Politicians and commentators keep telling us we’re living through unprecedented times. But how unusual is the world we’re living in, really?
John Simpson has spent 60 years reporting for the BBC, witnessing some of the most consequential moments in modern history. He was on the plane that brought Ayatollah Khomeini back to Iran during the 1979 revolution. He watched the Berlin Wall come down. And he reported from Beijing during the protests in Tiananmen Square.
Those experiences have left Simpson with a perspective that’s not entirely pessimistic. Having lived through the Cold War, the collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of apartheid, Simpson has seen seemingly entrenched systems change in ways few thought possible.
Now, as wars rage and the global order shifts again, he joins The Global Story’s Asma Khalid to reflect on what those moments can tell us about the present — and whether today’s conflicts are repeating familiar patterns.
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Timecodes:
0:00 Are we living through unprecedented times?
0:54 John Simpson and his career throughout the BBC
3:50 The Iranian revolution of 1979
5:55 Did it feel the revolution would last as long as it has?
7:13 The fall of the Berlin wall in 1989
12:55 What is John’s main takeaway from the Berlin wall?
13:23 Tiananmen Square incident in China, 1989
15:12 The U.S and British involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan
17:37 Are more unprecedented times ahead?
20:30 John’s message to the younger generation
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