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.

Episodes

S8 Ep169: Octavian Becomes Augustus: Colleague Barry Strauss explains that Octavian adopts the title Augustus, carefully avoiding the labels of king or dictator while establishing authority; he erases Antony's public memory, while Octavia raises Antony's children,

December 6, 2025 • 14 mins

Octavian Becomes Augustus: Colleague Barry Strauss explains that Octavian adopts the title Augustus, carefully avoiding the labels of king or dictator while establishing authority; he erases Antony's public memory, while Octavia raises Antony's children, securing a lineage that leads to future emperors like Nero, with the fate of Cleopatra's statue in Rome remaining unknown.

1891 SARAH BERNHARDT AS CLEOPATRA

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S8 Ep169: The Deaths of Antony and Cleopatra: Colleague Barry Strauss recounts that back in Alexandria, negotiations fail as Octavian closes in to secure Egypt's treasury; Antony's remaining forces defect, leading to his suicide in Cleopatra's arms, and realizing O

December 6, 2025 • 9 mins

The Deaths of Antony and Cleopatra: Colleague Barry Strauss recounts that back in Alexandria, negotiations fail as Octavian closes in to secure Egypt's treasury; Antony's remaining forces defect, leading to his suicide in Cleopatra's arms, and realizing Octavian plans to parade her in Rome and kill her son Caesarion, Cleopatra commits suicide, likely via snakebite.

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S8 Ep169: Agrippa's Brilliant Attack on Methone: Colleague Barry Strauss details the logistical maneuvers preceding Actium, noting Antony's defensive posture in western Greece, with Agrippa executing a brilliant surprise attack on Methone, a key supply base, crippl

December 6, 2025 • 9 mins

Agrippa's Brilliant Attack on Methone: Colleague Barry Strauss details the logistical maneuvers preceding Actium, noting Antony's defensive posture in western Greece, with Agrippa executing a brilliant surprise attack on Methone, a key supply base, crippling Antony's supply lines; this amphibious raid forces Antony to shift focus to the north, setting the stage for battle.

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S8 Ep169: Antony's Political Error and the Path to Civil War: Colleague Barry Strauss recounts that Antony commits a major political error by divorcing Octavia, allowing Octavian to frame the conflict as a defense of Roman values against a foreign queen; despite in

December 6, 2025 • 6 mins

Antony's Political Error and the Path to Civil War: Colleague Barry Strauss recounts that Antony commits a major political error by divorcing Octavia, allowing Octavian to frame the conflict as a defense of Roman values against a foreign queen; despite internal objections, Cleopatra remains with the fleet at Ephesus, cementing the inevitability of civil war between the factions.

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S8 Ep169: Antony's Marriage and Octavian's Information War: Colleague Barry Strauss explains that to maintain peace, Antony marries Octavian's sister Octavia, though tensions persist; while Antony suffers military losses in Parthia, Octavian's general Agrippa defea

December 6, 2025 • 14 mins

Antony's Marriage and Octavian's Information War: Colleague Barry Strauss explains that to maintain peace, Antony marries Octavian's sister Octavia, though tensions persist; while Antony suffers military losses in Parthia, Octavian's general Agrippa defeats Sextus Pompey and succeeds in Illyricum, with Octavian launching an information war portraying Antony as a traitor "unmanned" by Cleopatra and luxury.

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S8 Ep169: Cleopatra's Spectacular Introduction to Antony: Colleague Barry Strauss describes Cleopatra's spectacular introduction to Antony and her background as the ruthless, wealthy queen of the Ptolemaic dynasty, noting that Antony values her resources and acknow

December 6, 2025 • 7 mins

Cleopatra's Spectacular Introduction to Antony: Colleague Barry Strauss describes Cleopatra's spectacular introduction to Antony and her background as the ruthless, wealthy queen of the Ptolemaic dynasty, noting that Antony values her resources and acknowledges her son Caesarion as Julius Caesar's child, highlighting Cleopatra's wealth display with the pearl story and their strategic alliance.

