Are all empires equally bad? If some were better than others, what criteria can we use to make such judgments? Why must we study networks, not only hierarchies, to understand our past, present, and future? What happens to societies in times of catastrophe, and who has the best chances of survival? And finally — why is Ukraine so important for the world today?

***
Host: Volodymyr Yermolenko, a Ukrainian philosopher, editor-in-chief of UkraineWorld, and president of PEN Ukraine.

Guest: Niall Ferguson — a renowned British-American historian and author of numerous books, including “Empire”, “The Square and the Tower”, “The War of the World”, “Doom”, and others. 
Ferguson is the Milbank Family Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution.
We had this conversation during the Yalta European Strategy Forum in Kyiv in September 2025.

***
Thinking in Dark Times is a podcast of reflection from Ukraine. We try to see the light through — and despite — the current darkness. 

This episode was made possible thanks to the support of Politeia, a Ukrainian NGO dedicated to preparing a new generation of change-makers in Ukraine.

***
UkraineWorld is an English-language media about Ukraine run by Internews Ukraine

You can support UkraineWorld on https://www.patreon.com/c/ukraineworld
We rely on crowdfunding to continue our work. 

You can also support our regular trips to the frontlines, where we provide support to both soldiers (cars) and civilians (books): PayPal, ukraine.resisting@gmail.com 

***
CONTENTS:

00:00 - Intro: Niall Ferguson, a renowned British American historian and author of numerous books.
01:58 - Why does historian Niall Ferguson keep coming back to Kyiv, and what value does he find here?
04:06 - Does the war in Ukraine truly hold a global meaning?
10:01 - Was the British Empire good or bad for the world?
12:17 - What's the difference between a 'liberal' empire and an 'illiberal' one?
19:30 - Does the European Union find a balance between the Empire and the Nation-State?
26:59 - Can Ukraine become an 'antifragile' state?
28:48 - Is being threatened by a 'big bad neighbor' the key to becoming an innovative society?
31:07 - How did the last decade of Russian aggression ultimately lead to the birth of the Ukrainian nation?


Niall Ferguson on Empires, Networks, and Ukraine

A whisper becomes a roar.
A spark becomes an inferno.

WORDS is a cinematic psytrance experience blending poetry and fire.
Tribal drums, glitch atmospheres, and a message about the power of narrative - and how words ignite empires.

🔥 “Control the narrative. Control the Empire.”

WORDS

Note: This episode was originally released August 28th and is being re-aired today as the article we discuss in the episode has come back under public scrutiny. To support the show and help make episodes like this one possible, become a patron at www.patreon.com/deathpanelpod

Beatrice and Artie discuss a disturbing set of arguments that evidence of famine in Gaza—and genocide deaths themselves—can be invalidated by showing that the victims had “pre-existing conditions” or “underlying health conditions,” most brazenly demonstrated in a recent Free Press piece called “They Became Symbols for Gazan Starvation. But All 12 Suffer from Other Health Problems.”

Donate links for projects mentioned in the episode:

Gaza Funds - https://gazafunds.com/

Sameer Project - https://linktr.ee/thesameerproject

Medical Campaign x Sameer Project - https://chuffed.org/project/136892-medical-campaign-x-sameer-project

South Gaza: Tents, Food & Water (Sameer Project) - https://chuffed.org/project/113222-tent-campaign-the-sameer-project

The Refaat Alareer Camp (Sameer Project) - https://chuffed.org/project/113327-refaat-alareer-camp-the-sameer-project

North Gaza: Food, Water & Other Distributions (Sameer Project) - https://chuffed.org/project/help-us-deliver-vital-aid-to-gaza-families-in-need

Gaza Municipality's Artificial Limbs and Polio Center - https://mogaza.org/campaign/2

Workshops for Gaza - https://www.workshops4gaza.com/workshops

Workshops for Gaza Bookstore - https://open-books-a-poem-emporium.myshopify.com/collections/workshops-4-gaza-bookstore

Crips for eSIMs for Gaza - http://cripsforesimsforgaza.org/

Show Links:

Health Communism is now out in paperback! Find it here or order at this link to add a donation to Sameer Project: https://open-books-a-poem-emporium.myshopify.com/products/w4g-adler-bolton-beatrice-artie-vierkant-health-communism

Find Tracy's book, Abolish Rent, here: www.haymarketbooks.org/books/2443-abolish-rent

Outro by Time Wharp: https://timewharp.bandcamp.com/track/tezeta

As always, support Death Panel at www.patreon.com/deathpanelpod

Become a patron

Can the Subaltern Starve? (Re-Air)

Walking on a disco dream...

Download the full track on laylo HERE: https://laylo.com/dombresky/JxyTZKF0

Empire Of The Sun - Walking On A Dream (Disco Dom Refunk)

Recorded October 15th 2025.

The Trinity Long Room Hub is delighted to welcome author and historian William Dalrymple to present the 2025 Edmund Burke Lecture, entitled 'The Anarchy: The East India Company, Corporate Violence, and the Pillage of an Empire', which is supported by a generous endowment in honour of Padraic Fallon by his family.

