Press &#038; Media

Where is Afghanistan in the Silk Network?

Peter talks with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty about Afghanistan’s place along China’s Belt and Road Initiative.

15 minute read

Peter reviews Dark Shadows: Inside the Secret World of Kazakhstan

Peter reviews Dark Shadows: Inside the Secret World of Kazakhstan by Joanna Lillis for the Spectator. It is a great place to start for anyone wanting to see how and why Central Asia matters in the 21st century.

5 minute read

Twenty Questions with Peter Frankopan

Peter answers the famous 20 Questions posed by the TLS, revealing his favourite recent book, writing habits and some excellent advice.

15 minute read

You Do Not Move If You Only Tread Water

Peter talks to Serena Jung of the Asia Society in Switzerland about China’s Belt and Road Initiative, Europe’s response to global change, and the significance of the 21st century.

5 minute read

Peter Frankopan and the return of the Silk Roads

Peter talks to Luke Frostick of Bosphorus Review of Books about the Return of the Silk Roads.

5 minute read

What lies behind the enduring appeal of the Crusades?

Peter reviews new books on the Crusades by Dan Jones and Roger Crowley for the Financial Times – and asks whether the shadow of the Crusades is all that is seems.

15 minute read

Putin’s People by Catherine Belton

Peter reviews Putin’s People by Catherine Belton for the Financial Times, and explains why it is the best book written about Putin, the people around him and perhaps even about contemporary Russia itself in three decades.

5 minute read

CNBC Arabia talk to Peter about the history of pandemics

CNBC Arabia talk to Peter about the history of pandemics, what Covid-19 means for the Middle East, and for what comes next in global geopolitics.

5 minute read

Peter writes for BBC History Magazine

Peter writes for BBC History Magazine about how the curriculum could and should change in schools, and argues that we need to think more about connections and include all parts of the world when we look at the past.

15 minute read

Peter is interviewed by Wreckwatch Magazine

Peter talks to Sean Kingsley of Wreckwatch Magazine about maritime Silk Roads, his favourite historians, globalisation, why comparing Rome and Han China poses as many questions and answers – and how history helps understand the present and future.

5 minute read

Peter appears on BBC Radio 4’s Spin The Globe

Peter talks with Dr Michael Scott on BBC Radio 4’s Spin the Globe about the events of 1066. Although we normally think of the Battle of Hastings and the Norman conquest, Peter explains how what was happening elsewhere was more important – especially in Southern Italy, Sicily and in the Byzantine Empire.

30 minute read

You’re Dead to Me: Ivan The Terrible

Peter is back for his third time on the BBC’s award-winning, multi-million downloaded podcast You’re Dead to Me.

He joins host Greg Jenner with comedian Olga Koch to talk about the life of Ivan the Terrible (1530-84).

30 minute read

Byzantium: A Tale of Three Cities

Presented by Simon Sebag-Montefiore, this major BBC 4 series charts the history of one of the great cities in the world – known as Byzantium, Constantinople and then Istanbul. Peter talks about the impact of the First Crusade on the city and on the Byzantine empire, and tells how co-operation gave way to suspicion, and eventually, to disaster.

30 minute read

Ten Days that Changed the World

Peter writes for the Sunday Telegraph about how history will look back on the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

15 minute read

The Myth of The Crusades: The Most ‘Glorious’ Failure of The Orient?

Andres Seoane admires Peter’s book The First Crusade in a major article in Spain’s El Mundo newspaper.

15 minute read

Adultery, Betrayal and Power Struggles: Dirty History of The First Crusade

Irene Velasco admires Peter’s book The First Crusade in a major article in Spain’s El Mundo newspaper.

15 minute read

The Colourful Side of The Dark Ages

Peter reviews The Bright Ages: A New History of Medieval Europe by Matt Gabriele and David Perry for the Observer. While he admires the effort to shine light onto this period, he can’t help thinking it a shame that half of Europe is left in the shadows.

5 minute read

Beijing’s 30-Year Rise Across The Former U.S.S.R.

Peter talks to Reid Standish of Radio Free Europe about the 30 years that followed the break up of the Soviet Union and what that has meant for China.

15 minute read

The Money Maze podcast

Peter talks to Simon Brewer of The Money Maze podcast about the global landscape in the 2020s and the lessons history can teach investors and thinkers – covering China, Russia and the world beyond.

30 minute read

‘The First Great Historian of The 21st Century’

Emir Sader dubs Peter ‘the first great historian of the 21st century’, writing in Brazil’s DCM magazine

5 minute read

It’s Time For a New Way of Looking at History

We are teaching schoolchildren and university students the wrong things, says Peter in the TES.

5 minute read

Western sense of superiority leads to disastrous misjudgments

‘Rock star historian Peter Frankopan’ is profiled in Finland’s Helsingin Sanomat by Ville Similä – and warns that failure to understand China, Russia and change to the east of Europe will have dire consequences in the future.

15 minute read

Peter reviews Born in Blackness

Peter reviews Born in Blackness: Africa, Africans and the Making of the Modern World by Howard French for the Observer. It is nothing less than a masterpiece

15 minute read

‘The window of Byzantium overlooks a vast garden’

Katerina Oikonmakou talks to Peter in a wide-ranging interview, ahead of his lecture in Athens to mark the inaugural Thalia Potamianos lectures.

5 minute read

Peter Frankopan opens lecture series in Athens on ‘Global Connections’

Peter tells Publishing Perspectives he will engage with very well known subjects in very different ways when he gives the first of three Thalia Potamianos lectures at the American School of Classical Studies at Athens, with a focus on Global Greece in the Age of Antiquity.

5 minute read

The US remains a powerful superpower

Peter is not your usual academic, Vassilis Nedos says in Kathimerini – as he is keen to get encourage those outside academia to learn from the past.

5 minute read

The War that Changed the World in the Early Seventh Century

Peter writes in the Spectator about James Howard-Johnston’s fine book The Last Great War of Antiquity, detailing the war that reshaped the world in the 7th century.

5 minute read

A 2000-Mile Journey Through Russia’s Lonely Borderlands With China

Peter enjoys Colin Thubron’s ambitious book The River Amur and admires the legendary writer’s eye for detail, literary skill – and stamina.

15 minute read

Most People Who Call Themselves Caucasian Know Nothing About The Caucasus

Peter is impressed by Christian Baumer’s ambition in his magnificent book History of the Caucasus: At the Crossroads of Empire.

5 minute read

Peter Frankopan on Afghanistan

Peter spoke with Matt Frei on Channel 4 News about the unfolding situation in Afghanistan, covering the country’s history and how to best understand the fall of the government of President Ghani, and the rise of the Taliban.

5 minute read

Peter reviews Antwerp: The Glory Years

Peter reviews Michael Pye’s new book Antwerp: The Glory Years, a charming and rather lovely history of a beautiful and famous city between 1500-1600.

5 minute read

You’re Dead To Me: Genghis Khan

Peter returns to Greg Jenner’s smash-hit BBC podcast You’re Dead To Me, alongside comedian Phil Wang, to talk about Genghis Khan, the Mongols and one of the great empires in history.

30 minute read

The Winning China Factor vs. Fading US Factor

W.A Wigewardena, former Deputy Governor of the Bank of Sri Lanka, writes extensively about Peter’s book New Silk Roads, and how it reveals the shifting centre of power in the 21st century.

15 minute read

A Somewhat Complete History of Sitting Down

Peter talks with Greg Jenner for his Audible podcast series about the ‘history of sitting down’ – something that is more complex and interesting than one might think.

