Eliot and Eric welcome John Spencer, Chair of Urban Warfare Studies with the Madison Policy Forum and Co-Director of the Urban Warfare Project and author of numerous articles and studies of urban and subterranean warfare. They discuss the unique characteristics of urban warfare, the traditional U.S. military approach to urban warfare as well as historical examples from the U.S.-Mexican War in the 19th Century to more recent examples like the Battle of Aachen in World War II and the Battles of Baghdad, Fallujah, and Sadr City during the Iraq War. Based on Spencer's multiple trips to Israel and Gaza, they also discuss how the Israeli Defense Forces have attempted to deal with the even more difficult urban warfare conditions in Gaza including the more than 400 miles of tunnels that created enormously complicated problems for Israeli forces attempting to destroy Hamas's 24 battalions of some 30 to 40 thousand fighters and the inevitable impact that has on civilian populations. They also discuss the information or cognitive warfare dimension of fighting on urban terrain and the difficulties Israel has had in that regard.
Shield of the Republic is a Bulwark podcast co-sponsored by the Miller Center of Public Affairs at the University of Virginia.
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1:00:05
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1:00:05
Colombia's Challenging Path Forward
Eliot and Eric are joined by Juan Carlos Pinzón, former Colombian Minister of Defense and two-time Ambassador to the U.S. They discuss the success of former Colombian President Álvaro Uribe's counterinsurgency efforts against FARC and narco-trafficking, the subsequent domestic developments in Colombia that have led to significant backsliding on narco-trafficking, as well as the current prosecution of the former President in Colombia's courts of law. They also discuss the revival of leftism in the Western Hemisphere and the Trump Administration's initial diplomatic undertakings in the region.
Shield of the Republic is a Bulwark podcast co-sponsored by the Miller Center of Public Affairs at the University of Virginia.
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57:26
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57:26
Trump’s Amateur Diplomacy Tests U.S. Allies
Eric and Eliot discuss Secretary Hegseth's restoration of the '"Reunion" memorial at Arlington National Cemetery, the President's nationalizing of the DC National Guard to engage in law enforcement in the nation's capital, and the diplomatic pratfalls of Steve Witkoff whose misinterpretation of President Putin has resulted in the misbegotten forthcoming summit in Alaska between Trump and Putin. To distract themselves from the administration's ongoing idiocy Eric and Eliot discuss their summer reading including Toby Wilkinson's A World Beneath the Sands, H. Ridder Haggard's She, and Daniel Silva's An Inside Job among others.
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55:42
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55:42
Putin's Growing Body Count
Eliot and Eric welcome Fred Starr, former President of Oberlin University and current Chairman of the Central Asia and Caucasus Institute (CACI). They discuss the current situation in Russia and highlight the logistic difficulties and enormous human and material losses that Russian forces are facing. They also discuss Central Asian countries like Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan which are rich in mineral and hydrocarbon resources but have been governed by strongmen in the post-communist era. Finally, they conclude the conversation with an overview of the Caucuses highlighting the desire of many former Soviet states to escape Moscow's imperial shadow.
Red and Hot: The Fate of Jazz in the Soviet Union:
https://a.co/d/a8EbOiO
Shield of the Republic is a Bulwark podcast co-sponsored by the Miller Center of Public Affairs at the University of Virginia.
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1:01:38
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1:01:38
What is Israel's Plan?
Eric and Eliot address the latest buffoonery emanating from the Pentagon before turning to a discussion about Trump's evolving position on Russia. They also address the horrendous situation in Gaza and try to apportion blame as fairly as possible given the difficulty of parsing statements by both Hamas and the Israeli government. The conversation includes updates on the situations in Syria, Iran, and domestically on Columbia University's recent settlement with the Trump Administration.
Secretary of Defense Hegseth's Think Tank Ban:
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/07/28/pentagon-think-tank-ban-confusion-reaction-00480095
Hegseth's Clash with Pentagon Leadership:
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/26/us/politics/hegseth-pentagon-leadership.html
Matti Friedman: Is Gaza Starving? Searching for the Truth in an Information War:
https://www.thefp.com/p/matti-friedman-is-gaza-starving-searching-for-truth-in-information-war
Shield of the Republic is a Bulwark podcast co-sponsored by the Miller Center of Public Affairs at the University of Virginia.
Shield of the Republic is a Bulwark podcast co-sponsored by the Miller Center of Public Affairs at the University of Virginia. We probe beyond the hive mind of Washington conventional wisdom on national security and foreign affairs.
UK