While Eliot is on travel Eric welcomes LTG Sami Sadat whose poignant op-ed in the New York Times in August 2021 about the fall of Afghanistan described his personal feelings of betrayal by the US. He is a major figure in the National Geographic documentary Retrograde now airing on Disney+. They discuss the Biden Administration's recent "Interim Report on Lessons Learned from the Afghanistan Withdrawal" and the contrast between it and the report of the Special Inspector General on Afghanistan, the relative responsibility of the Trump and Biden Administrations, the flaws in the Doha Agreement and the role that contractors played in sustaining Afghan National Security Forces. They also discuss the current humanitarian disaster in Afghanistan and the country's future prospects.

Lt. Gen Sami Sadat's 2021 Op-Ed:

taliban-army.html">https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/25/opinion/afghanistan-taliban-army.html

Biden Administration Interim Report the Afghanistan Withdrawal:

Withdrawal-from-Afghanistan.pdf">https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/US-Withdrawal-from-Afghanistan.pdf

SIGAR Report on the Afghan Security Forces Collapse:

23-16-IP.pdf">https://www.sigar.mil/pdf/evaluations/SIGAR-23-16-IP.pdf

Retrograde Official Trailer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CufeaxpsTTQ

1208 Foundation Website:

https://www.1208foundation.org/

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Eliot and Eric welcome Francis Fukuyama, the Olivier Nomellini Senior Fellow at Stanford University's Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies (FSI). One of America's most distinguished public intellectuals he is the author of several books including the End of History and the Last Man and, more recently, Liberalism and its Discontents. They discuss the impact of the war on Ukraine on the future of liberal democracy and the rules based international order, the drivers of populism and nationalism, the rise of illiberalism in both theory and practice, as well as the state of the academy and the situation in Georgia under the influence of Georgian oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili.

https://www.ft.com/content/d0331b51-5d0e-4132-9f97-c3f41c7d75b3

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2022/10/francis-fukuyama-still-end-history/671761/

https://thebulletin.org/premium/2022-11/its-a-different-kind-of-world-were-living-in-now-interview-with-political-scientist-francis-fukuyama/

Shield of the Republic is a Bulwark podcast co-sponsored by the Miller Center of Public Affairs at the University of Virginia. Email us with your feedback at shieldoftherepublic@gmail.com

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Eric and Eliot host Melvyn P. Leffler, the Edward Stettinius Professor of History at the University of Virginia to discuss his new book, Confronting Saddam: George W. Bush and the Invasion of Iraq. Mel describes why he decided to write the book and his findings that Bush rather than a cabal of neoconservatives was that key decision maker and that he adopted a strategy of coercive diplomacy to deal with the ongoing threat of Saddam's regime. He discusses the Bush team's motivations which he ascribes to fear, power, and hubris. He provides a critique of the decision-making and discusses the difficulty of writing contemporary history and alternative courses of action that Bush ought to have considered.

https://www.foreignaffairs.com/united-states/bush-911-and-roots-iraq-war

https://www.amazon.com/Confronting-Saddam-Hussein-George-Invasion/dp/0197610773/ref=sr_1_2?crid=1YI8C4LFC6B4E&keywords=mel+leffler+book&qid=1680643956&sprefix=Mel+Leffler%2Caps%2C128&sr=8-2

Shield of the Republic is a Bulwark podcast co-sponsored by the Miller Center of Public Affairs at the University of Virginia. Email us with your feedback at shieldoftherepublic@gmail.com

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Eliot and Eric welcome back Duke Professor of Political Science and Public Policy and Director of the Program on American Grand Strategy, Peter Feaver, pinch-hitting for Meghan O'Sullivan (whose illness prevented her from joining us) to discuss Hand Off, a book that Peter and Meghan (along with SOTR guest Will Inboden) edited consisting of all the Bush 43 Administration's NSC transition memos prepared for the Obama Administration. They touch on Iraq, Afghanistan, Russia and China and whether or not "the Freedom Agenda" serves as a coherent framing of the Bush Administration foreign policies, the opportunity costs with Russia and China that resulted from the focus on the War on Terror, and much more.

https://www.amazon.com/Hand-Off-Foreign-Policy-George-Passed/dp/081573977X

case-f.pdf">https://halbrands.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/12___20___2017_The-case-f.pdf

Shield of the Republic is a Bulwark podcast co-sponsored by the Miller Center of Public Affairs at the University of Virginia. Email us with your feedback at shieldoftherepublic@gmail.com.