30 minute read

Crime and No Punishment

Peter reviews Loot: Britain and the Benin Bronzes by Barnaby Phillips for AirMail. It is a story that tells us a great deal about past engagements with Africa – and why action is needed today to put right the wrongs of the past.

15 minute read

Scenes at US Capitol were shocking. But were they really surprising?

The Capitol Hill riots in Washington were shocking, writes Peter Frankopan in the Evening Standard. But they were not surprising.

5 minute read

Reasons to be hopeful in 2021

Peter writes about the lessons of 2020 and of the challenges of surviving a global pandemic in the Guardian. He writes that we should remember the good news, as well as the bad; and that there may be some surprising silver linings to the events of 2020.

30 minute read

It is all Happening in the East

Peter talks to Observant ahead of the prestigious Tans lecture 2020 at Maastricht University.

15 minute read

Peter appears on BBC’s Hard Talk

Peter is interviewed by Stephen Sackur for the BBC’s flagship Hard Talk programme about global politics, change in the contemporary world and how history can be helpful to understand both.

30 minute read

The Optimistic Lessons of the Black Death

Bulgarian daily Glasove carries a translation of Peter’s interview with Le Point on why we can draw some comfort from past experiences with pandemics.

15 minute read

The Chinese Will Rewrite History

Peter’s interview in Le Point is translated into Bulgarian for readers of Glasove.

15 minute read

Conversion of Two Churches into Mosques by Erdogan

Algerie Cultures writes about the change of museums in Istanbul into mosques, and reports Peter’s misgivings about the timing of this decision.

5 minute read

Five Distinguished UK Personalities Explain What Ties Them To Greece

Greek daily Kathimerini asks five distinguished British writers about their love of Greece. Peter says it’s been a llfe-long passion.

5 minute read

Getting The Picture: Cricket’s Relationship With Photography

Peter chooses one of his favourite cricket photos for the Guardian, and explains why here was nothing more exciting or beautiful than watching the West Indies cricket team in the 1980s.

15 minute read

A Worrying Trend in Turkish Politics

Peter tells Christophe Ono-Biot of Le Point that the transformation of Haghia Sophia and Chora in Istanbul are part of a worrying trend in Turkish politics.

5 minute read

Peter Frankopan on Konstantin Tsiolkovsky

Peter nominates the Russian scientist Konstantin Tsiolkosky for the BBC Radio 4’s Great Lives series. He tells Matthew Parris that, although unknown to many, Tsiolkovsky played a crucial role in conceptualising space travel and how we think about outer space.

30 minute read

Peter Frankopan on global history in 2020

Peter talks to BBC History Magazine about chairing the jury of the 2020 Cundill Prize, he also discusses global history and how things have changed since The Silk Roads was published in 2015.

15 minute read

As a New Axis of Power Forms, the UK Needs to Decide Where it Stands

Peter writes for the Evening Standard about the challenges facing the UK, and the removal of Huawei from critical infrastructure. Global Britain needs global perspectives and global partnerships if it is to retain a leading role in world affairs.

15 minute read

Covid-19 Didn’t Escape From a Lab — But the Next Deadly Virus Could

We should be wary of the threats of future outbreaks of infectious diseases, Peter writes in Prospect magazine – partly because bio-security in global laboratories is so poor.

30 minute read

Who is History’s Worst Political Adviser?

Leaders in history have often relied on political advisors, Peter writes in History Today. Few were as divisive as Nikephoritzes, bane of the Byzantine Empire in the late 11th century.

5 minute read

An Open Letter About the Status of Hagia Sophia

Leading historians have written to the Turkish government following the conversion of the status of Hagia Sophia in Istanbul from a museum to a mosque.

15 minute read

This crisis has the capacity to be apocalyptic

The implications of Covid-19 are hard to exaggerate, writes Peter in a major essay for Engelsberg Ideas. Even before the pandemic struck, more than half of all deaths in Africa come from infectious disease, but there will be long-term consequences – unless leadership is brave, inspired and enlightened,

30 minute read

Peter appears on the Beyond Sports podcast

Nick Keller of the Beyond Sports podcast talks to Peter about his life in sport – and asks him to select three sporting moments that have had an impact on his life.

30 minute read

‘The decisions made in China will shape the world of the 21st century’

Peter talks to Hugo Alconada Mon of Argentina’s La Nación newspaper about how the first six months of 2020 may set the tone for the rest of the decade.

15 minute read

Past Pandemics Exacerbated Disadvantages: What We Can Learn From Them

Pandemics exacerbate inequalities, writes Peter for The Conversation. They can last for decades – and even for centuries.

5 minute read

The Chalke Valley History Show 2020

The Chalke Valley History Festival was an online event in 2020. Peter was asked to talk about a topic – or an object – linked to his recent research. He chose a matryoshka, a Russian stacking doll, and the leaders of the Soviet Union and Russia since 1917.

5 minute read

India’s Actions May Decide the Course of the 21st Century

Srijana Mitra Das from The Times of India talks to Peter about the rising tensions between China and India, and the military escalation in Ladakh.

5 minute read

Prefiguring the Future of Democracy

Writing for Kenya’s The Elephant, Daniel Blau considers the implications of how leading intellectuals conceptualise the future of democracy. Peter’s work is central to the author’s argument, alongside that of economist Branko Milanović.

30 minute read

Rather than malign China, it’s time the West listened

It is important to think how best to engage with China. How much easier and more productive it would be, says Peter in the Sunday Times, to work with other nations around the world to do that, rather than on our own.

15 minute read

Historian Peter Frankopan on Why This Pandemic Reveals a Dangerous Lack of Global Cooperation

Amrita Dutta of The Indian Express interviews Peter about historical parallels to Covid-19 and about the lack of global co-ordination for dealing with the outbreak of disease. Tolerance, diversity and inclusivity are not just nice ideas, he says; they also produce better outcomes.

15 minute read

“Now is the Time to See Things From a Historical Perspective”

Peter talks to Masanori Hattori of Japanese newspaper Mainchi about pandemics, about the future of the Silk Roads and about China’s ambitions.

15 minute read

‘A Long-Term Optimist’: Peter Frankopan on Staying Resilient During the Pandemic

Nick Maini of Cambridge University’s Varsity newspaper asks Peter about the future of globalisation, about Covid-19 and what changes will come about as the dust settles from the current disruption.

30 minute read

Coronavirus Has Presented China With a Historic Opportunity — Will It Take It?

Peter writes about rising challenges and opportunities that Covid-19 has presented for China and for the rest of the world.

5 minute read

Pandemics: Science and History

Peter talks with Dan Snow’s award-winning History Hit podcast about science, history and pandemics – and why historians need to keep on learning, as well as asking important questions. Pandemics and disease are important parts of humanity’s past, but also its present and future.

30 minute read

‘New World Order’ Can Help Lead Recovery From Covid-19

Peter in conversation with leading Emirati diplomat HE Oman Ghaboosh to discuss ideas about how Covid-19 may affect the world.

5 minute read

Asia and the World After COVID

Peter writes for the Jinnah Institute in Pakistan, founded by Senator Sherry Rehman. He considers what the future has in store for South Asia and for Asian populations more generally.

5 minute read

The World After Coronavirus

Peter talks to Prof Adil Najam of Boston University about the future of the Silk Roads as part of of the ‘World After Coronavirus’ series.

5 minute read

The Chronicle of the First Crusade

Vassilis Nedos gives a glowing review in Kathimerini of Peter’s ‘masterful’ book The First Crusade, which has been translated into Greek.

