The Streets of Mogadishu
March 8, 2024
N. W. Collins— “Every American has seen the shocking images from Somalia,” President George H. W. Bush commenced the live address from the Oval Office.1 Announcing the new mission to… READ MORE
Tag: military history
The U.S. Synthetic Rubber Program and the Fall of Singapore
February 9, 2024
Alexander J. Field— The U.S. economy experienced powerful negative supply shocks during World War II that drove down potential output and adversely affected productivity. One of the earliest and most… READ MORE
Ep. 128 — The Remarkable Stories of Women in British Intelligence
December 14, 2023
From spies in the Belgian network “La Dame Blanche,” knitting coded messages into jumpers, to those who interpreted aerial images and even ran entire sections, Helen Fry shows just how… READ MORE
Ep. 120—A Global History of Wars
September 20, 2023
In this episode of the Yale University Press Podcast, we talk with award-winning sociologist Michael Mann about his new book, On Wars. Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify | Soundcloud
Are Wars Rational?
August 8, 2023
Michael Mann— Most wars have been irrational in terms of means or ends or both together. This is because choices for war are influenced by emotions, ideologies, domestic politics, and… READ MORE
Ep. 102 — The Tragic Essence of Geopolitics
February 9, 2023
In this episode of the Yale University Press podcast, we talk with Robert D. Kaplan about The Tragic Mind: Fear, Fate, and the Burden of Power, a moving meditation on recent… READ MORE
Military Strategy in the Manchu Dynasty
May 13, 2020
Jeremy Black— In the last iteration of dynastic change, the rise of the Manchu (or Qing) dynasty and its replacement of the Ming in 1644–52, a process in which campaigning,… READ MORE
Hitler and Moscow, 1941: A Counter-Factual Speculation
March 4, 2019
Stephen G. Fritz— It is mid-September 1941. The unpredictable late summer weather in Russia has turned in Germany’s favor, as has the military situation. In late August, with the nightmarish… READ MORE
How an Epic Painting Became a Monumental Flop: The Perils of Art and Politics
October 5, 2018
Katie Hornstein — Powerful rulers have always relied on visual images to bolster their standing and seek public support for their military endeavors. While these sorts of images can be… READ MORE
Knowing How to Win at Acre
July 18, 2018
John D. Hosler— The oracle at Delphi advised, “Know Thyself,” and the rock band Rage Against the Machine screamed, “Know Your Enemy.” Which is more important for winning a war? Or… READ MORE
Fashion or Function?