Listen to this episode commercial free at<a href="https://angryplanetpod.com" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> https://angryplanetpod.com</a> 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 <a href="https://www.foreignaffairs.com/united-states/rise-and-fall-great-power-competition" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">terrific article</a> on this in Foreign Affairs magazine. <ul><li>Welcome to the Concert of Europe</li><li>The post-Napoleon party</li><li>A taxonomy of aspirational Germans</li><li>Retvrn</li><li>Strong men, weak world</li><li>Government by Mafia</li><li>What becomes of the “middle powers”?</li><li>The era of aging dictators</li><li>The long breakdown</li><li>Empire without ickiness</li><li>Turns out might does, in fact, make right</li><li> </li></ul><a href="https://www.foreignaffairs.com/united-states/rise-and-fall-great-power-competition" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The Rise and Fall of Great-Power Competition</a> <a href="https://ehne.fr/en/encyclopedia/themes/international-relations/organizing-international-system/concert-europe" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The Concert of Europe</a>Support this show <a target="_blank" rel="payment" href="http://supporter.acast.com/warcollege">http://supporter.acast.com/warcollege</a>.<hr> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

Donald Trump Wants to Divide Up the World With His ‘Friends’

Listen to this episode commercial free at<a href="https://angryplanetpod.com" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> https://angryplanetpod.com</a> 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 <a href="https://www.foreignaffairs.com/india/india-pakistan-kashmir-are-perilously-close-brink" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">on the situation in Foreign Affairs</a>, and brings us up to date. <ul><li>The state of play on the morning of May 7th</li><li>The Pahalgam attack</li><li>‘The Switzerland of India’</li><li>Matthew almost gets everyone into a lot of trouble</li><li>How Pakistan creates instability in Kashmir</li><li>The entire history of the conflict between India and Pakistan in about five minutes</li><li>China’s looming presence</li><li>‘These are non-escaltory strikes’</li><li>Comparing the militaries</li><li>Getting into the nuclear options</li><li>Pakistan’s tactical nuclear arsenal</li><li>The incredible monetary cost of uncertain missile defense</li><li>We go out on a happy note for once</li></ul> <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy9vyzzyjzlo" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">More than 20 killed after gunmen open fire on tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir</a>Support this show <a target="_blank" rel="payment" href="http://supporter.acast.com/warcollege">http://supporter.acast.com/warcollege</a>.<hr> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

India and Pakistan: Nuclear Neighbors on the Brink

Listen to this episode commercial free at<a href="https://angryplanetpod.com" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> https://angryplanetpod.com</a> The Pentagon has been trying to pivot to the Pacific for years now. Under President Donald Trump 2.0, who is focused on China, it just might happen. It’s a complicated body of water with dozens of players and a bloody history. One where Beijing is increasingly asserting itself. Here to walk us through some of it is Angry Planet producer and Honolulu Star-Advertiser reporter Kevin Knodell. He’s just back from the Philippines where he spent two weeks reporting on a joint exercise between the U.S. and its allies in the Pacific.<ul><li>Balikatan</li><li> </li><li>Training exercises as signalling</li><li>How 40 years of Balikatan tells the story of U.S.-Philippines relations</li><li>“There are definitely some places where it is about the fish.”</li><li>The Chinese Maritime Militia</li><li>Duterte vs Marcos in 2025</li><li>Why America doesn’t understand China</li><li>Russia’s imperial history in the Pacific (Kevin misspoke here, it’s <a href="https://www.sfgate.com/hawaii/article/hawaii-kauai-russian-fort-paulaula-19829530.php" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Fort Elizabeth</a> not Fort Alexandria)</li><li>Why people like Pete Hegseth</li><li>The Nine-Dash line</li><li><a href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F46d42d63-c5d0-41b6-8e24-41b715566fb2_979x1206.png" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F46d42d63-c5d0-41b6-8e24-41b715566fb2_979x1206.png"></a></li><li>The century of humiliation</li><li>Checking up on Red Hill</li></ul> <a href="https://www.staradvertiser.com/2025/05/16/hawaii-news/hawaii-troops-forge-alliances-in-philippines/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Hawaii troops forge alliances in Philippines</a> <a href="https://www.staradvertiser.com/2025/05/14/hawaii-news/army-allies-ponder-pacific-role/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Army, allies ponder Pacific role</a>Support this show <a target="_blank" rel="payment" href="http://supporter.acast.com/warcollege">http://supporter.acast.com/warcollege</a>.<hr> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

