School of War

Ian Beckett, professor emeritus of military history at the University of Kent and author of Rorke’s Drift and Isandlwana, joins the show to talk about the two most famous battles of the Anglo-Zulu War.▪️Times  • 01:58 Introduction • 02:22 British interests in Zululand  • 06:52 The Zulu system • 09:55 The British plan   • 13:12 The horns of the buffalo • 16:49 Isandlwana • 26:44 Innate warriors • 29:14 Aftermath • 33:18 Movies and myths • 42:11 Rorke’s Drift  • 48:38 Firepower wins out • 53:56 A western way of war?

Tom Cotton, senator from Arkansas and author of Only the Strong: Reversing the Left's Plot to Sabotage American Power, joins the show to talk about U.S. foreign policy.▪️Times  • 01:03 Introduction • 03:43 Formative Interests • 06:47 Bill Rood And The Distant Ramparts • 11:13 Joining The Infantry  • 13:30 Iraq & Afghanistan • 18:39 Congress  • 21:19 Foreign Entanglements • 25:54 Progressivism • 32:06 Vietnam • 38:52 Iran  • 44:26 Withdrawal • 47:15 American Interests And The Rimland

James M. Scott, author of Black Snow: Curtis LeMay, the Firebombing of Tokyo and the Road to the Atomic Bomb, joins the show to talk about the World War II career of one of the most important and controversial American generals of the 20th Century, Curtis LeMay, and his leadership of the strategic bombing campaign in the Pacific.  ▪️Times  • 02:00 Introduction • 03:02 Teaching In Japan • 06:27 Lemay, Tireless Worker • 09:47 Bomber Vs Fighter  • 11:43 Europe, B-17, and B-29  • 19:54 Hansel & O’Donnell • 30:00 LeMay Takes Over  • 32:37 From Dresden To Tokyo • 35:10 On His Own Authority • 40:26 “We’ll Be Tried As War Criminals” • 43:07 Firestorm • 49:06 What Brought Peace?

Randall Schriver, former Assistant Secretary of Defense for Indo-Pacific affairs and Chairman of the Project 2049 Institute, joins the show to talk about U.S.-China relations and a new project, the China Economic & Strategy Initiative. Times • 02:10 Introduction• 03:36 “Take Chinese Language” • 11:21 Why 2049?• 13:40 China In The ’90s • 18:13 Power Projection and Missiles• 28:10 The Diplomatic Situation • 35:00 Economic Entanglement • 42:44 Decoupling • 47:32 Urgency And Policy • 52:00 DeterrenceCheck out the China Economic & Strategy Initiative here - https://cesionline.org

Ep 44: Jay Lockenour on Erich Ludendorff ▪️Jay Lockenour, associate professor of history at Temple University and author of Dragonslayer: The Legend of Erich Ludendorff in the Weimar Republic and Third Reich, joins the show to talk about the life of the infamous German general and politician. ▪️Times • 01:30 Introduction• 02:00 Ludendorff’s Significance• 03:08 Ludendorff’s Early Life• 05:02 Not Quite A Matinee Idol • 07:13 The German General Staff• 11:43 A General Without Portfolio• 17:50 The War And The Myth • 22:23 For The Record - The German Military Lost • 26:12 The Early 1920’s• 29:49 Erich And Adolf    • 34:10 Ludendorff And The Right• 37:00 The Holocaust And Ludendorff

Eli Lake, host of The Re-Education and national security journalism fellow at the Clements Center, joins the show to talk about 9/11 and the invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan. ▪️Times • 02:04 Introduction• 02:43 From Philly To The Middle East• 05:14 9/11• 07:49 The World Before • 09:20 No More Nation Building• 12:03 Neo-Cons Or Not• 18:09 Liberal Internationalists • 22:05 Early Mistakes• 29:08 Baking In Problems • 32:46 The Bonn Conference    • 37:04 Capable Of Being Free• 41:04 Toppling Sadam - Right or Wrong?    • 45:47 WMDs And Insurgency• 53:25 New Strategies    • 56:51 The Surge • 59:01 The Loss Of Choice

Ian Easton, senior director at the Project 2049 Institute and author of The Final Struggle: Inside China’s Global Strategy, joins the show to talk about Xi Jinping, the ideology that shaped Jinping and by which he rules, and why his vision for the world should not be dismissed. ▪️Times  • 01:56 Introduction • 02:22 Interested In China • 05:01 Discovering Taiwan • 10:32 Perceptions Of The PRC  • 13:11 How The Chinese Government Works • 17:47 Who Is Xi Jinping? • 23:42 The Tactics Of Ideology And Control • 26:29 The “Scourge Of The Corrupt” • 29:36 Authentic Socialism • 31:25 Does China’s Communism Matter?    • 37:04 The Blending Of Communism And Nationalism • 43:04 Exporting Xi Jinping Thought    • 49:19 Absolute Control • 52:41 Does Xi Jinping Have Rivals?      • 56:04 Optimisim To Pessimism In Taiwan   • 01:04:00 It’s Not All Dark

Hal Brands, Henry Kissinger Distinguished Professor at Johns Hopkins University, and Michael Beckley, associate professor of political science at Tufts University, join the show to talk about how an armed confrontation with China could be coming more quickly than most expect. ▪️Times • 01:30 Introduction• 02:28 Danger Zone • 05:13 A Matter Of Timing• 07:55 A Thucydides Trap?• 13:07 Historical Analogies and 1914• 20:32 Getting To The Long Game• 25:37 Sleepwalking Into War?• 31:10 China’s Problems And Plans• 35:06 The “Lenin Trap”• 36:44 Why Does Taiwan Matter?    • 40:27 Commitments And Capabilities • 44:37 What Will War Look Like?    • 48:24 Cold War Lessons • 52:22 Getting Through The Danger Zone 

Michael S. Neiberg, Chair of War Studies in the Department of National Security and Strategy at the U.S. Army War College, joins the show to talk American policy towards Vichy France.▪️Times  • 01:21 Introduction • 02:15 Vichy France - An Overview • 06:38 A Phony War • 09:16 American Assumptions Pre-war • 13:09 Isolationism No Longer Works • 24:30 Roosevelt’s Policy  • 28:45 Stress In The Anglo-American Alliance • 33:03 American Vision Of A Post-War World • 36:00 Vichy Unveiled  • 39:01 Chaos In North Africa    • 43:19 Vichy’s Shame • 51:57 de Gaulle

Ocie Vest, retired Marine infantry officer, joins the show to talk about his experiences as a platoon commander in the Battle of Marjah and later as a combat leader in Nimruz Province, lessons learned in training and in combat, and how the war can continue after the fighting ends. Second of a two-part conversation.▪️Times • 01:27 Violent Months• 06:15 “Do Whatever Those Guys Do”• 09:42 Tactical Adaptation• 13:32 A Fighting Exit• 18:03 “That Sucked…Why’d We Want To Do That So Bad?”• 21:29 Dispersed Operations• 26:36 Nimruz Province • 30:43 Hope For The Future• 34:39 Leadership• 36:11 Medically Retired, Twice    • 38:53 The Work Works• 45:47 “Now Its Up To Them”