Four Years in Solitary Confinement with polit...

Team Simon here! As the year comes to a close, A Bit of Optimism is pressing pause for a short winter break. The show will return on January 27, 2026 and we can’t wait to be back with you.But before we go, we want to say thank you. Truly.This show exists because of you—the listen ...  Show more

Team Simon here! Thank you for being part of such an incredible year—and for helping us grow the podcast through your support, sharing it with others, and showing up week after week. We love seeing your comments and hearing what resonates with you.A Bit of Optimism returns on Jan ...  Show more

Stephen Sackur speaks to Leopoldo Lopez, a key leader of Venezuela’s opposition. Once a political prisoner, now in exile in Spain, his efforts to topple the socialist regime led by Nicolas Maduro have been thwarted. Has Venezuela’s pro-democracy movement been outmanoeuvred? 

Hace un cuarto de siglo de la jura como presidente de Hugo Chávez Frías, padre de la revolución bolivariana. Desde entonces —y también con Nicolás Maduro en el poder— hemos asistido al derrumbamiento más absoluto del país en todos los aspectos: de la utopía al infierno. Lo analiz ...  Show more

Augusto Pinochet ruled Chile for 17 years after a coup in 1973.  Many who knew him in the years before considered him unremarkable. In hindsight, Pinochet was an accomplished opportunist who seized absolute power, then bullied his way into keeping it.  Support the show: https://w ...  Show more

Nelson Mandela is one of the greatest influences of my life. The visit to his prison cell on Robben Island a few years ago changed my life.

It hurt my heart to see a man as great as Nelson Mandela have to sleep on a cold floor for so many of his finest years.