Then & Now

Today’s conflicts read against the two world wars: Ukraine, the Middle East and the shifting world order, with the history that explains them.

British soldiers of the 55th West Lancashire Division, blinded by tear gas during the German Spring Offensive of 1918, line up for treatment at an Advanced Dressing Station near Bethune, France, By the end of WW1, 124,000 tons of poison gas had been produced by all sides.

Pear Drops And PoisonLatest · Then & NowAs Ukraine’s war matches the length of WW1, the comparison with the Western Front’s attritional stalemate grows sharper.Michael Baker · 21 May 2026 · 4 min read

Little Boy and Fat Man

Then & Now · 23 Apr 2026 · 4 minLittle Boy and Fat ManIran’s nuclear programme sits at the heart of today’s conflict. A look back at the only two atomic bombs ever used in war.

Long column of soldiers marching on a wide, dusty rural road.

Then & Now · 20 Feb 2026 · 3 minHow Wars EndNeither Kyiv nor Moscow will compromise. What the two world wars tell us about how bitter conflicts finally end.

Greek infantry advance during the Greco-Turkish War of 1919-22

Then & Now · 16 Jan 2026 · 3 minHow Long's A War?By January 2026 the war in Ukraine had lasted 1,418 days, as long as the German–Soviet war on the Eastern Front.

Russian infantry during the Brusilov Offensive of 1916. Note that none of them are wearing helmets. These were not standard issue even in the Red Army until the Second World War.

Then & Now · 17 Oct 2025 · 3 minDeath By NumbersRussia’s staggering losses in Ukraine, set against its other wars of the modern era.

Bombs Away

Then & Now · 19 Jun 2025 · 3 minBombs AwayDrones over Ukraine and the Middle East have transformed bombing. The strategic arguments echo the past.

From Prussia To Russia

Then & Now · 10 Apr 2025 · 3 minFrom Prussia To RussiaKaliningrad, Russia’s Baltic exclave and missile base, has a long and contested history.

The Betrayal by the British of the Cossacks at Lienz, Austria, in 1945 (Private Collection)

Then & Now · 2 Apr 2025 · 2 minThe Great BetrayalThe mass deportations of illegal immigrants currently under way in Trump's America - a process that seems both brutal and carelessly random in its execution - is highly likely to catch up in its…

Churchill, Truman, and Stalin at Potsdam, 1945

Then & Now · 7 Mar 2025 · 3 minTrump WorldIt's hard to know what kind of world we are entering in the Trump era - except that it will undoubtedly be volatile and very different from the one we've been used to for so long.

Steal The Deal

Then & Now · 24 Feb 2025 · 2 minSteal The DealIn much of the recent commentary about the blatantly pro-Russian American position on talks to end the 3-year war in Ukraine, the favourite historical parallel has been to Munich 1938, when…

Coke and Spearmint: How To Rule The World

Then & Now · 22 Oct 2024 · 2 minCoke and Spearmint: How To Rule The WorldAs we contemplate a world in which the status quo is now fragmenting into adversarial power blocs, it's worth reflecting on the astonishing dominance of the United States over the course of the last…

Help bring the latest scholarship to a wider audience.

Independent · Ad-free · Free to listen

Unknown Warriors is made independently by Michael Baker. Your support funds new interviews, full transcripts and the forthcoming Cold War series.