Rear Vision — How History Shaped Today

The story of how the military helped develop Israel’s national identity and how compulsory service can shape the lives and values of Israelis.

Mexico has one of the highest murder rates on earth, and most of these murders are committed by guns that come into Mexico illegally from America. Can or should American gun manufacturers be held responsible for the damage caused by these guns. That’s the question being asked by Mexico in two court cases underway in the US states of Massachusetts and Arizona.

Australia is a nation built on migration, but the system has a sometimes-cruel history.  How has our migration program evolved? And why the perception of being in control has been so central to its success.

It's almost two years since the US supreme court overturned Roe V Wade In this episode from our archives, we revisit the story of the landmark 1973 ruling.

As TikTok's power and popularity has grown, concerns around its Chinese ownership have gotten louder.

The gang violence that is gripping the Caribbean nation of Haiti, is the most recent disaster in a long line of political, economic, and natural disasters. Today Haiti is one of the poorest and most unstable country on the planet, but this was not always the case, it was once France’s riches colony and the world’s first black-lead republic. So why has Haiti become such a political and economic mess?

Immigrants are showing up at the southern border in record numbers.  We examine the history of US policy toward immigration and border security with Mexico.

It’s a truism of peace talks that we’re not negotiating with our friends but rather our enemies. And when most of our enemies have been designated as terrorist and murderers it’s not an easy task. How have we’ve ended violent conflicts in the past and are there lessons we can learn from previous peace negotiations.

The story of how this tiny country got so good at conflict mediation and why their pragmatism is also a liability.

Since the birth Pakistan in 1947 the military has been interfering either directly or indirectly in politics and their election last month was no different. So how and why has the military come to play such a critical role in Pakistan politics and what has this meant for Pakistan’s democracy.

Figuring out the best way to respond to young people who commit crimes is a vexed issue. Especially when there is a perception that not enough is being done to keep the community safe. We examine the evolution of juvenile justice and the use of institutions to reform and punish children.

The Axis of Resistance,  is a coalition of state and non-state actors, led by Iran and committed to resisting the presence of the United States and Israel in the Middle East. Since Hamas’s attack on Israel and the subsequent invasion of Gaza, members of the Axis have targeted anything connected with Israel or the United States across the region. Yet Iran has remained reluctant to confront the US or Israel directly. Is this reluctance undermining Iran’s standing within the Axis of resistance?

Coles and Woolworths didn't start out in food retail but after making the switch in the 1950s they quickly started taking over the competition. So what do we lose when an industry is dominated by just two players?

American Presidents are not elected by a popular vote but rather by a select group – known as the Electoral College. It’s a system that was devised in 1787 to bring together a number of very disparate states – all with their own agendas. But is it appropriate for Presidential elections in the 21st century and can it said to be a truly democratic?

The Houthis, a militia group from Yemen, began targeting cargo vessels in the Red Sea last year. It's one of the world's busiest shipping lanes so disruptions can have a big impact on global trade. The United States and UK have responded with air strikes on targets in Yemen. We examine the Houthis origins and rising influence.

Since former intelligence official David Grusch made his explosive claims about the US government possessing ‘non-human’ crashed craft, the world has been gripped by another bout of UFO fever. In this Rear Vision, we track our modern obsession with this phenomenon, from the ‘flying saucers’ of the 1940’s to the ‘UAPs’ of today.

With the failure of the constitutional Voice to parliament referendum last year should we be looking to a Treaty as the way forward. Both New Zealand and Canada have treaties and a complex history of implementing them. What, if anything, can we learn from their story?

Donald Trump famously began his career as a builder and developer by capitalising on his father’s successful business.  But then Trump identified something even more valuable: his personal brand.  We look at how Donald Trump built his fortune and ask, what's the value of his brand today?

Donald Trump has several of legal problems - the most recent being in the state of Georgia. Where he and 18 co-defendants have been charged under Georgia’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organisations Act – otherwise known as RICO. Originally created to fight the growth of the Mafia - today RICO Acts are used in the prosecution of white-collar crime and political corruption. Understand RICO and the prosecution of a president.

