390. Road To 9/11: The Soviet-Afghan War (Part 2)

Empire by Goalhanger

Aug 26, 202643:17History

Did the CIA actually fund Osama bin Laden during the Soviet-Afghan war? Who was Abdullah Azzam, the radical scholar who turned jihad into a global franchise? How did a bureaucratic office meeting create Al-Qaeda? In Epis...

Related Episodes

Continue listening to more episodes from Empire.

402. The Norman Conquests: The Real Story of 1066 (Part 2)

Oct 7, 2026 - 57:34

Who was William the Conqueror? Who was Harold Godwinson? Who was Harald Hardrada? And how did these three...

401. The Norman Conquests: Secrets of the Bayeux Tapestry (Part 1)

Oct 4, 2026 - 56:24

The Bayeux Tapestry shows one of the defining moments in English history. But look closer at its dragon-p...

400. Stalin: A Poisonous Legacy (Part 6)

Sep 30, 2026 - 50:14

Fiona Hill is the leading authority on Russia and has been in the room with Putin and Trump. She joins An...

399. Stalin: Hitler’s Downfall At Stalingrad (Part 5)

Sep 26, 2026 - 51:45

Antony Beevor wrote the definitive book on the Battle of Stalingrad. He joins William Dalrymple and Anita...

398. Stalin: The Great Terror (Part 4)

Sep 23, 2026 - 42:55

Soon after Stalin’s purges and mass violence, Nazi soldiers launch a surprise invasion of the Soviet Unio...

397. Stalin: Killing Trotsky (Part 3)

Sep 20, 2026 - 49:12

Was it an ice axe or an ice pick? The murder of Trotsky in Mexico is infamous, but what does it say about...

396. Stalin: The Bolshevik Revolution (Part 2)

Sep 16, 2026 - 44:04

Despite later mythology, Stalin was effectively a nobody during the Russian Revolution of 1917. Unlike Tr...

395. Stalin: The Rise of A Tyrant (Part 1)

Sep 13, 2026 - 33:48

How did Stalin become one of the most ruthless dictators in World History? What was his childhood like in...