The first episode of Season 3 of the hit historical podcast Blowback opens with an interview from then US Secretary of Defence Donald Rumsfeld. Talking about the possible nuclear armament of North Korea, he is asked a complicated question for anyone involved in US foreign policy; “Is our (United States Government) rhetoric in any way responsible for pushing them (The DPRK) to a point where the only option they feel like they have is lifting these restrictions and going down the path of building nuclear weapons.” Initially Rumsfeld is calm, calling the question interesting, he quickly in typical Rumsfeld manner,finds himself on an angry rant, condemning the North Korean government, particularly in comparison to South Korea. Towards the end of his verbal tirade, backed by the opening strums of Blowback’s symbolic theme “World Destruction” by Afrika Bambaataa, he finds himself saying “why do they do anything that they do” as the song crescendos forward. This is an important question not mutually reserved for North Korea but can be levied at any state operating on the world stage. It is a question that, in recent months, has been hurled time and time again at any one supportive of freedom in Palestine (yet the cruel actions of The Israeli government seem to be exempt from) . A quote that feels like it would be quite fitting for an interview with any current Western politician being interviewed on any current conflict. It is a quote that seems synonymous with the show itself; placing history in a perspective to give light to why conflicts happen.
Blowback exploded onto the podcasting scene in early 2020 with a heavily stylised and quick on its feet first season; chronicling the War in Iraq – which had taken place over a decade beforehand. The hosts, Noah Kulwin and Brendan James, showed up with a far different approach to explaining the conflict than had typically been found in political discourse up to that point; offering no relief, no quick justifications and no get out of jail free cards to the actions of The United States Government. Equal parts history and politics and with a seriously impressive level of research; Blowback continued in the same vein as its initial season, each subsequent season offering a new global conflict to look at (Season 1 being Iraq, 2 exploring the long relationship between the U.S and Cuba, 3 taking on the Korean War, 4 tackling the decades long war in Afghanistan and the upcoming fifth season looking to reflect on Cambodia and the Khmer Rouge). Each season of Blowback is different with new situations, new politicians and often a completely new era of global politics to discover but is consistent in how it tells its stories. The hosts stray away from regaling battle manoeuvres, showcasing what military strikes did what or relishing in stories of sheer military might rather they explore the dirty back deals, the politics of prosecuting a war, the role of the media in not only covering conflict but in gathering support for it and most importantly they showcase how history takes place in perspective; how even though you may know what happened the why and how of the situation is just as, if not even more, important.
Blowback isn’t just paving the way for a contemporary engagement with history, it also revolutionises the very formatit presents itself in. As far as podcasting goes, no other show is utilising the medium in the same way Blowback does. It begs to be listened to carefully rather than as background noise, never falling victim to monotony and never feeling like an over-zealous lecture. One key tool Blowback uses to its advantage is using sound-bytes and samples so each episode feels fresh. Whether it be an interview with Ronald Reagan, an ad for a 1960s breakfast cereal or the famous “yahoo” shouted by Kong as he rides the nuke from Stanley Kubricks Dr Strangelove (a sound bite that plays after the intro to each episode), Blowback is seemingly never stretched on what to play to introduce each segment. In any given moment the show can switch to any sample to stress the point it is making, to provide an example of something important or even just to get a laugh. They use these clips to push the narrative further. Blowback has essentially forged a new style for the audio centric medium allowing for a more engaging listen than a simplistic discussion between two hosts. It pushes each episode forward maintaining a quickfire pace that is not just easy to follow but fun to keep up with.
