The Human Side of History

What happens when leaders stop hearing uncomfortable truths? What responsibilities do followers have when they recognize dangers that those above them do not? And how do organizations become trapped by their own assumptions? Drawing on letters written by George Armstrong Custer and his soldiers in the months before the Battle of the Little Bighorn, host Gil Troy and leadership expert Dr. David Lei...

Journalist and scholar E.J. Dionne joins host Gil Troy to examine the power struggles between the president and Congress - struggles that have intensified in today’s hyper-partisan era. From George Washington’s reluctant service and the founders’ vision of checks and balances, to today’s entrenched partisan battlegrounds, they explore how political polarization has reshaped the balance of power in...

Acclaimed historian Patricia Limerick joins host Gil Troy to explore how presidential power was reshaped by the relentless march of America’s westward expansion. Beneath the lofty rhetoric of Manifest Destiny, they uncover the practical realities of conquest, dispossession, and the explosive growth of federal authority needed to drive it forward. Tracing how frontier dreams gave rise to federal sp...

In this episode, Professor Gil Troy speaks with Dr. Tevi Troy about the high-stakes moment when one presidency ends and another begins, and why transitions matter far beyond inauguration day. They explore how civility, partisanship, and preparation shape the handoff of power.  Drawing on history and firsthand experience, Dr. Troy reflects on the difference between opponents and enemies, and how th...

What kind of character does it take to lead the free world? In an age of global tension, where American presidents weigh alliances and warfare with the power to shape history, we explore how presidential character turned the U.S. from an isolated republic into a global superpower Gil Troy is joined by bestselling author and political commentator John Avlon to trace the foreign policy legacy of the...

We say we want authenticity in a president, but how much are we really entitled to know, and who gets to draw that line? Historian David Greenberg joins host Gil Troy to examine how the presidency has become, in part, a public relations performance shaped by evolving media, shifting expectations, and the public’s growing appetite for access. From George Washington’s measured gravitas to Barack Oba...

What are the historical, cultural, strategic, and values-based foundations that sustain the enduring US-Israel alliance? Host Gil Troy and historian and theologian R. Yitz Greenberg discuss the key factors that underpin, and the historic moments that have shaped the partnership between the United States and Israel.  R. Yitz Greenberg is an American historian, author, and theologian. Known for prom...

How did a shift in educational philosophy in the 1960s pave the way not only for contemporary social justice movements but for today’s neo-antisemitism? Host Gil Troy and Dr. Rachel Fish discuss the identity of Jews as an ethnoreligious minority group, the confusion surrounding the recent and ongoing campus antisemitism, the centrality of critical thinking skills in early and continuing education,...

How do soldiers find the resilience to enter war and how can society support them when they return or their families when they do not? Host Gil Troy and IDF Bereavement Officer & Clinical Advisor Akiva Harrow discuss how the Israeli Defense Forces supports families who have lost loved ones in service and how October 7th changed the debriefing process for combat soldiers who have returned from...

When a democracy is at war, what does it mean to serve your country? Host Gil Troy and Brooking Institution Senior Fellow & Wall Street Journal Columnist William Galston discuss how the perception of rights and obligations is affected by the collective experience or its absence - of defending one’s country, and how those experiences can reshape a society.  With a focus on US and Israeli polici...

When do democracies go to war and how do leaders navigate wartime decisions in a just way? Host Gil Troy and former Israeli Ambassador to the United States Michael Oren discuss the moral dilemmas that emerge during modern-day conflict, with a focus on the Israel-Hamas War and Middle-Eastern tensions with Western democracies. Drawing on manuscripts from the American Civil War and WWII, we take a gl...

The Human Side of History explores how the unfiltered, intimate perspectives of yesterday resonate and inform us today. Hosted by Gil Troy, the show combines historical texts and interviews with historians, politicians, and other experts in various fields. Join us as we engage in insightful discussions and reveal the intricate connections between history and our world today.  The show is produced...