Best Mitchell Kaplan Podcasts (2025)

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Ep 204: Annie Jacobsen on Nuclear War 55:26

3h ago55:26

55:26

Annie Jacobsen, journalist and author of Nuclear War: A Scenario, joins the show to discuss nuclear weapons and their use. ▪️ Times • 01:20 Introduction • 02:50 Finding the music • 07:02 Reporting • 09:15 Hidden information • 11:22 The scenario • 13:50 Launch on warning • 17:30 Villians • 20:45 Annihilation • 26:25 The Black Book • 30:40 North Kore…

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Ep 203: Stephen Rabe on the Invasion of Normandy 50:38

4d ago50:38

50:38

Stephen Rabe, historian and author of The Lost Paratroopers of Normandy: A Story of Resistance, Courage, and Solidarity in a French Village, joins the show to discuss one of the countless, incredible stories from D-Day. ▪️ Times • 01:18 Introduction • 01:25 Marine • 02:50 Origins • 06:48 Normandy • 09:29 507th • 15:20 Training • 18:23 Overlord • 21…

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Episode 56: Abstinence & Horny Nuns with Melissa Febos 56:55

6d ago56:55

56:55

Melissa Febos joins Laura and Adrian to discuss her new book, The Dry Season: A Memoir of Pleasure in a Year Without Sex. Together, the trio dives deep into histories of horny nuns and Melissa’s experience of self discovery and feminist transformation during her period of abstinence. Melissa Febos is the critically acclaimed author of 5 books inclu…

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Ep 202: Fred Kagan on Ukraine’s Attack and the Future of War 42:48

7d ago42:48

42:48

Fred Kagan, senior fellow and the director of the Critical Threats Project at AEI, joins the show to discuss Ukraine’s drone operation targeting Russia’s strategic air assets. ▪️ Times • 01:46 Introduction • 02:25 What just happened? • 07:48 Escalation risk • 10:20 Control • 12:39 Implications • 21:10 Stratagems • 24:04 Effects • 30:40 Economic pre…

1
Ep 201: Zachary Griffiths & McKinsey Harb on the U.S. Army 45:59

11d ago45:59

45:59

Lt. Col. Zachary Griffiths & Maj. McKinsey Harb joined the show to discuss the U.S. Army’s new Field Manual 1, FM 1 -THE ARMY: A PRIMER TO OUR PROFESSION OF ARMS. ▪️ Times • 01:22 Introduction • 01:51 West Point • 05:43 Culture shift • 08:50 FM 1 • 12:00 Ben Salomon • 18:06 Warrior • 24:04 Tensions • 31:05 Recruiting • 35:18 Leader/follower • 42:19…

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Ep 200: Rick Atkinson on the American Revolution at 250 53:35

14d ago53:35

53:35

Rick Atkinson, historian and author of The Fate of the Day: The War for America, Fort Ticonderoga to Charleston, 1777-1780, joins the show to discuss the causes, conduct, and epic consequences of the American Revolution. ▪️ Times • 02:08 Introduction • 02:21 Journalism • 04:30 Mogadishu • 09:30 Lessons • 12:49 Ideology • 16:36 Diplomacy • 20:21 Bos…

1
Ep 199: Jonathan Hackett on Our Failures in Iraq & Afghanistan 41:00

18d ago41:00

41:00

Jonathan Hackett, former U.S. Marine Corps interrogator and author of Theory of Irregular War, joins the show to discuss America’s post-9/11 wars and how irregular warfare works. ▪️ Times • 01:12 Introduction • 01:30 A good interrogator • 03:26 Afghanistan • 06:15 In the interrogation room • 12:10 The Reid Technique • 14:27 Galula • 17:10 A militar…

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Ep 198: Robert D. Kaplan on Crisis 38:10

21d ago38:10

38:10

Robert D. Kaplan, Robert Strausz-Hupé Chair in Geopolitics at the Foreign Policy Research Institute and author of Waste Land: A World in Permanent Crisis, joins the show to discuss the world’s current state of “permanent crisis”. ▪️ Times • 01:40 Introduction • 02:00 Far Rockaway • 04:55 Balkan Ghosts • 08:20 Geography and technology • 10:55 Weimar…

