Jonathan Kirshner, Professor of Political Science and International Studies at Boston College and author of An Unwritten Future: Realism, Uncertainty, and World Politics, joins the show to discuss realism and realists. ▪️ Times • 01:40 Introduction • 02:25 What is Realism? • 07:10 The birth of modern Realism • 11:59 To be “scientific” and “predictive” • 15:10 Not a rejection of social sciences • 19:30 “Purpose matters” • 23:40 Liberalism • 28:04 The Twenty Years Crisis • 36:00 Ideology matters •...
Dec 20, 2022•1 hr 4 min
David M. Pritchard, Associate Professor of Greek History at the University of Queensland and author of Athenian Democracy at War, joins the show to discuss how and why ancient Athens fought its wars. ▪️ Times • 01:41 Introduction • 02:3 Martial culture in Athens • 05:08 Democracy and victory • 11:42 Innovation and participation • 15:38 Joining up in ancient Athens • 19:10 Broad support for war • 24:43 Military morality • 30:49 Control of the battlefield is victory • 38:28 Democracy and war today...
Dec 13, 2022•44 min
Dr. Michael Livingston , Professor at The Citadel and author of Crécy: Battle of Five Kings, joins the show to discuss the Hundred Years War, medieval warfare, and the English victory at the battle of Crécy. ▪️ Times • 01:53 Introduction • 02:33 Why Crécy • 05:53 The Hundred Years War • 10:29 The French-Scottish connection • 14:08 Why invade France at all? • 20:51 Strengths/Weaknesses • 26:00 Medieval command and control • 34:01 Crécy the legend • 38:24 French losses • 39:17 Crécy the reality • ...
Dec 06, 2022•1 hr 2 min
Alexander Mikaberidze, Professor of History and Ruth Herring Noel Endowed Chair at Louisiana State University in Shreveport and author of Kutuzov: A Life in War and Peace, joins the show to discuss the Russian general Kutuzov, the hero of 1812. ▪️ Times • 00:53 Introduction • 01:31 18th century Russia • 04:00 A young officer • 08:57 Modernization • 12:11 Catherine’s wars • 14:30 International relations • 17:00 Shot in the head - twice • 22:11 Promotions • 29:18 Tolstoy’s take on Kutuzov • 32:32 ...
Nov 29, 2022•1 hr 12 min
Sir Lawrence Freedman, Emeritus Professor of War Studies at King's College London and author of Command: The Politics of Military Operations from Korea to Ukraine, joins the show to discuss how politics and military command are inextricably linked. ▪️ Times • 01:08 Introduction • 02:01 Command • 05:44 Politics and generalship • 08:00 MacArthur myths • 11:59 Educating future commanders • 15:50 France’s end of empire • 22:57 Democratic drawbacks • 27:51 Putin’s position • 33:49 Ukraine endgame • 3...
Nov 22, 2022•43 min
William Inboden, executive director and William Powers, Jr. Chair at the Clements Center for National Security at the University of Texas at Austin and author of The Peacemaker: Ronald Reagan, the Cold War, and the World on the Brink, joins the show to discuss Ronald Reagan’s foreign policy. ▪️ Times • 01:32 Introduction • 02:09 Inheriting détente • 06:13 The Soviet understanding • 09:56 Deterring strength, exploiting weakness • 13:42 Religious Reagan • 17:32 Bush as teammate • 20:54 Win without...
Nov 15, 2022•56 min
Ian Beckett, professor emeritus of military history at the University of Kent and author of Rorke’s Drift and Isandlwana, joins the show to talk about the two most famous battles of the Anglo-Zulu War. ▪️ Times • 01:58 Introduction • 02:22 British interests in Zululand • 06:52 The Zulu system • 09:55 The British plan • 13:12 The horns of the buffalo • 16:49 Isandlwana • 26:44 Innate warriors • 29:14 Aftermath • 33:18 Movies and myths • 42:11 Rorke’s Drift • 48:38 Firepower wins out • 53:56 A wes...
Nov 08, 2022•55 min
Tom Cotton, senator from Arkansas and author of Only the Strong: Reversing the Left's Plot to Sabotage American Power, joins the show to talk about U.S. foreign policy. ▪️ Times • 01:03 Introduction • 03:43 Formative Interests • 06:47 Bill Rood And The Distant Ramparts • 11:13 Joining The Infantry • 13:30 Iraq & Afghanistan • 18:39 Congress • 21:19 Foreign Entanglements • 25:54 Progressivism • 32:06 Vietnam • 38:52 Iran • 44:26 Withdrawal • 47:15 American Interests And The Rimland...
