School of War

Sal Mercogliano, professor of history at Campbell University and host of the What’s Going on with Shipping YouTube channel, joins the show once again to discuss Iran's renewed attacks on commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. Why is the ceasefire already beginning to unravel? What is Iran trying to accomplish by asserting control over the strait? And what could the long-term consequences be for global trade, energy markets, and freedom of navigation?

02:11 - New arrangement in the Strait of Hormuz

05:19 - Humanitarian situation for sailors

06:53 - Jobs at sea and AI

08:05 - New rounds of violence

11:02 - Route options for ships

13:30 - Why did the ceasefire break down?

15:05 - Iran asserts control over the strait

16:10 - Why were these ships targeted?

19:08 - Strait of Hormuz as a strategic choke point

21:49 - What Iran learned from the Houthis

23:21 - Why energy prices haven't spiked

28:20 - Impact on developing nations

29:13 - The endgame in the Strait of Hormuz

33:22 - U.S. naval presence in the Gulf

36:26 - Iran's maritime protection racket

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Dr. John Mitani, professor emeritus in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Michigan and recipient of the Charles R. Darwin Lifetime Achievement Award, joins School of War to discuss the violent chimpanzee civil war he documented among the Ngogo chimpanzees in Uganda. What caused one of the world's largest chimpanzee communities to turn on itself? What does chimpanzee warfare reveal about the origins of human conflict? And what separates humans from our closest living relatives?

02:39 - How Dr. Mitani became an ape researcher

04:02 - Why chimpanzees?

05:13 - Humans' closest living relatives

08:38 - The Ngogo chimpanzees

09:31 - The chimpanzee civil war begins

13:35 - Living among wild chimpanzees

17:09 - Territorial patrols and warfare

22:34 - Why the chimpanzee community split

26:26 - How chimpanzees fight

29:14 - The strategy behind chimp warfare

31:24 - Why full stomachs lead to war

33:10 - Land, food, and reproduction

37:27 - Infanticide and the mystery of female survival

39:26 - When civil war becomes permanent

41:13 - What chimpanzees teach us about human nature

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Earlier this year, Aaron MacLean visited Ukraine, where he met with Georgian Legion commander Mamuka Mamulashvili. What happens when a boy goes to war at 14 years old? What does a lifetime of fighting Russians teach you about how they operate? And what lessons should the West be learning from war in Ukraine?

02:18 - Growing up in Soviet Georgia

03:53 - Russia's invasion of Abkhazia

07:59 - Capture and torture by Russian forces

10:24 - The First and Second Chechen Wars

13:49 - Killing a Russian soldier for the first time

17:32 - Force vs. diplomacy

18:14 - Georgia's wars with Russia

20:19 - The 2008 Russo-Georgian War

23:47 - Georgian support for Ukraine

24:39 - Mixed martial arts

29:53 - Founding the Georgian Legion

33:33 - The defense of Hostomel Airport

43:32 - How drones have transformed warfare

50:45 - Russian disinformation

52:27 - Why Ukraine will ultimately win

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Rye Barcott, co-founder and CEO of With Honor, veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps, and author of Courage Can Save Us, joins School of War to discuss the meaning of courage, the enduring value of service, and the challenge of bridging America’s growing political divides. What separates courage from bravery? Can military service help heal a polarized America? And what does principled leadership look like in an age of distrust?

01:28 - Murph challenge

03:08 - Rye's father and Vietnam

05:08 - Defining courage

07:57 - First to Fight

13:49 - Joining the Marines

14:22 - September 11th

17:42 - Bosnia, Africa, and Fallujah

19:16 - Marine commanders

23:52 - Life in Fallujah

26:05 - The With Honor mission

28:29 - America's polarization problem

30:05 - Veterans in politics

33:12 - The civil-military divide

37:23 - Courage in politics

41:57 - Congressman Jared Golden

44:19 - Senator Todd Young

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Mark Dubowitz, CEO of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, returns to School of War to discuss the newly released memorandum of understanding between the United States and Iran. What does the deal actually say? What are its biggest strategic implications? And is it comparable to the JCPOA—or something worse?

01:19 - Paragraph 1: Lebanon and Hezbollah

09:45 - Paragraphs 2–3: Sovereignty and the 60-day clock

11:24 - Paragraph 4: Lifting the blockade

16:37 - Paragraph 5: The Strait of Hormuz

23:48 - Paragraph 6: A $300 billion reconstruction fund

33:49 - Paragraph 7: Ending all sanctions

35:43 - Paragraph 8: Nuclear weapons and enrichment

39:12 - Paragraph 9: Maintaining the status quo

40:44 - Paragraph 10: Oil waivers and sanctions relief

43:48 - Paragraph 11: Releasing frozen funds

46:56 - Paragraph 12: Monitoring compliance

47:52 - Paragraph 13: Negotiating the final deal

50:59 - Paragraph 14: A UN Security Council resolution

51:13 - Squandering battlefield leverage

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