What does the world look like today? What can explain the many wars currently taking place around the globe? Will conflicts like the one in the Middle East between Israel and the Palestinians ever end? How dangerous is the Russian war against Ukraine? To answer these questions, Pedro Pinto interviews Simon Sebag Montefiore in this episode of “It’s Not That Simple”, a podcast by the Francisco Manuel dos Santos Foundation. In this episode, Montefiore discusses his latest book The World: A Family History of Humanity, a world history written with the grit of a biography, which uses family, the one thing all humans have in common, to tell the story of humanity, and examines how the current “world disorder” is just the end of “what we thought was the way the world normally worked”, describing this “new disorder” as a “multiplayer computer game” in which an array of continental powers and aspiring superpowers are challenging the United States. Montefiore also addresses Hamas's attack on Israel on October 7th and the war in Gaza, stating that the only way out is a "two-state solution", each with new leaderships. The bestselling author of history and novels, awarded several prizes for his previous books, including Jerusalem: The Biography, Stalin: The Court of the Red Tsar and The Romanovs, then expresses his concerns about the danger of nuclear proliferation, before considering the Russian invasion Ukraine and why the West must help the latter in fighting of the former. Finally, Montefiore delves into what might happen if Donald Trump is once again elected President of the United States in the 2024 election, in a conversation well worth listening to. More on this topic Montefiore’s essay in The Atlantic on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict Montefiore’s interview on CNN Portugal Montefiore discussing his book The World: A Family History of Humanity at The Temple Emanu-El Streicker Center in New York An interview with Montefiore on The World: A Family History of Humanity Montefiore on “The Power of Family Dynasties” An interview with Montefiore about his book Jerusalem: The Biography Catherine the Great and Potemkin, Simon Sebag Montefiore, 2001 Stalin: The Court of the Red Tsar, Simon Sebag Montefiore, 2003 Young Stalin, Simon Sebag Montefiore, 2007 Monsters: History's Most Evil Men and Women, Simon Sebag Montefiore, 2008 Jerusalem: The Biography, Simon Sebag Montefiore, 2011 Titans of History, Simon Sebag Montefiore, 2012 The Romanovs 1613–1918, Simon Sebag Montefiore, 2016 The World: A Family History of Humanity, Simon Sebag Montefiore, 2022
