School of War
Nebulous Media
This podcast seeks to learn what war teaches. There has been a steady decline in the study of military history and its associated theoretical discipline, strategy.This podcast seeks to fill that gap through in-depth interviews on military and diplomatic history. Our guests have included former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, the Cold War historian John Lewis Gaddis, and former China Select Committee chairman Mike Gallagher. We discuss the battlefield commanders, diplomats, strategists, policymakers, and statesmen who have had to make wartime decisions in the ancient and modern eras. The subject of an episode may be an historical battle, campaign, or conflict; the conduct of policy in the course of a major international incident; the work of a famous strategist; the nature of a famous weapon; or the legacy of an important military commander or political leader. Aaron MacLean is a senior fellow at Hudson Institute. He has worked as a foreign policy advisor and legislative director to Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas and spent seven years in the U.S. Marine Corps.Visit our Substack for episode transcriptsFollow along on Instagram
Episodes
Mentioned books
Nov 28, 2023 • 46min
Ep 100: Alexander Mikaberidze on Ridley Scott’s Napoleon
Alexander Mikaberidze, Professor of History and Ruth Herring Noel Endowed Chair at Louisiana State University and author of The Napoleonic Wars: A Global History, joins the show to talk about director Ridley Scott’s Napoleon.▪️Times • 02:54 Introduction • 04:52 First reactions • 08:18 Joaquin Phoenix as Napoleon • 15:12 Propaganda of the time • 17:14 No invention needed • 21:22 Wellington and Talleyrand • 23:24 Napoleon: Master Tactician • 27:35 Waterloo • 33:45 Josephine and Elba • 35:44 More Napoleon contentFollow along on InstagramFind a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack
Nov 21, 2023 • 49min
Ep 99: Nicholas Morton on the Mongol Invasions
Nicholas Morton, associate professor of history at Nottingham Trent University and author of The Mongol Storm: Making and Breaking Empires in the Medieval Near East, joins the show to talk about the Mongol invasions.▪️Times • 01:40 Introduction • 02:15 Central Asia before the Mongols • 04:15 Mongol methods • 09:15 Sailing the Eurasian Steppe • 13:54 Temujin • 18:38 A dearth of sources • 21:50 Khwarazmian Empire • 26:40 The Mongol secret • 32:03 Selective savagery • 36:30 The Near East • 40:15 Mamluks • 42:03 Mongol rule • 45:17 Lasting effects
6 snips
Nov 14, 2023 • 42min
Ep 98: Matthew Waxman on the Israel, Hamas, and the Law of Armed Conflict
Matthew Waxman, Liviu Librescu Professor of Law at Columbia Law School, discusses the law of war, its importance, and its application in the conflict between Israel and Hamas. They explore topics such as military necessity vs humanitarian interest, bright line rules, reasonableness, sieges, weaponizing the law, perverse incentives, and the evolution of the law.
Nov 7, 2023 • 46min
Ep 97: Edward Luttwak on the IDF and the War in Israel
Edward Luttwak, strategist and co-author of The Art of Military Innovation, discusses the IDF's research and development methods, evaluating Israel's strategy, the downside of discipline, macro-innovation, and tackling Iran's threats and deterrence strategy.
Oct 31, 2023 • 56min
Ep 96: Vincent O’Hara and Trent Hone on Naval Combat at Night
Naval historians Vincent O'Hara and Trent Hone discuss how technology transformed naval warfare, focusing on night combat at sea. Topics include pre-19th-century night combat, German naval thinking, Japanese success, long-range torpedoes, and changes in command expectations.
Oct 24, 2023 • 47min
Ep 95: Richard Goldberg on the War in Israel & American Strategy
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? • 32:40 What does Iran want • 35:51 Volatile Israeli politics • 40:52 Dancing to the enemy tune • 42:51 The cost of being America’s ally • 44:25 DeterrenceFollow along on InstagramFind a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack
Oct 17, 2023 • 52min
Ep 94: Jonathan Schanzer on the War in Israel & Hamas
Jonathan Schanzer, Senior VP at Foundation for Defense of Democracies, discusses the ongoing war in Israel, the history of Hamas, Israeli objectives, strategic goals, and the role of Iran. The podcast also explores the potential escalation risks, challenges in achieving strategic goals, and staying informed about the conflict.
Oct 10, 2023 • 54min
Ep 93: Michael Doran on the War in Israel & Ghosts of 1973
Michael Doran, director of Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East, discusses the recent Hamas attack on Israel, potential Israeli objectives, Iranian involvement, intelligence failures, and parallels with the Yom Kippur War.
Oct 3, 2023 • 56min
Ep 92: Cliff May on Defending Democracies
Cliff May, founder and president of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, talks about defending democracies, starting FDD, cracks in the Axis of Tyrannies, Chinese imperialism, and understanding ourselves abroad in this entertaining podcast.
Sep 26, 2023 • 52min
Ep 91: Paul Rahe on Sparta’s Grand Strategy
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 Spartan point of view • 11:59 Why change the perspective? • 17:30 Sparta’s goals • 24:59 Why does Sparta matter? • 31:56 “Putin’s completely irrational” • 33:56 Is Realism dangerous? • 39:17 Why do the Athenians go to Sicily? • 44:35 Alcibiades • 47:06 Could the Athenians have won? • 49:11 The significance of victoryFollow along on InstagramFind a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack
