Lessons Lost in Time

The Spanish American War 1898 (Part 2): The War of Empires w/ Drew DornstadterThe sun was setting on the Spanish Empire—bloated, brittle, and running on fumes. Four hundred years of conquest and gold, galleons and God, unraveling like an old coat in a storm. And just as the curtain was falling, America showed up. Young, loud, hungry. 1898. The Spanish-American War. It lasted only four months, but it changed everything. One empire dying. Another one being born. Not with ceremony—but with guns, headlines, and a healthy dose of manifest destiny. They said it was about liberation—Cuba, the Philippines, Puerto Rico. Freedom from tyranny, all that jazz. But let’s be honest: it was about markets, military bases, and planting flags on islands most Americans couldn’t find on a map. This wasn’t just about Teddy Roosevelt’s rough riders or stirring speeches in Congress. It was about sugar, about strategy, about making damn sure America wasn’t left behind in the global game of empire. And when the dust settled, Cuba got a sort-of freedom, wrapped in American strings. Puerto Rico became a possession. But in the Philippines, things went dark fast. Because the war didn’t end there. It morphed—into an ugly, brutal, years-long insurgency. The same U.S. troops who claimed to be liberators turned occupiers. Villages were torched. Civilians slaughtered. Concentration camps. Water torture. The same tools of empire the Spanish once used—now painted red, white, and blue. This episode isn’t just about a short war with a big legacy. It’s about the moment the United States became an empire and Spain, well, Spain was no longer an empire.Further ReadingThe Spanish War: An American Epic... https://www.amazon.com/dp/0393303047?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_shareHow to Hide an Empire: A History of the Greater United States https://a.co/d/4cvz3Czhttps://www.history.navy.mil/research/library/online-reading-room/title-list-alphabetically/s/spanish-american-war-war-plans-and-impact-on-u-s-navy.htmlMornings on Horseback: The Story... https://www.amazon.com/dp/0671447548?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today is Sunday 15 June, just two days after Operation Rising Lion - Israel’s decisive strike against Iran that began in the early hours of June 13th, 2025. We’re going to discuss everything that I’ve been able to gather over the last 48 hours. It’s been hard figuring out fact from fiction, but I think I’m close.The world had been holding its breath for years. Watching. Waiting. Betting on diplomacy, back channels, and fragile agreements to stop Iran’s nuclear ambitions before it was too late. But on June 13th, 2025, that waiting ended. Israel made a choice no one else had the nerve to make. With little warning, without alliance approval, without fanfare—they launched a precise, high-stakes strike deep inside Iran’s nuclear program. Targets that the world had argued over for decades turned to rubble in hours. This wasn’t a message. It was a line drawn in concrete and fire. Deterrence didn’t just fail—it died.Iran was blindsided. The region wasn’t. Everyone knew this moment was coming. The only mystery was the timing. In this episode, we’ll pull back the curtain on what happened, why it happened, and the far-reaching consequences still shaking capitals from Tehran to Tel Aviv to Washington. No spin. No distance. Just the cold, hard truth.      Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Spanish American War 1898: The War of Empires w/ Drew DornstadterThe sun was setting on the Spanish Empire—bloated, brittle, and running on fumes. Four hundred years of conquest and gold, galleons and God, unraveling like an old coat in a storm. And just as the curtain was falling, America showed up. Young, loud, hungry. 1898. The Spanish-American War. It lasted only four months, but it changed everything. One empire dying. Another one being born. Not with ceremony—but with guns, headlines, and a healthy dose of manifest destiny. They said it was about liberation—Cuba, the Philippines, Puerto Rico. Freedom from tyranny, all that jazz. But let’s be honest: it was about markets, military bases, and planting flags on islands most Americans couldn’t find on a map. This wasn’t just about Teddy Roosevelt’s rough riders or stirring speeches in Congress. It was about sugar, about strategy, about making damn sure America wasn’t left behind in the global game of empire. And when the dust settled, Cuba got a sort-of freedom, wrapped in American strings. Puerto Rico became a possession. But in the Philippines, things went dark fast. Because the war didn’t end there. It morphed—into an ugly, brutal, years-long insurgency. The same U.S. troops who claimed to be liberators turned occupiers. Villages were torched. Civilians slaughtered. Concentration camps. Water torture. The same tools of empire the Spanish once used—now painted red, white, and blue. This episode isn’t just about a short war with a big legacy. It’s about the moment the United States became an empire and Spain, well, Spain was no longer an empire.Further ReadingThe Spanish War: An American Epic... https://www.amazon.com/dp/0393303047?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_shareHow to Hide an Empire: A History of the Greater United States https://a.co/d/4cvz3Czhttps://www.history.navy.mil/research/library/online-reading-room/title-list-alphabetically/s/spanish-american-war-war-plans-and-impact-on-u-s-navy.htmlMornings on Horseback: The Story... https://www.amazon.com/dp/0671447548?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nikki Dean, a History PhD student and former U.S. Army officer, dives into the powerful role of narratives in shaping national identities and resolve during conflicts. She discusses how stories of glory and sacrifice help nations endure chaos. The conversation touches on the manipulation of historical narratives and their impact on public perception, including the importance of art in challenging traditional views. Nikki also highlights the effects of social media in framing wartime narratives and the significance of thoughtful curation in cultural institutions.

