On November 9, 1989, the Cold War began to thaw with the fall of the Berlin Wall, and we all breathed a sigh of relief.

Then on February 24, 2022, Russia once again invaded Ukraine. Assuming things would go the same way it did in February and March 2014, when Russia invaded and annexed Crimea from Ukraine. But it didn't go that way. Many worry about the implications of that war and whether we should just butt out. Is this war different than what we've seen before? If so, why?

According to our guest, a good part of the answer is "Urban Warfare" and "meaning." He believes that Urban Warfare can teach us much about modern leadership.

John Spencer is considered by many to be the world's leading expert on urban warfare. He is also a radical thought leader, experienced war veteran, team builder, and creative mind. John is an award-winning scholar, professor, author, combat veteran, and internationally recognized expert and advisor on urban warfare and other military-related topics. He currently serves as the Chair of Urban Warfare Studies with the Madison Policy Forum. John recently served as the Chair of Urban Warfare Studies at the Modern War Institute at West Point, Co-Director of the Urban Warfare Project, and host of the Urban Warfare Project podcast.

He is the author of several books, Connected Soldiers: Life, Leadership, and Social Connections in Modern War and Understanding Urban Warfare. The second was written for Ukraine civilians. That book went viral and has helped hundreds of thousands of civilians defeat the world's second-biggest military.