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S8 Ep169: Power Struggle After Caesar's Death: Colleague Barry Strauss introduces the power struggle following Caesar's death, featuring the established noble Mark Antony and the ambitious, though physically slight, Octavian, detailing the Second Triumvirate and An

December 6, 2025 • 10 mins

Power Struggle After Caesar's Death: Colleague Barry Strauss introduces the power struggle following Caesar's death, featuring the established noble Mark Antony and the ambitious, though physically slight, Octavian, detailing the Second Triumvirate and Antony's military prestige after Philippi, contrasting it with Octavian's reliance on political cunning and the legacy of his great-uncle.
1700 ANTONY & CLEOPATRA

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S8 Ep168: Views on America and Marxist Dogma: Colleague Geoffrey Roberts explains that Stalin admired American production and the Constitution, viewing the U.S. as a progressive capitalist state; however, Stalin remained a Marxist dogmatist who edited texts to fit

December 6, 2025 • 7 mins

Views on America and Marxist Dogma: Colleague Geoffrey Roberts explains that Stalin admired American production and the Constitution, viewing the U.S. as a progressive capitalist state; however, Stalin remained a Marxist dogmatist who edited texts to fit his ideology, with Roberts ultimately characterizing Stalin as an intellectual whose worldview was limited by his fanatical commitment to Bolshevism.

1934

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S8 Ep168: Rehabilitating Ivan the Terrible: Colleague Geoffrey Roberts reports that Stalin favored the narrative history of Robert Vipper, who rehabilitated Ivan the Terrible as a state-builder rather than a cruel tyrant; Stalin criticized Eisenstein's film sequel

December 6, 2025 • 12 mins

Rehabilitating Ivan the Terrible: Colleague Geoffrey Roberts reports that Stalin favored the narrative history of Robert Vipper, who rehabilitated Ivan the Terrible as a state-builder rather than a cruel tyrant; Stalin criticized Eisenstein's film sequel for portraying Ivan as weak, insisting Ivan's terror was a necessary defense of the state, a view justifying Stalin's own purges.
1945

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S8 Ep168: Historical Influences: Bismarck and Realpolitik: Colleague Geoffrey Roberts discusses how Stalin studied Bismarck as a fellow modernizer who executed a "revolution from above" to build a strong state, arguing that regarding Machiavelli, Stalin did not nee

December 6, 2025 • 10 mins

Historical Influences: Bismarck and Realpolitik: Colleague Geoffrey Roberts discusses how Stalin studied Bismarck as a fellow modernizer who executed a "revolution from above" to build a strong state, arguing that regarding Machiavelli, Stalin did not need The Prince to learn cynicism or power politics, as he had already learned those lessons effectively from Bolshevik mentors like Lenin and Trotsky.
1935

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S8 Ep168: Rediscovering the Scattered Library: Colleague Geoffrey Roberts explains that after 1956, Stalin's library was dispersed, leaving only about 5,500 identifiable books, some containing his pometki or markings; while Yuri Sharapov revealed the library in 198

December 6, 2025 • 8 mins

Rediscovering the Scattered Library: Colleague Geoffrey Roberts explains that after 1956, Stalin's library was dispersed, leaving only about 5,500 identifiable books, some containing his pometki or markings; while Yuri Sharapov revealed the library in 1988, no "smoking gun" explains Stalin, with Roberts arguing the library proves Stalin was a serious intellectual who believed books changed the world.

1902

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S8 Ep168: Personal Tragedy and the Dacha Library: Colleague Geoffrey Roberts recounts that following the suicide of his wife Nadia in 1932, Stalin became more isolated, moving his routine to the Blizhnyaya dacha, which became the "center of gravity" for his books e

December 6, 2025 • 6 mins

Personal Tragedy and the Dacha Library: Colleague Geoffrey Roberts recounts that following the suicide of his wife Nadia in 1932, Stalin became more isolated, moving his routine to the Blizhnyaya dacha, which became the "center of gravity" for his books eventually numbering around 25,000, suggesting that like Machiavelli, Stalin felt most among friends when surrounded by his library.
1934

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S8 Ep168: Classifying the Dictator's Collection: Colleague Geoffrey Roberts reports that Stalin hired Lenin's former librarian to organize his growing collection, creating a handwritten classification scheme that prioritized Marxist thinkers, surprisingly ranking h

December 6, 2025 • 13 mins

Classifying the Dictator's Collection: Colleague Geoffrey Roberts reports that Stalin hired Lenin's former librarian to organize his growing collection, creating a handwritten classification scheme that prioritized Marxist thinkers, surprisingly ranking his rival Trotsky highly on this reading list; the Bolsheviks seized control of publishing to manage public thought, while Stalin adopted an ex libris stamp to identify his per...

