The Burning Archive

The last three years of the pandemic have strained the mental health of all and tested the mental health of our democracies, perhaps beyond breaking point. How do we make sense of of the shared emotional experience of the pandemic, and what does it mean for the health of democracy. How can the history of emotions help us understand the experience better than 'collective psychosis', 'to...

What is the relationship between madness, mental illness and the clash of civilizations today? The metaphor of a world gone mad is fitting for a world crisis, which affects society, culture, politics and competing civilizations. It is a charge some world leaders make about the West, and some intellectuals use to criticise the West as a decadent culture. But history shows that sometimes big histori...

Is French President Macron serious about bringing justice to France and independence to Europe? And what is the surprising link between Macron, European philosophy and the Burning Archive ? On this episode I discuss: - President Emmanuel Macron's major speeches on reconciling social conflict, pension reforms, democracy and European independence or 'sovereign autonomy'; - whether French...

Will mass protests in Paris overthrow President Macron? How did a rule change for pensioners imperil the French Fifth Republic? Emmanuel Macron raised the minimum retirement age in France from 62 to 64. He wanted to control costs and make the French economy more competitive. But he did not have enough support in the French National Assembly to vote it into law. So he used a special constitutional...

Countries around the world are ditching the US dollar, and reducing their reliance on $USD in trade and foreign exchange reserves. China, Russia, Brazil, India, ASEAN and African nations have all made major announcements that have shocked American elites. Could these decisions spell doom for the US dollar? Is its status as the world's No. 1 reserve currency under threat? Stay calm in the crisi...

Bank collapses in America and Europe may be a sign of financial and political crises to come. Or they may just be the result of a bank run by idiots. Will the recent collapse of Silicon Valley Bank and Credit Suisse Bank lead to a replay of the 2008 financial crisis? Will our leaders learn the lessons of history from the series of financial crises since 1998? Will they stay calm in the crisis, or...

How healthy is Western democracy? And what can the West, especially America, learn from the feedback the world is giving to the West about the democracy it exports to the world and the democracy it runs at home. This week, leaders from China, Mexico, Zambia and Western countries have all raised concerns about the state of democracy in the West. Should we have a conversation about it? This episode...

There is controversy about the health of democracy in India. Opposition politician, Rahul Gandhi claimed 'democracy is dead in India. PM Narendra Modi replied, India is the 'Mother of Democracy'. Who is right? What does it tell us about the emerging multipolar world? This episode discusses: - the controversy about the health of democracy in India today and how it reflects tensions abou...

Has Democracy died? In India? In the West? Did it die when Donald Trump was elected? These questions have tormented many people in liberal democracies over the last ten years. They have also been hotly debated in India  after comments by Rahul Gandhi that 'democracy is dead' in India. This episode of the Burning Archive was going to discuss that debate in India and the idea that India is hist...

If the West is fighting a war for democracy versus autocracy in Ukraine, as Jo Biden says, and if, as many experts think, Russia is slowly winning the war in Ukraine, then does that mean democracy is losing the war in Ukraine? Has the USA gambled with Western Democracy by provoking a war in Ukraine? It has been a year since Russia invaded Ukraine, and the Burning Archive has been covering the Russ...

What is life as a bureaucrat really like? The stories of bureaucrats in the arts, the media and politics are rarely written by bureaucrats. They are views of outsiders or the views of retired top bureaucrats who do not want to rock the boat. Bureaucrats don't write essays, not if they are minor government officials. They don't make podcasts... except on The Burning Archive . Listen to this insider...

Join me on a journey through the creative process of how I wrote and published my poetry book. How I, despite being a very, very minor government official, wrote and published my collected poems, and how these poems reflect on my personal experiences, cherished poets, and the meaning of history. How poetry and history belong together in the imagination. You will discover how this poet hidden withi...

How did I transform from frustrated, very minor government official to independent author? I tell the story of how my recent book, From the Burning Archive: Essays and Fragments slowly took shape through notes, poems, a blog, a podcast then finally a polished, published collection of essays. I talk you through all the steps I took to write and to self-publish the book, and give you some insights i...

