Rear Vision — How History Shaped Today
Episodes
The Kamala Harris Story
18 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This week at the Democratic Convention in Chicago - Kamala Harris will become the Democratic nomination for President of the United States. But what ...
When the US Secret Service fails
10 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The assassination attempt on Trump was a shocking mission failure for the Secret Service. From JFK to Reagan, we examine what the agency’s histor...
Tensions in the South China Sea
03 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The Philippines is refusing to concede a small reef inside their territorial waters.What does it reveal about China's ambitions and the broader secur...
Reforming the Supreme Court of the United States
31 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The selection of a new justice to the United States Supreme Court is frequently controversial and almost always political. It’s a 'captain's pick' ...
The eerie parallels between the resignation of Lyndon Johnson in 1968 and Joe Biden 2024
28 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
US Presidents don’t give up power easily, only twice before has a sitting Democratic President decided not to stand for a second term. This week we...
How political violence has shaped American politics
21 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
While America was founded on lofty ideas – like democracy, equality and freedom – it’s was also shaped and continues to be shaped by political ...
The underrated ally — why South Korea matters to Australia
13 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The country's position as a democracy next to China and North Korea is critical.We examine South Korea's role on the global stage and how the society...
A tsunami of Trumpness
07 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Rear Vision puts contemporary events in their historical context.
Profits over public health — the story of forever chemicals
29 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
History is filled with examples of industries minimising or ignoring the risks associated with their products. We examine the story of forever chemi...
The growth of the far-right in European politics
23 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Until recently Far-right political parties, often with historical links to fascism and nazism, were relegated to the fringes of politics. But their s...
Capital gains are income so why are they taxed less than wages?
15 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Australia starting taxing capital gains in 1986, stamping out a whole lot of tax evasion in the process.So why in 1999 did the Howard government intr...
The International Criminal Court—A toothless tiger or a lion about to roar?
09 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Rear Vision puts contemporary events in their historical context.
Paris politics in the pacific – why riots broke out in New Caledonia
01 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Its colonial history, the fight for independence and why this archipelago in the heart of the pacific is so important to France.
The student protests on US campuses—repeat of the 1960’s or something completely different?
26 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
At colleges and universities across America, students have been protesting the ongoing war in Gaza and their institutions connections with Israel. In...
How the US military industrial complex got so big
18 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The United States spends more on defence than the next ten countries combined. The drive for military dominance started during the Cold War but wha...
The two-state solution—A way forward or more of the same
12 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
International leaders are calling for a two-state solution – as the only long-term way to solve the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians in...
The Middle East conflict and the two-state solution
08 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The two-state solution — notion that in the region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River there should be two states: one Israeli and t...
The People’s Army – the role of the IDF in Israeli society
04 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The story of how the military helped develop Israel’s national identity and how compulsory service can shape the lives and values of Israelis.
Could two lawsuits bring down the US gun industry?
28 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Mexico has one of the highest murder rates on earth, and most of these murders are committed by guns that come into Mexico illegally from America. Ca...
The power to choose — how Australia curated post war migration
20 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Australia is a nation built on migration, but the system has a sometimes-cruel history. How has our migration program evolved?And why the perceptio...
Roe v Wade and how it changed the United States
14 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It's almost two years since the US supreme court overturned Roe V WadeIn this episode from our archives, we revisit the story of the landmark 1973 ru...
How TikTok went from addictive pastime to a potential threat to national security
06 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
As TikTok's power and popularity has grown, concerns around its Chinese ownership have gotten louder.
Haiti — the background to political and social chaos
31 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The gang violence that is gripping the Caribbean nation of Haiti, is the most recent disaster in a long line of political, economic, and natural disa...
Border crossings — a history of migration at the US-Mexico border
23 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Immigrants are showing up at the southern border in record numbers. We examine the history of US policy toward immigration and border security with ...
How to end conflict—The art of peace making
17 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It’s a truism of peace talks that we’re not negotiating with our friends but rather our enemies. And when most of our enemies have been designate...
Qatar has become the world's go-to mediator, but what's in it for them?
09 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The story of how this tiny country got so good at conflict mediation and why their pragmatism is also a liability.
Power without Responsibility—The role of the Pakistani military in politics
03 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Since the birth Pakistan in 1947 the military has been interfering either directly or indirectly in politics and their election last month was no dif...
Tough on Crime: a history of putting kids in prison
24 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Figuring out the best way to respond to young people who commit crimes is a vexed issue.Especially when there is a perception that not enough is bein...
