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Richard Aldous

Biweekly conversations between Richard Aldous, Bard College professor and distinguished historian, and authors on their newest books.

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20 episodes
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Avg 28 min
English

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September 13 · 33 min
Admiral William J. Fallon on Decisions, Discord & Diplomacy
Bookstack at Persuasion is delivered to you every other Sunday at 6am EST. Grab a coffee, settle onto the couch, and see your weekend out with a deep dive into the best new book releases… This week, Richard talks to Admiral William J Fallon, author of Decisions, Discord & Diplomacy: From Cairo to Kabul (Fortis). Host: Richard Aldous Producer: Bhaasita Athani Follow Persuasion on X, LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube to keep up with our latest articles, podcasts, and events, as well as updates from excellent writers across our network. And, to receive pieces like this in your inbox and support our work, subscribe below. Bookstack listeners can take advantage of a 20% offer for paid Persuasion membership, with access to special columns and bonus Good Fight with Yascha Mounk podcast content. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.persuasion.community/subscribe
June 28 · 32 min
Episode 190: Antonia Senior on the Cambridge Five
Bookstack at Persuasion is delivered to you every other Sunday at 6am EST. Grab a coffee, settle onto the couch, and see your weekend out with a deep dive into the best new book releases… This week, Richard talks to Antonia Senior, author of Stalin’s Apostles: The Cambridge Five and the Making of the Soviet Empire (Public Affairs). Host: Richard Aldous Producer: Bhaasita Athani Follow Persuasion on X, LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube to keep up with our latest articles, podcasts, and events, as well as updates from excellent writers across our network. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.persuasion.community/subscribe
June 14 · 30 min
Episode 189: Laurence Jurdem on George H. W. Bush
Bookstack at Persuasion is delivered to you every other Sunday at 6am EST. Grab a coffee, settle onto the couch, and see your weekend out with a deep dive into the best new book releases… This week, Richard talks to Laurence Jurdem, author of 41: George H. W. Bush and the End of the American Establishment (Bombardier). Host: Richard Aldous Producer: Bhaasita Athani Follow Persuasion on X, LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube to keep up with our latest articles, podcasts, and events, as well as updates from excellent writers across our network. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.persuasion.community/subscribe
May 31 · 25 min
Episode 188: Liaquat Ahamed on 1873
Bookstack at Persuasion is delivered to you every other Sunday at 6am EST. Grab a coffee, settle onto the couch, and see your weekend out with a deep dive into the best new book releases… This week, Richard talks to Liaquat Ahamed, author of 1873: The Rothschilds, the First Great Depression, and the Making of the Modern World (Penguin Press). Host: Richard Aldous Producer: Bhaasita Athani Follow Persuasion on X, LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube to keep up with our latest articles, podcasts, and events, as well as updates from excellent writers across our network. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.persuasion.community/subscribe
May 17 · 24 min
Episode 187: Ian Shapiro on How Politicians Broke Our World
Bookstack at Persuasion is delivered to you every other Sunday at 6am EST. Grab a coffee, settle onto the couch, and see your weekend out with a deep dive into the best new book releases… This week, Richard talks to Ian Shapiro, author of After the Fall: From the End of History to the Crisis of Democracy, How Politicians Broke Our World (Basic Books). Host: Richard Aldous Producer: Bhaasita Athani Follow Persuasion on X, LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube to keep up with our latest articles, podcasts, and events, as well as updates from excellent writers across our network. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.persuasion.community/subscribe
May 3 · 28 min
Episode 186: Odd Arne Westad on the Coming Storm
Bookstack at Persuasion is delivered to you every other Sunday at 6am EST. Grab a coffee, settle onto the couch, and see your weekend out with a deep dive into the best new book releases… This week, Richard talks to Odd Arne Westad, author of The Coming Storm: Power, Conflict, and Warnings from History (Henry Holt). Host: Richard Aldous Producer: Bhaasita Athani Follow Persuasion on X, LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube to keep up with our latest articles, podcasts, and events, as well as updates from excellent writers across our network. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.persuasion.community/subscribe
April 19 · 32 min
Episode 185: Michael Mandelbaum on the American Way of Foreign Policy
