History of Asia

Epizody

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  4.6. Escape to Zion 11.10.2026 50min

  We'll see how many Jews felt they needed a state of their own, because of what happened in the long 19th century (we don't discuss the shoa at length because it's so well known already). We also look at what happened in the areas that now make up Jordan and Lebanon, and find some striking similarities that connect these cases.
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  4.5. Of genesis and exodus 21.07.2026 42min

  We talk about how the genesis of Israel as a Jewish state came about as a result of a double exodus: one by Jews, another by Palestinians. This is a hotly debated topic. I've tried my best to present the most common arguments by both sides.
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  4.4. 1967. A lot can happen in 6 days. 22.04.2026 40min

  We talk about the 6-day-war. A lot of information comes from Tom Segev's book "1967" and to lesser degree Doedens Anne en Liek Mulder, Zesdaagse Oorlog: juni 1967: de Israelische herschepping van het Midden-Oosten.
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  4.3. '67-'89. Occupation and civil war 14.03.2026 36min

  After the six-day-war, Arab nations gradually left the conflict with Israel to the PLO. The latter became involved in the civil war in Lebanon and in a mini-civil war in Jordan (Black September). Meanwhile, Israeli politics started to shift to the right.
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  4.2. Nothing lasts like the temporary 18.12.2025 42min

  We talk about Israel, Lebanon, Palestine and Jordan 1990-today.Notice any mistakes? Let me know, please! A few datapoints:1987 start first intifada1988 establishment of Hamas1988 PLO recognizes Israël1989 Taif Agreement1993 Oslo Accords1996 First Palestinian elections, Hamas boycots2000 Israel withdraws from Lebanon. Start second intifada.2004 Arafat dies2005 Cedar Revolution2006 Hamas wins parliamentary elections. Violence Hamas-Fatah. Israel invades Lebanon. 2007 Palestinian civil war. Hamas takes power in Gaza. 2012 UN observer status for Palestine but sanctions 2018 start political crisis Israel 2020 financial crisis Libanon2022 Netanyahu leads most rightwing government ever2023 Hamas attack followed by Gaza war. 2024 attack on Hezbollah causes death Nasrallah. Fall Assad. 2025 Iran-Israel war
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  4.1. Israel, Palestine, Lebanon and Jordan today 30.11.2025 55min

  Sources for this series (more will be added later):The Economist often for current affairs (cited when relevant)ABICHT L. Israël, Palestina. ABICHT LUDO. Delalniettemin: over Joodse wijsheid en humorARNES I. Historische atlas van het jodendom : de bewogen geschiedenis van het joodse geloof in kaart gebracht.Librero, Kerkdriel, 2012, 400 p. BLACK I. Enemies and neighbours. Arabs and Jews in Palistine and Israel, 1917-2017. Alan Lane, s.l., 2017, 605 p.BLOK ARTHUR. Morgen misschien: waarom de problemen in Libanon niet worden opgelost.COOGAN M. The Oxford History of the Biblical World. Oxford University Press, 2001, 508 p.DAVIES W.D., HORBURY W., STURDY J. The Cambridge History of Judaism EVERS LOU: jodendom, een heldere inleiding.HINCHCLIFFE P., MILTON-EDWARDS B. Jordan. A Hashemite LegacyHIRSCHFELD H. Kernpunten van hetIsraelisch-Palestijns conflict,HARRIS W., Lebanon a history. Oxford University Press.JOHNSON P. Ahistory of the Jews. Londen, Phoenix, 2004, 643 p.MASALHA N. Palestine:a four thousand year history. Zed Books, Londen, 2018, 459 p.SCHAMA S. De geschiedenis van deJodenLEVY RACHEL. Israël op een doordeweekse dag. ROBINS P. AHistory of Jordan, University of Oxford, Oxford. 2004, 266 p.SAND SCHLOMO. The invention of the land of Israel: from holy land to HomelandSOETERIK R. De verwoesting vanPalestina. Van der Horst, Pieter Willem. Het joodse koninkrijk Himyar en de christelijke martelaars van Nadiran: joden en christenen in Arabië in de zesde eeuw. Van Diggele, Els. "We haten elkaar meer dan de joden: tweedracht in de Palestijnse maatschappij. "VAN MIDDEN PIET: Israël, een wereld apart: een geschiedenis van 3000 jaar op leven en dood
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  3.15 Back to the Stone Age 26.08.2025 24min

  Now really the final episode of the series...
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  3.14 (final) The Bronze Age and its Collapse 06.08.2025 25min

  This is the final episode of the series. And maybe of the entire podcast too. Want to stay informed if and when a new episode comes out, then best include History of Asia in your library.Thank you all for listening, I hope you enjoyed it.
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  3.12. Iron Age Assyria. The most cruel empire in history? 23.03.2025 38min