1
Ep 197: Mick Ryan on the Ukrainian Battlefield 41:55

28d ago41:55

41:55

Mick Ryan, retired major general in the Australian Army and author of The War for Ukraine: Strategy and Adaptation Under Fire, joins the show to discuss the evolving battlefield and cycles of change and innovation going on in Ukraine. ▪️ Times • 01:35 Introduction • 02:17 Touring the front • 05:11 No place safe • 07:01 Change • 11:24 Wire guided dr…

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Ep 196: Thomas Bruscino and Mitchell G. Klingenberg on Mapping Warfare 50:46

1M ago50:46

50:46

Thomas Bruscino, professor at the U.S. Army War College, and Mitchell G. Klingenberg, assistant professor at the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, join the show to discuss their article "Making War Upon the Map" The U.S. Army’s Forgotten Map Problem, Meade’s Gettysburg Campaign, and Depicting Operational Art. ▪️ Times • 02:05 Introductio…

1
Ep 195: John Hillen on Strategic Thinking 46:32

1M ago46:32

46:32

John Hillen, James C. Wheat Professor in Leadership at Hampden-Sydney College and author of The Strategy Dialogues: A Primer on Business Strategy and Strategic Management, joins the show to talk about how to think strategically in war, business, and life. ▪️ Times • 01:55 Introduction • 02:31 An Army start • 05:17 Cold War ends • 10:14 The Gulf • 1…

1
Jonathan Eig on Martin Luther King, Jr. 30:47

1M ago30:47

30:47

In this episode, recorded live at the 2024 conference, biographer Jonathan Eig talks about his book on Martin Luther King, Jr., the first major biography of the civil rights leader in decades. Eig resurrects King from myth and history and brings him to vivid life, with all of his emotional complexity and unwavering courage, drawing a fresh and inde…

1
Ep 194: Mark Moyar on the Vietnam War 54:27

1M ago54:27

54:27

Mark Moyar, William P. Harris Chair of Military History at Hillsdale College and author of Triumph Regained: The Vietnam War, 1965-1968, joins the show to explain the major inflection points of the Vietnam War. ▪️ Times • 01:58 Introduction • 02:47 The “orthodox view” • 05:51 Dominos • 08:41 A Maoist vision • 12:42 1963 • 15:30 Henry Cabot Lodge • …

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Ep 193: Douglas Murray on Israel’s War and its Global Consequences 55:47

1M ago55:47

55:47

Douglas Murray, journalist and author of On Democracies and Death Cults: Israel and the Future of Civilization, joins the show for a wide ranging conversation that covers Death Cults, anti-Semitism, and recent shifts in the Right. ▪️ Times • 01:42 Introduction • 03:00 9/11 origins • 09:50 It’s not 1939 • 13:45 Death cults • 19:16 “I’m not a fascist…

1
Ep 192: Raymond Jonas on Europe’s War on the Monroe Doctrine (~165 years ago) 48:20

2M ago48:20

48:20

Raymond Jonas, Jon Bridgman Endowed Professor in History at the University of Washington and author of Habsburgs on the Rio Grande: The Rise and Fall of the Second Mexican Empire, joins the show to discuss a failed-but-spectacular 19th Century attempt by European powers to undermine the Monroe Doctrine. ▪️ Times • 01:42 Introduction • 03:31 Transat…

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Ep 191: Mark Dubowitz on Iran and the Trump Administration 45:56

2M ago45:56

45:56

Mark Dubowitz, CEO of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and host of The Iran Breakdown podcast, joins the show to discuss the Iranian nuclear program, where things stand with the Trump administration’s pursuit of a deal, and the prospects of an Israeli attack. ▪️ Times • 01:33 Introduction • 02:04 Beginnings • 04:25 A weapon is the purpose …

