Book Club with Jeffrey Sachs

Send us a textJoin Professor Jeffrey Sachs and historian Michael J. Carley, retired Professeur at the Université de Montréal, for a discussion of his groundbreaking trilogy on the international crises of the 1930s: Stalin’s Gamble, Stalin’s Failed Alliance, and Stalin’s Great Game. Drawing on decades of archival research, Carley challenges the familiar Cold War narrative that paints Stalin and Hitler as “dual dictators” and instead uncovers a forgotten history of the Soviet Union’s sustained efforts to build a collective security alliance against Nazi Germany.Sachs and Carley explore how Britain, France, and the United States repeatedly rejected these overtures, shaped by anti-communism, imperial interests, and deep-seated prejudices that cast the USSR - not Hitler - as the greater threat. This strategic blindness, Carley argues, helped pave the way to World War II and has since been obscured by Western historiography and popular culture.This episode offers listeners a powerful narrative of missed opportunities, ideological blinders, and the consequences of mistrust among great powers. It is a story from the 1930s with striking resonance today, revealing how historical misunderstanding can shape international politics, and how the failures of statecraft then echo in our world now.The Book Club with Jeffrey Sachs is brought to you by the SDG Academy, the flagship education initiative of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network. Learn more and get involved at bookclubwithjeffreysachs.org.Footnotes:Books by ⭐️ Thanks for listening to Book Club with Jeffrey Sachs! 📚 Join the conversation and go deeper into the ideas shaping our world. ➡️ Subscribe to the newsletter for episode updates, readings, and behind-the-scenes insights: https://bit.ly/subscribeBCJS ➡️ Explore past episodes, show notes, and featured books: https://bookclubwithjeffreysachs.org 🎧 Download and subscribe on your favorite podcast platform so you never miss an episode. 📣 Love the show? Leave a rating and review - it helps more listeners find the podcast. 🔁 Share this episode with a friend, colleague, or book club who’d enjoy the discussion!

Send us a textJoin Professor Jeffrey Sachs and Yakov M. Rabkin, historian and Professor Emeritus at the University of Montreal, for a wide-ranging and fascinating discussion on the history of Zionism, Jewish thought, and the modern state of Israel. Delving into Rabkin’s path-breaking work, including his newest book, Israel in Palestine: Jewish Rejection of Zionism, Rabkin and Sachs discuss the early opposition to modern Zionism from many parts of the world Jewry, and the deep theological, political, and cultural divides that Zionism has created in Jewish communities around the world.  Together, Rabkin and Sachs trace the surprising origins of Zionism in 17th century British Protestantism, and its transformation into a modern political movement in 19th century Europe, led by both British evangelical Protestants and Central and Eastern European secular Jews. They delve into Herzl’s Zionist movement, which faced many Jewish opponents, including rabbinical authorities, assimilated Jews in Western Europe, and socialists who viewed it as a distraction from class struggle. Rabkin and Sachs discuss the pivotal role of Britain’s Balfour Declaration, the Russian revolutionary roots of Israel’s political culture, and the enduring legacies of figures such as Theodor Herzl and Ze’ev Jabotinsky.The conversation then turns to the present crisis in Israel and Palestine. They discuss the ideologies of Israel’s ruling parties, the rise of Israel’s religious-nationalist movements since 1967, and the role of these ideologies and movements in the ongoing conflict. Rabkin’s scholarship offers listeners a deeply informed narrative of history, religion, and power - shedding a powerful light on the disastrous, ongoing Israel - Palestine conflict.  The Book Club with Jeffrey Sachs is brought to you by the SDG Academy, the flagship education initiative of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network. Learn more and get involved at bookclubwithjeffreysachs.org.Footnotes:Yakov Rabkin Books ZionismSatmar HasidimChristian ZionismIsaac Newton’s religious viewsJoseph PriestleyFirst Jewish–Roman War (66–73 CE)Bar Kokhba Revolt (132–135 CE)Theodor HerzlWilliam Hechler⭐️ Thanks for listening to Book Club with Jeffrey Sachs! 📚 Join the conversation and go deeper into the ideas shaping our world. ➡️ Subscribe to the newsletter for episode updates, readings, and behind-the-scenes insights: https://bit.ly/subscribeBCJS ➡️ Explore past episodes, show notes, and featured books: https://bookclubwithjeffreysachs.org 🎧 Download and subscribe on your favorite podcast platform so you never miss an episode. 📣 Love the show? Leave a rating and review - it helps more listeners find the podcast. 🔁 Share this episode with a friend, colleague, or book club who’d enjoy the discussion!