Axis of Resistance—Terrorists or Resistance Fighters?
18 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The Axis of Resistance, is a coalition of state and non-state actors, led by Iran and committed to resisting the presence of the United States and ...
How Australia's supermarket sector became one of the most concentrated in the world
10 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Coles and Woolworths didn't start out in food retail but after making the switch in the 1950s they quickly started taking over the competition.So wha...
US Presidential Elections—Are they democratic?
04 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
American Presidents are not elected by a popular vote but rather by a select group – known as the Electoral College. It’s a system that was devis...
Who are the Houthis and why are they attacking ships in the Red Sea?
27 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The Houthis, a militia group from Yemen, began targeting cargo vessels in the Red Sea last year.It's one of the world's busiest shipping lanes so dis...
From UFO to UAP: How the hunt for flying saucers made it to US Congress
21 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Since former intelligence official David Grusch made his explosive claims about the US government possessing ‘non-human’ crashed craft, the world...
Treaty making—a recognition of existence
14 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
With the failure of the constitutional Voice to parliament referendum last year should we be looking to a Treaty as the way forward. Both New Zealand...
How Donald Trump built his brand and made a fortune
07 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Donald Trump famously began his career as a builder and developer by capitalising on his father’s successful business. But then Trump identified ...
RICO Acts have brought down mafia bosses, corporate criminals, and stockbrokers now ones being used against former US President Donald Trump
31 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Donald Trump has several of legal problems - the most recent being in the state of Georgia. Where he and 18 co-defendants have been charged under Geo...
What is slot hoarding and does it really lead to cancelled flights?
24 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Australian airlines including Qantas and Virgin have been accused of slot hoarding. It is a tactic used by major airlines to intentionally book and ...
Vienna’s housing strategy—How this city became one of the most equitable and affordable in Europe
17 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Australia is facing a housing crisis - there is a shortage of affordable housing, essential workers can no longer live in the areas they work, and fa...
How Fentanyl became the most dangerous illegal drug in America
09 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid used widely in hospitals as a powerful painkiller.Since the late 1960s, it's been one of the world's most important op...
How Danish TV took over the world
03 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In 2007 the Danish public broadcaster, DR began producing serial crime dramas with a female detective in the lead. Set in a bleak social, and geograp...
From War to Peace: The Egypt and Israel peace deal and how it continues to influence the Middle East
25 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Hamas' surprise attack on Israel last month, was immediately compared to the 1973 Yom Kippur War.It was that conflict which forced Israel to start ne...
President John F Kennedy—The assassination that changed the world.
19 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The assassination of President John F. Kennedy in 1963 shock America and set in train a myriad of conspiracy theories. 60 years on - after numerous i...
Ultra-Processed Foods: why did we create them and why can't we stop eating them?
11 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Humans have been processing food for thousands of years. But now a more complex type of production dominates our diets, ultra-processed foods.What ...
From UFO to UAP: How the hunt for flying saucers made it to US Congress
05 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Since former intelligence official David Grusch made his explosive claims about the US government possessing ‘non-human’ crashed craft, the world...
What can past intelligence failures tell us about why Israel was taken by suprise on October 7
28 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The Hamas attack on Israel is being called the country’s 9/11 and represent a devastating failure of Intelligence. How did Israeli intelligence ...
The Gaza Strip—How a tiny sliver of land became the epicentre of conflict in the Middle East
22 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Hamas’s coordinated attack on Israel on October 7 has placed the Gaza Strip at the centre of a full-scale military conflict between Hamas and Israe...
How Donald Trump built his brand and made a fortune
14 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Donald Trump famously began his career as a builder and developer by capitalising on his father’s successful business. But then Trump identified ...
Why one of the richest nations in North Africa is a failed state—The tragedy of Libya
08 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Derna a port city in eastern Libya, lost over 11 thousand of its citizens on the 10/11 of September when a wall of water swept a large part of the ci...
What is slot hoarding and does it really lead to cancelled flights?
01 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Qantas once one of the best and most respected airlines in the sky is now in damage control.One of the many accusations being directed at Qantas is t...
RICO Acts have brought down mafia bosses, corporate criminals, and stockbrokers now ones being used against former US President Donald Trump
24 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Donald Trump has several of legal problems - the most recent being in the state of Georgia. Where he and 18 co-defendants have been charged under Geo...
