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 Ep299: DALLAS THE DOG MONITORS COCKATOO SIEGE DURING HEATWAVE Colleague Jeremy Zakis. During a severe heatwave in New South Wales where temperatures reached 115°F (43°C), Dallas the dog has been vigilantly monitoring a flock of destructive cockatoos from his por

January 10, 2026 • 4 mins

DALLAS THE DOG MONITORS COCKATOO SIEGE DURING HEATWAVE Colleague Jeremy Zakis. During a severe heatwave in New South Wales where temperatures reached 115°F (43°C), Dallas the dog has been vigilantly monitoring a flock of destructive cockatoos from his porch. While intelligent birds like magpies have retreated to the shade or are sharing Dallas's water bowl to survive the heat, the cockatoos remain active and destructive, teari...

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S8 Ep299: BAZBALL DECLARED DEAD AFTER AUSTRALIA'S ASHES VICTORY Colleague Jeremy Zakis. Australia's decisive 4-1 victory in the Ashes series is viewed as a failure of England's "Bazball" strategy, which Zakis declares "dead" for test cricket. The strategy, reliant

January 10, 2026 • 10 mins

BAZBALL DECLARED DEAD AFTER AUSTRALIA'S ASHES VICTORY Colleague Jeremy Zakis. Australia'sdecisive 4-1 victory in the Ashes series is viewed as a failure of England's "Bazball" strategy, which Zakis declares "dead" for test cricket. The strategy, reliant on brute force and psychological warfare to score quickly, ultimately backfired by exhausting the English players over the duration of the five-day matches. The Australian tea...

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S8 Ep299: SNAKE CATCHER SURVIVES EASTERN BROWN BITE Colleague Jeremy Zakis. The risks of the Australian summer are highlighted by the ironic near-death experience of Michaela, a professional snake catcher who was bitten by a deadly Eastern Brown snake while off-dut

January 10, 2026 • 8 mins

SNAKE CATCHER SURVIVES EASTERN BROWN BITE Colleague Jeremy Zakis. The risks of the Australiansummer are highlighted by the ironic near-death experience of Michaela, a professional snake catcher who was bitten by a deadly Eastern Brown snake while off-duty and barefoot in her own garden. Although her organs began to shut down from the venom, she received antivenom within the crucial "golden hour" and is expected to survive and ...

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S8 Ep299: CYCLONE KOJI STRIKES QUEENSLAND AS BUSHFIRES RAGE ELSEWHERE Colleague Jeremy Zakis. Jeremy Zakis reports that Cyclone Koji, described as a "monster" system with winds reaching 90 to 100 miles per hour, struck the Queensland coast near Townsville. Fortunat

January 10, 2026 • 12 mins

CYCLONE KOJI STRIKES QUEENSLAND AS BUSHFIRES RAGE ELSEWHERE Colleague Jeremy Zakis. Jeremy Zakis reports that Cyclone Koji, described as a "monster" system with winds reaching 90 to 100 miles per hour, struck the Queensland coast near Townsville. Fortunately, the cyclone's epicenter made landfall south of the major population centers, resulting in damage primarily restricted to uprooted trees and localized flooding rather tha...

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298: NUCLEAR PROLIFERATION AND ECONOMIC ISOLATION AS DETERRENCE Colleagues James Fanell and Bradley Thayer. To deter immediate Chinese aggression, Fanell advocates for "war fighting proliferation," suggesting the US should support nuclear capabilities for alli

January 10, 2026 • 8 mins

NUCLEAR PROLIFERATION AND ECONOMIC ISOLATION AS DETERRENCE Colleagues James Fanell and Bradley Thayer. To deter immediate Chinese aggression, Fanell advocates for "war fighting proliferation," suggesting the US should support nuclear capabilities for allies like Japan and South Korea because conventional US forces cannot be rebuilt fast enough. Thayer argues for total economic decoupling, urging Washington to cut off trade to...

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S8 Ep298: ADMITTING STRATEGIC FAILURE AND THE NEED FOR TEAM B Colleagues James Fanell and Bradley Thayer. Fanell argues the intelligence community must admit its "strategic failure" regarding China, likening the current denial to a patient ignoring a cancer diagnos

January 10, 2026 • 11 mins

ADMITTING STRATEGIC FAILURE AND THE NEED FOR TEAM B Colleagues James Fanell and Bradley Thayer. Fanell argues the intelligence community must admit its "strategic failure" regarding China, likening the current denial to a patient ignoring a cancer diagnosis. He asserts that institutional bias protects the status quo. To counter this, they propose creating a "Team B"—independent analysts outside the CIA's "educated elite"—to p...

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S8 Ep298: HISTORICAL ECHOES: THE 10-YEAR RULE AND TIANANMEN BLINDNESS Colleagues James Fanell and Bradley Thayer. The authors draw parallels between current US policy and the British Empire's 1919 "10-year rule," which slashed defense spending based on the assumpti

January 10, 2026 • 8 mins

HISTORICAL ECHOES: THE 10-YEAR RULE AND TIANANMEN BLINDNESS Colleagues James Fanell and Bradley Thayer. The authors draw parallels between current US policy and the British Empire's 1919 "10-year rule," which slashed defense spending based on the assumption of peace, leading to unpreparedness for WWII. Fanell recalls his intelligence experience post-Tiananmen Square, noting the US Navy dismissed the PLA Navy threat while myop...