America’s Pivot to the Pacific

Listen to this episode commercial free at<a href="https://angryplanetpod.com" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> https://angryplanetpod.com</a> Palantir, Anduril and a suite of other Tolkien-inspired tech nightmares want to integrate artificial intelligence into every aspect of the U.S. military. Both companies have software suites they’re pitching as agents that will help make command decisions during combat. An AI general, if you will. Yes, that’s a terrible idea. On this episode of Angry Planet, Cameron Hunter and Bleddyn Bowen will tell us why. Hunter is a researcher at the University of Copenhagen and Bowen is a professor of Astropolitics at Durham University. They’ve just written a paper that skewers the idea that AI will ever be able to make command decisions. <ul><li>The narrow definition of AI</li><li>The folly of the AI general</li><li>The games AI can’t win</li><li>“Targeting things is a command decision”</li><li>The IDF’s use of Microsoft’s use of AI systems</li><li>“The enemy gets a vote”</li><li>Killing more doesn’t mean winning more</li><li>American military as a “glass tank”</li><li>Matthew gets lost in a rant</li><li>“They don’t even have an animal’s intelligence”</li><li>The very real military uses of AI</li></ul><a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/01402390.2023.2241648" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">We’ll never have a model of an AI major-general: Artificial Intelligence, command decisions, and kitsch visions of war</a> <a href="https://youtu.be/XEM5qz__HOU" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Palantir’s pitch</a> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWEXnph1ElI" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Palmer Luckey on 60 Minutes</a> <a href="https://www.404media.co/scientists-explain-why-trumps-175-billion-golden-dome-is-a-fantasy/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Scientists Explain Why Trump's $175 Billion Golden Dome Is a Fantasy</a> <a href="https://futurism.com/openai-employees-say-firms-chief-scientist-has-been-making-strange-spiritual-claims" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">OpenAI Employees Say Firm's Chief Scientist Has Been Making Strange Spiritual Claims</a> <a href="https://gizmodo.com/eastern-europe-wants-to-build-a-drone-wall-to-keep-out-russia-20005852474" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Eastern Europe Wants to Build a ‘Drone Wall’ to Keep Out Russia</a> <a href="https://angryplanetpod.com/p/how-palantir-is-using-ai-in-ukraine" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">How Palantir Is Using AI in Ukraine</a>Support this show <a target="_blank" rel="payment" href="http://supporter.acast.com/warcollege">http://supporter.acast.com/warcollege</a>.<hr> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

The Horror of AI Generals Making Command Decisions

Listen to this episode commercial free at<a href="https://angryplanetpod.com" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> https://angryplanetpod.com</a> America loves the Western. Stories about frontier towns, outlaws and lawmen, and—most of all—killing. How did the myth and legend of the gunfighter come to permeate the U.S.? Were there rules to gunfights? How did you become famous by killing people? Did Texas, yes Texas, make all this possible? We’ll answer those questions in this episode of the show as we discuss the new book The Gunfighters: How Texas Made the West Wild. It’s the work of returning guest (and Texan) Bryan Burrough. <ul><li>Texas is both the West and the South</li><li>What made Texas so violent</li><li>What, exactly, is a gunfighter?</li><li>The rules of the duel</li><li>“Boys, I’m killed”</li><li>How to win friends while killin’ people</li><li>“What is more equalizing than a man alone with a gun?”</li><li><a href="https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/olive-isom-prentice" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Olive, Isom Prentice</a></li><li>Historiography of the gunfighter</li><li>Modern bank robbers are boring</li><li>The cattle business is the perfect vehicle for violence</li><li>The future belongs ... to pirates?</li></ul> Buy The Gunfighters from an <a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-gunfighters-how-texas-made-the-west-wild-bryan-burrough/21783018?ean=9781984878908&amp;next=t" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">independent bookstore</a> or from <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Gunfighters-Texas-Made-West-Wild/dp/1984878905/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3E951ZP922IU2&amp;dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.u8AfWGiEjXfAlWa6ZiYHJ-pxBUzLmuhvBL3lSl7BAVBsQ3IxadC3ReHmTKlqk-TuvjICUIZqj1blwEJUcZ1njV_2xh_-Ha96qqMUnYcC-1mS0G2ipa_DEs4YP5fcZgc9GteFVsDFwcWzjdORcthqjl7VL7_LuKUBggqs3fso3J3kHTNZq3JJvF2C1_ifbzp-aDkcXUg5JPlWJ-Ovq0Z_kFw1xF7nxXQ0bpYu2n6_kSs.pcCf27WDupBm9BgPHsztHjKpuPUJGSJdvTtJ1lQHNws&amp;dib_tag=se&amp;keywords=The+Gunfighters&amp;qid=1748464435&amp;sprefix=the+gunfighter%2Caps%2C94&amp;sr=8-1" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Amazon</a>Support this show <a target="_blank" rel="payment" href="http://supporter.acast.com/warcollege">http://supporter.acast.com/warcollege</a>.<hr> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

America’s Favorite Gunfighters and the Birth of the Old West

From blue-tattooed psychopaths to “businessmen” with a twist, Russia’s vory developed a code all their own - if you can call it that. Mark Galeotti takes us through the history of Russia’s mafia and how that history helped to shape Vladimir Putin’s state. For a more detailed look, check out his book “The Vory: Russia’s Super Mafia.” You can listen to War College on <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/war-college/id1023774600?mt=2" target="_blank">iTunes</a>, <a href="https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/jason-fields/war-college" target="_blank">Stitcher</a>, <a href="https://play.google.com/music/listen#/ps/Ioueaqtuifyfrxlbf6e6ec6difm" target="_blank">Google Play</a> or follow our <a href="http://rss.acast.com/warcollege" target="_blank">RSS directly</a>. Our website is warcollege.co. You can reach us on our Facebook page: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/warcollegepodcast/" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/warcollegepodcast/</a>; and on Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/War_College" target="_blank">@War_College</a>.

Your Handy-Dandy Guide to the Russian Mafia

Conversations about conflict on an Angry Planet