School of War

Matthew Waxman, Liviu Librescu Professor of Law at Columbia Law School, joins the show to talk about what’s lawful on the battlefield, what’s not, and how the laws of war apply to Israel and Hamas. ▪️ Times      •    01:49 Introduction      •    02:25 What is the law of war?     •    05:05 How does it all work?     •    08:15 What does it matter?     •    11:06 A rule of law society     •    12:16...

Edward Luttwak, strategist and co-author of The Art of Military Innovation: Lessons from the Israel Defense Forces, joins the show to talk about the research and development methods of the IDF and events on the ground in Israel. ▪️ Times      •    01:51 Introduction      •    03:05 R&D the IDF way     •    21:30 Evaluating Israel’s strategy     •    25:30 Stopping the clock     •   29:51 Downside...

Vincent O’Hara and Trent Hone, naval historians and co-editors of Fighting in the Dark: Naval Combat at Night, 1904-1944, join the show to talk about how naval warfare was transformed by technology that made possible night combat at sea. ▪️ Times      •    02:01 Introduction      •    03:35 Night combat pre-19th century     •    06:02 Why do we fight at night?     •    09:30 Getting close in     •...

Rich Goldberg, senior advisor at Foundation for Defense of Democracies and co-host of Jewish Insider’s Limited Liability podcast, joins the show to talk about the war in Israel, Iran’s objectives, and America’s. ▪️ Times      •    01:41 Introduction      •    02:22 Sit Rep 10/23     •    12:05 Confused messaging from Washington     •    20:21 Too clever by half     •   24:54 Owner operated proxies...

Jonathan Schanzer, senior vice president for research at Foundation for Defense of Democracies, joins the show to talk about the state of the war in Israel, the history of Hamas and its campaign to eradicate the Jewish state, and Israel’s plans to end the cycle forever. ▪️ Times      •    01:41 Introduction      •    02:24 The situation today     •    04:55 Gaza’s terrain     •    09:27 Focusing o...

Michael Doran, senior fellow and director of the Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East at the Hudson Institute, joins the show to talk about Iran-backed Hamas’ savage attack on Israel, how we can expect Israel to act in Gaza, prospects for escalation, and the echoes of 1973. ▪️ Times      •    02:33 Introduction      •    03:16 10/7     •    08:51 Potential Israeli objectives in Gaza   ...

Cliff May, founder and president of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, joins the show to talk about the neo-imperialism of America’s adversaries and what defending democracy requires. ▪️ Times      •    02:22 Introduction      •    02:39 Taking on Jon Stewart     •    06:50 Starting in the Soviet Union     •    12:26 Policy activism     •   20:11 Foundation for Defense of Democracies      ...

Paul Rahe, Charles O. Lee and Louise K. Lee Chair in the Western Heritage at Hillsdale College, and author of Sparta's Sicilian Proxy War: The Grand Strategy of Classical Sparta, 418-413 BC, joins the show to talk about proxy wars, the strategy of Sparta, and the role of regimes in the shaping of foreign policy. ▪️ Times      •    01:37 Introduction      •    06:43 Donald Kagan     •    08:32 The...

Andrew Krepinevich, senior fellow at the Hudson Institute and author of The Origins of Victory: How Disruptive Military Innovation Determines the Fates of Great Powers, joins the show to talk about how to interpret and think about military revolutions of the past and how that can help us forecast the shape of war in the future. ▪️ Times      •    01:35 Introduction      •    02:50 Andy Marshall   ...

Mick Ryan, Major General (retired) in the Australian Army and author of White Sun War: The Campaign for Taiwan, joins the show to talk about the war today in Ukraine, the potential war in Taiwan, and the changing character of war itself. ▪️ Times      •    02:22 Introduction      •    05:49 China on Australia’s radar     •    11:56 Ukrainian progress      •    17:26 Timeframe      •   24:00 “We’re...

John H. Maurer, the Alfred Thayer Mahan Professor of Sea Power and Grand Strategy at the Naval War College and contributor to New Makers of Modern Strategy, joins the show to talk about Mahan and his relevance today. ▪️ Times      •    01:30 Introduction      •    02:06 Mahan struck from the syllabus     •    06:30 Early writings     •    09:19 Looking out at the world      •   12:17 Six elements...

Wayne Lee, Bruce W. Carney Distinguished Professor of History at UNC and author of The Cutting-Off Way: Indigenous Warfare in Eastern North America, 1500-1800, joins the show to talk about war in the ‘Eastern Woodlands’, both before and after European contact. ▪️ Times      •    01:48 Introduction      •    02:50 Coincidences     •    07:19 “Woods and rivers, deer and rabbits, corn and beans”     ...

David Betz, Professor of War in the Modern World at King’s College London, joins the show to talk about what the status of the Ukrainian counteroffensive has to teach us about the enduring relevance of fortifications and the defense as a form of war. ▪️ Times      •    02:02 Introduction      •    02:16 Modern War     •    03:36 Counteroffensive progress     •    06:08 Tracking events     •   11:0...