Australian airlines including Qantas and Virgin have been accused of slot hoarding.  It is a tactic used by major airlines to intentionally book and then cancel flights to prevent competition at airports. How are landing and take off slots at busy airports managed and it there an alternative?

Australia is facing a housing crisis - there is a shortage of affordable housing, essential workers can no longer live in the areas they work, and families are finding themselves homeless. While our politicians are struggling to come up with ideas to solve this crisis, one city that has managed to develop a housing strategy that works for most of its citizens - Vienna.

Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid used widely in hospitals as a powerful painkiller. Since the late 1960s, it's been one of the world's most important opioid analgesics. But in the United States illegal fentanyl use has exploded, last year it killed over 70,000 people. We examine the global supply chain and why fentanyl is unlike any other drug problem in history.

In 2007 the Danish public broadcaster, DR began producing serial crime dramas with a female detective in the lead. Set in a bleak social, and geographic landscapes, they addressed issues like immigration, child sexual abuse, and corruption. Known as Nordic Noir these dramas captured a global audience and have become the standard for quality TV. How did they do it?

Hamas' surprise attack on Israel last month, was immediately compared to the 1973 Yom Kippur War. It was that conflict which forced Israel to start negotiating with Egypt and eventually to an historical peace agreement between Egypt and Israel. We examine how that peace deal was achieved, what impact it had on the PLO and Palestinian struggle and why it matters in the current conflict between Hamas and Israel.

The assassination of President John F. Kennedy in 1963 shock America and set in train a myriad of conspiracy theories. 60 years on - after numerous inquiries, endless of books, and a feature film – the truth about the Kennedy assassination and the subsequent murder of Lee Harvey Oswald is still being debated. Rear Vision looks at the assassination and at how the conspiracy theories have reshaped America.

Humans have been processing food for thousands of years.   But now a more complex type of production dominates our diets, ultra-processed foods. What makes a food ultra-processed and how do they affect our health?

Since former intelligence official David Grusch made his explosive claims about the US government possessing ‘non-human’ crashed craft, the world has been gripped by another bout of UFO fever. In this Rear Vision, we track our modern obsession with this phenomenon, from the ‘flying saucers’ of the 1940’s to the ‘UAPs’ of today.

The Hamas attack on Israel is being called the country’s 9/11 and represent a devastating failure of Intelligence.  How did Israeli intelligence miss the planning for this attack and underestimate the capabilities of Hamas so profoundly?  But this is not the first time the most suffocated intelligent agencies in the world have been taken by surprise.  We take a look at some of the world’s most stunning intelligence failures throughout history.

Hamas’s coordinated attack on Israel on October 7 has placed the Gaza Strip at the centre of a full-scale military conflict between Hamas and Israel. How and why has this tiny sliver of land, squashed between Israel and the Mediterranean Sea became the epicentre of tension and conflict in the Middle East?

Donald Trump famously began his career as a builder and developer by capitalising on his father’s successful business.  But then Trump identified something even more valuable: his personal brand.  We look at how Donald Trump built his fortune and ask, what's the value of his brand today?

Derna a port city in eastern Libya, lost over 11 thousand of its citizens on the 10/11 of September when a wall of water swept a large part of the city. The immediate cause of the disaster in Derna was the catastrophic failures of two dams. The longer-term cause - was the ongoing failure of the Libyan state. So why is Libya, one of the richest nations in North Africa a failed state? That’s the question for in this Rear Vision.

Qantas once one of the best and most respected airlines in the sky is now in damage control. One of the many accusations being directed at Qantas is that it's hoarding all the best take-off and landing slots at Sydney Airport. It’s brought attention to a critical system in global aviation called slot co-ordination. What are the rules and does it lead to flight cancellations and a lack of competition in aviation?

Donald Trump has several of legal problems - the most recent being in the state of Georgia. Where he and 18 co-defendants have been charged under Georgia’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organisations Act – otherwise known as RICO. Originally created to fight the growth of the Mafia - today RICO Acts are used in the prosecution of white-collar crime and political corruption. Understand RICO and the prosecution of a president.

On the 14th of October we'll all be voting in a referendum on changing the constitution to recognised Indigenous Australia’s by the establishment of an Indigenous Voice to Parliament. For over 30 years Norway, Sweden and Finland have all had such bodies known as Nordic Sami parliaments. Each of these bodies makes representations to the national government on matters impacting Sámi people. So how do they work and can their experience make our decision  in a couple of weeks any clearer.

