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
Feb 21, 2023 • 36min
Ep 62: Mike Pompeo on American Foreign Policy
Mike Pompeo, former Secretary of State and Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, and author of Never Give an Inch: Fighting for the America I Love, joins the show to talk about American foreign policy and his service in the Trump administration.Watch this video on YouTube.▪️Times • 01:13 Introduction • 02:12 Chinese surveillance balloons • 05:01 Chinese espionage “inside the gates” • 07:19 Meeting Xi Jinping • 10:25 “Mushy Middle” diplomacy • 15:58 Republicans and Russia • 20:18 America in the Middle East • 26:00 Why talk to the bad guys? • 31:35 Afghanistan • 33:05 Resetting the conversation on human rights
Feb 14, 2023 • 56min
Ep 61: Sonny Bunch on War Movies
Sonny Bunch, contributing columnist at the Washington Post and culture editor for The Bulwark, where he hosts The Bulwark Goes to Hollywood newsletter and podcast and Across the Movie Aisle, joins the show to talk about the best American war movies.▪️Times • 01:35 Introduction • 02:16 What is a war movie? • 07:55 The Revolutionary War - The Patriot/John Adams • 13:15 The Civil War - Glory/Gettysburg • 16:56 World War I - Paths of Glory/Lawerence of Arabia (Hon. mention: Sgt. York) • 26:30 World War II - Inglorious Bastards/Patton/The Thin Red Line/Greyhound • 36:22 The Korean War - Heartbreak Ridge/The Manchurian Candidate • 41:45 The Vietnam War - Full Metal Jacket (Hon. mention: Apocalypse Now) • 46:10 Post Cold War - Black Hawk Down/Jarhead • 49:00 Post 9/11 - 13 Hours/The Outpost/Generation Kill
Feb 7, 2023 • 1h 3min
Ep 60: Marc Hyden on Gaius Marius
Marc Hyden, Director of State Government Affairs at R Street and author of Gaius Marius: The Rise and Fall of Rome's Saviour, joins the show to discuss the life of one of the Roman Republic’s most innovative and controversial generals: Gaius Marius.▪️Times • 01:33 Introduction • 01:46 An interest in Rome • 04:06 Growing pains • 06:36 The man born in Arpinum • 09:46 Serving in the legions • 11:37 Jugurtha • 13:25 Roman politics • 20:31 Marius in Numidia • 28:51 Sulla and political reform • 37:06 The Cimbri and Teutones and “Marius’s Mules” • 43:05 Career on the rocks • 49:02 Social War to Civil War • 56:27 “Do you dare kill Gaius Marius?”
Jan 31, 2023 • 52min
Ep 59: James Lacey on Roman Strategy
James Lacey, the Major General Matthew C. Horner Chair of War Studies at Marine Corps University and author of Rome: Strategy of Empire, joins the show to discuss the grand strategy of the Roman Empire.▪️Times • 01:33 Introduction • 01:59 A lover of history • 05:12 The “Plato to NATO” historian • 08:40 Edward Luttwak • 13:20 The Romans “obviously had a strategy” • 21:02 Speaking from historical silence • 26:27 The Republic vs the Empire • 32:50 Cost benefit analysis in Rome • 35:57 Three moments of “muscle change” • 41:33 Unable to adapt militarily • 46:55 Lessons for America
Jan 24, 2023 • 45min
Ep 58: Philip Taubman on George Shultz
Philip Taubman, lecturer at Stanford University's Center for International Security and Cooperation and author of In The Nation's Service: The Life and Times of George P. Shultz, joins the show to discuss the legacy of American statesmen George P. Shultz.▪️Times • 01:52 Introduction • 02:14 First encounters with Schultz • 06:44 An old-fashioned patriot • 10:10 Secretary of State • 15:38 Different approaches to defeating Communism • 20:00 Two sides to Reagan • 26:44 Hawks • 31:05 Schultz, Clark, and Dobrynin • 33:35 Arms control • 38:24 The end of the Cold War • 41:55 Tension as a tool