15 minute read

‘The Chinese Will Rewrite History’

China is challenging the narrative of the Covid-19 coronavirus, and rewriting the recent past as part of a wider division between China and the world, Peter tells Christophe Ono-Biot.

15 minute read

All Out Politics podcast

Peter is a guest of Adam Boulton on Sky News’ All Out Politics podcast, and discusses historical precedents to Covid-19 and the latest news from around the world.

30 minute read

Coronavirus Will Leave the World a Better Place

The coronavirus sweeping the world will teach valuable lessons on how to prepare better for future pandemics – and will improve hygiene standards in the UK and elsewhere, writes Peter in the Daily Mirror.

5 minute read

Shifting Narratives

Peter talks to Luis Alemany of El Mundo about global reactions to Covid-19 and about the shifting narratives behind the outbreak.

15 minute read

Pandemics are Terrifying but They Can Make the World Better

Peter writes about the history of pandemics for the Times and notes how often societies in the past have had to deal with the spread of infectious disease – the aftermath can sometimes have surprising outcomes.

15 minute read

Readings For Quarantine

Peter recommends Camilla Townsend’s Fifth Sun: A New History of the Aztecs to readers of El País as perfect quarantine reading during lockdown.

5 minute read

Forty Pounds For a Good Forty

Le Point recommends forty books as the perfect companions to a period of enforced lockdown – including Peter’s book The Silk Roads.

15 minute read

Our Bodies, Their Battlefield

Peter reviews Christina Lamb’s new book Our Bodies, Their Battlefield for the Observer. It should be required reading, he writes.

15 minute read

Viral Politics

Covid-19 might have some unexpected consequences, writes Peter in the Evening Standard – a bonanza for makers of surgical masks and tinned goods; but it might also have an impact on the US presidential election.

5 minute read

Coronavirus: The (Optimistic) Lessons of the Black Death

Peter talks to Christophe Ono-dit-Biot of Le Point about Coronovirus – and the lessons we can learn from history.

5 minute read

China’s Decade: Is the Emerging-Superpower a Force for Good, or a World Menace?

Peter talks to Tom Swarbrick of LBC’s Rule Britannia podcast about CoVid-19, China and Britain’s future in the 21st Century.

30 minute read

Edge of Tomorrow

Peter writes for the Bangkok Post about the city’s rich literary history – and about the Bangkok Edge Festival

5 minute read

Coronavirus: China’s Chernobyl Moment?

Peter writes about Coronavirus for the Sunday Times and asks whether this is China’s Chernobyl moment – or whether the crisis presents an opportunity for Beijing.

15 minute read

Peter Writes Cover Story for Revistas Desperta Ferro

Peter writes the cover story for Revistas Desperta Ferro, Spain’s most prominent magazine for history lovers. He explains the role played by the Silk Roads in history, and above all way that it helped shape Spain’s own past – both during the Islamic Golden Age, but also as Spanish ships took to the seas in the 1400s and onwards.

15 minute read

Trains from the East

Peter talks with Coen van de Ven of De Groene Amsterdammer in a long interview that looks at major shifts in global economy, power and poltiics. The world is changing fast, he argues.

5 minute read

Peter Talked to Mishal Husain on Today

As the government was about to decide about allowing Huawei into the 5G spectrum, Peter talked to Mishal Husain of BBC Radio’s flagship Today programme about the context, consequences and choices at stake.

5 minute read

The Lesson from the Past that has a Chilling Resonance Today

The outbreak of the 2019-CoV ‘Coronavirus’ in Wuhan has parallels with the outbreak of disease and pandemics in the past. Peter warns in the Daily Mail that global health authorities are poorly placed to co-ordinate a response.

5 minute read

The Politics of the Flybe Rescue Deal

Peter took part in Adam Boulton’s All Out Politics for Sky News.
Topics included how to mark Brexit; whether FlyBe should get government subsidies; and who might become the next leader of the Labour Party in the UK.

30 minute read

Guest Blog for the Barefoot Bookseller

Peter writes a Guest Blog for the Barefoot Bookseller after visiting the fabulous Soneva Fushi hotel in the Maldives at the end of 2019 as Guest Visiting Author. He would go back in a flash (not surprisingly)

5 minute read

The Return of the Silk Routes and the Century of Asia

Peter is interviewed by Justo Barranco of La Vanguardia in Spain about the challenges that new technologies, climate change and the rise of Asia pose for Europe and the west.

5 minute read

Iran shows Trump’s hand — we shouldn’t assume he is our ally

Peter writes about the death of Iranian geneal, Qasem Soleimani, in an attack in Baghdad – and about what this means for Iran, for the Middle East and the difference in the way that the UK and US deal with this region.

5 minute read

The Silk Roads Makes the Front Cover

The Silk Roads also makes the front cover of a special issue of Histoire de l’Antiquité à Nos Jours in France.
Peter focuses on the networks that helped connect traders, merchants, conquerors and pilgrims in the ancient world, taking the story up to the time of the Crusades in c.1100.

30 minute read

New Silk Roads

Peter talks to Matias de Diego of El Diario in Spain about why it is important to move away from traditional views of the past – and of the present.

15 minute read

The Call of the East

Peter talks to Urs Gehriger of Switzerland’s Die Weltwoche about the call of the East, and how the challenges and opportunities in Asia are the ones we should be thinking about – from IT to the military, from climate change to shifting economic and political power.

5 minute read

The Crusades

Peter talks about the Crusades in a BBC documentary that looks at how our understanding of the Holy Land has changed since the 1960s. He explains how past conceptions of Christian Holy War have fail to look at or understand sources, ideas and perspectives that frame the Crusades in a completely different way.

30 minute read

Nexus Aftermovie v2

Peter took part in the Nexus Institute 2019 Event that looked at Götterdämmerung: The Twlight of the Gods, alongside Rob Riemen, Michael Ignatieff, entrepreneur Eric Li, Afghan minister, Sima Samar, Jose Manuel Barroso, former Presdient of the European Commission and Adm Mike Mullen, former Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the United States Armed Forces.

5 minute read

Who will win the global power struggle?

The rise of Asia, along with the opportunities and challenges that provides should make us ask fundamental questions about how to respond, Peter tells Marcus Rubin of Danish newspaper Politiken.

15 minute read

We Live in the Age of the Pandemic.

We live in the age of the pandemic, writes Peter in Prospect. Changing climates, the threat of biotechnology and sanitation problems leave us highly exposed to potential disaster.

15 minute read

‘The Most Worrying Thing in the Western World is the Lack of Leadership’

Peter talks with Jan Willem Velthuijsen of PwC about the shifts in global power in the 21st century – and how to best prepare for the consequences.

15 minute read

The New Cold War?

Peter is interviewed by Hector Barnes of Spain’s El Confidencial about Europe and its approach to China. The lack of a coherent strategy is not only surprising, but also rather worrying.

15 minute read

“The UN is an Old Rich Man’s Club”

Peter talks to Luis Torras of Spanish Daily El Mundo about the changes in the 21st century – and what we should be thinking about.

15 minute read

World history is not only written from Western Europe

We should not just look at the world from the perspective of Europe and the West – Peter tells Kristeligt Dagblad – or we will not understand history properly.

5 minute read

“The European Union Needs a Big Reset”

Markos Charasarinis of To Vima interviews Peter about the role of the EU and how history can help inform how to look at the present and future – as well as the past.

15 minute read

Wind of Change has Chilled in the East Since Fall of the Berlin Wall

As the 30th anniversary of the Fall of the Berlin wall approaches, Peter writes that the euphoria of 1989 has given way to some important challenges in Central and Eastern Europe.

