Best Jeremy Francese Podcasts (2025)

1
Why Putin's War Economy is Soon to Crack 28:41

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1d ago28:41

28:41

How fragile is the state of Russia’s economy? In this episode of One Decision, hosts Christina Ruffini and Sir Richard Dearlove, former MI6 Chief, sit down with Alexandra Prokopenko, a fellow at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, who left her role as an advisor to the Bank of Russia after the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Prokopenko discusses how stat…

1
Steven Veerapen, "Witches: A King's Obsession" (Birlin, 2025) 39:42

2d ago39:42

39:42

Witches – whether broomstick-riding spell-casters or Wiccan earth-worshippers – have been culturally relevant for centuries. For centuries, too, belief in the potency of witchcraft has been debated, accused witches have been hunted and punished, and film and TV productions have brought the witch and the witch-hunter to big and small screens. But wh…

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Robert Ivermee, "Glorious Failure: The Forgotten History of French Imperialism in India" (Oxford UP, 2025) 55:54

5d ago55:54

55:54

This is a powerful new account of a chapter in history that is crucial to understand, yet often overlooked. For 150 years, from the reign of Louis XIV to the downfall of Napoleon, France was an aggressive imperial power in South Asia, driven by the pursuit of greatness and riches. Through their East India company and state, the French established a…

1
David Woodman, "The First King of England: Æthelstan and the Birth of a Kingdom" (Princeton UP, 2025) 39:15

5d ago39:15

39:15

The First King of England: Æthelstan and the Birth of a Kingdom (Princeton University Press, 2025) by Professor David Woodman is a foundational biography of Æthelstan (d. 939), the early medieval king whose territorial conquests and shrewd statesmanship united the peoples, languages, and cultures that would come to be known as the “kingdom of the E…

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In Brief: How Israel’s AI Warfare is Changing the Battlefield 16:44

3d ago16:44

16:44

In this week’s One Decision In Brief, hosts Kate McCann and Sir Richard Dearlove, former MI6 Chief, discuss how Israel is deploying AI on the battlefield and how the technology is intercepting calls, mapping behavior, and even generating target lists. They examine the two most common AI models employed, called "Lavender" and “Gospel,” how they’re d…

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151. Prime Minister of Norway: On Trump, Tech, and Brexit Lessons (Jonas Gahr Støre) 58:43

6d ago58:43

58:43

Why is the nation with the world’s richest sovereign wealth fund not ‘universally happy’? What can the UK learn from Norway’s relationship with the EU? Is Jonas Gahr Støre really standing between Trump and a Nobel Peace Prize? Alastair and Rory are joined by The Prime Minister of Norway, Jonas Gahr Støre, to discuss all this and more. Visit HP.com/…

101
Chris Millington, "A History of Fascism in France: From the First World War to the National Front" (Bloomsbury, 2019) 1:03:09

7d ago1:03:09

1:03:09

FASCISM...FRANCE. Two words/ideas that scholars have spent much time and energy debating in relationship to one another. Chris Millington's A History of Fascism in France: From the First World War to the National Front (Bloomsbury, 2019) is a work of synthesis that also draws on the author's own research for key examples and evidence to support its…

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Chris Millington, "A History of Fascism in France: From the First World War to the National Front" (Bloomsbury, 2019) 1:03:09

5d ago1:03:09

1:03:09

FASCISM...FRANCE. Two words/ideas that scholars have spent much time and energy debating in relationship to one another. Chris Millington's A History of Fascism in France: From the First World War to the National Front (Bloomsbury, 2019) is a work of synthesis that also draws on the author's own research for key examples and evidence to support its…

1
Diana Souhami, "No Modernism Without Lesbians" (Head of Zeus Book, 2020) 38:35

7d ago38:35

38:35

Diana Souhami talks about her new book No Modernism Without Lesbians, out 2020 with Head of Zeus books. A Sunday Times Book of the Year 2020. This is the extraordinary story of how a singular group of women in a pivotal time and place – Paris, between the wars – fostered the birth of the Modernist movement. Sylvia Beach, Bryher, Natalie Barney, and…