Jan 17, 2023 • 52min
Ep 57: Mike Gallagher on China and the U.S. Military
Congressman Mike Gallagher, U.S. representative for Wisconsin’s 8th district and chair of the House Select Committee on Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party, joins the show to discuss his time as a Marine in Iraq, the dangers posed by the CCP, from Tik-Tok to maritime threats, and the crisis confronting our military’s culture.▪️Times • 01:26 Introduction• 02:11 The China Committee• 08:56 What’s the problem with Tik-Tok?• 13:12 A reverse Opium War • 15:25 A Marine from Green Bay • 21:16 On the ground in Iraq• 28:52 What’s the American interest in Taiwan?• 32:05 Consequences of Taiwan’s defeat• 38:21 Marine Corps force design• 41:42 The Navy’s fighting spirit• 46:31 Culture in the military
Jan 10, 2023 • 36min
Ep 56: Ronald H. Spector and the Chaos of Postwar Asia
Ronald H. Spector, Professor Emeritus of History at George Washington University and author of A Continent Erupts: Decolonization, Civil War, and Massacre in Postwar Asia, 1945-1955, joins the show to discuss the fall of Japan, the spread of Communism, and the role of the United States in postwar Asia.▪️Times • 01:34 Introduction• 05:57 No clear plan• 08:30 The Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere• 10:51 The Indian National Army • 12:12 Marines in North China • 15:49 Levels of violence• 17:24 Was 1949 preventable?• 22:32 U.S. attitudes towards Korea • 26:25 Kim Il-sung• 28:17 Ho Chi Minh goes to Moscow• 31:08 Stopping the spread of communism • 33:03 Reconstruction • 35:09 Post 1955
Jan 3, 2023 • 53min
Ep 55: Myke Cole and the Spartan Myth
Myke Cole, author of The Bronze Lie: Shattering the Myth of Spartan Warrior Supremacy, joins the show to discuss what most people get wrong about Sparta, arguing that Spartan warriors were neither more deadly, nor more successful in war, than other Greeks of their day.▪️Times • 01:09 Introduction • 05:13 “Not especially tough” • 09:17 Getting it right, not being right • 10:48 What is the “Bronze Lie”? • 16:57 Captured by politics • 23:23 Who were the Spartans? • 30:11 Spartan slavery • 34:09 The Greco-Persian Wars • 37:00 Thermopylae • 41:32 Sparta and soft power • 45:30 “Making the time”
Dec 20, 2022 • 1h 4min
Ep 54: Jonathan Kirshner on Realism
Jonathan Kirshner, Professor of Political Science and International Studies at Boston College and author of An Unwritten Future: Realism, Uncertainty, and World Politics, joins the show to discuss realism and realists.▪️Times• 01:40 Introduction• 02:25 What is Realism?• 07:10 The birth of modern Realism• 11:59 To be “scientific” and “predictive” • 15:10 Not a rejection of social sciences• 19:30 “Purpose matters”• 23:40 Liberalism • 28:04 The Twenty Years Crisis • 36:00 Ideology matters• 42:07 The China challenge• 48:04 Sleepwalking into war?• 55:48 Where does classical realism fall short?• 01:02:10 Finding moral counsel
Dec 13, 2022 • 44min
Ep 53: David M. Pritchard on Athens at War
David M. Pritchard, Associate Professor of Greek History at the University of Queensland and author of Athenian Democracy at War, joins the show to discuss how and why ancient Athens fought its wars.▪️Times • 01:41 Introduction• 02:3 Martial culture in Athens• 05:08 Democracy and victory• 11:42 Innovation and participation• 15:38 Joining up in ancient Athens• 19:10 Broad support for war• 24:43 Military morality • 30:49 Control of the battlefield is victory• 38:28 Democracy and war today