Indigenous Voices to Parliament: The Scandinavian Model
20 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
On the 14th of October we'll all be voting in a referendum on changing the constitution to recognised Indigenous Australia’s by the establishment o...
How Australia became the first country in the world to introduce seatbelts and RBT
17 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Australia is experiencing a spike in the number of people dying on our roads particularly in NSW and VIC. Two states that were global leaders in ro...
The politics of Rising Rents—Rent control verses the free market
10 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Rents in Australia have risen sharply during the past three years, and it’s become a political issue. The Greens are demanding the introduction of ...
The destruction of China's never-ending property boom
02 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Real estate has been the engine of the Chinese economy for decades, but the boom is over. And crisis is deliberate, brought on by Beijing's strategy...
Niger and the legacy of colonialism
27 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
For over a decade Niger in West Africa was seen as the beacon of democracy. That all changed in July 2023 when the elected President was ousted in a ...
Too Powerful to Regulate — the battle to rein in Big Tech
20 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Amazon, Apple, Meta, Alphabet and Microsoft are some of the most impactful corporations to ever come out of the United States.And their innovation ha...
Checks and Balances—the crisis surrounding Israel's judicial reform
13 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Israel has two institutions underpinning its political system - its parliament, the Knesset, and its judiciary - but it doesn’t have a written cons...
Hollywood on pause: actors and writers are on strike and their very existence is at stake
06 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Hollywood has come to a standstill with actors and writers on strike, from the most famous to the bit player. It's a dispute not just about money bu...
Soldiers of Fortune—The history of mercenaries and their impact on warfare
30 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Through most of the 20th centuries mercenaries didn’t exist but that was an anomaly - historically mercenaries have always played a major role in c...
White oil: the story and politics of lithium and how Australia became the world's greatest supplier
23 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Lithium-ion batteries power everything from consumer goods, electric vehicles, large storage batteries and everything else we need to achieve net zer...
Vienna’s housing strategy—How this city became one of the most equitable and affordable in Europe
16 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Australia is facing a housing crisis - there is a shortage of affordable housing, essential workers can no longer live in the areas they work, and fa...
When Hollywood met China – the battle for the big screen
09 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Following controversies involving films like 'Top Gun', 'Mulan' and now 'Barbie', there's been growing pushback against China's perceived influence o...
The jet stream: rivers of air in the sky
02 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Jet streams are narrow bands of strong winds in the upper atmosphere. This is the story of how they were discovered and what can happen when they b...
Retirement and the story of funding old age
25 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The strikes and street protests across France in the first months of this year were part of an ultimately failed attempt to stop the French governme...
Ozempic and the history of weight loss in a pill
18 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The story of diet drugs is one full of miracle cures that don't live up to the hype or come with serious side effects.There's a new class of drugs b...
Moldova and Transnistria—the uncomfortable bedfellows on Ukraine’s border
11 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The Republic of Moldova, a former Soviet republic, is bordered by Romania to the west and Ukraine to the north, east, and south. Since the collaps...
On a mission—women in space
04 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
For the first time, a woman will fly to the moon when NASA sends four astronauts on the Artemis 2 lunar orbit mission next year. More than 650 people...
The life and death of political parties
28 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Dozens of political parties have come and gone since Federation, although the three major parties of the post-war period are still with us today. One...
Belarus and its role in the war in Ukraine
21 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Former Soviet republic Belarus is a key Moscow ally in the war against Ukraine, facilitating the initial invasion and more recently agreeing to host ...
The economics of Inflation—Science, Craft, or Snake Oil
14 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
None of us need to be told that prices are going up or that interest rates are following. We are clearly now in a period of inflation which may or ma...
Edward and Harry—the men who left the royal family
07 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
While the newly crowned King Charles has certainly been the focus of attention this weekend, his younger son, Harry, has also been in the media spotl...
What’s wrong with Australia’s tax system and can we fix it?
30 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
They say there are only two certainties in life – death and taxes. While we can’t do much about the former, the latter has been the focus of much...
Household waste—do we dump or recycle?
23 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In Australia we haven’t developed a modern recycling industry and we’re still relying on dumping waste into landfill. But other nations do recycl...
The AUKUS subs and the nuclear waste we’ve never stored
16 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The storage of radioactive waste has proved incredibly difficult. None of the high-level waste produced in more than half a century of nuclear power ...
Medicare—is it still fit for purpose?
09 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
For 40 years Medicare has been the foundation of Australia’s primary health care system. But with GPs hard to find, bulk billing rates declining an...
