Can the West Hold Together? Lessons from WWII with Tim Bouverie and Michael Gove (Part One)

Welcome to Intelligence Squared, where great minds meet. I'm producer Mia Sorenti. In a world where geopolitical alliances are fraying and tensions are rising, what can the fragile coalition that defeated Hitler teach us about the challenges facing the West today? Today's episode is part one of our recent live event, Can the West Hold Together, with historian Tim Bouvery and editor of The Spectator Michael Gove. Live in London in September, Bouvery drew on his new book, Allies at War, The Politics of Defeating Hitler, to explore how Roosevelt, Churchill and Stalin overcame deep ideological differences and strategic rivalries to form a fragile but ultimately victorious alliance against Nazi Germany.

With Donald Trump threatening to abandon NATO, Vladimir Putin intent on exploiting Western fishers, and democratic nations questioning their own cohesion. The lessons of World War II's grand alliance have never felt more relevant. If you'd like to listen to this episode in full and ad-free, why not consider becoming an Intelligence Squared member at IntelligenceSquared.com forward slash membership, or you can tap the IQ2 extra button on Apple. Now, let's join our host, Michael Gove, with more.

Tim's book, Allies at War, is the second in what's envisaged as a trilogy outlining the key events of the 20th century as they affected these islands and the world. Tim's first book, appeasing Hitler, was a Sunday Times bestseller. And it reflected not just a deep immersion in the history of the 20th century, but also Tim's own background, because before he was a historian, he was also a journalist, covering events here in Westminster and globally for Channel 4 News and for others. It's a gripping read, fascinating character studies, at times hilarious anecdotes, and also a reminder of just what high politics and war involves. Tim, in choosing to write this book, you're dealing with three of the biggest personalities of the 20th century, Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin, but you are also dealing with Britain's relationship with other allies, and indeed some countries whom we attempted to entice to support us.

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