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How Did We Get Here?

How Did We Get Here?

BBC Radio 4 11 episodes Latest Feb 9, 2026

How Did We Get Here? explores the deep back-stories behind the most consequential events in the world right now. Each episode delves into the historical, political, and social contexts that have shaped current affairs. The podcast provides insightful analysis and context to help listeners understand the origins of major global developments.

Episodes

Israel and the Palestinians: Trailer Feb 4, 2026 131 Jonny Dymond and guests explore the complicated back-story of the Middle East conflict.
Israel and the Palestinians: 1: From Earliest Times to the Romans Feb 9, 2026 1718 In the first of ten programmes examining the origins and tracing the history of the Middle East conflict, presenter Jonny Dymond is joined by Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones, Professor in Ancient History at Cardiff University, and historian and author Simon Sebag Montefiore, author of ‘Jerusalem: The Biography’. They discuss the value of the Bible as a guide to history, the concept of a “promised land”, th
Israel and the Palestinians: 2: From the Muslim Conquest to the Nineteenth Century Feb 9, 2026 1690 The second of ten programmes examining the origins and tracing the history of the Middle East conflict takes the story from the Muslim conquest of the region in the Seventh Century AD through to the early Nineteenth Century. Presenter Jonny Dymond is joined by historian Simon Sebag Montefiore, author of ‘Jerusalem: The Biography’, and Eugene Rogan, Professor of Modern Middle Eastern History at Oxf
Israel and the Palestinians: 3: From the Nineteenth Century to the First World War Feb 9, 2026 1713 In the third of ten programmes exploring the origins and tracing the history of the Middle East conflict, presenter Jonny Dymond is joined by Hugh Kennedy, Professor of Arabic at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, Eugene Rogan, Professor of Modern Middle Eastern History at Oxford University, and historian Simon Sebag Montefiore. What kind of people lived in Ottoman-
Israel and the Palestinians: 4: The Balfour Declaration to the Arab Revolt Feb 9, 2026 1714 In the fourth of ten programmes exploring the origins and tracing the history of the Middle East conflict, presenter Jonny Dymond is joined by Gudrun Kraemer, Professor of Islamic Studies at the Free University of Berlin, author and historian James Barr and Eugene Rogan, Professor of Modern Middle Eastern History at Oxford University. They begin by discussing the origins, significance and conseque
Israel and the Palestinians: 5. From WWII to the First Arab-Israeli war Feb 9, 2026 1717 In the fifth of ten programmes exploring the origins and tracing the history of the Middle East conflict, we reach the key years of 1945-49, when the United Nations voted for two states in Palestine, the State of Israel was established, and Israel and its Arab neighbours fought their first war – by the end of which 700,000 Palestinians had lost their homes. Presenter Jonny Dymond is joined by Gudr
Israel and the Palestinians: 6: From Israel’s Early Years to the Six Day War Feb 9, 2026 1708 The sixth of ten programmes exploring the origins and tracing the history of the Middle East conflict examines the years from the end of the first Arab-Israeli war to the Six Day War of 1967. Presenter Jonny Dymond is joined by Mark Tessler, Professor of Political Science at the University of Michigan, USA, and author of ‘A History of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict’ and by the BBC’s Internation
Israel and the Palestinians: 7: From the Six Day War to the Lebanon War Feb 9, 2026 1684 The seventh of ten programmes exploring the origins and tracing the history of the Middle East conflict takes the story from the aftermath of the Six Day War in 1967 to its invasion of Lebanon in 1982. Presenter Jonny Dymond, the BBC’s International Editor Jeremy Bowen, and Mark Tessler, Professor of Political Science at the University of Michigan, USA, begin by discussing the impact of Israel’s v
Israel and the Palestinians: 8: From the First Intifada to the Camp David Summit Feb 9, 2026 1754 The eighth of ten programmes exploring the origins and tracing the history of the Middle East conflict begins five years after Israel’s invasion of Lebanon, with the outbreak in 1987 of a Palestinian uprising or intifada, in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip. Presenter Jonny Dymond, the BBC’s International Editor Jeremy Bowen, and Mark Tessler, Professor of Political Science at the University
Israel and the Palestinians: 9: From the Second Intifada to Netanyahu’s Re-election Feb 9, 2026 1688 In the ninth of ten programmes exploring the origins and tracing the history of the Middle East conflict, presenter Jonny Dymond is joined by journalist and film-maker Jane Corbin, who has been reporting from the region for more than 30 years, and by the BBC’s International Editor Jeremy Bowen. They begin by examining the second Palestinian intifada, or uprising – bloodier than the first – which b
Israel and the Palestinians: 10: From 2010 to the present day Feb 9, 2026 1722 In the last of ten programmes exploring the origins and tracing the history of the Middle East conflict, presenter Jonny Dymond is joined by journalist Jane Corbin, who has covered the region for three decades, and the BBC’s International Editor Jeremy Bowen. They start by discussing Israel’s economic success in the 2010s, and the situation in that period for Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank

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