1
Ep 190: Michael Doran on “Restraint” and the Middle East 54:59

2M ago54:59

54:59

Michael Doran, senior fellow and director of the Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East at Hudson Institute, joins the show to discuss “restraintism” as a factor in Trump’s choices in the Middle East. ▪️ Times • 01:46 Introduction • 02:20 What is it? • 05:01 Left, right, center • 06:56 Syria ’07 • 11:47 Iraq Study Group • 17:21 Populist e…

1
Ep 189: Andrew Roberts on October 7th and Antisemitism 31:33

2M ago31:33

31:33

Lord Andrew Roberts, the Bonnie and Tom McCloskey Distinguished Visiting Fellow at the Hoover Institution and chair of the 7 October Parliamentary Commission Report, joins the show to discuss October 7th revisionism, the potency of antisemitism, and the strange effort to reinterpret World War II. ▪️ Times • 01:56 Introduction • 02:35 Why? • 03:48 N…

1
The Radical Honesty of Judy Blume 30:47

2M ago30:47

30:47

In this episode of Beyond the Page, lucky listener, you get to hear the great Judy Blume, the author of twenty-five books for young readers and four novels for adults that all-told have sold more than 90 million copies in forty languages. Blume’s cherished, ground-breaking 1970 young adult novel, Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret, has captivated…

1
Episode 55: Cat Bohannon on Women and Evolution 45:09

2M ago45:09

45:09

In this episode, Cat Bohannon joins Laura and Adrian to discuss her most recent book, Eve: How the Female Body Drove 200 Million Years of Human Evolution, where she reframes the stories we tell about human evolution with women at the center. Cat Bohannon’s is a poet, academic, and scientist. She completed her PhD in 2022 at Columbia University, whe…

1
Ep 188: Jonathan Horn on MacArthur and the Battle for the Philippines 53:18

2M ago53:18

53:18

Jonathan Horn, former White House speechwriter and author of The Fate of the Generals: MacArthur, Wainwright, and the Epic Battle for the Philippines, joins the show to discuss the defeats, victories, and legacies of Douglas MacArthur and Jonathan Wainwright, the highest-ranking American POW of WWII. ▪️ Times • 01:56 Introduction • 04:36 Arthur Mac…

1
Ep 187: Richard Fontaine on the “Reverse Kissinger” 46:53

2M ago46:53

46:53

Richard Fontaine, CEO of the Center for a New American Security (CNAS) and co-author of No Limits? The China-Russia Relationship and U.S. Foreign Policy, joins the show to discuss Beijing-Moscow cooperation and the prospects of the U.S. driving a wedge between them. ▪️ Times • 02:05 Introduction • 02:21 Sino-Soviet split • 06:20 Spheres of influenc…

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Ep 186: Walter Russell Mead on Trump, Strategy, and Mercantilism 53:58

3M ago53:58

53:58

Walter Russell Mead, Alexander Hamilton Professor of Strategy and Statecraft at the University of Florida's Hamilton Center and columnist for The Wall Street Journal, joins the show to talk about the role of economic issues in Trump’s strategic views. ▪️ Times • 01:34 Introduction • 04:09 Mercantilism & physiocracy • 08:50 Silicon Valley • 14:01 Co…

1
Ep 185: Lara Burns on the Hamas Threat in America 56:53

3M ago56:53

56:53

Lara Burns, retired FBI Special Agent and head of terrorism research at the Program on Extremism at The George Washington University, joins the show to talk about how Islamist groups operate in the United States. ▪️ Watch the interview on YouTube - Ep 185: Lara Burns on the Hamas Threat in America ▪️ Times • 01:32 Introduction • 01:48 Terrorism squ…

1
Ep 184: Alexander Burns on the Dawn of the Modern Battlefield 43:17

3M ago43:17

43:17

Alexander Burns, Assistant Professor of History at Franciscan University and author of Infantry in Battle 1733-1783 (From Reason to Revolution), joins the show to talk about how combat evolved in the decades between Marlborough and Napoleon. ▪️ Times • 01:45 Introduction • 02:19 1733 • 06:20 Infantry in battle • 10:54 Achieving results • 14:19 Tact…