  We talk about Assyria (and to a lesser extent Babylonia) during the Iron Age.
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  Short announcement 23.03.2025 7min

  Just a short explanation why it takes me ever longer to get out episodes. Sorry for the wait.
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  3.11. The Umayyads. ‘l’union fait la force’ or ‘divide and rule’? 13.11.2024 1h 1min

  The Germanic peoples and the Arabs were in a similar condition when they took over their respective parts of Roman territory. A century after they did, the West lived through the Dark Ages, while the East entered a Golden Age. What explains this? In this episode, we try to find out. Most important (extra) sources for the episode (for general list see 3.1): LEWIS D.L. God’s Crucible: Islam and the Making of Europe, 570-1215. Norton, 2009, 522 p. BORRUT A., COBB P.M., Umayyad Legacies. Medieval Memories from Syria to Spain. Brill Academic Pub. 2010, 528 p.
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  3.10 The Islamic Golden Age 27.08.2024 1h

  In terms of scientific output, Muslim majority countries are currently behind the curve. Many people blame Islam itself. One of the best counterarguments to this, is that Islam was in many ways responsible for the fact that in the Middle Ages, Iraq, Syria and other Muslim regions were way ahead of the pack in many ways.  Hope you enjoy the episode.Main (additional) sources for the episode:Al-Khalili, Jim. De bibliotheek van Bagdad : de bloei van de Arabische wetenschap en de wedergeboorte van de Westerse beschaving⁠Lyons, Jonathan. Het huis der wijsheid : hoe Arabieren de westerse beschaving hebben beïnvloed.Correction: Nicola, an attentive listener, noted that people in Medieval Europe did not believe the earth was flat. My source says that many did because of a mistranslation of Isidorus. But this might well be an exaggeration and I haven't doublechecked it so I shouldn't have mentionned that. So sorry!
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  3.9. The Ottomans. True survivors 27.06.2024 1h 2min

  We talk about the Ottoman empire. They survived for over 6 centuries. What is their secret?Correction: I overstated the access that the Ottomans had to the spice islands. This access was indirect. They had what the European discoverers were looking for, economically, but only in the sense that they profited from the spice trade because of their position.
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  3.8. The sick man and his strong medicine 21.04.2024 37min

  This episode is about the later stages of the Ottoman period, with the focus on Syria and especially Iraq. Most important sources for the episode (for more specific info you can e-mail me): Yitzhak Nakash - The Shi'is of Iraq TRIPP C. Irak: een geschiedenis ANSCOMBE F.F. State, faith, and nation in Ottoman and Post-Ottoman Lands BAYLY C.A. The Birth of the modern world 1780-1914. DALE S. The Muslim Empires of the Ottomans, Safavids, and Mughals MCDOWAN D. A modern history of the Kurds MCHUGO J. Syria a recent history. SIMONS G., BENN T. Iraq: from Sumer to Saddam.
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  3.7. The Mandatory Period. Original sin. 07.03.2024 49min

  We discuss the history of Iraq and Syria in the first half of the 20th century.
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  3.6. How has it come to this? And why does it matter? 12.02.2024 30min

  A long overdue explanation why this podcast narrates history backwards.
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  3.5. Syria and Iraq in the 50s and 60s. In a state of nature? 20.01.2024 51min

  We discuss the 50s and 60s. What explains the turbulence of this period, as opposed to the longevity of the Assad- and Saddam-regimes? Sorry if the audio is leaky sometimes: there is something wrong with my microphone. I'll have it fixed.
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  3.4. 1970-90s, Saddam and Assad. In a state of terror. 12.12.2023 57min

  If we say the Iraq war was a mistake, we must consider the alternatives. What would Iraq be like with Saddam or his son still in power? We now discuss the rule of Hafez al-Assad and Saddam Hussayn. We compare their strategies and ask whether Machiavelli would have approved of them.
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  3.3. Mission Accomplished. The Iraq War, and its aftermath. 12.11.2023 54min

  We talk about the Iraq war, its immediate consequences, and its effect on Syria.Correction: relistening to the episode, I was shocked to hear myself say that Syria used Israel's invasion of Lebanon as an excuse for its own invasion. This is of course wrong: the Syrians were there first. What I meant to say was that after Israel invaded, the Syrians used their presence as a pretext to stay in Lebanon themselves. Sorry!Another thing: when I talk of the Alawites, it sometimes sounds a bit like "Alevites". Just to be clear: I am always talking about the Alawites. The Alevi don't appear in the podcast at all. Sorry for the (possible) confusion.
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  3.2. The Arab Winter 14.10.2023 45min

  This is the story of the Arab Spring in Syria and Iraq, and how it turned to another Long Winter.