Nov 01, 2022•53 min
James M. Scott, author of Black Snow: Curtis LeMay, the Firebombing of Tokyo and the Road to the Atomic Bomb, joins the show to talk about the World War II career of one of the most important and controversial American generals of the 20th Century, Curtis LeMay, and his leadership of the strategic bombing campaign in the Pacific. ▪️ Times • 02:00 Introduction • 03:02 Teaching In Japan • 06:27 Lemay, Tireless Worker • 09:47 Bomber Vs Fighter • 11:43 Europe, B-17, and B-29 • 19:54 Hansel & O’D...
Oct 25, 2022•55 min
Randall Schriver, former Assistant Secretary of Defense for Indo-Pacific affairs and Chairman of the Project 2049 Institute, joins the show to talk about U.S.-China relations and a new project, the China Economic & Strategy Initiative. Times • 02:10 Introduction • 03:36 “Take Chinese Language” • 11:21 Why 2049? • 13:40 China In The ’90s • 18:13 Power Projection and Missiles • 28:10 The Diplomatic Situation • 35:00 Economic Entanglement • 42:44 Decoupling • 47:32 Urgency And Policy • 52:00 De...
Oct 18, 2022•55 min
Ep 44: Jay Lockenour on Erich Ludendorff ▪️ Jay Lockenour, associate professor of history at Temple University and author of Dragonslayer: The Legend of Erich Ludendorff in the Weimar Republic and Third Reich, joins the show to talk about the life of the infamous German general and politician. ▪️ Times • 01:30 Introduction • 02:00 Ludendorff’s Significance • 03:08 Ludendorff’s Early Life • 05:02 Not Quite A Matinee Idol • 07:13 The German General Staff • 11:43 A General Without Portfolio • 17:50...
Oct 11, 2022•42 min
Eli Lake, host of The Re-Education and national security journalism fellow at the Clements Center, joins the show to talk about 9/11 and the invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan. ▪️ Times • 02:04 Introduction • 02:43 From Philly To The Middle East • 05:14 9/11 • 07:49 The World Before • 09:20 No More Nation Building • 12:03 Neo-Cons Or Not • 18:09 Liberal Internationalists • 22:05 Early Mistakes • 29:08 Baking In Problems • 32:46 The Bonn Conference • 37:04 Capable Of Being Free • 41:04 Toppling Sa...
Sep 13, 2022•1 hr 2 min
Ian Easton, senior director at the Project 2049 Institute and author of The Final Struggle: Inside China’s Global Strategy, joins the show to talk about Xi Jinping, the ideology that shaped Jinping and by which he rules, and why his vision for the world should not be dismissed. ▪️ Times • 01:56 Introduction • 02:22 Interested In China • 05:01 Discovering Taiwan • 10:32 Perceptions Of The PRC • 13:11 How The Chinese Government Works • 17:47 Who Is Xi Jinping? • 23:42 The Tactics Of Ideology And C...
Sep 06, 2022•1 hr 7 min
Hal Brands, Henry Kissinger Distinguished Professor at Johns Hopkins University, and Michael Beckley, associate professor of political science at Tufts University, join the show to talk about how an armed confrontation with China could be coming more quickly than most expect. ▪️ Times • 01:30 Introduction • 02:28 Danger Zone • 05:13 A Matter Of Timing • 07:55 A Thucydides Trap? • 13:07 Historical Analogies and 1914 • 20:32 Getting To The Long Game • 25:37 Sleepwalking Into War? • 31:10 China’s P...
Aug 30, 2022•56 min
Michael S. Neiberg, Chair of War Studies in the Department of National Security and Strategy at the U.S. Army War College, joins the show to talk American policy towards Vichy France. ▪️ Times • 01:21 Introduction • 02:15 Vichy France - An Overview • 06:38 A Phony War • 09:16 American Assumptions Pre-war • 13:09 Isolationism No Longer Works • 24:30 Roosevelt’s Policy • 28:45 Stress In The Anglo-American Alliance • 33:03 American Vision Of A Post-War World • 36:00 Vichy Unveiled • 39:01 Chaos In ...
