TGS Live: A Cold War Genius on Today’s Threats

Support The Glenn Show at https://glennloury.substack.comIn this episode, in conversation with Robert Patton-Spruill, Mark Sussman, and Nikita Petrov, I provide an introduction to the life and work of Thomas Schelling and consider how a “Schellingesque” point of view might influence our interpretation of current events, like the Ukraine War, the “human shields” argument in Gaza, the Trump administration’s new national security strategy, nationalist and populist movements throughout the world, and nuclear deterrence today. We also talk about Schellingesque approaches to AI, but that segment of the conversation is available only to full subscribers. The Glenn Show is almost entirely audience-supported. To gain access to all our content and to get all future premium and bonus content, become a full subscriber today. Thank you to all free and full subscribers—I couldn't do what I do without you.Video Links0:00 Who was Thomas C. Schelling?8:51 The Schellingesque13:22 Ground News ad15:05 Battlefield commitment and signaling27:00 How deterrence works35:14 Schelling's role in conceptualizing Stanley Kubrick's film Dr. Strangelove49:08 Europe, Ukraine, and Trump's new national security strategy1:04:41 Why does the US care about immigration in other nations?1:09:02 Glenn: Bill Maher is either dishonest or wrong about asymmetrical war in Gaza17:54 Schelling and Glenn on new nuclear powers1:26:00 The problem of self-commandRecorded December 12, 2025 This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit glennloury.substack.com/subscribe