Australia is experiencing a spike in the number of people dying on our roads particularly in NSW and VIC.   Two states that were global leaders in road safety with mandatory seatbelts and random breath testing.  How did Australia manage to introduce such bold safety measures and are our standards slipping?

Rents in Australia have risen sharply during the past three years, and it’s become a political issue. The Greens are demanding the introduction of rent controls, but that idea has been rejected by most federal and state leaders. What do we mean when we talk about rent controls, how effective are they at controlling rising rents and what impact do they have on the rental market

Real estate has been the engine of the Chinese economy for decades, but the boom is over. And crisis is deliberate, brought on by Beijing's strategy to dismantle their model of debt fuelled development. Now the Chinese economy is in trouble and consumer confidence is plummeting. So how did their lucrative property sector turn into a liability?

For over a decade Niger in West Africa was seen as the beacon of democracy. That all changed in July 2023 when the elected President was ousted in a military coup. It was the fifth military coup in the region in the past 2 years. A region that was once a French colony and is today the epicentre of Islamic extremism. What happening in West Africa and why should we care.

Amazon, Apple, Meta, Alphabet and Microsoft are some of the most impactful corporations to ever come out of the United States. And their innovation has transformed our lives. But after decades of unchecked growth are these companies now too powerful for regulators to ignore? The United States has had antitrust laws for over a century so why has enforcement been dormant for so long?

Israel has two institutions underpinning its political system - its parliament, the Knesset, and its judiciary - but it doesn’t have a written constitutions setting out the powers of these two institutions. Now the right-wing coalition led by Benjaman Netanyahu is determined to assert the power of the Knesset over the courts and its leading to a constitutional crisis.

Hollywood has come to a standstill with actors and writers on strike, from the most famous to the bit player.  It's a dispute not just about money but the use of artificial intelligence and the way TV and movies are made.    But it's not the first-time workers in Hollywood have had to face down bosses.  The story of Hollywood and its current existential crisis.

Through most of the 20th centuries mercenaries didn’t exist but that was an anomaly - historically mercenaries have always played a major role in conflicts as they are increasing doing in the 21st century. So, who are the mercenaries, who employees them and what impact have they had on warfare. Guests Dr Sean McFate is a Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council, a Washington DC think tank, and a professor of strategy at the National Defence University and Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service. He is former private military contractor, US Army paratrooper, and has written extensively on the world of mercenaries. Author of Mercenaries and War: Understanding Private Armies Today. Sarah Percy is an Associate Professor of International relations at the University of Queensland and the author of Mercenaries: The History of a Norm in International Relations. Oxford, United Kingdom: Oxford University Press. Catrina Doxsee, Associate Director and Associate Fellow with the Transnational Threats Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington DC.

Lithium-ion batteries power everything from consumer goods, electric vehicles, large storage batteries and everything else we need to achieve net zero. While China currently dominates the global supply chain for lithium batteries, it relies on Australia for the raw material. But there are other players in the lithium market especially from South America, in a region known as the Lithium Triangle, which has one of the largest reserves on the planet.

Australia is facing a housing crisis - there is a shortage of affordable housing, essential workers can no longer live in the areas they work, and families are finding themselves homeless. While our politicians are struggling to come up with ideas to solve this crisis, one city that has managed to develop a housing strategy that works for most of its citizens - Vienna. Guests Julia Anna Schranz is a historian at the University of Vienna and is also a guide at the Red Vienna Exhibition at the Museum at Karl Marx Hoff. Dr. Justin Kadi Assistant Professor in Planning and Housing, at the Department of Land Economy at the University of Cambridge. Kurt Hofstetter is an Urban development Planner in the city of Vienna and is currently working for a department that is dealing with the funding for subsidised housing.

Following controversies involving films like 'Top Gun', 'Mulan' and now 'Barbie', there's been growing pushback against China's perceived influence over Hollywood. But are these calls too little, too late?

Jet streams are narrow bands of strong winds in the upper atmosphere.  This is the story of how they were discovered and what can happen when they behave in unexpected ways.