About William Dalrymple
William Dalrymple is one of Britain’s great historians and the bestselling author of the Wolfson Prize-winning White Mughals, The Last Mughal, which won the Duff Cooper Prize, and the Hemingway and Kapuściński award-winning Return of a King. His book, The Anarchy, was long-listed for the Baillie Gifford Prize 2019, and shortlisted for the Duke of Wellington Medal for Military History, the Tata Book of the Year (Non-fiction) and the Historical Writers Association Book Award 2020. It was a Finalist for the Cundill Prize for History and won the 2020 Arthur Ross Bronze Medal from the US Council on Foreign Relations. His latest book, The Golden Road, is a revolutionary new history of the diffusion of Indian art, religions, technology, astronomy, music, dance, literature, mathematics and mythology, along a Golden Road that stretched from the Red Sea to the Pacific.

A frequent broadcaster, he has written and presented three television series, one of which won the Grierson Award for Best Documentary Series at BAFTA. He is the co-host of the Empire podcast, which explores the intricate stories of revolutions, imperial wars, and the people who built and lost empires. He has also won the Thomas Cook Travel Book Award, The Sunday Times Young British Writer of the Year Award, the Foreign Correspondent of the Year at the FPA Media Awards, and been awarded five honorary doctorates. He is a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, the Royal Asiatic Society and the Royal Society of Edinburgh, and has held visiting fellowships at Princeton, Brown and Oxford. He writes regularly for the New York Review of Books, the New Yorker, and the Guardian. In 2018, he was presented with the prestigious President’s Medal by the British Academy for his outstanding literary achievement and for co-founding the Jaipur Literature Festival. He was named one of the world’s top 50 thinkers for 2020 by Prospect.

Learn more at www.tcd.ie/trinitylongroomhub

TLRH | 2025 Annual Edmund Burke Lecture | William Dalrymple

Bob Moriarty of 321gold.com discusses the global financial situation and what gold is telling us. The West is in steep decline as it prepares for war (e.g. Latin America). Europe remains a basket case. At some point the divide between the oligarchy and plebs may become great enough that the serfs may decide to spontaneously revolt.

*Support Geopolitics & Empire!
Become a Member https://geopoliticsandempire.substack.com
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Bob Moriarty Websites
321 Gold http://321gold.com
321 Energy http://321energy.com
Robert Moriarty's BOOKS https://www.amazon.com/Robert-Moriarty/e/B01A9I4TJU

About Robert Moriarty
Robert Moriarty was born in New York state in 1946. He began training as a military pilot in 1965 and became the youngest Naval Aviator during the Vietnam War in 1966. With two years in Vietnam and some 832 missions in combat, he left the Marine Corps in 1970. He worked in computers for a few years before beginning a 2nd career as a ferry pilot delivering small airplanes all over the world. He made over 240 ocean crossings mostly in single engine airplanes.

He and his wife of 25 years were computer consultants and began one of the earliest online computer retail outlets in 1995 before retiring in 2000. He began another career running a financial website in 2001 specializing in resource companies. He continues to travel the world looking for the next great mineral discovery and writes in his spare time.

*Podcast intro music is from the song "The Queens Jig" by "Musicke & Mirth" from their album "Music for Two Lyra Viols": http://musicke-mirth.de/en/recordings.html (available on iTunes or Amazon)

Bob Moriarty: Revolution is Coming! #581

From Asimov’s Foundation to Warhammer 40K and Twilight Imperium, science fiction is filled with collapsing empires. But could civilizational decline really explain why the Universe seems so empty?

Watch my exclusive video The Fermi Paradox - Civilization Extinction Cycles: https://nebula.tv/videos/isaacarthur-the-fermi-paradox-civilization-extinction-cycles
Get Nebula using my link for 40% off an annual subscription: https://go.nebula.tv/isaacarthur
Get a Lifetime Membership to Nebula for only $300: https://go.nebula.tv/lifetime?ref=isaacarthur
Use the link  https://gift.nebula.tv/isaacarthur to give a year of Nebula to a friend for just $36.

Grab one of our new SFIA mugs and make your morning coffee a little more futuristic — available now on our Fourthwall store! https://isaac-arthur-shop.fourthwall.com/

Visit our Website: http://www.isaacarthur.net
Join Nebula: https://go.nebula.tv/isaacarthur
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SFIA Discord Server: https://discord.gg/53GAShE
Credits:
Twilight Imperium - When Galactic Civilizations Ebb
Written, Produced & Narrated by: Isaac Arthur
Editor: Lukas Konecny
Select imagery/video supplied by Getty Images 
Music Courtesy of Stellardrone and Epidemic Sound http://epidemicsound.com/creator

Twilight Imperium - When Galactic Civilizations Ebb (Narration Only)

Twilight Imperium - When Galactic Civilizations Ebb

I stumbled across this old project, and decided to share it with yall. Enjoy!

