Debating the Meaning of Military Victory
· 57 min
Episode Debating the Meaning of Military Victory
On this episode, Chris, Melanie, and Zack consider the question of military victory. Is there such a thing? Is military victory achievable for either Russia or Ukraine? And if so, at what cost? And will we ever see a war that ends in unconditional surrender? Grievances for President Trump's plan to end the war in Ukraine by siding with China and Russia; the Saudi's dissembling on the threats to the Kingdom; and the latest stories of corruption within the Trump administration. Attas to the Ukrainians who rescued a wounded soldier by drone, to Anthony Scaramucci for lasting twice as long in his job as Katie Zacharia, and to Stimson's Evan Cooper – who is getting married! Congrats to Evan and Grace.
Show Links:
•
Stephen Biddle, Sam Winter-Levy, and Yuri Zhukov, "The Myth of Military Victory: The Dangerous Idea Driving Today's Wars of Choice," Foreign Affairs, October 6, 2026.
•
Ahmed Al Omran, Nicolas Parasie, and Andrew England "Saudi Arabia to postpone 'Davos in the desert' after Houthi attacks," Financial Times, October 19, 2026.
•
The Iran War, Eight Months On: Reassessing Costs, Consequences, and US Interests, Stimson Center, November 5, 2026.
•
Henry Stimson Diary August 9-10, 1945, National Security Archive.
•
Drone rescuing Ukrainian soldier, X post, October 19, 2026.
•
Dana Mattioli, Josh Dawsey, Joe Parkinson, Drew Hinshaw, and Vera Bergengruen, Inside Kimberly Guilfoyle's Last Days as Ambassador to Greece, Wall Street Journal, October 13, 2026.
Links in the notes 6
- https://www.foreignaffairs.com/united-states/myth-military-victory?check_logged_in=1
- https://www.ft.com/content/75a2ee4e-ead9-4d37-b1ea-6fd759c4691d?syn-25a6b1a6=1
- https://www.stimson.org/event/the-iran-war-eight-months-on-reassessing-costs-consequences-and-us-interests/
- https://nsarchive.gwu.edu/document/28437-document-80-stimson-diary-entries-friday-and-saturday-august-10-and-11-1945
- https://x.com/WarMonitor3/status/2112126846972149931
- https://www.wsj.com/politics/policy/kimberly-guilfoyle-greece-ambassador-resignation-dbd7551c
Transcript
Shows are listed from Apple Podcasts' charts and directory, and Podcast Index where it is used. Every show and episode belongs to its publisher and plays from the publisher's own feed; this site hosts none of them. Explicit shows are for adult profiles only, and children’s profiles hear only children’s shows. More about this list.