Shield of the Republic

Plus a new recurring segment, a German spy scandal, and much more on this week’s super-sized show: 2:00: Jackassery of the Week 14:52: Annals of Corruption 20:36: A Dark & Immoral Spectacle 25:52: Burn After Reading 29:28: France’s Student Fracas 35:39: War in Ukraine Update 39:37: Middle East Wars Update 45:02: Ethiopia Continues to Spiral --- 49:15: Discussing THE STRATEGIST: How to Think About...

Eric and Eliot react to Trump announcing the U.S. purchase of Russian diesel in a special emergency episode This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.shieldoftherepublic.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.shieldoftherepublic.com Eric and Eliot return for another round of your questions! What would convince Putin he’s losing his war? Did the U.S. have any alternative to invading Afghanistan? That and more in this month's mailbag! As a reminder, for just $5 a month, paid subscribers gain access to mailbags, hot takes, book reviews, and...

Plus jackassery of the week, the U.S. withdraws from Iraq, and more! 1:20: Jackassery of the Week 19:35: New Operation Rough Rider Details Emerge 26:23: Saudi Offensive in Yemen 38:12: U.S. Withdrawal from Iraq 52:58: Ethiopian Conflict Update This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.shieldoftherepublic.com/subscribe

Eric and Eliot react to Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s second-ever “State of the Force” address at Marine Corps Base Quantico today This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.shieldoftherepublic.com/subscribe

Plus updates on the Iran war, Denmark’s dire warning, and more! 1:15: Jackassery of the Week 10:06: The Decline of the U.N. 7:13: Iran War Updates 40:57: Powder Keg: Horn of Africa 47:39: The Russian Threat to Europe Danish Defense Intelligence Service Assessment of the threat from Russia : https://www.fe-ddis.dk/globalassets/fe/dokumenter/2026/trusselsvurderinger/-assessment-of-the-threat-from-ru...

Plus the Houthis dig in, German elections disappoint again, and more! 1:53: Jackassery of the Week 12:56: Trump at the U.N. 22:06: Houthi Offensive Update 30:00: More Troubling German Elections 37:49: Trump-Zelensky Meeting 42:25: A Greenland Resolution 45:52: Xi Comes to Town Email mailbag@shieldoftherepublic.com to submit questions for our next mailbag episode! This is a public episode. If you'd...

Plus updates from the Middle East & Ukraine, and special guest Will Hitchcock! 2:27: Jackassery of the Week 16:30: Houthi Offensive 36:30: Iranian Leadership Divisions 42:38: UK Sanctions on Israel 56:59: Ukraine War Update --- 1:03:49: Will Hitchcock joins the show 1:12:48: The Interwar Period 1:16:39: Flirting with Fascism 1:27:45: Roosevelt’s Process 1:40:40: The Specter of WWI Available today!...

Plus trips to Moscow, elections in Germany, and more. 1:10 Jackassery of the Week 19:48 Remembering 9/11 45:11 To Russia With Love 54:18 AfD Election Implications 1:01:15 AI Alarm Bells 1:04:25 Iran War Update Former Senior Officials Ask Secretary Wright to Release Saudi Nuclear Deal Documents Eric’s Hot Take on our dangerously incompetent Secretary of Defense This is a public episode. If you'd li...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.shieldoftherepublic.com Is Canada the new Finland? Just how aggressive has China been with their neighbors? What’s behind Eric’s tapestry? All that and more on Shield of the Republic’s first ever mailbag episode! As a reminder, for just $5 a month, paid subscribers gain access to mailbags, hot takes, book reviews, and more.

Eric and Eliot kick off Shield of the Republic’s new era with a supersized episode! 3:39: Jackassery of the Week 12:36: Trump’s Canada Trade War 18:29: Eliot’s Trip Report from Japan 35:56: Venezuelan Oil 44:32: Iran War Update 55:57: The View From Eastern Europe --- 59:31: Professor Paul Miller Joins the Show 1:02:42: Myths About the War in Afghanistan 1:09:02: Key Decisions in the War 1:13:45: C...

Welcome to the new home of Shield of the Republic! You can also find us on Twitter , Instagram , and YouTube . Help us spread the word by sharing this and stay tuned for our official launch soon! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.shieldoftherepublic.com/subscribe

Eliot reviews the week’s jackassery and offers his thoughts on Juneteenth and the upcoming 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. He then welcomes Ambassador Deborah Lipstadt, distinguished professor at Emory University and prolific author. She explains her background as a historian of the Holocaust, her work documenting Holocaust denial, and her experience being sued...