5 minute read

A Controversial Nobel Laureate Stirs Debate

Christiane Amanpour spoke with Peter and the Malte Herwig about the award of the 2019 Nobel Prize for Literature to Peter Handke.

5 minute read

History Shows the Path to Success is Not Plain Sailing

Peter writes for The Straits Times to mark the Bicentennial of Singapore – and notes that history teaches important lessons about the need to adapt to a changing world.

15 minute read

The New Silk Roads

Peter writes about the rise of the New Silk Roads for Atlas Magazine of Denmark. He explains why we should be paying attention.

5 minute read

2019 Nobel Prize for Literature

Peter talks to Mishal Hussain on BBC 4’s Today programme about the award of the 2019 Nobel Prize for Literature – and why this year’s choices are not only divisive but offensive.

30 minute read

70 Years of Vacation From History

We have made a great mistake for failing to pay attention to other parts of the world, Peter tells Weekendavisen. That needs to change – and soon.

15 minute read

Want That Job? Talk Like a Monarch

After Harvard advises students on how to use social networking, Peter explains in the Evening Standard how some leaders got it right when it came to describing their abilities – and some did not.

5 minute read

Silk Roads Historian Peter Frankopan Puts China’s Ambitions in Perspective

Peter talks to the The World Today, the report of the Royal Institute of International Affairs (Chatham House) about the Silk Roads, China’s rising ambitions and the challenges in the 21st Century.

5 minute read

The Silk Routes

Francisco Sosa Wagner writes about how Peter’s New Silk Roads explains how the world is changing around us.

5 minute read

Islamic Empires by Justin Marozzi review

Peter reviews Justin Marozzi’s Islamic Empires: Fifteen Cities that Define a Civilisation for The Sunday Times and finds it is an outstanding account of peoples, places and ideas.

15 minute read

“Tibetans and Chinese Never Wanted To Conquer The Summits”

Peter talks to Le Un about the history of the Himalayas in Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages and about the different ways that geography of the mountain range has impacted the peoples and cultures of this region.

5 minute read

From the Ancient Middle East, Art That Links Past and Present

Peter reviews the exhibition ”The World Between Empires: Art and Identity in the Ancient Middle East’ at the Metropolitan Museum in New York for Foreign Affairs.

5 minute read

Our Tact Will be Tested by Trump

Peter writes about the State Visit of President Trump to the UK – and says that visits of foreign dignitaries can sometimes lead to very awkward problems.

5 minute read

Shifting Sands of New Silk Roads

Osama Rizvi of Pakistan’s Daily Times talks discusses Peter’s ‘brilliant analysis’ of contemporary international relations, and discusses what the lied ahead for Pakistan.

5 minute read

‘Dushanbe is Closer to Delhi Than Mumbai’

Hindol Sengupta of Fortune India talks to Peter Frankopan about the Belt and Road Initiative, about India’s vision for the future, and about how history can provide hope even in what seem to be troubling times.

5 minute read

Interviews With Peter

Peter was interviewed on several TV channels in Central Asia during his recent visit to the region.

5 minute read

The U.S.-China Trade War Reveals America’s New World Status

Peter writes about the US-China trade wars – and explains that they are part of a much wider series of global changes

5 minute read

To China, Not To Rome… The Reversed Silk Roads

Ibrahim Arab is impressed by Peter’s two books on the past, present and future of the Silk Roads, which represent outstanding examples of scholarship.

15 minute read

The Book That Changed My Life

Prospect magazine asks Peter about the book that changed his life. The Loom of Language made him think about culture, language and different.

15 minute read

Will a New Arab Spring Bring Sudan the Real Freedom its People Want?

Peter writes about events in Sudan and Algeria and asks whether the signs of a second Arab spring will deliver better results than the first.

5 minute read

It’s Asia’s Global Economy. We’re Just Living In It

Peter writes exclusively for LinkedIn about the growth of Asian economies – and why the fear of rapid change is sparking a reaction in the US.

15 minute read

Europe Must Abandon its Blatant Sinophobia”

Peter is interviewed by Luis Lema of leading Swiss newspaper Le Temps about China, its motivations with hte Belt and Road Initiative and Europe’s reaction.

15 minute read

Europe Must Abandon its Blatant Sinophobia

Peter has a long interview with Luis Lema of Le Temps covering changes and challenges in the contemporary world – and the dangers of modern Sinophobia

15 minute read

Are Tech Giants the New Superpowers?

Are Tech Giants the New Superpowers, asks Peter Frankopan for Literary Hub.

30 minute read

The Center of the World Has Shifted

Peter talks to Alexander Wulfers of the Frankfurter Allgemeine about the world’s shifting centre of gravity-and the challenges it poses.

15 minute read

Here in Europe We Don’t Have a Plan

Peter talks to Sonja Gillert of Die Welt – and says that when it comes to China, Europa has little plan of what to do next

5 minute read

The New Silk Roads – Present and Future of Our World

Peter talks to Torsten Riecke of German business newspaper Handelsblatt about the rise of China – and why Europe is asleep at the wheel.

5 minute read

The New Silk Roads and the Emergence of a New World

Peter talks to Sabine Schweisguth of leading French history website Herodote.net about the importance of history and the importance of the new Silk Roads.

5 minute read

Brexit vs The World: Is Britain Too Self-Obsessed?

Gary Gibbon chats to Peter Frankopan, Oxford professor of global history and author of the best-selling The Silk Roads and The New Silk Roads.

30 minute read

East & West Interview with Peter

Peter talks to the website East & West about how terminology that is is designed to help us understand the world, often makes it more difficult to do so.

5 minute read

Don’t Let the Rise of Europe Steal World History

Peter writes about the problems of looking at history from the perspective of Europe and the West for Aeon – and urges us to expand our horizons when we think about the past.

5 minute read

Europe is Definitely No Longer the Center of the World

Peter talks to Veroniqe Kiesel of leading Belgian daily, Le Soir, about change in the world in the 21st century – and the role of Europe in the coming decades.

5 minute read

China is Not the Only One Wanting to Build a New Empire

Peter talks to Sabine Verhest of La Libre Belgique about China, about the Belt and Road Initiative and about how to make sense of the past, present and future.

5 minute read

China Makes Friends, The West Mainly Enemies

Vivek Verma is impressed by Peter’s new book on The New Silk Roads and compares him to Paul Valéry.

15 minute read

Peter Frankopan in “K”: Difficult Times For Europe

Peter is interviewed by Vassilis Nedos, of leading Greek daily Kathimerini about the challenges facing Europe.

5 minute read

Silk Roads are Central to Understanding Global History and Modern World

Peter is profiled by the Astana Times of Kazakhstan about history, the role of the Silk Roads and how Central Asia has helped shape the past.

5 minute read

Silk Roads are Central to Understanding Global History and Modern World

Peter talks to Andy Fitch of the Los Angeles Review of Books about how to make sense of the contemporary world in a long interview.

5 minute read

Peter’s Book Named Among Most Influential Translated Into Chinese

Peter talks of his surprise that his book The Silk Roads: A New History of the World has been named as one of the 25 most important works translated into Chinese, along with A Brief History of Time, A Hundred Years of Solitude and The Great Gatsby.

5 minute read

Brexit Isn’t Our Biggest Financial Problem — It’s the Downturn in China

Peter writes for The Evening Standard about Brexit – and warns that the consequences of economic slowdown in China, coupled with trade war with the US, present major problems for the UK in 2019.

5 minute read

Peter Frankopan: Who Rules the World in 2019?