Aug 09, 2022•56 min
Ocie Vest, retired Marine infantry officer, joins the show to talk about his experiences as a platoon commander in the Battle of Marjah and later as a combat leader in Nimruz Province, lessons learned in training and in combat, and how the war can continue after the fighting ends. Second of a two-part conversation. ▪️ Times • 01:27 Violent Months • 06:15 “Do Whatever Those Guys Do” • 09:42 Tactical Adaptation • 13:32 A Fighting Exit • 18:03 “That Sucked…Why’d We Want To Do That So Bad?” • 21:29 ...
Aug 02, 2022•47 min
Ocie Vest, retired Marine infantry officer, joins the show to talk about his experiences as a platoon commander in the Battle of Marjah and later as a combat leader in Nimruz Province, lessons learned in training and in combat, and how the war can continue after the fighting ends. First of a two-part conversation. ▪️ Times • 01:46 Introduction • 02:24 Joining The Marines • 03:55 Quantico • 09:00 Becoming An Infantry Officer • 20:22 Camp Lejeune • 27:21 False Start • 35:06 Crossing The Line Of De...
Jul 26, 2022•1 hr 12 min
Alexander Watson, Professor of History at Goldsmiths, University of London, joins the show to talk about the Eastern Front in World War One, and how the events of 1914/15 foreshadowed tragedies to come and the crisis in Ukraine today. ▪️ Times • 01:43 Introduction • 02:40 WWI In The East • 05:29 Battlefield - Austria-Hungary • 10:10 The Austro-Hungarian Army • 13:28 Coveted Galicia • 17:44 1914 - A Primordial Soup • 19:02 The Siege Begins • 26:27 Przemysl’s Defensive Plan • 29:50 The Russians Ta...
Jul 19, 2022•1 hr 1 min
Charlie Laderman, lecturer at King’s College London and co-author of Hitler's American Gamble, joins the show to talk about his latest book, which covers the crucial days between the attack on Pearl Harbor and Hitler’s perplexing declaration of war on the United States. ▪️ Times • 01:52 Introduction • 02:50 Wasn’t War Inevitable? • 07:12 Japan And Germany - Strange Bedfellows • 11:10 Hitler’s Blurred Vision • 14:45 Japan - Will They, Won’t They Attack • 15:51 Churchill’s Outlook • 22:58 Anti-Int...
Jul 12, 2022•1 hr
Brendan Simms, Professor at the University of Cambridge, and his co-author, Steven McGregor, a U.S. Army vet, join the show to talk about their new book, The Silver Waterfall: How America Won the War in the Pacific at Midway. ▪️ Times • 02:12 Introduction • 02:30 Why Write About Midway? • 05:54 Strategic Situation In The Pacific • 08:26 Who Is Chester Nimitz? • 11:02 Small Scale Start To The Large Scale Fight • 14:20 Intelligence Breaches And Carrier Combat • 17:12 Dueling Carrier Doctrines • 22...
Jun 28, 2022•38 min
Andrew Corbett, author of Supreme Emergency: How Britain Lives With the Bomb, joins the show to talk about what it’s like commanding one of Her Majesty’s deadliest weapons, how deterrence policy actually works, and why Britain has the Bomb. ▪️ Times • 01:45 Introduction • 02:12 Why Join The Royal Navy? • 03:31 What’s In A Name? • 05:31 Day To Day Life • 10:33 Disorienting Conditions • 12:35 The Fighting Sub • 16:58 The Sound Of Silence • 21:50 The Nuclear Triad • 24:12 Developments Under The Sea...
Jun 21, 2022•58 min
Steven Pressfield, author of A Man at Arms and Gates of Fire, joins the show to talk about writing historical fiction, telling the truth about war, and why the hardest part of art is “doing the work” . ▪️ Times • 01:38 Introduction • 03:49 Why Historical Fiction? • 08:25 Creating The “Distant Mirror” • 12:12 Special Forces • 14:17 Characters • 19:44 A Man at Arms • 22:01 Post-Warrior Life • 23:46 The Warrior Ethos • 27:20 Society Needs, But Doesn’t Want, Warriors • 32:52 Citizen-Soldier • 34:10 ...
