Dialogues in International History

Ari Barbalat

This podcast intends to contribute to public education by offering listeners thorough and serious conversations on topics in international history and the history of international relations. It features interviews with authors of new monographs and recent books by historians and specialists.

Episodes

  1. Patrice Dutil, ed., *Statesmen, Strategists & Diplomats: Canada’s Prime Ministers and the Making of Foreign Policy*. Vancouver: University of British Columbia Press, 2023.

    Jun 7

    Patrice Dutil, ed., *Statesmen, Strategists & Diplomats: Canada’s Prime Ministers and the Making of Foreign Policy*. Vancouver: University of British Columbia Press, 2023.

    Navigating the realm of foreign policy is a multifaceted challenge. Typically, obstacles and proposed solutions are seen as distinct unless a leader can rally enough support for an idea that promotes cohesion. As the prime minister often puts forth this idea – setting the agenda and evaluating if the timing is right for a viable, effective solution – Canadian foreign policy can be summarized through the actions of these leaders. This monograph explores how prime ministers from Sir John A. Macdonald to Justin Trudeau have shaped foreign policy by manipulating governmental structures, selecting and discarding options, and leaving their imprint on the process. Contributors provide new, sometimes surprising perspectives on a wide range of policy choices – whether to raise or lower departmental budgets, to create or dismantle alliances, to engage in trade relations, and to handle the prime minister’s personal diplomacy – particularly regarding how these choices affected the bureaucracies tasked with implementing foreign policy both diplomatically and militarily. No other publication has undertaken a thorough examination of the crucial role Canadian prime ministers play in crafting foreign policy. This innovative viewpoint is bound to foster a renewed appreciation for the essential personal engagement and insight necessary for a successful strategy in international relations.

    55 min
  2. Andrew Novo. *The EOKA Cause: Nationalism and the Failure of Cypriot Enosis*. London: Bloomsbury Publishing, 2020.

    Jun 3

    Andrew Novo. *The EOKA Cause: Nationalism and the Failure of Cypriot Enosis*. London: Bloomsbury Publishing, 2020.

    This book explores the origins, actions, and failures of Greek Cypriot nationalists in their pursuit to unify Cyprus with Greece. Andrew Novo investigates the anti-colonial struggle through the lens of: the competition for the nationalist narrative in Cyprus between the Left and Right, the conflicting Greek-Cypriot and Turkish-Cypriot nationalisms on the island, the roles of Turkey and Greece in the island's strife, and the British Empire's concerns during its post-World War II decline. Beyond being merely a historical account of the period, an examination of British policies, or a depiction of counter-insurgency strategies, this book offers a comprehensive analysis of the enosis movement's foundations and its practical implications. It argues that the strategic myopia of the enosis movement limited its cause, influenced its actions, and was a primary reason for its failure. Today, Cyprus remains split and occupied, facing the lingering challenges of its history.

    1h 3m
  3. Charles Schaefer, *Peace Not War: Traditions of Restorative Justice in Imperial Ethiopia, 1769-1960*. Rochester, NY: James Currey (an imprint of Boydell and Brewer), 2025.

    May 29

    Charles Schaefer, *Peace Not War: Traditions of Restorative Justice in Imperial Ethiopia, 1769-1960*. Rochester, NY: James Currey (an imprint of Boydell and Brewer), 2025.

    Ethiopian emperors and their adversaries documented their accomplishments, including initiatives aimed at promoting peace, through a written language. This book emphasizes and analyzes historically substantiated instances, tracing back to 1769, where restorative justice techniques were utilized to resolve conflicts and restore unity within the country. This monograph investigates Ethiopia’s evolving viewpoint on restorative justice, transitioning from the ‘forgive and forget’ attitude of the *Zemene Mesafint* (Era of the Princes), during which offenders were granted pardons, allowing them to regroup and fortify their forces for subsequent confrontations, to a framework of conditional forgiveness recorded by the imperial court, dependent on acts of atonement. Ethiopia’s rich history of experimenting with various restorative justice methods illustrates its ingenuity, flexibility, and resourcefulness. Nevertheless, as the twentieth century progressed, effective, indigenous restorative justice practices were eclipsed by Western legal frameworks that emphasized punishment.

    1h 7m
  4. Bridget Conley, *Memory from the Margins: Ethiopia’s Red Terror Martyrs Memorial Museum*. Cham, Switzerland: Palgrave Macmillan, 2019.

    May 28

    Bridget Conley, *Memory from the Margins: Ethiopia’s Red Terror Martyrs Memorial Museum*. Cham, Switzerland: Palgrave Macmillan, 2019.

    This monograph poses an intriguing question: "What role does memory play during a political transition?" By exploring Ethiopian history, transitional justice, and academic fields that deal with memory, museums, and trauma, Bridget Conley reveals a rich narrative filled with global, transnational, national, and local influences, all centered around a small museum in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia—the Red Terror Martyrs Memorial Museum. This analysis comes from various perspectives: neither the Ethiopian situation nor the process of memorialization is typically at the forefront of transitional justice debates, and within Ethiopia, the history of the Red Terror is frequently ignored in current political discussions. From these complex perspectives, traumatic memory surfaces as a multifaceted social and political force. The roles, meanings, and constraints of memory become clear through the unique interactions among memory advocates, survivor-docents, and visitors. Memory from the margins proves to be impactful in how it disrupts rather than creates new community forms.

    1h 21m
  5. Charles Keith, *Subjects and Sojourners: A History of Indochinese in France*. Oakland: University of California Press, 2024.

    Mar 30

    Charles Keith, *Subjects and Sojourners: A History of Indochinese in France*. Oakland: University of California Press, 2024.