Peter talks to Matthew Price of BBC Radio for Beyond Today to discuss ‘Who Rules the World in 2019’. The answers, he says, do not lie in Europe.

15 minute read

Britain Needs to Look Outwards to Survive 2019

Britain needs to look outwards if it is to prosper in the future, Peter tells the Big Issue. But the most important thing about 2019 is survival, as supporters of the Big Issue know better than anyone.

5 minute read

In the Balkans, it is Impossible to Please Everyone

Peter talks about the Balkans, China and the Silk Roads of the past, present and future with Vladimir Vlatkovic. It is not easy to please some people in the Balkans, he says

15 minute read

Listening Doesn’t Hurt

Peter is interviewed by Stefan Weiss of Austrian daily, Der Standard, about the legacy of colonialism, how to understand the history of empire and what to do with museum collections in Europe and the US.

15 minute read

Allure of Pages

Peter’s book The Silk Roads: A New History of the World has been named one of the 25 most important books translated into Chinese, alongside The Great Gatsby, Catcher in the Rye and A Hundred Years of Solitude.

5 minute read

It’s Time to Realize the Rich History of the Great Steppe

Peter talks to Kazakh News Service Kazinform about the history of the steppes and how Central Asia fits into global history.

15 minute read

‘These Were the Gene Corridors’

Peter discusses the New Silk Roads, India and connections in global history with Vidya Venkat for The Hindu.

15 minute read

Our Western Politicians No Longer Matter in the World

Peter is on a mission to change how we think about the world’s past, present and future, says Jan Fred van Wijnen in Het Financieele Dagnlad.

5 minute read

My Culture Fix: Peter Frankopan

Peter writes about his ‘Culture Fix’ for The Times – and reveals his favourite books, music and arts (and some of his least favourites too)

15 minute read

Asia is at the Center of the World

Peter talks to Sud-Ouest in France about change in the world in the 21st century – and why the centre of gravity is moving east.

5 minute read

What Kind of History Should We Write?

Peter talks to fellow Oxford historian Rana Mitter on BBC Radio 3’s Free Thinking about his book The New Silk Roads – and about the 2018 Cundill Prize and open access for scholarship.

30 minute read

‘I Know My Place… And It’s Not To Shape Answers For Politicians’

Peter is interviewed by Andrew Anthony of The Guardian about history, literature and Eurocentrism.

15 minute read

We Are Blind to China

Peter talks to leading Dutch daily Trouw about how failing to look at the global past prevents us from understanding the global present.

15 minute read

Read more (Trouw)

Belt and Road Initiative Has Positive Impact

Peter discusses the Belt and Road Initiative with Chinese news agency Xinhua, and says it is still early days when it comes to evaluating its long-term consequences.

5 minute read

Is China the Big Beneficiary of the World’s Shift?

Peter is interviewed in La Croix about the rise of China and change in Europe in the 21st century.

5 minute read

Politics Live

Peter was on BBC’s flagship Politics Live programme to talk about the Asian Century and how globalisation means that focusing on Brexit stops us understanding the profound changes elsewhere in the world.

30 minute read

Sunday: A Remembrance Special

Peter talks to Edward Stourton of the BBC for Radio 4’s Remembrance Day Special to mark 100 years of the end of the First World War. The war had dramatic consequences for Europe – but also for the world beyond. (Listen from 27:00)

30 minute read

The Black Death Could Return

Peter’s response to a question about climate change at the Cheltenham Literary Festival and the risks of pandemic disease is covered by The Daily Mail

5 minute read

Climate Change Could Reawaken the Black Death

Peter’s response to a question about climate change at the Cheltenham Literary Festival and the risks of pandemic disease is covered by New York Post.

5 minute read

Buried Plague

Peter’s response to a question about climate change at the Cheltenham Literary Festival and the risks of pandemic disease is covered by The Sun

5 minute read

Cheltenham Literature Festival: Global Warming Peril From Diseases Trapped in the Ice

Peter’s response to a question about climate change at the Cheltenham Literary Festival and the risks of pandemic disease is covered by The Times.

15 minute read

A Story to Understand the World’s Central Nervous System

Peter talks to Isabel Lucas of Portugal’s leading daily, Público, about his work, about why history matters and about change in the 21st century. Understanding the world of the present means understanding the world of the past

15 minute read

Donald Trump is Forcing Turkey to Turn East Not West

Peter writes about the economic pressure being applied to Turkey by the administration of US President Donald Trump. Although the Turks are sanguine about crises, the current situation may push Ankara into the arms of China.

5 minute read

Kaliningrad’s Most Famous Son Has Wise Words for England’s Footballers

Peter writes for the Evening Standard about Kalingrad before England’s World Cup match against Belgium – and notes how the city’s fortunes in the past have been a bell-weather for events further away. He draws on the wise words of the city’s most famous son, Immanuel Kant, for advie on how to do well against Belgium.

5 minute read

Stalingrad, Our Inspiring World Cup Battleground

Peter writes about the history of Stalingrad ahead of England’s opening World Cup match against Tunisia. He explains why the city is a good place to find inspiration from the past.

5 minute read

Volcanoes Cause Other Eruptions in Faraway, Unexpected Places

The eruption of the Fuego volcano in Guatemala is a reminder that we live in a world where climate patterns are closely inter-linked. Volcanic activity in the past has has had far-reaching – and surprising – consequences, writes Peter in the Evening Standard.

5 minute read

Peter Frankopan on Kazakhstan and the New Silk Road

Peter writes about his visit to Kazkahstan and about how everyone in Central Asia is talking about improving connections and building ties – unlike some other parts of the world.

5 minute read

A Thousand Years of History Teaches Trump How to Play Korea

Peter writes for the Evening Standard ahead of Donald Trump’s meeting with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un in Singapore – and offers some advice from the past.

5 minute read

There is No Short-Term Answer to These Dark and Dangerous Times

These are dangerous times, writes Peter in The Evening Standard. With Syria’s chemical attacks, rising tensions with Russia, early signs of trade wars with China and manipulations of data by supposedly benign sources, there is much that could go wrong.

5 minute read

Peter Frankopan on Globalization, Technology & ‘The Silk Roads’

Peter talks with leading Arab news outlet Albawaba about Globalisation, Technology and change in the 21st Century.

5 minute read

Peter Frankopan on Globalization, Technology & ‘The Silk Roads’

Peter talks with Jordanian media outlet Al Bawaba about globalisation, technology and the Silk Roads of the past and present.

5 minute read

China Builds a Road to the Future But Will Britain Join the Journey?

Peter writes for The Evening Standard about Theresa May’s visit to China – and urges that greater engagement with other parts of the world is crucial for Britain’s future.

5 minute read

Holocaust Memorial Day, Are We Racist? 50 Years a Vicar

Peter spoke with BBC Radio 4’s Sunday programme about the unraveling of the Middle East and Turkish military action against the Kurds. He explains the history of the region and explains what is at stake across the region.

30 minute read

Xi’s View at Davos Still Resonating in the World

Peter talks to China Daily about global economic growth in 2017.

5 minute read

What Do You Give the Man Who is Lending Us the Bayeux Tapestry?

Peter writes London Evening Standard about the offer by the French President, Emmanuel Macron, to lend Britain the Bayeux Tapestry. He wonders what Britain might lend in return.

5 minute read

The Bodleian Library Feels Like Home

The Bodleian feels like home, says Peter in The Hindu.

15 minute read

Traveling on the Silk Roads

Peter is interviewed in Italy’s Corriere della Sera about Venice fits into the story of global history and about the role of spices, silks, ceramics and slaves in the rise of La Serenissima.

