Conflicted: A History Podcast
Untangling history’s greatest controversies. Every month, we take a hard look at the historical conflicts that raise difficult questions, stoke controversy, and send our moral compasses spinning.
The 1971 Bangladesh War – Part 1: Land of Broken Maps
In March 1971, the nation of Pakistan was split apart by a vicious civil war, eventually culminating in the creation of a new state: Bangladesh. In this first episode of a multi-part series, we trace the origins of the conflict and introduce the key historical figures involved.
SOURCES:
Bass, Gary K. The Blood Telegram: Nixon, Kissinger, and a Forgotten Genocide.
Bennet-Jones, Own. The Bhutto Dynasty.
Carney, Scott. Miklian, Jason. The Vortex: A True Story of History’s Deadliest Storm, an
Unspeakable War, and Liberation.
Chang, Jung. Halliday, Jon. Mao: The Unknown Story.
Frank, Katherine. Indira: The Life of Indira Nehru Gandhi.
Gewen, Barry. The Inevitability of Tragedy: Henry Kissinger and his World.
Hiro, Dilip. The Longest August: The Unflinching Rivalry Between India and Pakistan.
Hitchens, Christopher. The Trial of Henry Kissinger.
Hoodbhoy, Pervez. Pakistan: Origins, Identity and Future.
Jalal, Ayesha. The Struggle for Pakistan.
James, Lawrence. Raj: The Making and Unmaking of British India.
Jayakar, Pupul. Indira Gandhi: A Biography.
Khosa, Faisal. The Making of Martyrs in India, Pakistan & Bangladesh.
K.S. Nair. December In Dacca
Keay, John. India: A History.
Mookherjee, Nayanika. The Spectral Wound.
Raghavan, Srinath. 1971: A Global History of the Creation of Bangladesh.
Rose, Leo. Sisson, Richard. War and Secession. Pakistan, India, and the Creation of Bangladesh.
Saikia, Yasmin. Women, War, and the Making of Bangladesh.
Schendel, Willem van. A History of Bangladesh.
Schwartz, Thomas Alan. Henry Kissinger and American Power.
Sengupta, Nitish. Land of Two Rivers: A History of Bengal.
Tudda, Chris. A Cold War Turning Point: Nixon and China, 1969-1972.
Walsh, Declan. The Nine Lives of Pakistan.
Zakaria, Anam. 1971: A People’s History from Bangladesh, Pakistan, and India.
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Podcast Episodes
Ghosts in the Mountains: The Mujahideen Civil War (Part 4)
It’s 1992. The 40th Army is long gone and the Soviet Union has collapsed, but war still rages across Afghanistan. As the Afghan communist regime crumbles, Ahmed Shah Massoud and Gulbuddin Hekmatyar’s forces clash in Kabu…
Ghosts in the Mountains: The Soviet-Afghan War – Part 3
As the CIA wages a covert proxy war against the Soviet 40th Army, the Mujahideen are showered with billions of dollars and cutting-edge weaponry. An old animosity between two prominent Mujahideen commanders – Ahmed Shah…
Ghosts in the Mountains: The Soviet-Afghan War – Part 2
The Soviet 40th Army invaded Afghanistan in the closing days of 1979. They would not leave for another nine years. Exhausted and frustrated by their inability to decisively crush the elusive freedom fighters in the mount…
Ghosts in the Mountains: The Soviet-Afghan War – Part 1
When Soviet Russia invaded Afghanistan in December of 1979, few could have imagined what a seismic impact it would have on the modern world. In an attempt to prop up a wobbly client regime, the Soviets sparked a transnat…
Curse of the Koh-I-Noor Diamond
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Kill Yamamoto: The Mission to Avenge Pearl Harbor - Part 2
After the Battle of Midway, the Japanese Navy is in tatters and Yamamoto’s hopes of a quick victory against the United States have evaporated. He has no choice but to fight a war he knows Japan will lose. Tom Lanphier, R…
Kill Yamamoto: The Mission To Avenge Pearl Harbor - Part 1
In 1941, Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto was the most hated man in America. As the architect of Japan’s December 7th surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States military decided Yamamoto had to die by any means necessary…
Prophet's Dilemma: The Sunni Shia Split Part 3
Civil war has torn the Caliphate apart. In 656 AD, Aisha marches with an army at her back. Ali, newly crowned as Caliph, has no choice but to oppose her. Muawiya sees an opportunity to grab power and start a dynasty of h…
Prophet's Dilemma: The Sunni Shia Split Part 2
The Prophet is dead. In 632 AD, the armies of Islam explode out of Arabia, led by a series of aggressive new Caliphs. The Prophet’s young widow Aisha struggles to understand her new role as “Mother of the Faithful”. Mean…