India is emerging as one of the most important powers in the world, and is demanding change in the world order on behalf of the Global South.   In 2023 India became the largest country by population in the world, surpassing China. It is now the third largest economy by PPP in the world. It has growing soft power, based on its ancient, rich and diverse cultures. It is the world's largest democ...

Is the Ukraine War the start of World War Three? Has World War 3 already begun. How do we make sense of the war in Ukraine in a big-picture historical perspective?  There have been many news stories, many podcasts and many channels looking at the unfolding events in Ukraine from day to day. In this series, however, Jeff Rich steps back from the daily news cycle, and sets out common historical...

Is the Ukraine War the start of World War Three? Has World War 3 already begun.  French historian and anthropologist Emmanuel Todd made headlines by saying World War Three has already begun. What did he mean and was he right?   How do we make sense of the war in Ukraine in a big-picture historical perspective? There have been many news stories, many podcasts and many channels looking at...

How do we make sense of the war in Ukraine in a big-picture historical perspective? There have been many news stories, many podcasts and many channels looking at the unfolding events in Ukraine from day to day. In this podcast, however, Jeff Rich steps back from the daily news cycle, and sets out six common historical narratives about the war in Ukraine. By seeing the truth and errors in all these...

What will the Russia-Ukraine-NATO War be known as in the history books? How do we make sense of this event, and how do we avoid losing our heads by getting sucked into the contending narratives of the war. "I f there is just one thing I would ask all listeners to do it is to reflect on the stories, the histories of this conflict in Ukraine that you are being told and you are telling yourself, and...

This podcast asks who is winning the war in Ukraine - Ruussia, NATO or Ukraine? It assesses four dimensions of the conflict - military war, economic war, information war and diplomatic struggle. How are these conflicts shaping the emerging multipolar world order? While there are many channels that cover the daily news and updates on the war in Ukraine, this video takes a step back and sets out a c...

How do we make sense of the events leading up to the war in Ukraine, and throughout the year of 2022? There have been many news stories, many podcasts and many channels looking at the unfolding events in Ukraine from day to day, In this podcast, however, Jeff Rich steps back from the daily news cycle, and sets out a clear narrative to the whole war, from its beginnings in the internal conflicts in...

What are the origin stories of Russia, Ukraine and Belarus? They all make a claim on the legacy of Kievan Rus, the loose grouping of warring principalities and many ethnic groups that formed in the territory between Novgorod and Kiev between 900 and 1200. This story has often been told for nationalist myths, but its more complex and layered story - still relevant to the Russia-NATO-Ukraine War tod...

For 250 years from the 1220's Russia and Ukraine were both controlled by the Mongol Empire, the successors to Genghis Khan, the Golden Horde. Traditionally, this period has been described by the term coined by nationalist historians, the Mongol or Tatar Yoke. But, in truth, this period did not subject Russia to a benighted warrior empire. It connected Russia to the greatest Eurasian power of the t...

Ivan the Terrible is a key figure in Russian history. To understand him you need to separate man and myth. To strip the myths away, you need to see Ivan not as an evil monster, but rather as an erratic Renaissance Eurasian prince. In this 9th episode in the ‘Black Legend of Russian History’ series, and part two of the extended podcast on Ivan IV, the Burning Archive discusses the puzzles of Ivan I...

Ivan the Terrible is a key figure in Russian history. To understand him you need to separate man and myth, and there are many myths because all we know about Ivan is based on very limited evidence. And to strip the myths away you need to see Ivan not as an evil monster, but rather as an erratic Renaissance Eurasian prince. In this 8th episode in the 'Black Legend of Russian History' series, the my...

In the early 1600's Russia suffered a traumatic civil war, political instability and social chaos. This period is known as the Time of Troubles. It left a mark on Russian political institutions and historical culture. But most of all it featured remarkable characters - the self-made Tsar, Boris Godunov; his sister, the first female ruler of Russia, Irina Godunova; and, most enigmatically of all, t...