The strikes and street protests across France in the first months of this year were part of an ultimately failed attempt to stop the French government raising the pension age from 62 to 64. Age pensions were established as a means of preventing poverty in old age and they were originally associated with a compulsory retirement age. The range and diversity of schemes for funding old age evolved during the twentieth century along with the nature of retirement itself.

The story of diet drugs is one full of miracle cures that don't live up to the hype or come with serious side effects. There's a new class of drugs being touted as a revolution in weight loss. But will the future of diet drugs just end up looking a lot like the past?

The Republic of Moldova, a former Soviet republic, is bordered by Romania to the west and Ukraine to the north, east, and south. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, Moldova has wrestled with the attraction of closer ties with the West and its longer, deeper connection with Russia. There’s also Transnistria, a self-proclaimed independent region, a part of Moldova that lies along its border with Ukraine, which hosts Russian troops.

For the first time, a woman will fly to the moon when NASA sends four astronauts on the Artemis 2 lunar orbit mission next year. More than 650 people have journeyed in space since the early sixties and of these nearly ninety percent are men. But the gender divide is slowly changing, and NASA’s lunar mission is a pivotal moment for women, with plans to send humans to Mars in coming decades.

Dozens of political parties have come and gone since Federation, although the three major parties of the post-war period are still with us today. One of those parties—the Liberal Party—is  struggling for support and some see its future in doubt. How do political parties emerge and why do they sometimes disappear?

Former Soviet republic Belarus is a key Moscow ally in the war against Ukraine, facilitating the initial invasion and more recently agreeing to host Russian tactical nuclear weapons. Yet there is little support among Belarusians for the war against their neighbour.  Instead, dictator Alexander Lukashenko is engaged in a high stakes game of cat and mouse with Russia. Has Vladimir Putin silently achieved in Belarus what he seeks to do in Ukraine as part of his grand vision of a Russian Empire?

None of us need to be told that prices are going up or that interest rates are following. We are clearly now in a period of inflation which may or may not lead to a recession. But what exactly is inflation, why does it occur, how does it relate to interest rates and what if anything can we learn from past inflationary periods?

While the newly crowned King Charles has certainly been the focus of attention this weekend, his younger son, Harry, has also been in the media spotlight. Prince Harry’s decision to renounce his royal role was not the first time a member of the British monarchy decided to opt out. Almost a century ago, King Edward VIII gave up the crown to marry Wallis Simpson, an American divorcée. These two decisions, several generations apart, engulfed the monarchy in turmoil and sent the media into meltdown. What do these two stories tell us about the British monarchy?

They say there are only two certainties in life – death and taxes. While we can’t do much about the former, the latter has been the focus of much attention in the lead-up to the Federal Budget. The Henry Review of Australia’s tax system in 2008 made over one hundred recommendations. What were they and what happened to them?

In Australia we haven’t developed a modern recycling industry and we’re still relying on dumping waste into landfill. But other nations do recycle successfully – countries like Germany and South Korea, to name just two. How do they succeed where we have failed?

The storage of radioactive waste has proved incredibly difficult. None of the high-level waste produced in more than half a century of nuclear power (including submarines) has yet been successfully permanently stored. Last month, Australia signed off on a security pact with the US and the UK – known as AUKUS – which gives Australia nuclear-powered submarines and, for the first time, we will have to manage high-level nuclear waste on Australian soil.

For 40 years Medicare has been the foundation of Australia’s primary health care system. But with GPs hard to find, bulk billing rates declining and long waits at hospital emergency departments, just how well is Medicare serving us today? Does Medicare need fundamental reform and if so, what that reform might look like?

Since the referendum of 1967, federal governments have tried to establish representative Indigenous advisory bodies but none of these lasted. Each one was sidelined and eventually shut down by a subsequent government. Why have these bodies failed?

Until the 1967 referendum, First Nations people were not included in the census and so weren’t considered members of the Australian population. This referendum was the most successful in Australia’s history, with over 90 per cent voting in favour of changing the Constitution. It empowered federal governments for the first time to make laws that might improve the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

After World War II, Australia embarked on a massive immigration program. Between 1945 and 1965, two million immigrants came here, many from countries formerly excluded under the ‘White Australia’ policy. These 'new Australians' were expected to assimilate, become just like us, but by the late 1960s it was obvious many families were struggling. The introduction of multiculturalism in the 1970s transformed the lives of many migrants and, ultimately, Australia itself.