Another trick up Blowback’s sleeve that perfects the listening experience is characterisation. Singling out the characterisation in a factual podcast based on history may seem redundant, after all the characters in question are just real people. What Blowback understands however, is that within these global conflicts, there are real people affecting every move and decision. The hosts decide to approach history as though they are stories rather than as a fact file or a run down of dates. In order to approach the subjects in this way they need characters, and what a cast of characters they have found. There are political leaders, backstage actors, shady CIA agents, eccentric military brass and so much more. There is a plethora of interesting personalities who really existed and really engaged with these conflicts ripe for the taking, and they never hold back. Blowback masterfully plays with the expectation of these characters listeners may already have. They know that figures like Osama Bin Laden and Saddam Hussein have become larger than life boogeymen and so instead of playing into this, they shift the narrative and show the more human side of these characters. No one in Blowback is inherently evil, the hosts carefully set out (typically in the opening episode of each season) the intricate weave of motivations and responsibilities held by each actor involved. Where this becomes more engaging again is when the show highlights well-regarded larger than life heroes, leaders such as John F. Kennedy, General Douglas McArthur and Henry Kissinger in the upcoming season, have their reputation and legacy meticulously scrutinised by the actions they have actually taken (seriously, the condemnation of America’s historic sweetheart JFK is eye-opening). The treatment of each actor as a character in these stories not only makes it more fun to listen to, it provides much needed context and perspective to their actions and their motivations. This makes the podcast so much more than your typical historical showcase, it is a perspective driven engagement with history. It allows for understanding not just what happened, but why and how it happened.
As one listens more, it does become evident that this concept of “history in perspective” does come hand in hand with the show’s own biases. Despite their nationality it is clear there is a large disdain shared by both hosts towards the heavy handed involvement the US has had across the globe. It becomes no mystery that they are very quick to call out the actions taken by the US military and the issues they have caused, a quickness that is not always applied similarly to domestic actors. This can lead to awkward moments such as in Season 3 when the hosts condemn CIA handlers for fraternising with Afghan warlords known for pouring acid on women, but don’t actually condemn the warlords. This isn’t an extreme bias, it would never go as far as to defend someone like Osama Bin Laden or make a case for the continued oppressive rule of Kim Jong Un, but there is a clear angle being taken in how these topics are approached.
This angle (however biased it may be) is perhaps worth stomaching for the sake of what Blowback has to teach. It must be understood that the hosts aren’t exactly aiming for an unbiased factual description of events.They understand that simply saying “Osama Bin-Laden orchestrated 9/11”; has an inherently different implication than the perspective truth, which is that the US had existed in Afghanistan for many years and had, in fact, funded Mujahideen fighters, further destabilising the political atmosphere and allowing a bad actor such as Osama Bin Laden to seize control. There is a justice being done by telling these stories with all the historical details available, there are many narrow views on these historical events that deserve to be broadened. Perhaps Blowback is more concerned with fact checking the clean image the United States presents on the global stage than condemning bad actors who have already spent their lives being condemned by the international community. It is completely unlikely the hosts are advocates for the actions of organisations or institutions such as The North Korean state or The Taliban or ISIS, rather they believe the United States Government has emerged from these conflicts as “the good guy” for far too long, and that this image deserves a quick and sharp reality check.
This is why Blowback is so important. There are numerous ongoing situations that seem as though they came from nowhere, whether it be the Hamas attacks on October 7th or Russia’s invasion in The Ukraine. What Blowback teaches is that no act of conflict happens in a vacuum, no situation in international relations happens void of history. Blowback aims to offer perspective to history, to understand not just how The Korean War or The War in Iraq or The Cuban Missile Crisis happened but why they happened. It provides a plethora of characters who were involved, showcases their motivations and using brilliant storytelling takes you along for the journey of how and why these conflicts happened. Through this the podcast will make you laugh, leave you angry, it can often upset and devastate your heart and will always by the final line leave you thinking. Inspiring thoughts on, not just how we find ourselves now, but how international relations is, and perhaps should be, conducted as a whole. And now; as situations in places such as Gaza, Ukraine, Myanmar and so many more worsen by the minute, as the lines between what is happening and what has happened become blurrier, There has never been a more important time to learn the lessons Blowback aims to teach. To begin to understand that history formulates what you see in front of you every day, that the simplistic global history you have in your head may need re-examination, and that no geopolitical event can ever occur in a vacuum.
