Rear Vision — How History Shaped Today

It’s a truism of peace talks that we’re not negotiating with our friends but rather with our enemies. And when our enemies have been designated as terrorists and murderers, it’s not an easy task. 
How have violent conflicts ended in the past and are there lessons we can learn from previous peace negotiations?
Guests
Youssef Mahmoud, Senior Advisor at the International Peace Institute. Former United Nations Under-Secretary-General and head of peace operations in Burundi, the Central African Republic and Chad.
Randall Lesaffer, Professor of Legal History at KU University in Leuven, Belgium and author of Peace Treaties and International Law in European History: From the Late Middle Ages to World War One.
Philipp Kastner, Senior Lecturer in International law at the University of Western Australia and author of Legal Normativity in the Resolution of Internal Armed Conflict.
Luxshi Vimalarajah, senior mediator advisor at the Berghof Foundation. Previously involved in peace negotiations in Sri Lanka, Nepal, Myanmar, Turkey, Yemen, North Macedonia and Colombia.

It’s a truism of peace talks that we’re not negotiating with our friends but rather with our enemies. And when enemies have been designated as terrorists and murderers it’s not an easy task.

The conflict in the Middle East has led to a sharp rise in energy prices – and highlighted the issue of Australia’s energy security.  
Why haven’t we all transitioned to renewables? The story of Australia’s energy transition and why it’s had so many false starts and missteps.

Wrapping yourself in the national flag has become a common practice for far-right activists right across the Western world, particularly anti-immigration demonstrators. In the UK the co-opting of the Union Jack and the flag of St George has become so common it’s now described in derogatory terms as “flag-shagging”. In this episode, we explore the historic power of national flags as symbols of division, not just national unity. 
Guests:
Dr Anne Platoff – Flag expert and former librarian, University of California, Santa Barbara 
Laura Scofield – Design Director, The Atlantic
Dr Dominic Bryan – Professor of social anthropology, Queens’s University Belfast