Bookstack at Persuasion is delivered to you every other Sunday at 6am EST. Grab a coffee, settle onto the couch, and see your weekend out with a deep dive into the best new book releases… This week, Richard talks to Michael Mandelbaum, author of The American Way of Foreign Policy: Ideology, Economics, Democracy (Oxford University Press). Host: Richard Aldous Producer: Bhaasita Athani Follow Persuasion on X, LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube to keep up with our latest articles, podcasts, and events, as well as updates from excellent writers across our network. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.persuasion.community/subscribe
April 5 · 30 min
Episode 184: Frank Dikötter on How Communism Conquered a Quarter of Humanity
Bookstack at Persuasion is delivered to you every other Sunday at 6am EST. Grab a coffee, settle onto the couch, and see your weekend out with a deep dive into the best new book releases… This week, Richard talks to Frank Dikotter, author of Red Dawn Over China: How Communism Conquered a Quarter of Humanity (Bloomsbury). Host: Richard Aldous Producer: Bhaasita Athani Follow Persuasion on X, LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube to keep up with our latest articles, podcasts, and events, as well as updates from excellent writers across our network. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.persuasion.community/subscribe
March 22 · 29 min
Episode 183: Steve Israel on the Einstein Conspiracy
Bookstack at Persuasion is delivered to you every other Sunday at 6am EST. Grab a coffee, settle onto the couch, and see your weekend out with a deep dive into the best new book releases… This week, Richard Aldous talks to Steve Israel, author of The Einstein Conspiracy (Compass Rose Publishing). Host: Richard Aldous Producer: Bhaasita Athani Follow Persuasion on X, LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube to keep up with our latest articles, podcasts, and events, as well as updates from excellent writers across our network. And, to receive pieces like this in your inbox and support our work, subscribe below. Bookstack listeners can take advantage of a 20% offer for paid Persuasion membership, with access to special columns and bonus Good Fight with Yascha Mounk podcast content. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.persuasion.community/subscribe
March 8 · 26 min
Episode 182: Christopher Clark on A Scandal in Königsberg
Bookstack at Persuasion is delivered to you every other Sunday. Grab a coffee, settle onto the couch, and see your weekend out with a deep dive into the best new book releases… This week, Richard Aldous talks to Christopher Clark, author of A Scandal in Königsberg (Penguin). Follow Persuasion on X, LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube to keep up with our latest articles, podcasts, and events, as well as updates from excellent writers across our network. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.persuasion.community/subscribe
February 15 · 28 min
Episode 181: Hélène Landemore on Politics Without Politicians
Bookstack at Persuasion is delivered to you every other Sunday at 6am EST. Grab a coffee, settle onto the couch, and see your weekend out with a deep dive into the best new book releases… This week, Richard Aldous talks to Hélène Landemore, author of Politics Without Politicians: The Case for Citizen Rule (Thesis). Host: Richard Aldous Producer: Bhaasita Athani Follow Persuasion on X, LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube to keep up with our latest articles, podcasts, and events, as well as updates from excellent writers across our network. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.persuasion.community/subscribe
February 1 · 26 min
Episode 180: Nicolas Stavros Niarchos on the Elements of Power
Bookstack at Persuasion is delivered to you every other Sunday at 6am EST. Grab a coffee, settle onto the couch, and see your weekend out with a deep dive into the best new book releases… This week, Richard talks to Nicolas Stavros Niarchos, author of The Elements of Power: A Story of War, Technology, and the Dirtiest Supply Chain on Earth (Penguin Press). Host: Richard Aldous Producer: Bhaasita Athani Follow Persuasion on X, LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube to keep up with our latest articles, podcasts, and events, as well as updates from excellent writers across our network. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.persuasion.community/subscribe
January 18 · 26 min
Episode 179: Georgios Varouxakis on the West
Bookstack at Persuasion is delivered to you every other Sunday at 6am EST. Grab a coffee, settle onto the couch, and see your weekend out with a deep dive into the best new book releases… This week, Richard Aldous talks to Georgios Varouxakis, author of The West: A History of an Idea (Princeton University Press). Host: Richard Aldous Producer: Bhaasita Athani Follow Persuasion on X, LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube to keep up with our latest articles, podcasts, and events, as well as updates from excellent writers across our network. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.persuasion.community/subscribe
January 4 · 28 min
Episode 178: Geoffrey Ward on the American Revolution
