The Y in History

Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskyy's popularity as a comedian/showman catapulted him to a political frontrunner, contesting the Presidential election on a platform to eradicate corruption. But circumstances steered him towards leading his Country during war. Tune in to walk through his evolution into a wartime leader.

Oleg Gordievsky was a KGB Agent who fed vital intelligence to MI6 during the Cold War, averting WWIII. And Indian Double Agent helped India block its Air Space to Pakistan, prior to the 1971 Bangladesh War.

After the Korean War, Kim Il Sung introduced juche or self-reliance and consolidated his power by introducing Songbun, which created a political caste system. The Songbun was used by his successor Kim Jong Il during the Korea Famine (1994-1999) to divert food aid to the elite layer to prevent an overthrow of his government.

In May of 2011, the US Seal Team Six conducted a raid on a large residential compond in Abbottabad, Pakistan and killed Osama Bin Laden. But how did Bin Laden land in Abbottabad from the Tora Bora Mountains in Afghanistan?

Sikkim became a British India protectorate under the 1861 Treaty of Tumlong. After India's independence in 1947, the Indo-Sikkim Treaty of 1950, made Sikkim a protectorate of India. An Indian Intelligence operation in 1975 led to a referendum which resulted in Sikkim becoming the 22nd State of the Indian Union.

Drones, Drone Interceptors, Speed Boats and Sea Mines are some of the inexpensive artillery, developed and used across the Russia-Ukraine and US-Iran Wars, which have drastically altered the battlefield dynamics. So, what lessons have these wars taught us?

From 1950 to 1970, Lebanon's Capital, Beirut, was known as the Paris of the Middle East. But after the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) moved its Headquarters to West Beirut in 1971, South Lebanon became an active battlefield against Israel. Fractures in Lebanese society emerged and from 1975 to 1990, it descended into a disastrous Civil War. Amidst the melee, Hezbollah emerged as the new militant organization, in South Lebanon, with backing from Iran.

In February 1995, Aussie Cricket legend, Shane Warne revealed that he and Tim May had been offered $200,000 each by Pakistan Captain, Salim Malik, to lose the October 1994 Karachi Test against Pakistan. The Qayyum Commission set up by Pakistan, the King Commission by South Africa and the CBI investigation by India, explored instances of Cricket Match Fixing and the players involved. The first ICC Anti Corruption Unit Chief, Lord Condon stated in 2011, that Match Fixing in Cricket was rampant in the 1980s and 1990s.

The US-Iran War started on Feb 28, 2026 when the Iranian Spiritual Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's residential compound was pounded by American and Israelis missiles and bombs. The intent was regime change, but several months in, the regime seems intact and more hardline. So, is there any hope of peace?

Prior to 1776, the American Colonist Leaders were reluctant to go against the Crown. But in January 1776, Thomas Paine published a pamphlet "Common Sense", which laid the foundation for the Declaration of Independence in July 1776.