Send us a textJoin Professor Jeffrey Sachs and Professor James Romm, classicist and historian at Bard College, for a captivating discussion on one of the most dramatic and fascinating political experiments of the ancient world: Plato’s involvement with power politics in Syracuse (Siracusa). Drawing on Romm’s newest book, Plato and the Tyrant, Sachs and Romm explore the extraordinary story of how the great philosopher Plato attempted over the course of three decades to bring philosophy into the heart of government.Together, they delve into Plato’s journey to the court of the autocratic ruler Dionysius in ancient Syracuse, where he hoped to transform a tyrant into a philosopher-king. They discuss the political turmoil that unfolded, Plato’s close relationship with the philosophically minded Dion, and how Plato’s experiences deeply shaped his writing of The Republic.  Romm reveals how Plato’s real-world political experiences ultimately informed his later, more sober work The Laws, and how these texts reflect a lifelong quest to define justice, leadership, and the possibility of a virtuous society.This episode offers listeners a rich narrative of political intrigue, philosophical ambition, and the enduring relevance of Plato’s quest to unite ethics and power - an ancient story with striking implications for our world today.The Book Club with Jeffrey Sachs is brought to you by the SDG Academy, the flagship education initiative of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network. Learn more and get involved at bookclubwithjeffreysachs.org.Footnotes: Ancient Greek PhilosophyPlatoAuthoritarianismAutocracySyracuseAthensDionysius DionPlato’s AcademyAristotleThe Republic (by Plato)The Laws (by Plato)CarthagePhilosopher-King⭐️ Thanks for listening to Book Club with Jeffrey Sachs! 📚 Join the conversation and go deeper into the ideas shaping our world. ➡️ Subscribe to the newsletter for episode updates, readings, and behind-the-scenes insights: https://bit.ly/subscribeBCJS ➡️ Explore past episodes, show notes, and featured books: https://bookclubwithjeffreysachs.org 🎧 Download and subscribe on your favorite podcast platform so you never miss an episode. 📣 Love the show? Leave a rating and review - it helps more listeners find the podcast. 🔁 Share this episode with a friend, colleague, or book club who’d enjoy the discussion!

Send us a textJoin Professor Jeffrey Sachs and Prof. Ilan Pappè, historian at Exeter University, UK, for an in-depth conversation on one of the most enduring and contentious issues of our time: the Israel-Palestine conflict. Drawing on Pappè’s powerful new books—Lobbying for Zionism on Both Sides of the Atlantic and A Very Short History of the Israel-Palestine Conflict, Sachs and Pappè discuss the historical, political, and ideological forces that have shaped the Zionist movement and the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine.    Together, they explore how lobbying networks in the UK and US have influenced the foreign policy of both countries, and the role of the UK and US in the Israel-Palestine conflict. They delve into the historical roots of Zionism, the legacy of British colonial rule in Mandatory Palestine, and the role of the US in the Israel-Palestine conflict from the adoption of the UN Partition Plan in 1947 until today. This episode offers listeners a deeper understanding of the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine by delving into the historical processes that shaped the conflict during the past century and more. The Book Club with Jeffrey Sachs is brought to you by the SDG Academy, the flagship education initiative of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network. Learn more and get involved at bookclubwithjeffreysachs.orgFootnotes:ZionismIsrael Palestinian ConflictWar in GazaJudaismAntisemitismHistory of IsraelHistory of PalestineSettler ColonialismOttoman EmpireBritish ImperialismLord BalfourNeoconsUN Resolution 181⭐️ Thanks for listening to Book Club with Jeffrey Sachs! 📚 Join the conversation and go deeper into the ideas shaping our world. ➡️ Subscribe to the newsletter for episode updates, readings, and behind-the-scenes insights: https://bit.ly/subscribeBCJS ➡️ Explore past episodes, show notes, and featured books: https://bookclubwithjeffreysachs.org 🎧 Download and subscribe on your favorite podcast platform so you never miss an episode. 📣 Love the show? Leave a rating and review - it helps more listeners find the podcast. 🔁 Share this episode with a friend, colleague, or book club who’d enjoy the discussion!

Send us a textJoin Professor Jeffrey Sachs and futurist Ray Kurzweil for a compelling conversation on the accelerating pace of technological change and its profound implications for the future of humanity. In his new book, The Singularity Is Nearer, Kurzweil revisits and updates his groundbreaking predictions on AI & AGI, exponential growth, and human evolution and longevity.Together, they explore a future where AI rivals human intelligence by 2029, nanotechnology rebuilds the world atom by atom, and our minds merge with the cloud to expand intelligence beyond biological limits. They examine radical life extension, the promise of renewable energy, and how exponential technologies are reshaping industries, reducing poverty, and transforming global well-being. But, they also confront the risks while discussing a vision of the future - both awe-inspiring and cautionary - challenging us to rethink what it means to be human in an age of rapid and relentless innovation.The Book Club with Jeffrey Sachs is brought to you by the SDG Academy, the flagship education initiative of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network. Learn more and get involved at bookclubwithjeffreysachs.org.Footnotes:AIAGI The Singularity is Near Dartmouth WorkshopMartin Kosinski NeuromedBiotechnologyFrank RosenblattPerceptronExponential Growth Turing TestLongevity Humanoid RobotsVirtual Reality NeocortexArtificial Consciousness⭐️ Thanks for listening to Book Club with Jeffrey Sachs! 📚 Join the conversation and go deeper into the ideas shaping our world. ➡️ Subscribe to the newsletter for episode updates, readings, and behind-the-scenes insights: https://bit.ly/subscribeBCJS ➡️ Explore past episodes, show notes, and featured books: https://bookclubwithjeffreysachs.org 🎧 Download and subscribe on your favorite podcast platform so you never miss an episode. 📣 Love the show? Leave a rating and review - it helps more listeners find the podcast. 🔁 Share this episode with a friend, colleague, or book club who’d enjoy the discussion!