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Interview avec Clémence, diététicienne 25:09

10d ago25:09

25:09

In this episode, Gaelle interviews Clémence, a French dietitian with her own private practice. With her modern and progressive views on nutrition, Clémence will explain why being slim doesn’t always mean being healthy, and how the table manners you learnt as a child can have a big impact on your adult life and your relationship with food. Check out…

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Why This Israeli Security Expert Abandoned the Two-State Solution 29:34

8d ago29:34

29:34

In this episode of One Decision, Sir Richard Dearlove, former MI6 chief, and journalist Christina Ruffini speak with Professor Chuck Freilich, Israel’s former Deputy National Security Adviser. Freilich explains why he no longer sees a two-state solution as viable and lays out a three-pillar alternative for Gaza and the West Bank. He examines the ai…

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Anders M. Greene-Crow, "Austerity Measures: The Poetics of Food Insecurity in Early Modern English Literature" (U Pennsylvania Press, 2025) 1:04:33

11d ago1:04:33

1:04:33

My guest today is Anders M. Greene-Crow. Anders teaches at the Woods College of Advancing Studies and is a former Professor of English at Boston College. More recently, Anders has been preparing for the New York state bar exam, while also co-hosting the podcast “Say Podcast and Die!,” about R.L. Stine’s book series, Goosebumps. Today, we are discus…

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Jérémy Filet, "The Jacobites and the Grand Tour: Educational Travel and Small-States' Diplomacy" (Manchester UP, 2025) 36:04

12d ago36:04

36:04

The Jacobites and the Grand Tour: Educational travel and small-states' diplomacy (Manchester University Press, 2025) by Dr. Jérémy Filet is the first monograph to fully examine the intersecting networks of Jacobites and travellers to the continent. In the book, Dr. Filet considers how small states used official diplomacy and deployed soft power - e…

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Jérémy Filet, "The Jacobites and the Grand Tour: Educational Travel and Small-States' Diplomacy" (Manchester UP, 2025) 36:04

12d ago36:04

36:04

The Jacobites and the Grand Tour: Educational travel and small-states' diplomacy (Manchester University Press, 2025) by Dr. Jérémy Filet is the first monograph to fully examine the intersecting networks of Jacobites and travellers to the continent. In the book, Dr. Filet considers how small states used official diplomacy and deployed soft power - e…

1
Jonathan Daly and Leonid Trofimov, "The Russian Revolution and Its Global Impact: A Short History with Documents" (Hackett Publishing, 2017) 1:03:50

12d ago1:03:50

1:03:50

"On the centenary of the Russian Revolution, Jonathan Daly and Leonid Trofimov have reinvigorated the study of a turning point in world history. Instead of rehashing the internal dynamics of the Bolshevik takeover, the authors have carefully juxtaposed the international ambitions of the Bolsheviks with the Revolution's reception around the world. D…

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Harald Bodenschatz et al., "Urban Planning in Nazi Germany: Attack, Triumph, Terror in the European Context, 1933–1945" (DOM, 2025) 56:00

10d ago56:00

56:00

Urban Planning in Nazi Germany: Attack, Triumph, Terror in the European Context, 1933–1945 (DOM, 2025) is edited by Uwe Altrock, Harald Bodenschatz, Victoria Grau, Jannik Noeske, Christiane Post, and Max Welch Guerra. The book includes contributions from Christian von Oppen, Piero Sassi, and Jannik Noeske. Two co-editors, Victoria Grau and Max Welc…

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In Brief: What the John Bolton FBI Search Reveals About Handling Intel Secrets 15:05

11d ago15:05

15:05

This week on One Decision In Brief, hosts Christina Ruffini and former MI6 Chief Sir Richard Dearlove explore what the FBI search of former National Security Advisor John Bolton’s home and office says about America’s broken system for handling classified material and why so many senior U.S. officials - including President Donald Trump, President Jo…

