Long shadows of history

'The Voices of War' is a sharp, thought-provoking podcast that cuts through simplistic narratives to unpack messy truths behind conflict. In this standout episode, Decoding the Echoes of Empire: How Imperial Legacies Shape Today's Geopolitics, host Vedran 'Maz' Maslic interviews Samir Puri, visiting lecturer in war studies at King's College London, on the enduring legacies of empire.

Puri uses his books, The Great Imperial Hangover, and Russia's Road to War with Ukraine, as springboards to unpack how imperial structures still shape modern geopolitics. This episode challenges listeners to move beyond 'presentist' thinking and recognise how the roots of today's conflicts are entangled in legacy.

Puri explains how ancient empires, maritime colonialism and more recent forms of economic dominance still shape global power structures. He calls the empires formal (conquest-based) and informal (influence-based), arguing that today's superpowers - China, the US, Russia - are essentially empires in modern garb.


This is not just a history lesson but a vital framework for understanding current global tensions. A must-listen for anyone trying to make sense of today's geopolitical mess.