With Eric on vacation, Eliot welcomes Kenneth Pollack, VP for Policy at the Middle East Institute, to the show. Ken outlines MEI's mission before providing analysis on the current state of the Iran war. They discuss the difficulty of ending a conflict when both sides believe they are winning, and whether we are on the cusp of significant concessions or escalation. They explore whether the war was...

Eric and Eliot dissect the latest jackassery before pivoting to the war with Iran. They offer differing assessments of the negotiations and discuss the prospects for a lasting ceasefire. Next, they return to the Russia-Ukraine war and reflect on the staggering Russian casualty levels and severe economic toll the war continues to inflict on Russia. They discuss the under-reported and dangerous nucl...

Eliot joins Eric from the shores of Lake Champlain to break down the latest administration jackassery before pivoting to the ongoing negotiations with Iran. They also discuss Russia's recent drone and missile barrage directed at Kyiv which included an Oreshnik missile capable of carrying conventional and nuclear warheads. Eric outlines his new CSBA monograph on nuclear command, control, and commun...

Eliot and Eric discuss the current state of the Iran negotiations, the apparent US-Israeli plan to install Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as a Delcy Rodríguez-type figure early in the war, and Reuters' report on the ongoing hollowing out of U.S. diplomacy. They assess Trump's apparent designs in Cuba, noting the indictment of Raul Castro, and the deployment of an aircraft carrier strike group to the Caribbea...

Eric and Eliot survey a wide range of jackassery, highlighting Trump's bizarre attack on longtime Mitch McConnell aide Robert Karem. They discuss Trump's gross mismanagement of the Department of Defense as exemplified by the US Army budget shortfall due to National Guard deployments to US cities and the border. They debate the intelligence community's leaked assessment of Iran's surviving missile...

Eric and Eliot lament the firing of 200 Foreign Service officers and the recent large-scale exodus of senior diplomats from public service. They discuss the impact of the Trump Administration's diplomatic malpractice including the handling of Operation Freedom and their own disagreements about it. They assess the likely costs of ensuring Iran is not left in control of the Strait of Hormuz and the...

Eric and Eliot discuss Pete Hegseth's job security amidst the ongoing war with Iran. They recap his contemptuous testimony at a House Armed Services Committee budget hearing and Vice President Vance's efforts to distance himself from the war through planted stories. They then turn to King Charles III and Queen Camilla's visit to the United States and review the King's speech to a joint session of...

Eric and Eliot review an extended buffet of jackassery before turning to the current state of affairs in Iran. They assess the prospects for a negotiated settlement to the war, and whether we could end up in a "no war, no peace" situation. They also discuss the mutual incomprehension that leaders in both countries exhibit regarding the interests and intentions of the other, Iran's new collective l...

Eric welcomes Eliot back from his sojourn in Spain to break down the latest jackassery from the administration. They discuss the current state of the Iran war, including the somehow simultaneously open and closed Strait of Hormuz, the ongoing negotiations, and how China factors into the conflict. Turning to Europe, they assess Viktor Orban’s electoral defeat in Hungary and the blow it strikes agai...

Eric welcomes The Bulwark's own Mona Charen back to the show to discuss the week's developments. They cover the President's meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and the Vice President's trip to Hungary before pivoting to Vance's new diplomatic assignment to negotiate an end to the war with Iran. They assess the potential impact on Vance's political aspirations and the splits in MAGA worl...

Eric welcomes retired U.S. Army Special Forces officer, and Penn Washington's Chief of Staff and Director of Communications, Mike Nelson to the show. They discuss the President's White House speech to sell the Iran war to the American people, and its failure to address a number of important questions. They discuss Mike's recent Dispatch article on the risks and benefits of different proposed cours...

Eric welcomes Michael O'Hanlon, the Philip Knight chair in defense and strategy at the Brookings Institution, and author of To Dare Mighty Things, and a recent op-ed in the Financial Times on the Trump administration's $200 billion supplemental budget request to fund the Iran War. They discuss whether there is a unique American "way of war" or "way of strategy," and the accomplishments of U.S. gra...