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Peter K. Andersson, "The Dandy: A People's History of Sartorial Splendour" (Oxford UP, 2025) 43:52

13d ago43:52

43:52

A history of the dandy from below, from Beau Brummell and Baudelaire to Bowie and Bolan... and beyond. The historical figure of the dandy has commonly been described as an upper-class gentleman, often exemplified by well-known men such as Beau Brummell, Charles Baudelaire, Oscar Wilde, and Max Beerbohm. But there is a broader history to be told abo…

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Agnes Arnold-Forster, "The Cancer Problem: Malignancy in Nineteenth-Century Britain" (Oxford UP, 2021) 1:01:30

11d ago1:01:30

1:01:30

Agnes Arnold-Forster's book The Cancer Problem: Malignancy in Nineteenth-Century Britain (Oxford UP, 2021) offers the first medical, cultural, and social history of cancer in nineteenth-century Britain. It begins by looking at a community of doctors and patients who lived and worked in the streets surrounding the Middlesex Hospital in London. It fo…

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150. Nicola Sturgeon: What Really Happened In The Scottish Referendum (Part 2) 1:07:54

14d ago1:07:54

1:07:54

How did the media and Westminster impact the Scottish Referendum? Why are spin rooms "utterly pointless" in Nicola's view? Is misogyny in politics as bad as it used to be, or getting worse due to social media? Rory and Alastair are joined by Nicola Sturgeon for part 2 of their interview to answer all these questions and more. Visit HP.com/politics …

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Christopher Kemp, "Dark and Magical Places: The Neuroscience of Navigation" (Norton, 2022) 50:51

12d ago50:51

50:51

Inside our heads we carry around an infinite and endlessly unfolding map of the world. Navigation is one of the most ancient neural abilities we have―older than language. In Dark and Magical Places: The Neuroscience of Navigation (Norton, 2022), Christopher Kemp embarks on a journey to discover the remarkable extent of what our minds can do. Fueled…

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Raymond Jonas, "Habsburgs on the Rio Grande: The Rise and Fall of the Second Mexican Empire" (Harvard UP, 2024) 1:05:12

15d ago1:05:12

1:05:12

For a few years in the middle of the nineteenth century, Mexico was ruled by an Austrian and defended by a French army. This often neglected story is more than just historical trivia - it's a way of understanding 19th century imperial politics, and global insurgencies today. In Habsburgs on the Rio Grande: The Rise and Fall of the Second Mexican Em…

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Michelle P. Brown, "Bede and the Theory of Everything" (Reaktion Books, 2023) 1:14:55

14d ago1:14:55

1:14:55

Bede and the Theory of Everything (Reaktion Books, 2023) investigates the life and world of Bede (c. 673–735), foremost scholar of the early Middle Ages and ‘the father of English history’. It examines his notable feats, including calculating the first tide-tables; playing a role in the creation of the Ceolfrith Bibles and the Lindisfarne Gospels; …

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Konrad H. Jarausch, "Embattled Europe: A Progressive Alternative" (Princeton UP, 2021) 31:25

15d ago31:25

31:25

A bracing corrective to predictions of the European Union’s decline, by a leading historian of modern Europe Is the European Union in decline? Recent history, from the debt and migration crises to Brexit, has led many observers to argue that the EU’s best days are behind it. Over the past decade, right-wing populists have come to power in Poland, H…

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Mariya Grinberg, "Trade in War: Economic Cooperation Across Enemy Lines" (Cornell UP, 2025) 46:17

17d ago46:17

46:17

Trade between belligerents during wartime should not occur. After all, exchanged goods might help enemies secure the upper hand on the battlefield. Yet as history shows, states rarely choose either war or trade. In fact, they frequently engage in both at the same time. To explain why states trade with their enemies, in Trade in War: Economic Cooper…

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Inside Negotiations to End the War in Ukraine 29:07

