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The John Batchelor Show

John Batchelor
ArtsBooks
The John Batchelor Show
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9652 episodes

  • The John Batchelor Show

    S8 Ep1070: The Fragility of the Union and the Dismantling of the Republic. Guests in Londinium, 92 AD: Gaius and Germanicus. Reflecting on the anniversary of Gettysburg, the speakers suggest that the "sacred" unity and mission established by Lincoln and later reinf

    29/06/2026 | 10 mins.
    The Fragility of the Union and the Dismantling of the Republic. Guests in Londinium, 92 AD: Gaius and Germanicus. Reflecting on the anniversary of Gettysburg, the speakers suggest that the "sacred" unity and mission established by Lincoln and later reinforced by D-Day are being abandoned. The current leadership is depicted as "whipsawed" between a desire to be a "peace president" and the political risk of appearing defeated on the world stage. The "imperial court" in Washington is described as oblivious to the citizenry, continuing foreign adventures despite widespread domestic opposition. Ultimately, Gaius and Germanicus posit that the United States is an arbitrary construct now in the process of being "dismantled" by endless political warfare and a growing disconnect between the leadership and the people.
  • The John Batchelor Show

    S8 Ep1070: The Nation in Arms and the Decline into the Imperial Model. Guests in Londinium, 92 AD: Gaius and Germanicus. The speakers contrast the historical "American way of war" with its modern imperial iteration. From the Civil War through World War II, war was a

    29/06/2026 | 19 mins.
    The Nation in Arms and the Decline into the Imperial Model. Guests in Londinium, 92 AD: Gaius and Germanicus.The speakers contrast the historical "American way of war" with its modern imperial iteration. From the Civil Warthrough World War II, war was a "religious crusading war" requiring total national mobilization and immense sacrifice, as seen in the 600,000 dead during the Civil War—"missionary moments" intended to redeem humanity. Following the Vietnam War, Germanicus argues, the United States transitioned to an all-volunteer force effectively "owned" by the executive branch, with modern wars becoming "detached from American participation" and functioning as "performative" or elective surgeries based on the whim of the "emperor." The bond between the citizenry and the sacrifice of war, once sacred, has been severed.
    1819
  • The John Batchelor Show

    S8 Ep1070: The Drone Contest and the Existential War in the East. Guests in Londinium, 92 AD: Gaius and Germanicus. The speakers examine the significant shift in modern warfare embodied by the "drone contest" between Russia and Ukraine. This new form of engagement h

    29/06/2026 | 30 mins.
    The Drone Contest and the Existential War in the East. Guests in Londinium, 92 AD: Gaius and Germanicus. The speakers examine the significant shift in modern warfare embodied by the "drone contest" between Russia and Ukraine. This new form of engagement has produced a fuel crisis in Russia, with reports of diesel rationing and shortages in Crimea following Ukrainian drone strikes on refineries and storage facilities. Despite these disruptions, the front lines remain relatively static, as mass drone attacks have prevented major Russian breakthroughs. Germanicus frames the conflict as an existential engagement for the Kremlin, which believes it is waging a total national effort against NATOsurrogates who supply the funding, equipment, and operational data sustaining the war.
    1890 BRUSSELS
  • The John Batchelor Show

    S8 Ep1069: Mortality and the End of the Iliad. Guest: Professor Emily Wilson. The conclusion of the Iliad explores the resolution of Achilles' rage following the death of Hector. Initially, Achilles attempts to prolong Hector's humiliation by dragging his body

    29/06/2026 | 6 mins.
    Mortality and the RAGE OF ACHILLES. Guest: Professor Emily Wilson. The conclusion of the Iliad explores the resolution of Achilles' rage following the death of Hector. Initially, Achilles attempts to prolong Hector's humiliation by dragging his body behind a chariot and refusing to allow a proper burial. However, the funeral games for Patroclus mark a shift toward maturity, as Achilles provides a space for competition that does not end in death. He even shows a degree of grace—or perhaps a subtle insult—by awarding Agamemnon a prize without a contest. The poem finishes with a humanitarian pause that allows the Trojans to bury Hector, bookending the story with funerals. The final voices are those of mourning women, emphasizing the shared human experience of grief and the inevitable suffering that follows war. Wilson concludes that the Iliad is fundamentally about the struggle to accept mortality, a theme that has provided comfort and insight to readers for over 2,700 years. 8
  • The John Batchelor Show

    S8 Ep1069: The Fall of Patroclus and the Killing Machine. Guest: Professor Emily Wilson. The turning point of the epic occurs when Patroclus enters the battle wearing Achilles' armor to deceive the Trojans and save the Greek ships. Ignoring Achilles' warning to retu

    29/06/2026 | 12 mins.
    The Fall of Patroclus and the Killing Machine. Guest: Professor Emily Wilson. The turning point of the epic occurs when Patroclus enters the battle wearing Achilles' armor to deceive the Trojans and save the Greek ships. Ignoring Achilles' warning to return quickly, Patroclus is driven by a desire for honor and continues his assault until he is stripped of his armor by Apollo and killed by Hector. This loss transforms Achilles into a terrifying "killing machine" who returns to the field for vengeance. Before re-entering the fray, his mother Thetis secures new magical armor from Hephaestus, the "tech god" of fire who works with robotic assistants. Achilles' subsequent rampage is so brutal that he violates human norms by killing unarmed suppliants and clogging the river Xanthus with so many corpses that the river god himself rises in protest. The narrative reaches its climax as Hector faces Achilles alone outside the city walls. The poem suggests that without proper burial, a spirit or psyche is doomed to wander, as seen when the spirit of Patroclus visits Achilles to plead for his funeral rites. 7
    1890
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About The John Batchelor Show
The John Batchelor Show is a hard news-analysis radio program on current events, world history, global politics and natural sciences. Based in New York City for two decades, the show has travelled widely to report, from the Middle East to the South Caucasus to the Arabian Peninsula and East Asia.
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