Jun 14, 2022•48 min
Barry Strauss, Bryce and Edith M. Bowmar Professor in Humanistic Studies at Cornell University, joins the show to talk about Octavian, Antony, and Cleopatra, and the battle of Actium, the clash that “made the Roman Empire”. Times • 02:04 Introduction • 02:36 Events Leading To Actium • 07:45 What Breaks The Second Triumvirate • 13:29 Strategy Is Not Sterile • 15:04 Antony’s Will, Octavian’s Weapon • 20:24 Caesar’s Inheritance • 22:42 Audacious Agrippa • 25:26 Ancient Marines And War In The Medite...
Jun 07, 2022•49 min
Rich Goldberg, senior advisor at The Foundation for Defense of Democracies and host of both the Cryptonite podcast and Jewish Insider’s Limited Liability podcast, joins the show to talk about economic sanctions and financial warfare. Times • 01:30 Introduction • 08:19 The Dollar Is Still King • 10:10 Access Is Everything • 13:00 Whom Do Sanctions Effect • 15:42 Uneasy Lies The Head That Wears A Crown • 21:50 Warfare By Other Means • 30:20 Working With Allies • 38:33 Exquisite Calibration • 43:42...
May 31, 2022•58 min
Guy MacLean Rogers, William R. Kenan, Jr. Professor of History and Classical Studies at Wellesley College and author of For the Freedom of Zion: The Great Revolt of Jews Against Romans, 66-74CE, joins the show to talk about the great uprising of the Jewish people against Rome—including moments that resonate to the present day, like the destruction of the Temple at Jerusalem and the siege of Masada. Times • 02:20 Introduction • 04:21 The Jewish Revolt In Roman History • 08:09 Flavius Josephus • 1...
May 24, 2022•1 hr 9 min
Wesley Morgan, journalist and author of The Hardest Place: The American Military Adrift in Afghanistan's Pech Valley, joins the show to discuss his experiences in the Pech valley, one of Afghanistan’s most contested battlegrounds, and to talk about the U.S. counterinsurgency’s successes and failures. Times • 01:25 Illicit Economies • 04:13 Green Berets And CIA “Lost The Forest For The Trees” In Kunar • 06:57 Who Is Jim Gant? • 11:36 Self-Aware Proxy Warriors • 13:42 Counterinsurgency Styles and ...
May 17, 2022•48 min
Ep 28: Wesley Morgan on Afghanistan Wesley Morgan, journalist and author of The Hardest Place: The American Military Adrift in Afghanistan's Pech Valley, joins the show to discuss his experiences in the Pech Valley, one of Afghanistan’s most contested battlegrounds, and to talk about the U.S. counterinsurgency’s successes and failures. This episode is part 1 of 2. Times 02:52 Introduction 04:28 From Princeton to The Pech 07:25 The Age Dynamic 09:46 Fighting Styles In Helmand Province 12:42 The E...
May 10, 2022•36 min
Ep 27: Fred Kagan on Ukraine II Fred Kagan, Senior Fellow and Director of Critical Threats Project at AEI, joins the show to discuss where the war in Ukraine stands, how initial Russian designs failed, and where the conflict is headed. Times 02:14 Introduction 03:22 Accurate Predictions 06:45 The Baffling Russian Attack on Kyiv 08:36 A River Runs Through…The Russian Plan 10:22 Operational Design 101 13:22 Back To Basics - Reading Terrain Still Matters 16:33 Russian Objectives In The East 21:51 R...
May 03, 2022•57 min•Season 1Ep. 27
Ep 26: Andrew Lambert on the Crimean War Andrew Lambert, Laughton Professor of Naval History in the Department of War Studies, King's College, joins the show to discuss the Crimean War, including why it shouldn’t have been called by that name. Professor Lambert also explains the relevance of the Crimean War to today’s war in Ukraine. Times • 01:28 Introduction • 02:20 Causes of the Crimean War • 07:57 Flashpoint in the Holy Land • 12:31 Steamships and Strategy • 16:34 Functional Dysfunction in P...
Apr 26, 2022•1 hr 3 min
Waller Newell, Professor of Political Science and Philosophy at Carleton University, joins the show to discuss tyranny and tyrants—and Vladimir Putin in particular. Times 02:05 Introduction 03:43 Let's talk about Vladimir Putin 05:40 What is the Russian "Soul"? 07:19 Quote from "The Russian Idea" 08:40 Who was Nikolai Berdyaev? 09:54 Is Berdyaev an influence on Aleksandr Dugin? 11:05 The West has a hard time understanding non-economic motivations. Why? 13:06 Who is Aleksandr Dugin? 15:21 “Eurasi...
Apr 12, 2022•45 min