17d ago29:07

29:07

In this week’s episode of One Decision, host Sir Richard Dearlove, former MI6 Chief, is joined by former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine John Herbst to assess the fallout from President Donald Trump’s unprecedented summit with Vladimir Putin in Alaska — and the extraordinary gathering of European leaders at the White House that followed. They examine wh…

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Barry Strauss, "Jews vs. Rome: Two Centuries of Rebellion Against the World's Mightiest Empire" (Simon & Schuster, 2025) 44:57

19d ago44:57

44:57

Jews vs. Rome: Two Centuries of Rebellion Against the World's Mightiest Empire (Simon & Schuster, 2025) by Barry Strauss recounts the history and events of three major uprisings: the Great Revolt of 66–70 CE, which led to the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple, culminating in the Siege of Masada, where defenders chose mass suicide over surrend…

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Paul Thomas Chamberlin, "Scorched Earth: A Global History of World War II" (Basic Books, 2025) 1:04:46

19d ago1:04:46

1:04:46

In popular memory, the Second World War was an unalloyed victory for freedom over totalitarianism, marking the demise of the age of empires and the triumph of an American-led democratic order. In Scorched Earth: A Global History of World War II (Basic Books, 2025), historian Paul Thomas Chamberlin opens a longer and wider aperture on World War II a…

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In Brief: Why Trump Cut an AI Chip Deal For China 12:18

19d ago12:18

12:18

Why is Donald Trump letting Nvidia sell chips to China, and what does it mean for global power politics? In this episode of One Decision In Brief, hosts Kate McCann and Sir Richard Dearlove, former MI6 Chief, break down the unusual deal, where the U.S. government gets a cut of the profits. They explore the strategy behind America’s chip dominance, …

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149. Nicola Sturgeon: On Margaret Thatcher, Alex Salmond, and the Push for Independence (Part 1) 46:34

21d ago46:34

46:34

What is the difference between class distinctions in Scotland and the rest of the UK? How did Nicola Sturgeon's childhood in Scotland inform her politics? What was Margaret Thatcher's influence on Nicola's career? Rory and Alastair are joined by former Leader of the SNP and First Minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon, to answer all these questions …

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Marla Segol, "Kabbalah and Sex Magic: A Mythical-Ritual Genealogy" (Pennsylvania State UP, 2022) 56:55

21d ago56:55

56:55

In Kabbalah and Sex Magic: A Mythical-Ritual Genealogy (Penn State University Press, 2021) a provocative book, Marla Segol explores the development of the kabbalistic cosmology underlying Western sex magic. Drawing extensively on Jewish myth and ritual, Segol tells the powerful story of the relationship between the divine and the human body in late…

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Mark Braude, "The Invisible Emperor: Napoleon on Elba from Empire to Exile" (Penguin Press, 2018) 1:02:08

21d ago1:02:08

1:02:08

I must’ve been a kid when I first heard the palindrome “Able I was ere I saw Elba”. Napoleon didn’t mean a lot to me at the time. “Elba” meant even less. Decades later, I had learned a little more about Napoleon and his time there, but not that all that much it turns out. And then came Mark Braude’s The Invisible Emperor: Napoleon on Elba from Empi…

1
Mark Braude, "The Invisible Emperor: Napoleon on Elba from Empire to Exile" (Penguin Press, 2018) 1:02:08

21d ago1:02:08

1:02:08

I must’ve been a kid when I first heard the palindrome “Able I was ere I saw Elba”. Napoleon didn’t mean a lot to me at the time. “Elba” meant even less. Decades later, I had learned a little more about Napoleon and his time there, but not that all that much it turns out. And then came Mark Braude’s The Invisible Emperor: Napoleon on Elba from Empi…

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David de Boer, "The Early Modern Dutch Press in an Age of Religious Persecution" (Oxford UP, 2023) 34:47

22d ago34:47

34:47

David de Boer returns to the podcast to talk to Jana Byars about his first book, The Early Modern Dutch Press in the Age of Religious Persecution (Oxford UP, 2023). This book is available open source here. For victims of persecution around the world, attracting international media attention for their plight is often a matter of life and death. This…