A contentious evaluation of American foreign policy – or the lack of it – is put forward by the two members of our A-Team, Chris Robling and Charles Lipson, who are again joined by Democratic publicist Kitty Kurth. Under close discussion are Ukraine, Russian ambitions, Chinese expansionism, Nigeria, the collapse of Iraq, ever-looming Iran, embattled Israel and the confused or confusing performances of the Obama-Kerry team.

Hundreds of scholars have translated the Hebrew Bible into English since those appointed by King James. Robert Alter brings great literary skill and a modern Jewish sensibility to that same task – and turns up some wonderful new illuminations which he shared in this richly detailed 2004 discussion.

In the judgment of our two distinguished archeological guests, the answer is “probably.” But what they see as more certain is that Egypt laid the foundation for the classical world that followed and is thus the beginning of “our story.” James Phillips and Emily Teeter bring that long, long history into sharp and informative focus in this 2006 conversation.

1776 was the title and subject of David McCullough’s vigorous narrative of the battles of that first year when the odds that you would get in London were, to say the least, not favorable. Deservedly considered our leading “popular historian,” he joined us for this memorable program in 2005.

Daniel Aron of Harvard started this great enterprise and here, in a 1996 conversation, he is joined by three of his colleagues in a scholarly but vivid discussion of such contributors to the “canon” as Hawthorne, Melville, Whitman, Dreiser, Hemingway and a dozen others along the route.