- DJ Kay Dinero

Just Vibe - Single

Just Vibe

Ě̸̢̛̳͈̗̳̘͖̼̞̯̰̤͚͚̼̤̼̙̦͖̭̘̭̻̠̻͈̙̿̊́͆̿̎̇̅͐͑̄͒̈́́͒̍̏̂̌̉͗̇̀͒͋́͌̀̚͠͝͝ͅV̸̢̨̧̘̞̳̲͑̉̃͋̌̒̈̅͋͐͂̓͂̆̈̈́̉̌̚͘͜͠I̸̧̼͕͕̲̹̲̣̻͙̙̬̣͙̖̔̿͗̓̈́́͆̈̽̈́̆̔̓͛̿̄̑̓͛̂̓͂̄͋̒̔͂̓̈́̚͘͜͜͝͝L̷̝̙͈̠̩̘̙̪̺̠̥̻̦̲̙͇͈͇̏̃̓̆̎̏̏̾̑̾͊̄̀́̋̔̉́̋͂̚̕͠ ̵̡̧̢̰̟̪̱̳̮̞͉̣̙̥͉͉̗͖̼̖̪͇͙̣͂́̏̅̒̆͌͂̃͗̆̿̈̕͜͝E̷̢̢͓̥̤̩̝̩͈̰̪̥̱̮̯͕̥̪̦̭̬͌̒͊̀̆̀͑̋̃̋̿̄͒̋̈́̊͒̿̓Ḿ̶̨̨̧̡̢̛̫͈͈̖͔̤̣͖̤̗̖͚̰̲͔̺̗̻̯͇̳̰̩͓̼̗͓͕͉͕̻͍̘̝͒̈̌̈̇̂̇͂̑͑̉̃̈̔̀̎̎͗̎̄̎̅͊̍̍͗̑̆̎͆̑̕̕̕͠͝P̷̨̡̢̨̨̼̺͇̫̪̱̪͙̮̼̬̲͎͕̟͔͔̝͕̥̰̞͊́͜͠͠Ǐ̸̛̹̘̟̯͕͕̖̳̪̲̼̜͕̺̲̝̱͔̩̭̙̫̖̗̍͐́̌̽̀́̾̿̀̓̑́̀̔̈̈́̌̾̚͝͝R̶̡̯̞̼̤̣̪̬̈́̅̈́̏̈́͐͑̅̏̒̓͂͂̃̏͑̀͘͘͠͠ͅĘ̷̛̩̟͖̘͇̺͎̥͖̼̪̦̒͆̏͒̄́̒̌́̓̓̿̑̎̔̌̚͘͝͝

EVIL EMPIRE

Opened in 2010, the Trinity Long Room Hub Arts and Humanities Research Institute is dedicated to advancing Trinity College Dublin’s rich tradition of research excellence in the Arts and Humanities, on an individual, collaborative and inter-disciplinary basis.

Welcome to Inferno 🔥
www.discodom.club

Disco Dom - Inferno (No. 1) EP
~ featuring ~
"Be The One (with Yung Bae)" & "Control"
Out now!!

Get it here: https://orcd.co/discodominferno

The Geopolitics & Empire Podcast conducts interviews with prominent international experts on a wide-range of topics.

Past guests have included diplomats, government officials, whistleblowers, soldiers, spies, economists, academics, scientists, wealthy investors, dissidents, journalists, and musicians.

The broadcast seeks to gain insight from guests who come from the left, right, and beyond. It should go without saying that the host does not always agree with beliefs espoused by podcast invitees, but maintains an open mind, and believes it important to respectfully listen to a multitude of voices and let listeners come to their own conclusions.

*Music used in podcast intro is from the song "The Queens Jig" by "Musicke & Mirth" from their album "Music for Two Lyra Viols": http://musicke-mirth.de/en/recordings.html (available on iTunes or Amazon)

Y̸̘͙̺̙̓̓̍̂͛̓͊͗̕Ḁ̵͓͎̦̘͔͈͎̪͑̇M̸͇̣̪̍I̷͙̦̭̍̔̓̈́͂ ̴̨̛̘̜̖̿̌̾͝N̷̨̧͖̤̠̙̺͖̋̔̽͗͌̒̀̕͠͠O̵͕̖̯̝̞̤̳͂̋̑̌͒̎̈́͒͒́ ̴̧̮̫̠̙̠͛͛̍͒̄̔͜G̵̤͌̈́̆Ä̸̛̟́M̷̨̡̛̪̣̭̮͍̹̮̏̆̇̅͌̎̈́̎͘È̶̡̳̫̲̮̎̌

Insta: leoman026 
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Partout : Leoman026, au cas où t’aurais pas capté !!!

Social Media - @djkaydinero • @themvpsent
Bookings - djkaydinero@gmail.com

A podcast by UkraineWorld.org, a multimedia project about Ukraine run by Internews Ukraine. Explaining Ukraine, its politics, society and its culture. Support us: patreon.com/ukraineworld

Code by day, beats by night.
Debugging life in 174 BPM.

Politics, culture, and public policy from the left. Stay alive another week.

w/ Beatrice Adler-Bolton, Artie Vierkant, Phil Rocco and Jules Gill-Peterson. 

https://www.patreon.com/deathpanelpod

New tracks tagged #EMPIRE