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S8 Ep298: THE ANACONDA STRATEGY AND THE NEO-ENGAGEMENT TRAP Colleagues James Fanell and Bradley Thayer. Fanell and Thayer discuss the "Joint Sword 2024 Alpha" exercises, describing them as an "Anaconda strategy" where the PRC practices suffocating Taiwan through bl

January 10, 2026 • 9 mins

THE ANACONDA STRATEGY AND THE NEO-ENGAGEMENT TRAP Colleagues James Fanell and Bradley Thayer. Fanell and Thayer discuss the "Joint Sword 2024 Alpha" exercises, describing them as an "Anaconda strategy" where the PRC practices suffocating Taiwan through blockades and missile strikes. Thayer argues that despite these overt threats, Washington remains captured by the "neo-engagement school," mistakenly believing that economic en...

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S8 Ep297: UNORDERED HEROISM AND THE ULTIMATE BLUFF Colleague Admiral James Stavridis. Stavridis recounts the extraordinary heroism of Dorie Miller, a cook at Pearl Harbor who, despite segregation and lack of training, manned a machine gun and saved his captain with

January 10, 2026 • 10 mins

UNORDERED HEROISM AND THE ULTIMATE BLUFF Colleague Admiral James Stavridis. Stavridis recounts the extraordinary heroism of Dorie Miller, a cook at Pearl Harbor who, despite segregation and lack of training, manned a machine gun and saved his captain without orders. The segment concludes with Commander Ernest Evans of the USS Johnston at Leyte Gulf. Facing a massive Japanese fleet with no support, Evans led a suicidal charge ...

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S8 Ep297: EMOTIONAL DETACHMENT AND THE COURAGE TO PIVOT Colleague Admiral James Stavridis. The Admiral emphasizes emotional detachment in leadership, using The Godfather as an analogy for not letting hatred cloud judgment. He critiques Bill Halsey for letting a riv

January 10, 2026 • 10 mins

EMOTIONAL DETACHMENT AND THE COURAGE TO PIVOT Colleague Admiral James Stavridis. The Admiral emphasizes emotional detachment in leadership, using The Godfather as an analogy for not letting hatred cloud judgment. He critiques Bill Halsey for letting a rivalry with Spruance drive him into a trap at Leyte Gulf. Stavridis also explores the willingness to change plans, illustrating this with Stephen Decatur, who intended to steal...

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S8 Ep297: RESOURCE EVALUATION: FROM IRONCLADS TO PANDEMICS Colleague Admiral James Stavridis. Stavridis examines how leaders evaluate resources under pressure. He cites David Farragut at Mobile Bay, who successfully combined Army and Navy assets and adapted to new

January 10, 2026 • 9 mins

RESOURCE EVALUATION: FROM IRONCLADS TO PANDEMICS Colleague Admiral James Stavridis. Stavridis examines how leaders evaluate resources under pressure. He cites David Farragut at Mobile Bay, who successfully combined Army and Navy assets and adapted to new ironclad technology while ordering "full speed ahead" through mines. In contrast, he defends Commander Lloyd Bucher of the USS Pueblo, who surrendered his spy ship because he...

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S8 Ep297: INTELLIGENCE AND CALCULATION IN THE CRUCIBLE OF COMMAND Colleague Admiral James Stavridis. Admiral Stavridis discusses leadership lessons from his book To Risk It All. He highlights Admiral George Dewey's victory at Manila Bay, which relied on gathering h

January 10, 2026 • 8 mins

INTELLIGENCE AND CALCULATION IN THE CRUCIBLE OF COMMAND Colleague Admiral James Stavridis. Admiral Stavridis discusses leadership lessons from his book To Risk It All. He highlights Admiral George Dewey's victory at Manila Bay, which relied on gathering human intelligence from diplomats in the absence of modern technology. Conversely, he analyzes Admiral Bill Halsey's failure at Leyte Gulf, where poor communication and impuls...

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S8 Ep296: THE PSYCHOLOGY OF SILENCE Colleague Tanya Branigan. Branigan discusses the psychological aftermath of the Cultural Revolution with professionals in Shanghai, describing the era as a "collective hysteria." She explores the concept of "eating bitterness,"

January 10, 2026 • 8 mins

THE PSYCHOLOGY OF SILENCE Colleague Tanya Branigan. Branigan discusses the psychological aftermath of the Cultural Revolution with professionals in Shanghai, describing the era as a "collective hysteria." She explores the concept of "eating bitterness," or enduring suffering without complaint. While the Cultural Revolution is not strictly banned like the 1989 Tiananmen protests, it remains a sensitive topic met with silence d...