    During the era of French colonial rule in Indochina, around two hundred thousand Indochinese individuals spent time in France. This research presents a captivating and thorough social, cultural, and political history of this varied group, which included everyone from ruling monarchs to the most marginalized laborers. Utilizing a range of rich yet often overlooked archives, Charles Keith explores how French colonialism extended Indochina’s colonial society into France, where Indochinese individuals studied, worked, fought, and lived in imperial environments that were significantly different from those they had departed. Their time in France transformed these travelers, and upon their return to Indochina, they subsequently altered colonial society. In conclusion, Indochinese people did not simply encounter 'France' in the colony: they traveled there and experienced it firsthand.

    58 min
  6. Kieran Glennon, *From Pogrom to Civil War: Tom Glennon and the Belfast IRA*. Cork, Ireland: Mercier Press, 2013.

    Mar 16

    Kieran Glennon, *From Pogrom to Civil War: Tom Glennon and the Belfast IRA*. Cork, Ireland: Mercier Press, 2013.

    When the Belfast pogrom, which targeted Catholics, broke out in July 1920, Tom Glennon was a 20-year-old officer in the IRA. Over the next three years, he transitioned from fierce street battles in Belfast to organizing a flying column in the Glens of Antrim, then executing a bold escape from captivity in the Curragh, and finally facing the brutality of civil war in Donegal. Marked by his experiences, he aimed to build a new life in Australia, only to encounter more tragedy. His complete silence regarding his past meant that nearly eighty years went by before his son discovered the truth about his mother's death. Now, utilizing contemporary documents along with the testimonies of both allies and adversaries, his grandson not only narrates the story of Tom Glennon's life but also revisits the myths surrounding the pogrom and scrutinizes Michael Collins' Northern Policy, posing the question: were the Northern IRA victims of a horrific betrayal?

    1h 52m
  7. Bohdan Kordan, *No Place Like Home: Enemy Alien Internment in Canada during the Great War*. Kingston & Montreal: McGill Queens University Press, 2025.

    Mar 11

    Bohdan Kordan, *No Place Like Home: Enemy Alien Internment in Canada during the Great War*. Kingston & Montreal: McGill Queens University Press, 2025.

    *No Place Like Home* explores a lesser-known chapter in Canada's national narrative: the initial use of internment during the Great War under the War Measures Act. By addressing the challenges of immigrant integration and belonging, Bohdan Kordan illustrates how legal, political, and cultural frameworks shaped perceptions of immigrants from enemy nations. He demonstrates how, amidst the economic, social, and political turmoil of war, the use of internment as a security measure and political decision profoundly impacted the lives of countless innocent individuals. *No Place Like Home* sheds light on new insights regarding Canadian internment and the government's role and accountability during wartime. By concentrating on the status of enemy aliens and the erosion of the military-civilian divide, the book also provides a wider social perspective of the era and delivers a critical evaluation of the diverse experiences within the camps. Kordan expresses that the experience of internment, truly understood only by those who lived through it, can still resonate as a significant shared history, and he presents compelling arguments for the necessity of understanding and honoring this past.

    1h 35m
  8. Mark McGowan, *Finding Molly Johnson: Irish Famine Orphans in Canada*. Montreal and Kingston: McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2024.

    Feb 11

    Mark McGowan, *Finding Molly Johnson: Irish Famine Orphans in Canada*. Montreal and Kingston: McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2024.

    Ireland's Great Famine led to the most severe refugee crisis in Europe during the nineteenth century. Over 1.5 million individuals departed from Ireland, with many finding their way to Canada. Among the most at risk were nearly 1,700 orphaned children who suddenly faced destitution in a foreign land. The narrative that Canada often shares is that these orphans were welcomed into kind families and quickly adjusted to their new circumstances, but this cheerful conclusion is largely a fabrication. In Finding Molly Johnson, Mark McGowan explores the fate of these children. Lacking state assistance, the Catholic and Protestant churches united to become the main caregivers for the orphans. The children were collected, nourished, educated, and placed in family homes across Saint John, Quebec, Montreal, Bytown, Kingston, and Toronto. However, most were not regarded as true family members but rather as inexpensive labor. Many escaped their placements, joining countless other Irish refugees on the Canadian frontier in search of employment, extended family, and the chance to start anew.

    1h 20m
  9. Mary Cardaras, ed., *Voices of the Lost Children of Greece: Oral Histories of Cold War International Adoption*. London: Anthem Press, 2023.

    Feb 6

    Mary Cardaras, ed., *Voices of the Lost Children of Greece: Oral Histories of Cold War International Adoption*. London: Anthem Press, 2023.

    This book is a compilation of essays from Greek-born adoptees who lived through the 1950s, a time following two wars that devastated the nation. This collection is unique, as it marks the first time this group of adoptees has united to share their personal narratives and express their deeply held emotions. While many adoptees may have similar experiences and share common thoughts regarding their adoptions, their individual stories are remarkably diverse, with some being distressing and others inspiring. The collection aims to illustrate the long-term effects of adoption, regardless of whether children were separated from their parents and homeland as infants or as young children. The book will explore adoption from various disciplinary perspectives, including sociology, psychology, and anthropology. Additionally, it will contextualize these adoptions within a larger historical framework. The work is further enriched by a Foreword from Dr. Andrew Mossin, a Greek-born adoptee, academic, poet, and writer; by Dr. Gonda Van Steen, a distinguished modern Greek scholar, who contributes the first chapter discussing the historical context of such adoptions; and in the final chapter, by Dr. Eirini Papadaki, who has extensively researched the women of Greece and adoption, providing readers with a contemporary evaluation of adoption practices in Greece today.

    1h 3m
  • 9 Episodes

About

This podcast intends to contribute to public education by offering listeners thorough and serious conversations on topics in international history and the history of international relations. It features interviews with authors of new monographs and recent books by historians and specialists.

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