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PODCAST

Shield of the Republic

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.

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All Episodes

62:19

How Does The Iran War End?

Shield of the Republic ·

2026/03/15

Eric and Eliot continue to wrestle with the ongoing Iran war, examining the media coverage surrounding it, the tactical successes the joint forces have had, the inexplicable failure to provide counter-drone defense to US forces, the baffling inattention to mine storage facilities that may have led to mines being seeded in the Gulf, and the enormous expenditure of munitions that may leave the US vulnerable if military operations were required in other theaters. They also discuss how the war might be

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47:32

Iran's Regional War Strategy is Failing (w/ Norman...

Shield of the Republic ·

2026/03/09

Eric and Eliot welcome Norman Roule, a non-resident senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and a thirty-four-year career veteran of the U.S. intelligence community, where he served in the Directorate of Operations as a division chief and chief of station, and for nearly a decade as the national intelligence manager for Iran in the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI). They discuss Trump's effort to replicate his Venezuela playbook and the search for

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37:53

Trump's Iran Gamble

Shield of the Republic ·

2026/03/05

NOTE: This episode was recorded on Monday, March 2, 2026.Eric and Eliot assess where the US and Israel stand in the current war with Iran and identify the downside risks while acknowledging the world is a better place with the death of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. They weigh the prospects for success against some of the darker possibilities, discuss the internal situation in Iran, and examine Israel’s role in the operation.Eliot’s Latest in the Atlantic:America’s Invaluable

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68:22

China Is Ready For War. We Aren't. (w/ Seth Jones)

Shield of the Republic ·

2026/03/02

NOTE: This episode was recorded before the attack on Iran.Eric and Eliot review the State of the Union and discuss Eliot’s Atlantic article on the degradation of American political rhetoric. They criticize the President’s failure to make a case for military action in Iran and discuss the potential for the operation to go sideways quickly. They also cover the outbreak of hostilities between Afghanistan and Pakistan and the Pentagon’s declaration of war on Anthropic. They then turn to returning guest

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67:11

On The Precipice of Illegal War (w/ Frank Dikötter)

Shield of the Republic ·

2026/02/23

Eric and Eliot debate the merits and deficiencies of Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s attempt to present “Trumpism with a human face” at the Munich Security Conference before turning to the dilemmas Trump faces in Iran. They discuss the administration’s uncertain strategic objective, the failure to consult Congress and the public, and the potential for a much longer military engagement than Trump is accustomed to. In the second half of the show, they welcome Hoover Institution Senior Fellow Frank

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58:46

Arms Control is Dead

Shield of the Republic ·

2026/02/16

Eric and Eliot begin with a buffet of administration jackassery before pivoting to a preview of the Munich Security Conference. They discuss Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Bridge Colby's remarks, as well as German Chancellor Friedrich Merz's speech highlighting the importance of transatlantic ties. They also examine the New START treaty's recent lapse and the future of arms control, the prospect for additional U.S. strikes on Iran, and the apparent shutdown of Russian Starlink terminals

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57:20

The Crisis Facing Our Military (w/ Kori Schake)

Shield of the Republic ·

2026/02/09

Eric and Eliot welcome back friend of the show Kori Schake, Senior Fellow and Director of Foreign and Defense Policy Studies at the American Enterprise Institute, to discuss her new book, The State and the Soldier: A History of Civil-Military Relations in the United States. They explore Kori’s critique of Samuel Huntington’s canonical study, The Soldier and the State, examine George Washington’s consequential resignation of his commission before the Continental Congress, and discuss the role of

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56:04

America's New Defense Strategy is Nonsense

Shield of the Republic ·

2026/02/02

Eric and Eliot discuss Trump’s latest reversals on Greenland before pivoting to the recently released National Defense Strategy. They dissect the many flaws of the NDS, including North Korean–style adoration for the President, a lack of explanation for how its stated goals would be achieved, and the total omission of Taiwan. The two also speculate about how Xi Jinping’s recent purge of General Zhang Youxia could impact the Indo-Pacific in the near future, before closing with an assessment of

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59:44

How Evil Regimes Cling to Power (w/ Stephen Kotkin)

Shield of the Republic ·

2026/01/26

Eric and Eliot welcome Stephen Kotkin, professor emeritus of history at Princeton University and senior fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution and Freeman-Spogli Institute. They discuss his recent Foreign Affairs article, “The Weakness of the Strongmen: What Really Threatens Authoritarians?” Kotkin explores the frailty and resilience of authoritarian regimes through the lens of recent events in Venezuela and Iran, as well as the rise of Russia and China as authoritarian powers. They also

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76:32

Don't Count on Trump Coming to the Rescue (w/ Michael...

