Producer: Charlie Johnson Producer: Anouska Lewis Executive Producer: Dom Johnson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
50 mins
1 April Finished
346. Arab-Israeli Conflict: From Suez To The Palestinian Liberation Organisation (Part 1)
**Listen to the first 4 episodes of the series today by joining the Empire Club at empirepoduk.com.** What was the Arab Cold War, and how did it violently divide the Middle East in the 1950s and 60s? What is the origin story of the Palestine Liberation Organisation? And how did Soviet disinformation and a closed maritime strait push the region to war? This series explores the history of this pivotal fifteen-year period and how its events mirror the crises in the Middle East today, and in Episode 1, William and Anita are joined by Eugene Rogan, Oxford Professor of Modern Middle Eastern History and author of The Arabs: A History, to discuss the build-up to the Six-Day War 1967. Join the Empire Club: Unlock the full Empire experience – with bonus episodes, ad-free listening, early access to miniseries and live show tickets, exclusive book discounts, a members-only newsletter, and access to our private Discord chatroom. Sign up directly at empirepoduk.com For more Goalhanger Podcasts, head to www.goalhanger.com. Email: [email protected] Instagram: @empirepoduk Blue Sky: @empirepoduk X: @empirepoduk Assistant Producer: Imogen Marriott Editor: James Clayden Producer: Anouska Lewis Executive Producer: Dom Johnson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
39 mins
30 March Finished
345. Chairman Mao: The Cultural Revolution (Ep 6)
What were Mao’s motivations for launching The Cultural Revolution? Who were the Red Guards, and why did Mao indoctrinate teenagers? How did Mao die, and who came next? Anita and William are joined once again by Rana Mitter, author of A Bitter Revolution: China’s Struggle with the Modern World, and Modern China: A Very Short Introduction, to discuss the final years of Mao’s rule. Try Attio for free at attio.com/empire Join the Empire Club: Unlock the full Empire experience – with bonus episodes, ad-free listening, early access to miniseries and live show tickets, exclusive book discounts, a members-only newsletter, and access to our private Discord chatroom. Sign up directly at empirepoduk.com For more Goalhanger Podcasts, head to www.goalhanger.com. Email: [email protected] Instagram: @empirepoduk Blue Sky: @empirepoduk X: @empirepoduk Editor: Bruno Di Castri Researcher: Imogen Marriott Assistant Producer: Alfie Norris Producer: Anouska Lewis Executive Producer: Dom Johnson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
49 mins
26 March Finished
344. Chairman Mao: The Great Leap Forward (Ep 5)
Why did Mao declare war on sparrows as part of The Great Leap Forward? What caused China to attack India in 1962? How did Mao use a swimming pool to embarrass Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev? Anita and William are joined once again by Rana Mitter, author of A Bitter Revolution: China’s Struggle with the Modern World, and Modern China: A Very Short Introduction, to discuss The Great Leap Forward and its consequences. Join the Empire Club: Unlock the full Empire experience – with bonus episodes, ad-free listening, early access to miniseries and live show tickets, exclusive book discounts, a members-only newsletter, and access to our private Discord chatroom. Sign up directly at empirepoduk.com For more Goalhanger Podcasts, head to www.goalhanger.com. Email: [email protected] Instagram: @empirepoduk Blue Sky: @empirepoduk X: @empirepoduk Editor: Bruno Di Castri Researcher: Imogen Marriott Assistant Producer: Alfie Norris Producer: Anouska Lewis Executive Producer: Dom Johnson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
49 mins
24 March Finished