Antulio J. Echevarria, General Douglas MacArthur Chair of Research at the U.S. Army War College and a contributor to New Makers of Modern Strategy, joins the show to talk about one of the most influential military thinkers of the modern age, Antoine-Henri Jomini.  ▪️ Times      •    01:55 Introduction      •    02:22 Who was Jomini?     •    06:13 A charlatan?     •    08:57 Summary of the Art of...

Mike Gallagher, U.S. representative for Wisconsin's 8th congressional district and Chair of the House Select Committee on Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party, joins the show to talk about why the Korean War should be front-of-mind for American policymakers and strategists.  ▪️ Times      •    02:06 Introduction      •    04:05 Wolf-warrior diplomacy     ...

Mark McGrath and Brian Rivera, hosts of the No Way Out podcast, join the show to talk about strategist John Boyd.  ▪️ Times      •    02:09 Introduction      •    02:59 Who was John Boyd?     •    06:03 “40 Second” Boyd     •    08:05 Air to air combat     •   09:45 OODA Loop      •    14:20 Getting inside the enemy’s loop     •    18:44 Fast transients     •    21:41 Patterns of Conflict     •   ...

Aaron O’Connell, Associate Professor of History at the University of Texas at Austin, joins the show to talk about the “founding fathers” of 20th century geopolitical thought: Mahan, Mackinder, and Spykman.  ▪️ Times    •    01:46 Introduction      •    02:20 From Marine to scholar to the NSC     •    06:24 Alfred T. Mahan     •    12:27 Choke points, decisive battle, and battleships     •   15:45...

Charles Edel, senior adviser and Australia Chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and contributor to New Makers of Modern Strategy, joins the show to talk about one of the founding architects of American foreign policy, John Quincy Adams.  ▪️ Times      •    01:33 Introduction      •    02:20 Democratic strategy     •    04:43 Adams     •    08:03 Early threats to the Republic...

Max Hastings, journalist, military historian, and author most recently of Abyss: The Cuban Missile Crisis 1962, joins the show to talk about the world’s brush with World War III.  ▪️ Times      •    01:41 Introduction      •    01:59 From journalism to history     •    07:06 Recollections     •    09:40 Castro and the Bay of Pigs     •   19:46 Overflights      •    26:46 Quarantine and blockade   ...

Holger Afflerbach, Professor of Modern European History at the University of Leeds and author of On a Knife Edge: How Germany Lost the First World War, joins the show to talk about the origins of the First World War, how much Germany is to blame, and why the July Crisis of 1914 is relevant in 2023.  ▪️ Times      •    01:59 Introduction      •    02:46 Fritz Fischer      •    10:34 1914 and today...

Mark Galeotti, director of Mayak Intelligence, host of the In Moscows’s Shadow podcast, and author of Putin's Wars: From Chechnya to Ukraine, joins the show to talk about the post-Cold War Russian Armed Forces. ▪️ Times      •    02:13 Introduction      •    04:26 The peak      •    10:04 In decline     •    13:04 A day in the life of a ’90s Russian soldier     •    16:23 The First Chechen War    ...

Hew Strachan, Bishop Wardlaw Professor at the School of International Relations at the University of St. Andrews and a contributor to New Makers of Modern Strategy, joins the show to talk about Carl von Clausewitz. ▪️ Times      •    02:10 Introduction      •    04:31 Serious-minded     •    09:43 On War      •    11:54 Deconstruct to construct     •    15:19 Distinctions in war      •    24:07 Th...

Iskander Rehman, Ax:son Johnson Fellow at the Kissinger Center at Johns Hopkins SAIS and contributor to New Makers of Modern Strategy, joins the show to talk about French grand strategy during the 16th and 17th century rivalry between the Bourbons and Habsburg Spain.  ▪️ Times      •    02:41 Introduction      •    04:35 A nagging curiosity       •    06:59 Sully at the start      •    13:27 The g...

Levi Roach, Associate Professor of Medieval History at the University of Exeter and author of Empires of the Normans: Conquerors of Europe, joins the show to talk about the rise, violent spread, and ultimate normalization of the group of Viking raiders know as the Normans.   ▪️ Times  • 01:25 Introduction  • 01:53 Who were the Normans?   • 06:40 Transformations • 11:41 Parallel outbursts • 14:35 “...

Toshi Yoshihara, Senior Fellow at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments, author of Mao’s Army Goes to Sea, and contributor to the New Makers of Modern Strategy, joins the show to talk about Sun Tzu and Mao’s strategic thought. ▪️ Times      •    02:14 Introduction      •    02:33 Who was Sun Tzu?       •    05:38 Spring and Autumn      •    08:27 Legitimizing the text     •    11:18 R...