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Eric flies solo in this episode (while Eliot is traveling in Europe) and hosts guest Paul D. Miller, Professor of Practice in International Affairs at Georgetown University and former NSC Director for Afghanistan and Pakistan in the Bush 43 Administration. They discuss the recent Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) report on the collapse of the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) in August of 2021 and attempt to assess the roles of the Trump and Biden Administrations in the debacle. They cover the diplomatic malpractice involved in reaching and implementing the Doha Agreement between the US and the Taliban, the repeated failure of US efforts to train foreign military forces to be self-sustaining, and the possible alternatives that might have been pursued to hold the Taliban at bay. They also discuss Paul's new book, The Religion of American Greatness: What Is Wrong WIth Christian Nationalism? (InterVarsity Press, 2022) and touch on American identity and the US role in the world, the universalism of the American creed, how Christian nationalism is related to isolationism, democracy promotion and the role of history and heritage in American life.

23-16-IP.pdf">https://www.sigar.mil/pdf/evaluations/SIGAR-23-16-IP.pdf

https://www.amazon.com/Religion-American-Greatness-Christian-Nationalism/dp/1514000261

https://www.thebulwark.com/afghanistans-terrorist-future/

https://www.thebulwark.com/the-catastrophic-u-s-exit-from-afghanistan/

https://conversationswithbillkristol.org/video/eric-edelman-v/

https://conversationswithbillkristol.org/transcript/eric-edelman-v-transcript/

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/01402390.2016.1145588

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09592318.2013.857935

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Eliot and Eric welcome retired Australian Major General Mick Ryan, author of The Future of Warfare, Futura Doctrina newsletter on Substack, and former head of the Australian War College. They discuss the ongoing fighting around Bakhmut, the prospects for both the Russian and Ukrainian militaries respectively in the weeks and months ahead, how this conflict might end, and the utility of science fiction for understanding the evolving character of war.

Shield of the Republic is a Bulwark podcast co-sponsored by the Miller Center of Public Affairs at the University of Virginia. Email us with your feedback at shieldoftherepublic@gmail.com.

Mick Ryan’s War Transformed (https://www.amazon.com/War-Transformed-Twenty-First-Century-Competition-Conflict/dp/168247741X)

Mick Ryan’s Twitter: @WarInTheFuture (https://twitter.com/WarintheFuture/)

Mick Ryan’s Substack, Futura Doctrina (https://mickryan.substack.com/p/the-battle-of-bakhmut)

Mick Ryan’s Substack Post, “The Battle of Bakhmut” (https://mickryan.substack.com/p/the-battle-of-bakhmut)

battle-of-bakhmut-has-come-at-immense-cost-to-both-sides-20230307-p5cq25.html">Mick Ryan’s Column, “The Battle of Bakhmut has come at immense cost to both sides” (battle-of-bakhmut-has-come-at-immense-cost-to-both-sides-20230307-p5cq25.html">https://www.smh.com.au/world/europe/the-battle-of-bakhmut-has-come-at-immense-cost-to-both-sides-20230307-p5cq25.html)

Eliot’s The Atlantic Article on Tactics Used by the Russian Military, “Military History Doesn’t Say What Ukraine’s Critics Think” (https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2023/02/russia-ukraine-war-wwii-comparison/673053/)

Sir Michael Howard’s “The Use and Abuse of Military History” (https://press.armywarcollege.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1251&context=parameters)

Mick Ryan’s Forthcoming Novel, White Sun War: The Campaign for Taiwan, Pre-Order NOW! (https://www.amazon.com/White-Sun-War-Campaign-Casemate/dp/1636242502)

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Eliot and Eric chew over the developments in Ukraine. They consider divisions within and among West European governments, the question of what defeat of Russia and victory for Ukraine means in practical terms, the lingering overestimation of Russian possibilities and underestimation of Ukrainian potential on the battlefield, and the potential role of China providing lethal aid to Russia. They conclude with a discussion about making the U.S. the arsenal of democracy in the West and globally and the use and abuse of historical analogies.

Shield of the Republic is a Bulwark podcast co-sponsored by the Miller Center of Public Affairs at the University of Virginia. Email us with your feedback at shieldoftherepublic@gmail.com.

HMS Belfast

“NATO’s Biggest European Members Float Defense Pact With Ukraine” by Wall Street Journal

“How Putin blundered into Ukraine — then doubled down” by Financial Times

Timothy Snyder’s Essay Debunking Vladimir Putin’s Essay Written After Consuming Hallucinogens, “How to think about war in Ukraine”

Eliot’s Article on the False Historical Lessons from World War II, “Military History Doesn’t Say What Ukraine’s Critics Think”

“Every Man His Own Historian” by Carl L. Becker

Eliot’s Foreign Affairs Essay, “Move Fast and Win Things”

Thinking In Times by Ernest May and Richard Neustadt

Eric’s Article with David Kramer and Vlad Kobets, “Ukraine and Belarus Are Fighting the Same War”

