Ep 243: Alexander Mikaberidze on Russia’s Failed Battle with Turkey… in 1809
Alexander Mikaberidze, Professor of History at LSU Shreveport and contributor to An Unavoidable Evil: Siege Warfare in the Age of Napoleon (From Reason to Revolution 1721-1815), joins the show to discuss the siege of Brăila and the lessons of the Russo-Ottoman War of 1806-1812.
▪️
Times
00:00 The Shifting Balance of Power in the Black Sea
02:00 Siege Warfare in the Age of Napoleon
04:09 Decisive Battles vs. Positional Warfare
08:30 The Evolution of Strategy: 18th to 19th Century
14:16 The Debate on Siege Tactics in the Russian Military
21:27 Kutuzov's Strategic Evolution
25:26 Geopolitical Context: Russia and the Ottoman Empire's Rivalry
31:31 The Siege of Brăila: A Military Catastrophe
38:39 The Cost of War: Casualties and Consequences
50:40 Lessons in Military Culture: Accountability and Adaptation
Follow along on Instagram, X @schoolofwarpod, and YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast
Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack
--------
52:16
--------
52:16
Ep 243: Joshua S. Treviño—Is Trump After Regime Change in Venezuela?
Joshua S. Treviño, Chief Transformation Officer at the Texas Public Policy Foundation and senior advisor at the America First Policy Institute, joins the show to discuss the Trump administration’s military strikes on seaborne cartel traffic and its strategy in the Western Hemisphere.
▪️
Times
00:00 Understanding U.S. Military Strategy in Venezuela
02:26 The State-Cartel Synthesis: A New Paradigm
05:30 The Role of the U.S. Military in Drug Interdiction
08:39 Legal Framework and Controversies Surrounding Military Actions
11:46 The Broader Implications of Regime Change
14:26 Divisions on the Right: Perspectives on Foreign Policy
21:50 The Strategic Implications of Military Action Against Maduro
30:19 Assessing the Venezuelan Opposition's Readiness
33:53 Colombia's Evolving Relationship with the U.S.
37:00 The Complex Dynamics of U.S.-Mexico Relations
41:55 The Threat of Cartels and Their Impact on U.S. Society
Follow along on Instagram, X @schoolofwarpod, and YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast
Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack
--------
41:30
--------
41:30
Ep 242: Michael Sobolik on On Donald Trump’s Trade War with China
Michael Sobolik, senior fellow at Hudson Institute and author of Countering China’s Great Game: A Strategy for American Dominance, joins the show to discuss the current state of relations between the U.S. and China as Xi Jinping and Donald Trump are scheduled to meet in South Korea next week.
▪️
Times
00:00 The Broader Competition: US-China Relations
02:51 Trump's Trade Strategy: A Historical Perspective
09:35 China's Strategic Objectives: Beyond Economics
14:16 Xi Jinping's Goals: The Summit Agenda
18:20 Export Controls: A New Era of Trade Tensions
22:36 The Stakes of No Deal: Economic and Strategic Implications
26:35 Decoupling from China: Challenges and Opportunities
33:05 Defining a Good Deal: Beyond Trade
37:22 TikTok: The Information Warfare Front
Follow along on Instagram, X @schoolofwarpod, and YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast
Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack
--------
47:52
--------
47:52
Ep 241: Julian Jackson on Nazi-Occupied France and Pétain
Julian Jackson, Emeritus Professor of Modern French History at Queen Mary University of London and author of France on Trial: The Case of Marshal Pétain, joins the show to discuss the rise and fall of “the Lion of Verdun”; Philippe Pétain.
▪️
Times
01:06 Introduction
01:53 How Pétain became the “Hero of France” in WW1
11:32 France sues for peace with Germany in 1940
18:52 The legality of the armistice
27:49 Churchill’s take on the armistice
33:48 What Was Vichy France?
41:43 Vichy’s treatment of the Jews
53:05 Distancing France from extermination
58:13 Why does Pétain stay a servant to the Nazis
01:07:38 Vichy and Pétain on trial today
Follow along on Instagram, X @schoolofwarpod, and YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast
Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack
--------
1:08:34
--------
1:08:34
Ep 240: Lance R. Blyth on Mountain Warfare
Lance R. Blyth, command historian at the North American Aerospace Defense Command and author of Ski, Climb, Fight: The 10th Mountain Division and the Rise of Mountain Warfare, joins the show to discuss the history and tactics of fighting at altitude.
▪️
Times
• 01:31 Introduction
• 01:41 Marine
• 04:55 L.A. riots
• 07:22 From horses to skis
• 10:13 Antecedents
• 13:56 Advantage
• 15:40 The Germans
• 17:55 The Winter War
• 22:51 French surrender
• 25:58 Specialized divisions
• 31:37 Volunteers
• 33:49 Training
• 36:50 Delay and Italy
• 42:16 No doctrine
• 45:29 The Gothic Line
• 52:00 Success
• 55:35 Afghanistan
Follow along on Instagram, X @schoolofwarpod, and YouTube @SchoolofWarPodcast
Find a transcript of today’s episode on our School of War Substack
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 transcripts
Follow along on Instagram
Ireland