 You can smell the history here before you see it—dust, diesel, sweat, jasmine. It hangs in the air like a ghost that never got the memo to move on. Welcome to the Indian subcontinent: where time doesn’t just pass—it accumulates. And nowhere is that more brutally obvious than in the story of Partition and the fall out that still rains over the people in both India and Pakistan. In 1947, a line was drawn—quickly, carelessly, and with the kind of arrogance only empires can afford. The British walked out, and what they left behind was not two nations, but a wound. India and Pakistan were born, not with celebration, but with slaughter, exile, and trauma passed down like a family heirloom. But this story isn’t just about that catastrophic moment. It’s about everything that’s followed. The wars. The proxy conflicts. Kashmir. Kargil. The nuclear standoff. Terror attacks in Mumbai, soldiers in Siachen, political theater in Delhi and Islamabad—and the quiet, daily lives caught in between. It’s about how a line on a map became a wall in the mind. How identity got weaponized. And how peace is talked about like a dream, but rarely pursued like a plan. This episode, we’re not picking sides. We’re picking through the rubble. Through memory and myth, war and nationalism, and the strange, painful familiarity of two nations that still can’t look each other in the eye without flinching. Because history didn’t end in 1947. In South Asia, it’s still being written—with fire, ink, and the silence of those who never made it home Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this discussion, Dr. Ofer Fridman, a Senior Lecturer in War Studies at King's College London, dives deep into Russian military strategy and culture. He explores how historical memory influences contemporary tactics, emphasizing the unique absence of deterrence in Russian discourse. Fridman critiques Western misunderstandings of Russia's actions in Ukraine, revealing the complexities of psychological warfare and information dominance. He urges a thorough reevaluation of global perceptions influenced by Russia's strategic successes.

What lessons can we uncover from a short Russian War against a democratic neighbor and former soviet republic?I hope you're ready to join me and my close friend, Colonel Chad Ramskugler, in discussing the Russo-Georgian War of 2008 and how the lessons of alliances, preparing for war, and quick execution apply to us today. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Join Anthony Benedosso, a close friend of the host and an expert on the Second Chechen War, as he delves into the complexities of this conflict. He explores how Russia turned apparent defeat into victory, highlighting the role of media manipulation and the controversial tactics used. The discussion covers the evolution of military strategy, the implications of proxy warfare, and the challenges posed by kleptocracy. Benedosso draws parallels between past and present geopolitical issues, making this an insightful look into modern warfare.

Anthony Benedosso, a former Army officer and Pentagon G8 analyst, delves into the complex lessons from the First Chechen War. He discusses the chaotic origins of the conflict post-Soviet Union, revealing the internal political struggles in Russia and Chechnya. The conversation highlights the importance of Phase Zero operations and narrative control, connecting past military mishaps to today's geopolitical landscape. With insights on the miscommunication among Russian forces and the brutality faced, Benedosso provides a thought-provoking perspective on historical warfare that resonates today.

What lessons can we uncover from previous United States expansion experiments that can shed some light on why and how the US might acquire the sovereign territory of the Panama Canal from Panama and Greenland from Denmark?I hope you're ready to join me for today’s episode to discuss how the lessons of strategic timing, leveraging long-term potential, clear objectives, and diplomatic finesse apply to us today. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.