Giving a voice to Indigenous Australians — why has it always failed?
01 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Since the referendum of 1967, federal governments have tried to establish representative Indigenous advisory bodies but none of these lasted. Each on...
The 1967 referendum — a vote to count Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as part of the Australian population
26 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Until the 1967 referendum, First Nations people were not included in the census and so weren’t considered members of the Australian population. Thi...
Harmony Day—does it truly reflect the history of immigration and multiculturalism in Australia?
19 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
After World War II, Australia embarked on a massive immigration program. Between 1945 and 1965, two million immigrants came here, many from countries...
Treaty making—a recognition of existence
12 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In the current debate over the Voice to parliament, both sides agree on the need for a Treaty. What they don’t agree on is when. Both New Zealand a...
Covid—what do scientists now know about the virus and the disease it causes?
05 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In early January, 2020, news began filtering through from China about a previously unknown illness, perhaps a new kind of pneumonia that appeared to ...
War in Ukraine—the political story
26 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In just twelve months, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has reshaped the political landscape in Europe. Finland and Sweden have applied to join NATO, p...
War in Ukraine—the military story
19 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Russia’s attempt to take its neighbour, Ukraine, by force has not gone according to plan. Many—including Russia—expected Ukraine’s capitulati...
The battle for the soul of the Catholic Church
12 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Pope Francis is facing increasing criticism from conservatives within the Catholic Church. While conflict and ideological battles in the Church are n...
Ransomware, cybercrimes and how to stay safe
05 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
n 2022, the Optus data breach, along with the Medibank hack, saw the theft of the personal information of millions of Australians. In the last decade...
How legal conservatives have captured the US Supreme Court
29 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Fifty years ago, the US Supreme Court Roe v. Wade decision effectively legalised abortion across the country. That decision was overturned last year ...
Barbados farewells the Queen — any lessons for Australia
22 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In November, 2021, Barbados, a tiny Caribbean island, replaced the Queen as its head of state with a Barbadian president. How did Barbados succeed wh...
Nordic criminal justice — people not prisoners
15 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In Scandinavian prisons the focus is on rehabilitation not punishment.
Passports, borders and identity — the story of the essential travel item
08 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
As Australia’s borders opened after the Covid pandemic, there was an overwhelming surge in applications for passports as we travelled to see friend...
Predicting the weather — a history of the forecast
01 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We take for granted the accuracy of predictions and warnings put out by our weather forecasters. Once, weather predictions were the butt of jokes but...
Chocolate — the world’s most seductive treat and its dark shadow
25 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Chocolate is one of our most popular indulgences but there is a darker side to the industry – one connected with colonialism, the industrial revolu...
Germany’s Ruhr—from coal mines to culture
18 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
For over one hundred years, the Ruhr region was the grimy, polluted heart of Germany’s coal and steel. Today it has no coal mines. Instead, it is a...
Cryptocurrency—has the bubble burst?
11 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
It was a bad year for crypto even before the spectacular collapse of FTX. Although eminent economists and investors warned that cryptocurrency was a ...
Centrelink, the Coalition and Robodebt
04 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Centrelink’s 'automated debt recovery system' - or Robodebt - sparked two Senate inquiries, an Ombudsman inquiry, numerous court cases and now a Ro...
Gambling on the nose—Australia’s gambling industry under attack on all fronts
27 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Casino inquiries, cashless gambling cards, new laws on gambling advertising—the gambling industry in Australia is under the microscope as never bef...
National Disability Insurance Scheme
20 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The NDIS was meant to transform the lives of all Australians with a disability, but things haven’t quite gone to plan. Many people have found the N...
National Housing Accord—one million new homes promised
13 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The federal government has committed to work with states and territories, local government and investors to reshape housing in Australia. Perhaps mos...
The Republican Party and its embrace of far-right extremism
06 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The US midterm elections are happening this week and many people say that the outcome could determine the future of democracy in America. We look at ...
Brazil at the crossroads—voters choose a new president
30 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The choice is between the former leftist president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva—known as Lula—and the far-right incumbent, Jair Bolsonaro. Who ar...
Iran protests—women, life, freedom
23 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The death last month of a young Iranian woman while in the custody of the morality police has sparked widespread protests across Iran. Protests are n...
Chairman Xi—his life and times
16 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
As the all-powerful Chinese Communist Party elite gather for a public display of their authority, Xi Jinping cements his grip on China. Xi’s famil...