Eric’s Article with David Kramer and Ben Parker, “Moldova Is Putin’s Next Target”

“After the Fall. Must We Prepare for the Breakup of Russia?” by Bruno Tertrais

Senior Policy Analyst

Jewish Institute for National Security of America

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Eric and Eliot are joined by former New York Times reporter and editor Philip Taubman, current lecturer at Stanford University's Center for International Security and Cooperation, and the author of In The Nation's Service: The Life and Times of George P. Shultz (Stanford University Press, 2023). They discuss the character of George Shultz, his role in executing the Reagan Administration's strategy towards the Soviet Union, the internecine bureaucratic infighting that characterized the Reagan years, the Shutlz-Weinberger and Shultz-Kissinger relationships, and the end of the Cold War.

In the Nation’s Service: The Life and Times of George P. Shultz by Philip Taubman (https://www.amazon.com/Nations-Service-Times-George-Shultz/dp/1503631125)

The Partnership: Five Cold Warriors and Their Quest to Ban the Bomb by Philip Taubman (https://www.amazon.com/Partnership-Five-Warriors-Their-Quest/dp/0061744077)

The Rebellion of Ronald Reagan: A History of the End of the Cold War by James Mann (https://www.amazon.com/Rebellion-Ronald-Reagan-History-Cold/dp/0670020540/)

“The Sources of Soviet Conduct” by “X” (George Kennan) (https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/russian-federation/1947-07-01/sources-soviet-conduct)

"Reagan's Piece:" The SotR Episode with Will Inboden (https://www.thebulwark.com/podcast-episode/reagans-peace/)

75.pdf">National Security Decision Directive 75 (75.pdf">https://irp.fas.org/offdocs/nsdd/nsdd-75.pdf)

“A World Free of Nuclear Weapons” by George P. Shultz, William J. Perry, Henry A. Kissinger, and Sam Nunn (The Four Horsemen Op-Ed)

Eric’s Tribute to Shultz: “Secretary of the American Century” (https://thedispatch.com/article/secretary-of-the-american-century/)

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Eliot and Eric host Henri Barkey, the Bernard and Betha Cohen Professor of International Relations at Lehigh University and adjunct fellow for Middle East Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations. They discuss Henri's recent article on Turkey's forthcoming election, the nature of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s authoritarianism, the impact of the recent earthquake on Erdogan's standing with the Turkish electorate, the mismanagement of earthquake relief, and Henri's own more than Kafkaesque treatment by the AKP government with regard to the attempted military coup in 2016 against Erdogan's government.

Shield of the Republic is a Bulwark podcast co-sponsored by the Miller Center of Public Affairs at the University of Virginia. Email us with your feedback at shieldoftherepublic@gmail.com.

“Turkey Is Out of Control. Time for the U.S. to Say So.” By Eric and Jake Sullivan (https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2018/02/13/turkey-us-trump-policy-syria-216972/)

“Fight for these State Department workers detained in Turkey” by Eric and Henri Barkey (https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/global-opinions/fight-for-these-state-department-workers-detained-in-turkey/2018/07/29/2be2ecf4-91e4-11e8-b769-e3fff17f0689_story.html)

“Turkey’s Turning Point” by Henri Barkey (https://www.foreignaffairs.com/turkey/turkeys-turning-point-erdogan)

Nights of Plague by Orhan Pamuk (https://www.amazon.com/Nights-Plague-novel-Orhan-Pamuk/dp/0525656898)

Why Erdoğan Is Accusing Me of Starting a Coup by Henri Barkey (https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2021/11/henri-j-barkey-why-erdogan-accusing-me-starting-coup/620643/)

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Eric and Eliot are on their own. They talk about Ukraine, the China Balloon episode, and developments in Turkey and whether or not that relationship is a harbinger of a new day in U.S multilateralism. They ask if the U.S. find new mechanisms like AUKUS to supplement its bilateral relationships in the Indo-Pacific and will it resort to "mini-lateralism" in Europe with countries in the East who are becoming more influential in NATO? They conclude with talking about the ongoing protests in Iran.

Shield of the Republic is a Bulwark podcast co-sponsored by the Miller Center of Public Affairs at the University of Virginia. Email us with your feedback at shieldoftherepublic@gmail.com.

NATO’s Electoral Message for Erdogan by John Bolton (https://www.wsj.com/articles/natos-electoral-message-for-erdogan-elections-president-membership-russia-middle-east-weapons-expulsion-11673903724)

Turkey’s Turning Point by Henri Barkey (https://www.foreignaffairs.com/turkey/turkeys-turning-point-erdogan)

Iran’s Protesters Want Regime Change by Eric and Ray Takeyh (https://www.foreignaffairs.com/middle-east/iran-protesters-want-regime-change)

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