The Remnant with Jonah Goldberg Soldiers Not Warriors | Interview: Kori Schake
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Oct 22, 2025 In this engaging discussion, Kori Schake, a foreign and defense policy expert at AEI and author of The State and the Soldier, analyzes the evolution of American civil-military relations. She critiques traditional theories about military democracy, highlighting significant historical events like Andrew Jackson's invasion of Florida and the implications of the Insurrection Act. Kori also discusses the current state of the military amid partisan pressures, emphasizing the importance of maintaining professionalism in political contexts and the challenges facing Ukraine.
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Washington's Foundational Civil-Military Ethos
- George Washington established military subordination by pleading with Congress and accepting civilian strategy control.
- His restraint and refusal to seize power set a lasting American military ethos against coups.
Rejecting Military-Primitivism Argument
- Huntington argued military effectiveness conflicts with democracy; Schake rejects that and reverses the arrow of influence.
- She says democratic civilian norms shape the military, not vice versa.
Grant's Crucial Reconstruction Choice
- Ulysses Grant faced a constitutional choice during 1866–68 between obeying the president or Congress.
- He sided with Congress, judging its peacetime authority superior, averting a military takeover.