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S8 Ep296: A SON'S BETRAYAL Colleague Tanya Branigan. This file recounts the tragic story of Zhang Hongbing, who, as a teenager in 1970, denounced his own mother to the authorities. His mother, Fang Zhongmou, was executed after Zhang and his father reported her for

January 10, 2026 • 10 mins

A SON'S BETRAYAL Colleague Tanya Branigan. This file recounts the tragic story of Zhang Hongbing, who, as a teenager in 1970, denounced his own mother to the authorities. His mother, Fang Zhongmou, was executed after Zhangand his father reported her for criticizing Mao at home. Decades later, Zhang lives with profound guilt, feeling that his mother "never answers" his attempts to communicate. He took Branigan to his mother's ...

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S8 Ep296: IMPERSONATORS AND THE DEATH OF IDEALISM Colleague Tanya Branigan. The conversation highlights the strange phenomenon of historical impersonators, including one of Lin Biao, the general who was Mao's successor before being branded a traitor. Branigan expla

January 10, 2026 • 8 mins

IMPERSONATORS AND THE DEATH OF IDEALISM Colleague Tanya Branigan. The conversation highlights the strange phenomenon of historical impersonators, including one of Lin Biao, the general who was Mao's successor before being branded a traitor. Branigan explains that Lin's sudden vilification shattered the idealism of many Red Guards, causing them to question Mao's infallibility. The segment also discusses reunions of "educated y...

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S8 Ep296: PRINCELINGS AND POLITICAL NOSTALGIA Colleague Tanya Branigan. Branigan examines "princelings" Bo Xilai and Xi Jinping, children of elite leaders who were victimized during the Cultural Revolution. Xi was exiled to the countryside, while Bo's mother likely

January 10, 2026 • 9 mins

PRINCELINGS AND POLITICAL NOSTALGIA Colleague Tanya Branigan. Branigan examines "princelings" Bo Xilai and Xi Jinping, children of elite leaders who were victimized during the Cultural Revolution. Xi was exiled to the countryside, while Bo's mother likely died from beatings. Despite this family trauma, Bo later utilized "red culture" nostalgia in Chongqing before his political downfall following a murder scandal. Xi Jinping a...

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S8 Ep296: THE COMPOSER WHO SURVIVED Colleague Tanya Branigan. This segment focuses on Wang Xilin, a composer and former zealous party member whose career was destroyed during the Cultural Revolution. Despite his devotion, he was persecuted, subjected to brutal "str

January 10, 2026 • 7 mins

THE COMPOSER WHO SURVIVED Colleague Tanya Branigan. This segment focuses on Wang Xilin, a composer and former zealous party member whose career was destroyed during the Cultural Revolution. Despite his devotion, he was persecuted, subjected to brutal "struggle sessions," and driven to the brink of suicide. His music went unperformed for 37 years. Branigan describes Wang's intense anger when discussing the era, noting that eve...

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S8 Ep296: TEENAGE ZEALOTS AND THE TRAUMA OF VIOLENCE Colleague Tanya Branigan. Branigan details the memories of Yu Xiangzhen, a former Red Guard who attended Mao's first mass rally in August 1966. Mao encouraged youth to destroy "the four olds," sparking widesprea

January 10, 2026 • 12 mins

TEENAGE ZEALOTS AND THE TRAUMA OF VIOLENCE Colleague Tanya Branigan. Branigan details the memories of Yu Xiangzhen, a former Red Guard who attended Mao's first mass rally in August 1966. Mao encouraged youth to destroy "the four olds," sparking widespread violence against cultural artifacts and people. While traveling the country to spread revolution, Yu witnessed a sports court filled with corpses beaten to death by Red Guard...

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S8 Ep296: THE MURDER OF TEACHER BIAN Colleague Tanya Branigan. The discussion turns to "Red August" 1966 and the murder of vice-principal Bian Zhongyun by her students. Her husband, Wang Jingyao, secretly preserved photographs of her body and her bloodied clothes a

January 10, 2026 • 8 mins

THE MURDER OF TEACHER BIAN Colleague Tanya Branigan. The discussion turns to "Red August" 1966 and the murder of vice-principal Bian Zhongyun by her students. Her husband, Wang Jingyao, secretly preserved photographs of her body and her bloodied clothes as a shrine and evidence of the brutality. Branigan discusses Yu Xiangzhen, a former Red Guard who blogged about her regrets until political pressure silenced her. The segment...

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S8 Ep296: THE FORBIDDEN MUSEUM OF SHANTOU Colleague Tanya Branigan. Tanya Branigan discusses her book, Red Memory, and her visit to the Cultural Revolution Museum in Shantou. Founded by former official Peng Qi'an, this was the only museum in China dedicated to reco

January 10, 2026 • 9 mins

THE FORBIDDEN MUSEUM OF SHANTOU Colleague Tanya Branigan. Tanya Branigan discusses her book, Red Memory, and her visit to the Cultural Revolution Museum in Shantou. Founded by former official Peng Qi'an, this was the only museum in China dedicated to recording the era's violence and chaos. Built in a remote location on a site of mass graves to avoid scrutiny, the museum was eventually suppressed by authorities. Branigan recou...

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