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S8 Ep168: Stalin's Early Education and Reading Habits: Colleague Geoffrey Roberts describes Stalin's Blizhnyaya dacha, where the dictator kept a massive library and died in 1953, detailing Stalin's youth as a pious, star seminary student who lost interest in the pr

December 6, 2025 • 7 mins

Stalin's Early Education and Reading Habits: Colleague Geoffrey Roberts describes Stalin's Blizhnyaya dacha, where the dictator kept a massive library and died in 1953, detailing Stalin's youth as a pious, star seminary student who lost interest in the priesthood after discovering a radical bookshop, becoming a voracious reader of prohibited nationalist and socialist literature.
1921

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S8 Ep168: Stalin's Early Education and Reading Habits: Colleague Geoffrey Roberts describes Stalin's Blizhnyaya dacha, where the dictator kept a massive library and died in 1953, detailing Stalin's youth as a pious, star seminary student who lost interest in the pr

December 6, 2025 • 11 mins

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S8 Ep167: SHOW 12-5-25 CBS EYE ON THE WORLD WITH JOHN BATCHELOR THE SHOW BEGINS IN THE DOUBTS ABOUT INFLATION. FIRST HOUR 9-915 Infrastructure Booms and Business Exoduses in the West: Colleague Jeff Bliss reports that high-speed rail construction from Los An

December 5, 2025 • 8 mins

SHOW
12-5-25
CBS EYE ON THE WORLD WITH JOHN BATCHELOR
1940 PITTSBURGH
THE SHOW BEGINS IN THE DOUBTS ABOUT INFLATION.

FIRST HOUR

9-915

Infrastructure Booms and Business Exoduses in the West: Colleague Jeff Bliss reports that high-speed rail construction from Los Angeles to Las Vegas is accelerating in anticipation of the 2028 Olympics, while the Boring Compa...

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S8 Ep166: audi Arabia Seeks Nuclear Capabilities: Colleague Henry Sokolski explains that Saudi Arabia wants a nuclear power plant but resists signing US protocols allowing inspections; while Washington may view this as a hedge against Iran, a Saudi nuclear capabili

December 5, 2025 • 8 mins

Saudi Arabia Seeks Nuclear Capabilities: Colleague Henry Sokolski explains that Saudi Arabia wants a nuclear power plant but resists signing US protocols allowing inspections; while Washington may view this as a hedge against Iran, a Saudi nuclear capability would threaten Israel's qualitative military edge, and the US has not yet granted advanced consent for enrichment.

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S8 Ep166: Nuclear Ambitions in South Korea: Colleague Henry Sokolski reports that South Korea is requesting nuclear-powered submarines and enrichment rights, raising concerns about potential nuclear proliferation, with some arguing this could lead to a confederatio

December 5, 2025 • 11 mins

Nuclear Ambitions in South Korea: Colleague Henry Sokolski reports that South Korea is requesting nuclear-powered submarines and enrichment rights, raising concerns about potential nuclear proliferation, with some arguing this could lead to a confederation with the North or US withdrawal, while others prefer Seoul invest in American nuclear facilities to strengthen the alliance.
1953

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S8 Ep166: Lebanon's Demographic Decline and Political Stagnation: Colleague Hussain Abdul-Hussain reports that Pope Leo's visit highlighted Lebanon's diminishing Christian population, now estimated at perhaps one-quarter, with the government remaining weak and relu

December 5, 2025 • 8 mins

Lebanon's Demographic Decline and Political Stagnation: Colleague Hussain Abdul-Hussain reports that Pope Leo's visit highlighted Lebanon's diminishing Christian population, now estimated at perhaps one-quarter, with the government remaining weak and reluctant to disarm Hezbollah, fearing foreign deals that sacrifice national interests; while civil war is unlikely, the country remains dominated by an Iranian-backed militia.

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S8 Ep166: The Limits of AI and the Global Quantum Race: Colleague Brandon Weichert explains that current AI models are data crunchers rather than thinking entities, facing limits known as "The Bitter Lesson," while China is "nanoseconds" away from practical quantum

December 5, 2025 • 8 mins

The Limits of AI and the Global Quantum Race: Colleague Brandon Weichert explains that current AI models are data crunchers rather than thinking entities, facing limits known as "The Bitter Lesson," while China is "nanoseconds" away from practical quantum computing aimed at decrypting military communications, with Switzerland and Singapore also pursuing sovereign quantum capabilities to ensure digital independence.
FEBRUAR...

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