In the current debate over the Voice to parliament, both sides agree on the need for a Treaty. What they don’t agree on is when. Both New Zealand and Canada have treaties and a complex history of implementing them. What, if anything, can we learn from their story?

In early January, 2020, news began filtering through from China about a previously unknown illness, perhaps a new kind of pneumonia that appeared to have a high mortality rate. Our lives were about to be upturned, with lockdowns, border closures, masks and even toilet paper shortages transforming our day-to-day lives in unimaginable ways. Three years later, we know a lot more about Covid-19 and the virus that causes it, SARS-CoV-2.

In just twelve months, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has reshaped the political landscape in Europe. Finland and Sweden have applied to join NATO, perceptions of Russia in Central Asia have shifted, and the focus of Russia’s foreign policy has changed. Rear Vision explores the political fallout from the conflict in Ukraine.

Russia’s attempt to take its neighbour, Ukraine, by force has not gone according to plan. Many—including Russia—expected Ukraine’s capitulation within days. But, led by its charismatic president, Volodymyr Zelensky, and supported by NATO, Ukraine fought back, although at a terrible cost to its people. Why did Russia’s invasion go so spectacularly wrong?

Pope Francis is facing increasing criticism from conservatives within the Catholic Church. While conflict and ideological battles in the Church are not unusual it’s rare that they are aired so publicly. What’s going on?

n 2022, the Optus data breach, along with the Medibank hack, saw the theft of the personal information of millions of Australians. In the last decade, there has been an explosion in cybercrime, especially ransomware attacks. What can we do to protect our personal details from criminals?

Fifty years ago, the US Supreme Court Roe v. Wade decision effectively legalised abortion across the country. That decision was overturned last year by a very conservative Supreme Court. For over 100 years there has been a struggle between liberals and conservatives in America for control of the Supreme Court. The appointment by President Trump three conservative Justices to the Court has tipped the balance. How did this happen and what does it mean for the lives of ordinary Americans?

In November, 2021, Barbados, a tiny Caribbean island, replaced the Queen as its head of state with a Barbadian president. How did Barbados succeed where Australia failed and what does it mean to be a republic in the Commonwealth?

In Scandinavian prisons the focus is on rehabilitation not punishment.

As Australia’s borders opened after the Covid pandemic, there was an overwhelming surge in applications for passports as we travelled to see friends and family overseas or took up that abandoned holiday. Something like a passport goes back centuries but the modern version—a  little travel booklet with your photo in it—is a relatively recent phenomenon.

We take for granted the accuracy of predictions and warnings put out by our weather forecasters. Once, weather predictions were the butt of jokes but today the Bureau of Meteorology can accurately forecast the weather for the next seven to ten days. How did this happen?

Chocolate is one of our most popular indulgences but there is a darker side to the industry – one connected with colonialism, the industrial revolution and modern-day slavery.

For over one hundred years, the Ruhr region was the grimy, polluted heart of Germany’s coal and steel. Today it has no coal mines. Instead, it is a cultural hub more than fifty museums and is a centre for green energy innovation. How did they do it?

It was a bad year for crypto even before the spectacular collapse of FTX. Although eminent economists and investors warned that cryptocurrency was a speculative bubble—even a Ponzi scheme—the growth of digital currency exchanges fuelled investment in crypto. Are we seeing the beginning of its death spiral?

Centrelink’s 'automated debt recovery system' - or Robodebt - sparked two Senate inquiries, an Ombudsman inquiry, numerous court cases and now a Royal Commission. Despite being found to be unlawful by the Federal Court, questions remain. How and why was this system introduced? And why was it allowed to run for so long?

Casino inquiries, cashless gambling cards, new laws on gambling advertising—the gambling industry in Australia is under the microscope as never before. Just how far has the tide turned and what needs to be done to address the problems associated with Australia’s gambling addiction?

