EPISODE · Jun 16, 2026 · 45 MIN
Auditing the Iran War, with Eliot Cohen
from School of War · host The Free Press
Eliot Cohen, Arleigh A. Burke Chair in Strategy at the Center for Strategic and International Studies; professor emeritus at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, author of The Strategist: How to Think About War and Politics; and co-host of the Shield of the Republic podcast, joins School of War to discuss the recent agreement between the United States and Iran. Did the United States and Israel accomplish their objectives against Iran? What does the conflict reveal about the U.S. military's readiness for future wars? And did Trump negotiate from a position of strength, or squander one? 01:22 - Eliot Cohen on the war with Iran 03:34 - Judging Trump by outcomes 05:08 - A war 47 years in the making 06:45 - What we don't know about the air campaign 08:08 - Negotiating from strength? 09:10 - Trump's negotiating style 12:05 - Questions about America's conduct of the war 14:31 - The Strait of Hormuz becomes the objective 15:41 - Why the war ended when it did 17:25 - Trump and the nature of war 19:01 - Has Iran succeeded? 23:21 - The decline of the Iranian empire 28:09 - Why Trump got a bad deal 31:36 - Auditing the U.S. military 39:39 - Has warfare been transformed? 42:10 - What should America do next? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
What this episode covers
Eliot Cohen, Arleigh A. Burke Chair in Strategy at the Center for Strategic and International Studies; professor emeritus at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, author of The Strategist: How to Think About War and Politics; and co-host of the Shield of the Republic podcast, joins School of War to discuss the recent agreement between the United States and Iran. Did the United States and Israel accomplish their objectives against Iran? What does the conflict reveal about the U.S. military's readiness for future wars? And did Trump negotiate from a position of strength, or squander one? 01:22 - Eliot Cohen on the war with Iran 03:34 - Judging Trump by outcomes 05:08 - A war 47 years in the making 06:45 - What we don't know about the air campaign 08:08 - Negotiating from strength? 09:10 - Trump's negotiating style 12:05 - Questions about America's conduct of the war 14:31 - The Strait of Hormuz becomes the objective 15:41 - Why the war ended when it did 17:25 - Trump and the nature of war 19:01 - Has Iran succeeded? 23:21 - The decline of the Iranian empire 28:09 - Why Trump got a bad deal 31:36 - Auditing the U.S. military 39:39 - Has warfare been transformed? 42:10 - What should America do next? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Auditing the Iran War, with Eliot Cohen
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