5 minute read

On the Silk Road

Peter talks with France Culture – France’s flagship radio programme on the arts – about Les Routes de la Soie, and how understanding the Silk Roads enables us to better understand not only the past but also the present.

30 minute read

Stepping Out in Style With the Scythians

Peter writes for Apollo about ‘Scythians: Warriors of Ancient Siberia’ – the exhibition being held at the British Museum in London. ‘There are not too many exhibitions that can be truly described as a ‘once in a generation’ opportunity to encounter a world that seldom gets much attention. This is one of them.’

15 minute read

Forget Our Troubles; The Middle East is Where the Real Change is

Peter writes about the rivalry between Saudi Arabia and Iran – and why we should be paying attention to what is going on in the Middle East.

5 minute read

The Best History Books 2017

Peter chooses his two favourite history books of 2017 for History Today. Simon Schama’s magnificent Belonging is a riveting read; while Nicholas Shakespeare’s Six Minutes in May reads like a thriller.

5 minute read

China’s New Silk Roads

Peter writes a major for the Sunday Times about China’s new Silk Roads that are weaving Asia, Africa and Europe together.

15 minute read

It Is About The Silk Road

Peter writes for leading Dutch daily about the decision to commit more troops to Afghanistan. He says that more is at stake than finding a solution for the war-torn and that the real question is about China, India, Pakistan, Iran and beyond – the Silk Roads in other words.

5 minute read

Read more (Trouw)

Travelling Life: Peter Frankopan

The past is both fun and illuminating in the hands of Peter Frankopan says The National in the UAE.

5 minute read

The Netherlands Has a Confusing History of Slavery

When it comes to human trafficking, attention naturally and understandably turns to trans-Atlantic slave trade. But Europe has a dark secret when it comes to the sale of men, women and children – it was so extensive that it needs to form part of mainstream European history.

5 minute read

Read more (Trouw)

New Silk Roads: Asia, the Heart of the World

Peter talks to Christian Makarian of L’Express in France about Eurocentrism in history and the importance of understanding the past.

5 minute read

China’s World Engagement is Positive Development

Peter talks with China Daily about the possible implications of the Belt and Road Initiative, and the challenges facing China.

5 minute read

Solving the Riddle of Getting into Oxford

Peter talks to Alex Preston of The Observer about what Oxbridge dons are looking for when they interview prospective students. The best thing to do, he says, is to use the one thing that will help you impress the professors: your brain.

5 minute read

Is Niall Ferguson Right?

Peter reviews Niall Ferguson’s new book, The Square and the Tower for the Daily Telegraph – and appreciates the approach of assessing power through identifying networks in history.

5 minute read

Historians Should Be Brave: ‘Otherwise There is No Point of Writing History’

Peter talks with China.Org. about the Age of Asia – and says that historians need to be brave when thinking and writing about the past.

5 minute read

From Alexander the Great to the New Silk Roads

Peter talks about his book, Les Routes de la Soie, on TV5 in France for the flagship 64 Minutes programme.

15 minute read

Power Shifts East

Peter is interviewed by Swedish financial newspaper Dagens Industri about the shift of global financial power to the East.

5 minute read

The World in Time

Peter talks to Lewis Lapham and Lapham’s Quarterly about The World in Time.

30 minute read

How Long Can China Stay Out of Middle East Politics?

Peter writes in The New Arab about the Belt and Road Initiative and wonders ‘How long can China stay out of Middle East politics?

5 minute read

The Time of the Silk Roads is Back

Peter talks to Erik de la Ruguera of Dagens Nyhéter in Sweden about changing the way we look at the past – and becoming aware of the challenges adn opportunities of the future.

15 minute read

Festival Della Mente 2017

Peter talks at the Festival della Mente in La Spezia, Italy.

30 minute read

Peter Frankopan on History

Peter talks to Five Books about his favourite works of literature. He explains the impact that Chekhov and Anna Komnene have had on his work – and why reading the De Administrando Imperio and the Voyage of Ibn Fadlan had on his research.

30 minute read

Who is the Wiser of the Two Great Powers?

Peter writes for Politiken, Denmark’s leading daily newspaper, about the announcement of new US troop deployments in Afghanistan

15 minute read

Henry VIII ‘Took Back Control’ But it Eventually Led to Civil War

Peter writes about Brexit in the Evening Standard, and compares previous occasions where England and Britain have looked for their fortunes away from Europe.Henry VIII took back control. But it did not end well.

15 minute read

The East is Winning

Peter is interviewed in Mare, the Leiden University paper about change in the modern world, and how history can help understand the present – and help prepare for the future.

5 minute read

The Silk Road Shaped Humanity’s Past and Will Dominate the World’s Future

Peter talks to leading Chinese online portal The Paper about the value of studying the past, about the Belt and Road Initiative and about the challenges and opportunities facing China – and its neighbours.

30 minute read

Foreign Scholars Should Receive Letters of Welcome, Not Rejection

Peter writes in The Evening Standard about the case of Dr Eva Johanna Holmberg, who was served a deportation notice by the Home Office. He reminds readers that scholars have been expelled from other countries in the past – and that Britain and Oxford University in particular – have a lot to be grateful for as a result.

5 minute read

The Future is Already in the East

Peter is interviewed by Alessandro Vanoli about the Italian edition of his book, Vie della Seta, which comes out in September.

15 minute read

Premier League’s Rampant Transfer Spending, Brexit and When the Bubble Will Burst

Peter talks to legendary football journalist Jonathan Wilson about price inflation of footballers – and how they compare to the spiralling horse markets in India in the 1600s.

15 minute read

You Can’t Stop the Clock

Peter talks to Jason Gots of The Big Think about change in the 21st centuy, about history and about thinking in different ways about different topics.

5 minute read

These Days, All Roads Lead To Beijing

Peter writes for The World Post about the fact that in the 21st century, all roads lead not to Rome – but to Beijing.

30 minute read

Put Out the Flags for King Felipe – But Don’t Mention the B-word

Peter writes about the King of Spain’s State Visit to the UK and notes that while such visits can be helpful, it is much easier for things to go wrong than to go right.

5 minute read

Making History

Peter talks with Tom Holland about why China has been so keen to look to the past to shape present and the future for BBC Radio 4’s Making History programme.

30 minute read

The Past and Future of the Silk Road

Peter is interviewed by Vyacheslav Abramov for Vласть about the Silk Roads and the changing world of the early 21st century.

15 minute read

To Understand Donald Trump’s Behaviour, Look to the Past

Peter writes for London’s Evening Standard and finds that Donald Trump has a lot more in common with Genghis Khan than one might think.

5 minute read

Hay Festival

Peter is one of 30 leading thinkers from around the world who were invited to talk at the Hay Festival to mark the 500th Anniversary of the start of the Reformation.

5 minute read

We Are at the Beginning of the Asian Era

Peter talks to Forbes about the birth of the new Age of Asia, about Pan-Turkism and about change in Iran.

5 minute read

“One Belt, One Road”: A golden opportunity for in-depth cooperation

Peter was interviewed in Beijing by CCTV, China’s state broadcaster about the Silk Roads of the past, present and future ahead of the Belt and Road summit in May 2017.

5 minute read

Silk Roads’ Past Vital to Future Prosperity

Shanghai Daily has published an abbreviated version of Peter’s recent talk at Fudan University about the importance of understanding global history.

5 minute read

The Silk Roads, Past and Future

Peter writes for The Diplomat about China’s ambitious plans to build new connections across Asia.

