Listen to this episode commercial free at https://angryplanetpod.com

Recorded 5/7/25

India and Pakistan have been unhappy neighbors since 1947 and Britain’s decolonization of the subcontinent. They’ve fought four wars and there have been countless skirmishes. As Indian jets streak over Pakistani skies and that Muslim nation threatens retaliation, it’s unclear if this is war or just another blip between nations that plain don’t like each other.

Joining us is Sushant Singh, a man with a background that includes academic, journalist and 20-year veteran in the Indian army. He’s written an article on the situation in Foreign Affairs, and brings us up to date.

• The state of play on the morning of May 7th
• The Pahalgam attack
• ‘The Switzerland of India’
• Matthew almost gets everyone into a lot of trouble
• How Pakistan creates instability in Kashmir
• The entire history of the conflict between India and Pakistan in about five minutes
• China’s looming presence
• ‘These are non-escaltory strikes’
• Comparing the militaries
• Getting into the nuclear options
• Pakistan’s tactical nuclear arsenal
• The incredible monetary cost of uncertain missile defense
• We go out on a happy note for once

More than 20 killed after gunmen open fire on tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir

Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/warcollege.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Listen to this episode commercial free at https://angryplanetpod.com

Great power competition has gotten old for President Donald Trump—never one for a fair fight. He’s looking for a little great power collusion instead, dividing the world with his best buds, Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping. This kind of thing isn’t new, though, Stacie Goddard, a professor at Wellesley, tells us, in fact it’s the 1800s on repeat. Well, look how that turned out… World War I, anybody?

BTW, check out her terrific article on this in Foreign Affairs magazine.

• Welcome to the Concert of Europe
• The post-Napoleon party
• A taxonomy of aspirational Germans
• Retvrn
• Strong men, weak world
• Government by Mafia
• What becomes of the “middle powers”?
• The era of aging dictators
• The long breakdown
• Empire without ickiness
• Turns out might does, in fact, make right
• 
  

The Rise and Fall of Great-Power Competition

The Concert of Europe

Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/warcollege.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Listen to this episode commercial free at https://angryplanetpod.com

Conquest is back baby! Eastern Europe, Taiwan, Greenland, Canada? It’s all on the table—and maybe up for grabs. Here to help us sort through this new age of empire building is University of Chicago political scientist Michael Albertus.

• As always, climate change
• Whither Canada?
• The coming Canadian century
• “Territorial ambitions sometimes bite back”
• The biggest caveats ever uttered on the show
• “An empire eats”
• The stories nations tell themselves
• “Getting more America”
• Picking the winners and losers
• A little optimism at the end
• How land confers power
• Those Were The Days
• The false promise of abundance

The Coming Age of Territorial Expansion

Land Power: Who Has It, Who Doesn’t, and How That Determines the Fate of Societies

Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/warcollege.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.