The NDIS was meant to transform the lives of all Australians with a disability, but things haven’t quite gone to plan. Many people have found the NDIS difficult to access or inadequate and there has been a huge cost blowout. Hear the story of the NDIS – what we’ve got right, what we’re got wrong and how we might fix it.

The federal government has committed to work with states and territories, local government and investors to reshape housing in Australia. Perhaps most significant is the commitment to build fifty thousand social and affordable homes, bringing some relief to those on the lowest incomes currently forced into the private rental market.

Five years ago, Emmanuel Macron became France’s youngest-ever president at the age of thirty-nine. It was a stunning victory, the result of a bold strategy and a solid dose of good luck. Can he pull it off again?

The US midterm elections are happening this week and many people say that the outcome could determine the future of democracy in America. We look at one side of this electoral race—the Republican Party—and its historical links with the extreme right.

The choice is between the former leftist president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva—known as Lula—and the far-right incumbent, Jair Bolsonaro. Who are these men and what will this vote mean for the future of Latin America’s biggest country?

The death last month of a young Iranian woman while in the custody of the morality police has sparked widespread protests across Iran. Protests are not new in Iran. Since the 1990s, there have been many protests, but these are unusual in that they are being led by women and girls. This is the story of women and politics in Iran.

As the all-powerful Chinese Communist Party elite gather for a public display of their authority, Xi Jinping cements his grip on China. Xi’s family background put him on the fast track to success within the Party, although like many so-called ‘princelings’, he endured great hardship during Mao’s Cultural Revolution. How did Xi rise to the top and what has his ascendancy meant for the people of China?

The modern-day Commonwealth emerged out of the British Empire. Can it separate itself from this colonial past and its legacy of slavery and racism?

The sky’s the limit for New York City skyscrapers, from the Art Deco delights of the Chrysler Building to today’s controversial supertalls.

After decades of cutbacks, pay freezes and allegations of politicisation, is the Australian Public Service still able to give the government of the day informed and independent advice?

The World Heritage Convention has become a victim of its own success, with increasing political pressure sidelining expert advice and the deluge of sites put forward threatening the value of the ‘brand’.

In Scandinavian prisons the focus is on rehabilitation not punishment.

LIV, a new professional golf competition backed by Saudi Arabia, has created bitter division among players, challenging the future shape of the game.

Taiwan today produces ninety per cent of the world’s most sophisticated microchips that power everything from our smart phone and laptops to military equipment, electric cars and rockets that go to Mars. But Taiwan is also in the eye of a political storm, caught between China on the one side and the United States on the other.  How did the tiny island of Taiwan come to dominate the production of microchips and what happens if something goes wrong?

Secret trials and overblown sentences are the hallmarks of state hostage-taking. What can governments do when their citizens are wrongfully detained overseas?

Decisions made by the Reserve Bank affect so much of our lives—from our mortgage repayments to the cost of supermarket items. For the first time in decades, how it operates is up for review.

The e-book has turned the book industry upside down affecting bookshops, publishers, authors, libraries and readers. This program was first broadcast on 24 October, 2021

In the Uluru Statement from the Heart, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders are calling for an Indigenous Voice to parliament. While they haven’t set out how that would work there are models we can look back on. Ever since the referendum of 1967 federal governments have attempted and failed to set up administrative organisations to give Indigenous Communities a say in their own affairs. As we once again debate how we acknowledge Australia’s first people - what if anything can we learn from those past attempts?

Britons were promised an economy free from European regulation and the right to make their own laws once they left the EU. Instead, British businesses are setting up in Europe and holidaymakers are stuck in traffic as they try to get to France.

In the 1970s, scientists warned of a potential natural disaster – the destruction of the ozone layer by CFCs, chemicals commonly used in fridges and spray cans. The world came together to protect the ozone layer. Why hasn’t this happened with climate change?

Choosing to not drink is a pretty big thing in this country. Globally we’re well up there in terms of consumption levels and risky drinking - alcohol is entrenched in almost all aspects of society. But there’s growing interest in staying dry past July. Australia has a long history with alcohol but are we seeing a change in drinking habits?

Joe Biden is now President of the United States. He has been involved in U.S politic for almost 50 years and twice before ran for the presidency and both times was defeated soundly. So what can his time as a Senator and as vice President tell us about the kind of President he may become?