15 minute read

The Ideas That Make Us

Bettany Hughes talks with Peter about Justice, and discusses the significance of Justinian’s law legal reforms in the 6th Century, and about more recent popular protests in Istanbul.

15 minute read

Peters’s Book Tops Bestseller Charts in China

The Silk Roads has become a No 1 Bestseller in China. He explains why he thinks his book has been so well received all over the world, and what Chinese readers can learn from his account of global history.

5 minute read

We’ve Been Down This Road Before

Peter writes for China Daily about the upcoming Belt and Road Forum in Beijing – and new connections being woven across Asia.

5 minute read

The History of the Silk Roads Was Just Waiting to be Rediscovered

Peter is profiled in leading Danish newspaper Kristeligt Dagblad about his book Silkevejenes that has just come out in Danish.

15 minute read

Reflections on Silk Roads

Peter discusses China, the Silk Roads of the past and present with Jeffrey Wasserstrom in the LA Review of Books.

5 minute read

Belt and Road Initiative a ‘Global Growth Engine’

Peter talks with Andre Moody of China Daily about the One Belt, One Road initiative, and the prospects that it drives change across Asia.

5 minute read

The New Strands of Power

Peter writes for Newsweek about the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and about the prospects that tolerance and prosperity return to regions whose futures may be shaped by the One Belt, One Road initiative.

30 minute read

Europe and the United States are Falling Apart

In a front page interview for China Times, Peter discusses change in the world of 2017, the pressures on globalisation and how deepening ties across Asia will affect the future.

5 minute read

The New Silk Road

In a major new documentary, Peter talks with VPRO Tegenlicht about why the time has come to look at world history in a very different way. Failing to do so will have stark consequences.

30 minute read

The Secrets of Genghis Khan’s Success

Peter spoke to Newshour on the BBC World Service about a new exhibition showcasing the Mongols at National Military Museum in the Netherlands. He talked about the causes for Mongol military success and about why we might think about learning from Genghis Khan and his administrators, rather than holding them up as barbaric marauders.

5 minute read

Wouldn’t it be Lovely if India’s 84 Billionaires Followed Yale?

Peter writes for The Times of India about wealth inequality, and philanthropy. He notes the example of Elihu Yale, who made his fortune in India – and used it to endow a university that is going strong 350 years later.

5 minute read

“The Silk Road is Preparing a Revolution in Eurasia”

Peter spoke with Russian think tank Eurasia Expert about the significance of China’s One Belt, One Road initiative, and the ‘Revolution’ taking place in Asia.

15 minute read

Istanbul: A Tale of Three Cities by Bettany Hughes – Review

Peter reviews Bettany Hughes’ new book, Istanbul: A Tale of Three Cities for the Observer – an ambitious work that covers several thousand years of history.

15 minute read

Danger Lurks in our Smug White History

Peter responds to a recent demand from students the the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) and writes in The Sunday Times about the need to change what students are taught about history.

15 minute read

Sunday’s National Newspaper Front Pages

On 29 January, Peter was on Sky News to look at the next day’s newspaper headlines along with documentary maker Jenny Kleeman and Colin Brazier of Sky News.

5 minute read

How Robert Clive and Donald Trump are Joined by History

Peter visits Fort St George in Chennai and finds the link that connects the rise of Robert Clive, the East India Company and the British Empire with the election of Donald Trump.

15 minute read

Istanbul, A Tale of Three Cities.

Peter talks to Bettany Hughes about her epic new book: Istanbul, A Tale of Three Cities.

15 minute read

Remembering the Crusades: Myth, Image, and Identity

Peter reviews an excellent new volume for the Journal of Islamic Studies on Remembering the Crusades: Myth, Image, and Identity, edited by Nicholas Paul and Suzanne Yeager.

15 minute read

Looking Back at 2016: The West Needs a New Perspective

Peter writes in The Tablet that as we turn into 2017 and a new period in relations between East and West, it is time to take a new perspective on the world around us.

15 minute read

Succession in the Silk Roads

Peter draws parallels between the lives of two princesses who fell to earth – one in 21st century Uzbekistan, the other in Byzantine Constantinople nearly a thousand years earlier.

5 minute read

China Walks its Own Path to Prosperity

Peter writes about the implications of the election of Donald Trump for Beijing, and argues that China’s future lies in Asia.

15 minute read

My Best Travel Discovery of 2016

Peter writes about his best travel discovery of 2016.

30 minute read

Peter Frankopan: The Events of 1498 Changed Our World

Peter spoke to the Today Programme on BBC Radio 4 about turning points in history – and why the apparently tumultuous events of 2016 were perhaps not quite so dramatic as some would like to believe.

5 minute read

Peter is Interviewed in Knack

Peter is interviewed in Knack, one of the Belgium’s most influential publications about the past, present and future – and how his work forces us to look at each in a different way.

15 minute read

Societies That Become More Unequal Face Problems

Leading Dutch daily NRC interviews Peter about social inequality, the rise of Asia and transformation of the world of the 21st Century – and why looking at the past in different ways is important.

5 minute read

The Presidential Election in Austria

Peter writes in the Daily Mail about the Presidential election in Austria and the march of the far right Freedom Party.

15 minute read

Power Shifts to the East

Peter gives a major interview to leading Dutch newspaper Trouw about history, change in the contemporary world and his new book, De Zijderoutes, a bestseller in the Netherlands.

15 minute read

Read more (Trouw)

Shaky Ground: Exploring the Global Turbulence of 2016

Peter talks with John Hockenberry on The Takeaway, the leading US political podcast, about Global Change in the early 21st century. He puts the apparent turbulence of Brexit and the US Election in a wider context, explaining how transitions are not recent, but have much deeper roots. He looks east to see how complaints about globalisation are centred in fact – and argues that the key to dealing with change is to adapt.

30 minute read

Should We Turn Our Understanding of the Middle East on its Head?

Peter talks with Anne McElvoy about the crisis in Syria, and about we can and should learn anything from history. He argues that the fact that policy makers are so disconnected from the reality of the past and from cultures, peoples and nations east of the old Berlin Wall means that reactions to problems are emotional – and not rational.

15 minute read

“For the Past 300 Years, Europe and the United States Have Viewed History in the Wrong Way”

Peter talks to Ying Cui from China Daily about his book, which has just come out in China. Peter is ‘modest and courteous’, as he talks about the Silk Roads and about the One Belt, One Road initiative.

15 minute read

A City of Ashes

Peter writes about the death of Aleppo in The Sunday Times. For centuries the city was a beacon of tolerance, where Jews, Muslims and Christians lived in harmony amid breathtaking architecture. Today it is a City of Ashes.

15 minute read

Free Thinking

Peter appeared on Sound Ideas on BBC Radio 3 with Anne McElvoy, Edith Hall and Kwame Kwei-Armah to talk about the meaning of Success.

30 minute read

Why a Russian City is Planning to Erect a Statue to Ivan the Terrible

The mayor of Oryol in Russia is planning to put up a statue to the town’s most famous son, Ivan IV ‘The Terrible.’ Peter talks to the BBC World Service about why some people have objected, and explains how history is at the centre of modern politics in 21st Century Russia – and beyond.

5 minute read

Is 2016 the Worst Year in History?

There is no denying that 2016 has been a terrible year: David Bowie and Prince are gone. Economic gloom envelops anywhere and everywhere. Donald Trump is rising. Brexit has plunged Britain and Europe into chaos. But Peter writes for Slate that we’ve seen worse – a lot worse.

15 minute read

War, On Drugs

Peter writes for Aeon about the history of drugs and warfare, and explains how stimulants were used to turn fighters into supermen – by the Vikings, by the Nazis (and the British) during the Second World War; and also by the US military – and by ISIS – in the 21st century.