1
Ep 183: Tom Cotton on China 36:14

3M ago36:14

36:14

Tom Cotton, U.S. senator from Arkansas and author of Seven Things You Can't Say About China, joins the show to talk about the CCP’s global designs. ▪️ Times • 01:48 Introduction • 02:30 Paying attention • 05:38 Bipartisan • 08:38 Early days • 13:54 Strategic delays • 16:13 An evil empire • 18:45 “What’s it to us?” • 22:04 Lynchpin • 25:24 Splitting…

1
Dennis Lehane: Confessions of a Novelist Turned TV Showrunner 30:53

3M ago30:53

30:53

In this episode, recorded live at the 2024 Writers Conference, I sit down with bestselling crime novelist and TV writer/producer DENNIS LEHANE for a lively, wide-ranging conversation about how he approaches writing books vs. television scripts, his advice for writing true crime stories, as well as his journey developing his two latest AppleTV limit…

1
Ep 182: Sean McMeekin on Communism 47:58

3M ago47:58

47:58

Sean McMeekin, Professor of European History and Culture at Bard College and author of To Overthrow the World: The Rise and Fall and Rise of Communism, joins the show to talk about Communist approaches to foreign policy and war. ▪️ Times • 01:35 Introduction • 02:39 Communism and war • 11:02 Giving history a shove • 16:41 Lenin’s vision • 20:55 A u…

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Ep 181: Michael Cook on the Islamic Conquests 46:20

3M ago46:20

46:20

Michael Cook, Professor of Near Eastern Studies at Princeton University and author of A History of the Muslim World: From Its Origins to the Dawn of Modernity, joins the show to discuss the sudden, explosive Arab expansion of the 7th century. ▪️ Times • 01:46 Introduction • 03:05 Sources • 04:42 War and politics • 07:32 Grass and sand • 09:30 Self-…

1
Ep 180: Stephen Kotkin on Endgames in Ukraine 53:44

4M ago53:44

53:44

Stephen Kotkin, Kleinheinz Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, joins the show to discuss how both sides have lost the Ukraine War, and the risks of various routes to peace. ▪️ Times • 02:47 Pressuring Putin • 12:50 A new path • 17:07 Avoiding a debacle • 32:43 Friends • 38:30 Realignment • 46:58 Articulating strategy Follow along on Instagram,…

1
Ep 179: Phillips O’Brien on Grand Strategy in WW2 53:42

4M ago53:42

53:42

Phillips O’Brien, chair of Strategic Studies at the University of St. Andrews and author of The Strategists: Churchill, Stalin, Roosevelt, Mussolini, and Hitler--How War Made Them and How They Made War, joins the show to discuss the nature of strategic decision making in World War II and beyond. ▪️ Times • 01:50 Introduction • 02:48 Germany 1st deb…

1
Ep 178: Mark Montgomery on Cyber War 52:48

4M ago52:48

52:48

Mark Montgomery, senior director of the Center on Cyber and Technology Innovation at FDD and retired U.S. Navy rear admiral, joins the show to discuss how prepared (or ill-prepared) the U.S. is for cyber warfare. ▪️ Times • 03:24 Introduction • 04:20 America: A Target Rich Environment • 05:59 Cyber and mobilization • 08:35 What actually happens? • …

1
Ep 177: Christopher Kolakowski on Simon Bolivar Buckner Jr. 52:18

4M ago52:18

52:18

Christopher Kolakowski, director of the Wisconsin Veterans Museum and editor of Tenth Army Commander: The World War II Diary of Simon Bolivar Buckner Jr., joins the show to discuss the most senior U.S. officer killed by enemy action in WWII, Simon Bolivar Buckner Jr. ▪️ Times • 01:44 Introduction • 02:15 In the shadows • 03:53 Fathers and sons • 06…