Shield of the Republic ·

2026/01/19

Eliot's coastal Georgian internet connection holds on just long enough to review the administration's latest jackassery before Eric welcomes journalist Michael Weiss to the show. Their wide-ranging conversation covers the prospects for U.S. strikes in Iran, Trump's Venezuelan adventure, and the latest from the Russia-Ukraine war. Finally, the two discuss recent revelations related to Havana Syndrome and the role Russian military intelligence has likely played in attacks on U.S. intelligence, law

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47:55

A Dangerous Start to 2026

Shield of the Republic ·

2026/01/12

Eric and Eliot discuss serious threats that Trump continues to make against Denmark and the possibility that the administration might use military force to seize Greenland. They also examine the seizure of the ghost fleet tanker Bella, the risks of inadvertent conflict with Russia, and ongoing negotiations in Paris over the future of the war in Ukraine. The conversation explores the odds that Russia can continue fighting in 2026 given immense battlefield losses, the country’s cratering economy, and

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51:46

Trump's New War for Oil

Shield of the Republic ·

2026/01/09

Eric and Eliot return from holiday break with a special episode breaking down all things Venezuela. They discuss the Trump administration's raid in Caracas to capture Nicholas Maduro, the legal and constitutional basis for the operation, and the differences from past interventions in Panama and Iraq. The two also examine the next steps in Venezuela and the administration's prospects of success in "running" the country.Eliot's latest in The Atlantic:

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42:06

We Need to Secure Our Supply Chains (w/ Mike Froman)

Shield of the Republic ·

2025/12/22

Eric welcomes Council on Foreign Relations President Mike Froman to discuss CFR's latest task force report on U.S. economic security. They explore the importance of AI, quantum computing and biotechnology as foundational technologies in today's strategic competition, the effort that China is investing in these technologies, and the market failures that have led the U.S. to underinvest in quantum and biotech. The conversation also covers supply chain vulnerabilities, human capital shortfalls in key

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62:17

Double Taps and Drug Lord Pardons

Shield of the Republic ·

2025/12/15

Eric and Eliot discuss the newly released National Security Strategy's flaws, highlighting its incoherence and hostility to Europe. They note the strategy's unwillingness to identify Russia, China, and Iran as enemies of the United States and the abdication of the U.S. role in maintaining global order. The pair also discuss the latest pressure on Ukraine to capitulate to Russia before welcoming returning guest Representative Jim Himes for a conversation about the Trump Administration's Venezuela

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58:53

When Power Stops Caring About the Law

Shield of the Republic ·

2025/12/08

Eric and Eliot return from Thanksgiving to dissect the revelations from the Washington Post about the double-tap strike on an alleged Venezuelan drug boat in September. They discuss whether the strike was a war crime, the resignation of SOUTHCOM Commander Admiral Alvin Holsey, and the administration’s larger objectives in Venezuela. They also address the Department of Defense IG report on Signalgate, and explain why it does not constitute a ‘complete exoneration’. They conclude with a discussion of

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57:58

The Pentagon's Confederate Cover-Up

Shield of the Republic ·

2025/11/24

Eric and Eliot reflect on the memorial service for Vice President Dick Cheney and welcome Brigadier General (ret.) Ty Seidule, author of Robert E. Lee and Me and A Promise Delivered. They discuss the Commission created by Congress in 2020 to replace Confederate commemorations with tributes that better reflect American values, the pushback it faced, and why renaming military bases does not “change history.” The conversation also explores the post-Reconstruction myths behind these commemorations, the

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53:33

Can Taiwan Trust the United States? (w/ Michael...

Shield of the Republic ·

2025/11/17

Eric welcomes Michael Hunzeker, associate director of the Center for Security Policy Studies at George Mason University’s Schar School of Policy and Government, to discuss his new book America’s Taiwan Dilemma, co-authored with Mark Christopher. They explore why a nation’s reputation for credibility matters for deterrence and alliance management, and whether U.S. treaty allies in East Asia truly want Washington to defend Taiwan at all costs. The conversation also examines Taiwan’s globally essential

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61:32

Why MAGA Loves Illiberalism (w/ Laura Field)

Shield of the Republic ·

2025/11/10

Eric and Eliot pay their respects to the late Vice President Dick Cheney before welcoming their guest Laura Field to discuss her book Furious Minds: The Making of the MAGA New Right. They explore the origins of the effort to create an intellectual ecosystem for Trumpism starting with the Claremont Institute and Michael Anton's infamous "Flight 93" article in the Claremont Review of Books. Laura explains the influence of philosopher Leo Strauss on these early efforts as well as Strauss's student

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58:58

America Can't Go It Alone

Shield of the Republic ·

2025/11/02

Eric and Eliot discuss the GOP’s ongoing Nazi problem and the growing danger of anti-Semitism on the right. They debunk President Trump’s false claims about America’s nuclear arsenal, then pivot to a conversation about alliance management. Eliot shares insights from a recent trip to Canada, highlighting the damage Trump has done to America’s relationship with its northern neighbor. They broaden the discussion to other allies, including the “special relationship” with the UK and the often-prickly

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63:29

Paranoia and Purges Are Consuming the Pentagon

Shield of the Republic ·

2025/10/26

Eric and Eliot discuss appeasement and the striking similarities between Putin’s recent demands and Hitler’s insistence that the Czechs surrender the heavily fortified Sudetenland. They then turn to the latest idiocy coming from the administration, including Trump’s demolition of the East Wing, the Pentagon’s new exclusively right-wing press corps, and the live-fire Marine exercise that sent ordnance onto I-5 in California during a salute to Pete Hegseth and JD Vance. They also examine Putin’s phone

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129 results

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