Podcast Episodes
Back to SearchAmerican Decline: Losing the Campaign for Influence
A new US administration is eager to reengage with both allies and competitors, reasserting the role of global leader that the United States has claimed since World War II. At the same time, former pa…
Published on 4 years, 6 months ago
How a Group of Women Brought the Fight to the Islamic State
How did the United States leverage local partners in the fight against the Islamic State? What were the unique dynamics of partnering with the Kurdish People’s Protection Units, particularly the Wome…
Published on 4 years, 6 months ago
Irregular Warfare in the Next World War
What would a conflict with China look like? How will irregular warfare fit into a conflict before and during large-scale combat operations? Retired Admiral James Stavridis and Elliot Ackerman explore…
Published on 4 years, 7 months ago
The Harsh Lessons of Anbar: Insurgency, the Awakening, and the rise of ISIS
In this episode, we discuss US counterinsurgency efforts in Iraq's Anbar province, Iraq—from the 2006 surge through the rise of the Islamic State in 2013–2014—with two guests who both experienced the…
Published on 4 years, 7 months ago
From SAR to GFA: The ABCs of Conflict Prevention and Stabilization
How can the military and civilians work together to prevent or manage conflict? Two seminal policy initiatives, the Stabilization Assistance Review and the Global Fragility Act, provide important ans…
Published on 4 years, 8 months ago
Airpower in Irregular Warfare
Aviation has played an important role in irregular warfare, from its use by the British against rebellious tribesmen in Iraq and Transjordan in the interwar period to the era of the unblinking eye an…
Published on 4 years, 8 months ago
Masters of Irregular Warfare—Past, Present, and Future
Irregular warfare practitioners have played a major role in just about every war over the past 250 years. In this episode, Dr. John Arquilla and Maj. Gen. John Brennan explain how the masters of irre…
Published on 4 years, 9 months ago
The View from Washington: Civilian Oversight of SOF
As policymakers’ focus shifts from counterterrorism to great power competition, the implications for special operations forces are unclear. In this episode, our guests—Senator Joni Ernst and Owen Wes…
Published on 4 years, 9 months ago
War Entrepreneurs: Economic Drivers of Insurgency, Terrorism, and Crime
What drives illicit violence by substate groups such as terrorists, insurgents, and criminals—and how can states counter these threats? Our guests in this episode, Juan Zarate and Gary Shiffman, argu…
Published on 4 years, 10 months ago
Pacific Gambit: The Role of Irregular Warfare in Australia’s Great Strategic Shift
Australia is undergoing the most fundamental strategic realignment since the Second World War, toward a focus on threats closer to home without reliance on the United States. In that context, what ro…
Published on 4 years, 10 months ago