1
Ep 176: David Betz on Modern Fortification 51:51

4M ago51:51

51:51

David Betz, Professor of War in the Modern World at King’s College London and author of The Guarded Age: Fortification in the Twenty-First Century, joins the show to discuss how fortification is alive, well, and everywhere. ▪️ Times • 01:22 Introduction • 01:53 A default condition • 13:20 Why is that there? • 22:13 Alexandrian foundations • 28:50 S…

1
Ep 175: Mick Ryan on War & Fiction 38:01

4M ago38:01

38:01

Mick Ryan, a retired major general in the Australian Army and author of War Transformed: The Future of Twenty-First-Century Great Power Competition and Conflict, joins the show to discuss future-war fiction and the possible futures of current wars. ▪️ Times • 01:23 Introduction • 02:10 Tom Clancy • 05:40 Accessibility • 07:14 The Battle of Dorking …

1
Ep 174: Hal Brands on the Long Struggle for Eurasia 38:09

4M ago38:09

38:09

Hal Brands, Henry A. Kissinger Distinguished Professor of Global Affairs at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and author of The Eurasian Century: Hot Wars, Cold Wars, and the Making of the Modern World, joins the show to discuss the continued relevance of geopolitics. ▪️ Times • 01:29 Introduction • 01:54 Twentieth century …

1
Ep 173: Tom Karako on America’s Iron Dome 30:30

4M ago30:30

30:30

Tom Karako, Senior Fellow and Director of the Missile Defense Project at CSIS, joins the show to discuss what President Trump’s executive order on missile defense portends. ▪️ Times • 01:15 Introduction • 02:08 Dawn of missile defense • 05:50 Ups and downs • 10:40 Arguments against • 14:50 Capabilities • 18:45 A layered defense • 22:20 Cost • 26:42…

1
Ep 172: Eric Chewning and Tom Moore on the Warship Production Crisis 47:33

4M ago47:33

47:33

Eric Chewning and Thomas Moore of HII join the show to discuss America’s military shipbuilding challenges, and their potential solutions. ▪️ Times • 01:32 Introduction • 01:55 Origins • 07:08 An eroded defense industrial base • 10:20 Shipbuilding in 2025 • 17:11 Deindustrialization • 21:46 Learning curves • 27:00 Contract economics • 32:26 Japan an…

1
Ep 171: I Am André: German Jew, French Resistance Fighter, British Spy 1:05:14

5M ago1:05:14

1:05:14

Diana Mara Henry and Gabe Scheinmann join the show to discuss the new book I Am André: German Jew, French Resistance Fighter, British Spy, which charts the astonishing, brave, and tragic World War II career of ‘André’ Joseph Scheinmann. ▪️ Times • 01:50 Introduction • 03:01 The story of a fighter • 09:26 Born in Munich • 11:87 Citizen without a cou…

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John Vaillant: Fire Weather 33:36

5M ago33:36

33:36

We were already editing this episode when the L.A. fires broke out on January 7, 2025. In fact, our editor Dean Grinsfelder had to evacuate as the flames moved in. So did my 91-year-old dad, and so did my co-producer James Tooley’s parents and brothers and their families; one of those brothers saw his house burn to the ground. All of which is to sa…

1
Ep 170: Evan Mawdsley on WW2 in the Central Pacific 50:04

5M ago50:04

50:04

Evan Mawdsley, Honorary Professorial Research Fellow at the University of Glasgow and author of Supremacy at Sea: Task Force 58 and the Central Pacific Victory, joins the show to discuss the successful 1944 U.S. naval campaign through the Central Pacific in World War II. ▪️ Times • 01:36 Introduction • 02:27 The Central Pacific • 11:15 Carrier air …

1
Ep 169: Dmitry Filipoff on Naval Warfare in 2025 46:10

5M ago46:10

46:10

Dmitry Filipoff, associate research analyst at the Center for Navy Analyses, joins the show to discuss the U.S. Navy surface component and the grave challenges it faces. ▪️ Times • 01:19 Introduction • 02:09 Lessons from the Red Sea • 06:35 Friendly fire • 10:55 Depletion • 13:45 2027 • 18:07 How do fleets fight? • 21:47 Scope and scale • 24:57 “Ca…