Bookstack at Persuasion is delivered to you every other Sunday at 6am EST. Grab a coffee, settle onto the couch, and see your weekend out with a deep dive into the best new book releases… For our first episode of 2026, Richard talks to Geoffrey Ward, author of The American Revolution: An Intimate History (Knopf). Host: Richard Aldous Producer: Bhaasita Athani Follow Persuasion on X, LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube to keep up with our latest articles, podcasts, and events, as well as updates from excellent writers across our network. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.persuasion.community/subscribe
Dec 14, 2025 · 26 min
Episode 177: Kori Schake on the State and the Soldier
Bookstack at Persuasion is delivered to you every other Sunday at 6am EST. Grab a coffee, settle onto the couch, and see your weekend out with a deep dive into the best new book releases… This week, Richard talks to Kori Schake, author of The State and the Soldier: A History of Civil-Military Relations in the United States (Polity). Host: Richard Aldous Producer: Bhaasita Athani Follow Persuasion on X, LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube to keep up with our latest articles, podcasts, and events, as well as updates from excellent writers across our network. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.persuasion.community/subscribe
Nov 30, 2025 · 30 min
Episode 176: Shadi Hamid on American Power
Bookstack at Persuasion is delivered to you every other Sunday at 6am EST. Grab a coffee, settle onto the couch, and see your weekend out with a deep dive into the best new book releases… This week, Richard talks to Shadi Hamid, author of The Case for American Power (Simon & Schuster). Bookstack is a production of American Purpose at Persuasion. Host: Richard Aldous Producer: Bhaasita Athani Follow Persuasion on X, LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube to keep up with our latest articles, podcasts, and events, as well as updates from excellent writers across our network. And, to receive pieces like this in your inbox and support our work, subscribe below. Bookstack listeners can take advantage of a 20% offer for paid Persuasion membership, with access to special columns and bonus Good Fight with Yascha Mounk podcast content. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.persuasion.community/subscribe
Nov 23, 2025 · 26 min
Episode 175: Sven Beckert on Capitalism
Bookstack at Persuasion is delivered to you every other Sunday at 6am EST. Grab a coffee, settle onto the couch, and see your weekend out with a deep dive into the best new book releases… This week, Richard talks to Sven Beckert, author of Capitalism: A Global History (Penguin Press). Bookstack is a production of American Purpose at Persuasion. Host: Richard Aldous Producer: Bhaasita Athani Follow Persuasion on X, LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube to keep up with our latest articles, podcasts, and events, as well as updates from excellent writers across our network. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.persuasion.community/subscribe
Nov 16, 2025 · 25 min
Episode 174: Vanessa Williamson on the Price of Democracy
Bookstack at Persuasion is delivered to you every other Sunday at 6am EST. Grab a coffee, settle onto the couch, and see your weekend out with a deep dive into the best new book releases… This week, Richard talks to Vanessa Williamson, author of The Price of Democracy: The Revolutionary Power of Taxation in American History (Basic Books). Bookstack is a production of American Purpose at Persuasion. Host: Richard Aldous Producer: Bhaasita Athani Follow Persuasion on X (Twitter), LinkedIn, and YouTube to keep up with our latest articles, podcasts, and events, as well as updates from excellent writers across our network. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.persuasion.community/subscribe
Nov 2, 2025 · 28 min
Episode 173: Phillips O'Brien on War and Power
Bookstack at Persuasion is delivered to you every other Sunday at 6am EST. Grab a coffee, settle onto the couch, and see your weekend out with a deep dive into the best new book releases… This week, Richard talks to Phillips O’Brien, author of the new book, War and Power: Who Wins Wars—And Why (Public Affairs). Bookstack is a production of American Purpose at Persuasion. Host: Richard Aldous Producer: Bhaasita Athani Follow Persuasion on X (Twitter), LinkedIn, and YouTube to keep up with our latest articles, podcasts, and events, as well as updates from excellent writers across our network. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.persuasion.community/subscribe
Oct 5, 2025 · 27 min
Episode 172: Phillip and William Taubman on McNamara at War
Bookstack at Persuasion is delivered to you every other Sunday at 6am EST. Grab a coffee, settle onto the couch, and see your weekend out with a deep dive into the best new book releases… This week, Richard Aldous talks to Phillip Taubman and William Taubman, authors of the new book, McNamara at War: A New History (Norton). Bookstack is a production of American Purpose at Persuasion. Host: Richard Aldous Producer: Bhaasita Athani Follow Persuasion on X (Twitter), LinkedIn, and YouTube to keep up with our latest articles, podcasts, and events, as well as updates from excellent writers across our network. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.persuasion.community/subscribe

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