30 minute read

A New History of the World

Peter writes for Waterstones blog about his book on the Silk Roads – the Waterstones Book of the Month for June 2016.The is right to look at the history of the world in a very different way. Traditional views of the past have become little more than a tissue of myths and stories that are comforting and familiar; but they fail to teach us about regions and peoples that mattered in the past – and matter today (and will matter in the future).

5 minute read

Shifting Sands: Historians Change Their Minds

Peter is one of seven leading historians who writes about occasions when they have revised their opinions about the past – and own up to their mistakes in getting things wrong. He explains that close work with an important Byzantine text opened his mind – and made him a better historian.

15 minute read

Russians Abroad – Old and New

There are parallels between Russian football hooligans who have been rioting at the European Championships in Marseilles – and their ancestors who visited Constantinople a thousand years ago. Peter reveals more for History Today.

5 minute read

Peter Criticizes the Government

Peter responds to comments by the Australian Immigration Minister about literacy – and criticizes the government for saying one thing, and doing another.

15 minute read

Peter on China-Pakistan Relations, the Silk Road, and Implications for India.

Peter talks at length to The Diplomat’s Muhammad Akbar Notezai about the China Pakistan Economic Corridor and its implications for both countries – as well as for India. He says that if all goes to plan, Gwadar will be China’s Shanghai in the West.

5 minute read

Ancient Silk Road Was Also Founded on Tax and Credit

Peter writes about the origins of the Silk Roads and notes that tax and credit systems were as important in facilitating long distance trade three thousand years ago as they are today.

5 minute read

Pakistan at the Crossroads

Peter writes for Dawn, Pakistan’s leading broadsheet about Pakistan’s past, present and future. He argues that the country’s location in the heart of Asia presents specific challenges – and opportunities – at a time of global change

15 minute read

An Ancient Route Rolls On

Peter talks to NPR in the US about the ancient Silk Roads, their importance in world history – and why they are rising again.

5 minute read

The Surprising Development that Helped Bring about the End of the So-Called Dark Ages

Peter writes for the History News Network about the debt that Europe owes to its dark past: the rise of Europe was prompted by large scale human trafficking.

5 minute read

Literary Life: The Return of History

Peter writes about The Return of History in the Financial Times – and argues that the golden age of liberal democracy seems to be at an end. Regimes and states from Turkey, Russia and beyond recall a different era in history.

15 minute read

The Heart of the World

The Silk Road – from the Eastern Mediterranean to China’s Pacific shore – is once again the centre of the world. Successful empires and kingdoms are good at building infrastructure and sharpening the best ideas, as Peter tells Aeon.

30 minute read

A New Look at History

Peter is profiled by The Hindu and talks about moving away from traditional views of history to a more inclusive, interesting and rewarding view of the past.

15 minute read

9 Lessons From the 9th edition of the Jaipur Literature Festival

Vogue reviews the Jaipur Literarature Festival 2016, and is just as flattering about Peter.

5 minute read

The Romanovs by Simon Sebag Montefiore, Review

Peter reviews the Simon Sebag-Montefiore’s new book, The Romanovs, 1613-1918 in the Daily Telegraph. He finds that it is ‘bursting with blood, sex and tears’.

15 minute read

Isis Will Fail to Emulate Islam’s Great Conquests. Here’s Why

ISIS will fail to emulate Islam’s great conquests. This is why, writes Peter in The Guardian.

5 minute read

The Insiders’ Guide to Jaipur Literature Festival 2016

Vogue presents its insiders’ guide to the Jaipur Literarature Festival 2016 with the sub-title: Two words: Peter Frankopan

5 minute read

Lessons to be Learned From Ancient Silk Route

China’s One Road, One Belt Initiative is part of the most important geo-political re-orientation for centuries. There are lessons to be learned from the ancient Silk Roads, writes Peter

15 minute read

The Race for Paradise: An Islamic History of the Crusades By Paul M. Cobb

Peter reviews The Race for Paradise: An Islamic HIstory of the Crusades by Paul Cobb. There is much to be gained from looking at what seem to be familiar events from different view points. This new book a work of high scholarship and reflection—and best of all, it is a thoroughly enjoyable read.

15 minute read

Oxford China Academics

Peter writes for China Thinking, distributed to Alumni and supporters of Oxford University in the Far East, about the One Road, One Belt policy – and argues that globalisation is neither new nor unusual in a world where the histories of Asia, Europe and Africa are closely linked.

5 minute read

China Has Exported Lessons of Development to Continent

Peter writes for China Daily, China’s largest English language newspaper about the 6th Forum on China-Africa Co-Operation that takes place in South Africa in the first week in December. He argues that China must ensure economic development and increasing social mobility are essential if China is to develop long-term relations with Africa that are not as fleeting as previous encounters in the past.

5 minute read

Interview With Tank Magazine

Peter talks with Masoud Golsorkhi Editor-in-Chief of Tank Magazine, ‘the hippest publication on the planet’ about Silk Roads, globalisation and religious violence, and discusses how looking at parts of the world that are usually overlooked can change the way we think about the past and the present – and will help us understand tomorrow too.

15 minute read

The Silk Roads Rise Again

Peter explains how the ancient network across central Asia shaped trade and culture for centuries. Now, China is building a new bridge from east to west.

30 minute read

Road to Recall

Peter talks with Andrew Moody of China Daily, about the One Belt, One Road initiative, about the history of Silk Roads and how we should re-assess the past if we are to understand the present.

5 minute read

The World We Have Lost

In a long piece for History Today, Peter writes about a world we have lost. He explains how The Silk Roads shaped our past – and have shaped our present – but have been obscured by the relentless focus of historians on Europe and the West.

15 minute read

Inside the World of Peter Frankopan

Inside the World of Peter Frankopan. Peter talks to the Dally Telegraph about his working day, his life and his interests.

15 minute read

The Independent Publishes the Full Introduction to Peter’s New Book

To mark the publication of The Silk Roads: A New History of the World, The Independent publishes the full Introduction to Peter’s new book.

30 minute read

Sinking Statues and Cheshire Cats – Exploring the Artistic Landscape of Cowley Manor

Giulia Cambieri of Spear’s Magazine visits Cowley Manor to see the the shortlisted artists from the Royal College of Art install their works for the 2015 Cowley Manor and talks to Peter and his wife Jessica about art, life and hotels.

5 minute read

Zee Jaipur Literature Festival: Lessons From the Crusade – A Croatian Prince Speaks

Peter talks about lessons from history with DNA, one of India’s leading daily newspapers, and about the resonance of the Crusades in the modern world.

15 minute read

‘Hagia Sophia is an Olive Branch Between the Community and the Government’

A short interview with Peter in the leading Turkish daily about proposals to turn the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul into a working mosque.

15 minute read

The Byzantine Empire

Peter is profiled in the newsletter of the Oxford University Byzantine Society, and talks about how he became interested in the Byzantine Empire, and how historians of the past can also engage with the modern world.

30 minute read

The Byzantine Empire’s Own ‘Eurozone’ Crisis Offers a Lesson for the EU Today

Peter writes in The Guardian that it is a shame that schoolchildren will not get to learn about the great Byzantine Empire in the new national curriculum – and points out that the European Union could learn a lot from a state that lasted for more than a thousand years.

5 minute read

Crusades: The View from the East

Peter Frankopan explains in History Today how very different the First Crusade looks when the eastern sources are examined in detail – and explains why they have been left ignored for nearly a thousand years.

15 minute read