School of War - Nebulous Media

Latest Episodes:

Ep 246: Veterans Day Special — Remembering Angus MacLean Nov 10, 2025

Show notes

Host Aaron MacLean pays tribute to his father, World War Two and Vietnam Veteran Angus MacLean. This memorial originally ran in the publication Engelsberg Ideas.

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Ep 245: Edward Luce on Zbigniew Brzezinski’s Twentieth Century Nov 07, 2025

Show notes

Edward Luce, U.S. national editor and columnist at the Financial Times and author of Zbig: The Life of Zbigniew Brzezinski, America's Great Power Prophet,joins the show to discuss one of the most interesting characters of the Cold War, Jimmy Carter’s national security advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski.

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Times

00:00 The Life and Legacy of Zbigniew Brzezinski

02:55 Carter's Foreign Policy and Brzezinski's Influence

05:56 Contrasting Worldviews: Brzezinski vs. Kissinger

08:52 The Formative Years: War and Identity

11:35 The Cold War Landscape and Brzezinski's Rise

14:34 Order vs. Justice: Diverging Philosophies

17:55 Brzezinski's Strategic Vision for the Cold War

20:57 The Vietnam War and Its Impact on Brzezinski

23:47 Brzezinski's Approach to Foreign Policy

28:35 The Rise of Jimmy Carter and the Trilateral Commission

32:12 Carter's Foreign Policy Challenges: The Middle East and Iran

37:15 Human Rights and the Shift from Nixon to Carter

45:27 Reagan's Continuity and Change: A New Era in Foreign Policy

51:19 The Iranian Revolution and Brzezinski's Legacy

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Ep 244: Oren Cass on a Strategy of Reciprocity Nov 04, 2025

Show notes

Oren Cass, founder and chief economist of American Compass and author of the article A Grand Strategy of Reciprocity for Foreign Affairs, joins the show to discuss how the United States should think about the current strategic moment.

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Times

00:01 Introduction to Free Markets and Trade

00:43 Discussion on China and Global Strategy

02:15 Historical Context of American Grand Strategy

04:40 Assumptions about China

07:40 Strategic Competition and Spheres of Influence

10:00 Economic Decoupling and Its Challenges

13:30 Relationships with Other Countries

16:00 Concept of Reciprocity in Alliances

20:00 US-Mexico-Canada Relations and Global Implications

25:00 The Role of the Trump Administration

30:00 Future of Global Alliances

35:00 Economic and Security Strategies

40:00 Conclusion and Final Thought

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Ep 243: Alexander Mikaberidze on Russia’s Failed Battle with Turkey… in 1809 Oct 31, 2025

Show notes

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.

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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

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Ep 243: Joshua S. Treviño—Is Trump After Regime Change in Venezuela? Oct 28, 2025

Show notes

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.

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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

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Ep 242: Michael Sobolik on On Donald Trump’s Trade War with China Oct 24, 2025

Show notes

Michael Sobolik, senior fellow at Hudson Instituteand 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.

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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

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Ep 241: Julian Jackson on Nazi-Occupied France and Pétain Oct 21, 2025

Show notes

Julian Jackson, Emeritus Professor of Modern French History at Queen Mary University of Londonand 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.

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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

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Ep 240: Lance R. Blyth on Mountain Warfare Oct 17, 2025

Show notes

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.

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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

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Ep 239: Charles C. Mann on How the System Works Oct 14, 2025

Show notes

Charles C. Mann, author of “How the System Works” in The New Atlantis, joins the show to discuss the complexity and vulnerability of the hidden processes that sustain human life on our planet.

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Times

• 01:49 Introduction

• 02:31 Interconnected

• 05:43 Medical care

• 09:20 Feeding humanity

• 11:56 Three advances

• 20:42 Water

• 26:34 Energy

• 36:05 Keeping pace

• 38:35 Hurdles

• 41:12 Solutions

• 45:26 Public health

• 56:38 Concerns

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Ep 238: James Titterton on Medieval Deception Oct 10, 2025

Show notes

James Titterton, historian and author of Deception in Medieval Warfare: Trickery and Cunning in the Central Middle Ages, joins the show to discuss strategies and stratagems in the age of castles and knights.

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Times

• 01:29 Introduction

• 02:18 High Middle Ages

• 09:03 Oathbreakers

• 12:01 Sources

• 16:21 Doctrine

• 22:07 Bribery

• 31:23 Spies and feints

• 39:26 Plausibility

• 42:19 Professionals

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