China: Triumph and Turmoil, Niall Ferguson
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As China approaches global economic supremacy, Harvard professor Niall Ferguson - whose three-part television series on the growing superpower is linked below - reveals his fears for an ominously powerful nation.

Part 1 - Niall Ferguson shows how the vast apparatus of the Chinese state has always been called on to subjugate individual freedom to the higher goal of unity. He also examines how, on the other hand, centralised control produces tensions that threaten to destroy the country.

Part 2 - The succession of revolutions orchestrated by Mao Zedong killed more people than Hitler and Stalin combined. And yet this hard-line communist and murderer of businessmen is revered in China today as the founder of a modern-day capitalist superpower. Why? To answer this question Niall travels from Beijing to Mao’s birthplace at Shaoshan to the new supercity of Chongqing and to the rural backwaters of Anhui to track down survivors of the madness of Chairman Mao, newly minted billionaires and the Mao worshippers who believe tomorrow belongs to them.

Part 3 - Niall Ferguson asks what China’s growing global presence and aggressive nationalism mean to all of us. China’s supercharged economic growth signals a seismic shift in political power from West to East.

Make sure you watch the whole thing for context, but the concluding arguments of this documentary are actually quite shocking. To paraphrase, China’s rise is not the first time in history that growing power has pursed a more aggressive foreign policy to stave off the pressure for domestic political reform; rapid growth, internal instability, youthful nationalism and overseas expansion, mirror Germany’s first bid for world power 100 years ago, an attempt that lead to the first world war.

BBC, Wikileaks - The Secret Life Of A Superpower

Richard Bilton uncovers a struggle at the heart of US diplomacy between the ideals of freedom and spreading democracy, and the ruthless demands of American security and narrow self-interest. He examines what the Wikileaks cables reveal about America’s conflicted dealings with Egypt’s deposed dictator Hosni Mubarak, and shows how US diplomats in Cairo missed warning signs that revolution in Egypt was coming. And he details the moral tension in US diplomacy brought about by America’s controversial War on Terror. Using the cables, Richard uncovers the moral compromises made by America’s diplomats over the repatriation of Guantanamo Bay prisoners, and he shows the secret US efforts to block investigations into alleged CIA rendition and abuse.

A really fascinating look at how the US does business in private and what it really think of both its enemies and allies around the world as revealed by the Wikileaks affair.

Part 1(above), Part 2

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The BBC is the most excellent media company in existence, their commitment to quality progamming both educational and entertainment is something that puts everyone else to shame. 

So, here’s the final episode of a four part documentary on Russian politics called Putin, Russia & The West, which lays out modern Russian politics over the last decade and charts the rise of Vladimir Putin as he creates a modern day autocracy.

In part 4 we look at the partnership between Putin and Medvedev and finish with the most recent protests against Putin’s dictatorship. If you’re intersted in politics at all then this is essential viewing.

Putin, Russia & The West

Part 1 - Taking Control, Part 2 - Democracy Threatens, Part 3- War, Part 4 -New Start (above).

The BBC has a good form on these kinds of documentaries, see also

Secret Pakistan, about the assassination of Osama Bin Laden and Pakistan’s support of the Taliban.

Part 1 - Double Cross, Part 2 - Backlash

Iran & The West, charts how Iran went from key western ally in the middle east into revolution and to becoming one of the worlds most aggressive rouge states.

Part 1 - The Man Who Changed The World, Part 2 - The Pariah State, Part 3 - Nuclear Confrontation

and just because I like to share Adam Curtis (my favourite documentary maker) at every opportunity,

The Century Of The Self, is about how modern governments and corporation use Sigmund Freud’s theories to control the public in an age of mass democracy.

Part 1 - Happiness Machines, Part 2 - The Engineering Of Consent, Part 3 - There Is A Policeman Inside Our Heads, He Must Be Destroyed, Part 4 - Eight People Sipping Wine In Kettering

The Power Of Nightmares, documenting the use of fear to allow governments to control the masses and take away their freedoms

Part 1 - Baby It’s Cold Outside, Part 2 - The Phantom Victory, Part 3 - The Shadows In The Cave

The Trap, an almost prophetic look at economics and freedom and the disaster it was headed for, broadcast before crash in 2008

Part 1 - Fuck You Buddy, Part 2 - The Lonely Robot, Part 3 - We Will Force You To Be Free

Educating yourself is the most important responsibility you have to humanity, an educated public is a powerful and functional public and is the only way we will achieve a better future. This is only the tip of the iceberg, but it’s a start that helps light the touch paper.

Reblog and spread the information revolution!!

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What Goes Around Comes Around

Putin, Russia & The West - War


If you’re interested in modern Russian politics then I highly recommend this BBC documentary on precisely that.

This is the third episode of a four part documentary series exploring the diplomatic interaction between Putin, Russia & The West during the last decade, and charts Putin’s rise to power by establishing a modern day autocracy.

In this episode, the events of the Russian-Georgian War of 2008 take centre stage.

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3(above)

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Russia, Putin & The West - Democracy Threatens

If you are interested in the backlash against Putin in Russia and want to know about the events that lead to Putin seizing power and becoming a dictator, then I thoroughly recommend this documentary on exactly that.

This is part 2/4, the rest have still to be broadcast on the BBC, click for part 1 and part 2 (above)

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Nutty Russians
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I think this also applies to American foreign policy as a whole.

(Source: lucymcclane)

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