1
Ep 168: Nadège Rolland on China’s Vision of Strategic Space 53:46

5M ago53:46

53:46

Nadège Rolland, Distinguished Fellow, China Studies, at the National Bureau of Asian Research and author of Mapping China's Strategic Space, joins the show to discuss how to better understand the geopolitical premises of China’s strategic elites. ▪️ Times • 01:36 Introduction • 02:04 Strategic space • 05:05 Mao’s strategic vision • 11:12 Origin poi…

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Ep 167: Dan Blumenthal and Kyle Balzer on China’s Nuclear Buildup 33:33

6M ago33:33

33:33

Dan Blumenthal and Kyle Balzer, co-authors of The True Aims of China’s Nuclear Buildup for Foreign Affairs, join the show to discuss the geopolitical implications of China’s increasing and diversifying nuclear arsenal. ▪️ Times • 01:24 Introduction • 02:40 China’s buildup • 05:05 American perception • 07:28 What is nuclear strategy? • 11:49 Geopoli…

1
Ep 166: Rachel Kousser on Alexander the Great 45:57

6M ago45:57

45:57

Rachel Kousser, professor of Classics and Art History at the City University of New York and author of Alexander at the End of the World, joins the show to talk about the violent, brilliant, complex career of Alexander the Great. ▪️ Times • 01:27 Introduction • 01:59 Early years and conquest • 05:45 Pragmatic opportunist • 09:20 Persepolis burning …

1
Ep 165: Shyam Sankar on a Defense Reformation 39:18

6M ago39:18

39:18

Shyam Sankar, Chief Technology Officer and Executive Vice President of Palantir Technologies, joins the show to explain the broken Defense Department acquisition process and how he believes it can be fixed. ▪️ Times • 01:24 Introduction • 01:39 Employee #13 • 03:14 Palantir • 06:22 Monopsony • 11:18 Messy and chaotic • 14:40 Dual purpose companies …

1
Kristin Hannah in conversation with Jenny Emery Davidson 29:10

6M ago29:10

29:10

In this episode, recorded live at the 2024 Sun Valley Writers' Conference, novelist Kristin Hannah talks to Jenny Emery Davidson, the executive director of The Community Library in Ketchum, Idaho, about her #1 New York Times bestselling novel The Women. In The Women, Hannah (known for previous bestselling historical novels such as The Nightingale, …

1
Ep 164: Mark Dubowitz on Syria’s Collapse 51:33

6M ago51:33

51:33

Mark Dubowitz, chief executive officer of Foundation for Defense of Democracies, joins the show to break down the collapse of the Assad regime and the implications for Israel, Turkey, and Iran. ▪️ Times • 01:23 Introduction • 02:49 What happened? • 05:04 Rebels • 08:17 Risk assessment • 11:30 Factions • 17:10 Extremists and radicals • 19:15 “Our en…

1
Ep 163: School of War Goes to Israel—Lessons from a Savage Year 1:17:48

6M ago1:17:48

1:17:48

Host Aaron MacLean recently embedded with the Israeli Defense Forces and saw firsthand Israel’s war with Iranian proxy groups Hezbollah and Hamas. What lessons can Americans learn from Israel’s year of fighting for its survival? ▪️ Times • 03:28 The North • 04:26 Metula • 07:45 Yishai • 10:00 Realities and misconceptions • 18:06 Stalemate • 22:33 S…

1
Ep 162: Michael Leggiere on Military History on Campus 29:15

6M ago29:15

29:15

Michael Leggiere, Professor of Humanities at the University of Florida and editor of War Studies Journal 1, joins the show to discuss the sad state of military history in higher education. ▪️ Times • 01:17 Introduction • 02:48 Military history in academia • 03:53 PME • 05:22 What is “new” military history? • 11:55 “History shouldn’t be a mystery” •…

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