Episodes
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Spies, Threats, and Government Jets
Eric runs through the week’s jackassery & corruption nominees including CBS’ 60 Minutes, White House Counsel Will Scharf & Attorney General Todd Blanche, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang, The U.S. House of Representatives, and perennial candidates Jared Kushner & Steve...
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Live! At Mount Vernon
Eric and Eliot joined the 2026 George Washington Symposium for a conversation about the first president’s foreign policy moderated by Executive Director of the Presidential Library at Mount Vernon, and friend of the podcast, Lindsay Chervinsky. 0:35: Foreign Policy During Washington’s Early…
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The Foreign Policy Midterm
Plus the impeachment of Pete Hegseth, and more on a special midterm edition of Shield! 2:27: Jackassery of the Week 7:28: Unpacking the Midterms 19:30: What Comes Next? 36:43: Knives Out for Hegseth 42:06: Risks for the Democrats This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other...
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Rubio & Hegseth’s Presidential Pipedreams
Plus a report from Israel, election analysis, and more in a special Friday primetime Shield! 1:40: Jackassery of the Week 11:08: Annals of Corruption 14:40: Updates on Venezuela 21:08: Marco Rubio’s Aspirations 23:42: President Pete? 25:52: A Trip Report From Israel 37:42: Interpreting the…
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Pete Hegseth Dropped Eisenhower’s Globe!?
Eric dives into Jackassery of the Week & Annals of Corruption ahead of a full-length episode this Friday! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.shieldoftherepublic.com/subscribe
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Trump & Elon Screw Ukraine (Again!)
Plus updates on Ukraine, riots in France, and special guest Katrina Manson! 1:06: Jackassery of the Week 3:58: Annals of Corruption 6:51: Ukraine War Updates 22:54: Trump Endorses Bibi 29:04: Untangling the French Riots --- 37:43: Katrina Manson on Project Maven Project Maven: A Marine Colonel…
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The Strategist: Eliot's New Book on War & Politics
Plus a new recurring segment, a German spy scandal, and much more on this week’s super-sized show: 2:00: Jackassery of the Week 14:52: Annals of Corruption 20:36: A Dark & Immoral Spectacle 25:52: Burn After Reading 29:28: France’s Student Fracas 35:39: War in Ukraine Update 39:37: Middle East…
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Emergency Episode: Trump’s Impeachable Diesel Deal
Eric and Eliot react to Trump announcing the U.S. purchase of Russian diesel in a special emergency episode This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.shieldoftherepublic.com/subscribe
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October Mailbag Episode
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.shieldoftherepublic.com Eric and Eliot return for another round of your questions! What would convince Putin he’s losing his war? Did the U.S. have any alternative to invading Afghanistan? That and more in this month's mailbag! As…
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Yemen’s Civil War Turns Hot Again
Plus jackassery of the week, the U.S. withdraws from Iraq, and more! 1:20: Jackassery of the Week 19:35: New Operation Rough Rider Details Emerge 26:23: Saudi Offensive in Yemen 38:12: U.S. Withdrawal from Iraq 52:58: Ethiopian Conflict Update This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss…
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Emergency Episode: Hegseth’s Quantico Manifesto
Eric and Eliot react to Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s second-ever “State of the Force” address at Marine Corps Base Quantico today This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.shieldoftherepublic.com/subscribe
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The Next Powder Keg Ready to Blow
Plus updates on the Iran war, Denmark’s dire warning, and more! 1:15: Jackassery of the Week 10:06: The Decline of the U.N. 7:13: Iran War Updates 40:57: Powder Keg: Horn of Africa 47:39: The Russian Threat to Europe Danish Defense Intelligence Service Assessment of the threat from...
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Trump Claims “The Spoils” at the U.N.
Plus the Houthis dig in, German elections disappoint again, and more! 1:53: Jackassery of the Week 12:56: Trump at the U.N. 22:06: Houthi Offensive Update 30:00: More Troubling German Elections 37:49: Trump-Zelensky Meeting 42:25: A Greenland Resolution 45:52: Xi Comes to Town Email...
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The Iran War Explodes into the Red Sea
Plus updates from the Middle East & Ukraine, and special guest Will Hitchcock! 2:27: Jackassery of the Week 16:30: Houthi Offensive 36:30: Iranian Leadership Divisions 42:38: UK Sanctions on Israel 56:59: Ukraine War Update --- 1:03:49: Will Hitchcock joins the show 1:12:48: The Interwar Period...
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Kushner & Witkoff's Sad Attempt at Diplomacy
Plus trips to Moscow, elections in Germany, and more. 1:10 Jackassery of the Week 19:48 Remembering 9/11 45:11 To Russia With Love 54:18 AfD Election Implications 1:01:15 AI Alarm Bells 1:04:25 Iran War Update Former Senior Officials Ask Secretary Wright to Release Saudi Nuclear Deal Documents...
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September Mailbag Episode
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.shieldoftherepublic.com Is Canada the new Finland? Just how aggressive has China been with their neighbors? What’s behind Eric’s tapestry? All that and more on Shield of the Republic’s first ever mailbag episode! As a reminder, for...
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Japan’s Nuclear Taboo is Shattering
Eric and Eliot kick off Shield of the Republic’s new era with a supersized episode! 3:39: Jackassery of the Week 12:36: Trump’s Canada Trade War 18:29: Eliot’s Trip Report from Japan 35:56: Venezuelan Oil 44:32: Iran War Update 55:57: The View From Eastern Europe --- 59:31: Professor Paul Miller...
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Shield of the Republic Says Farewell
Eric and Eliot open their final show on the Bulwark with a plethora of jackassery including Trump's threat to bomb Oman, his curtailing of joint exercises with South Korea, and the Pentagon shuttering access to the Defense Technical Information Center. They also discuss updates in Iran, Russia…
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Frank Kendall and the Weapons of Tomorrow
Eric and Eliot discuss the week's jackassery, including the administration's stripping former Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall of his security clearance for innocuous comments about Trump's new Qatari-donated Air Force One. They then discuss the irresponsibility of Trump's using that aircraft to...
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America's Critical Infrastructure is Under Attack
Eric and Eliot begin with reflections on recent domestic political developments and the "horseshoe theory" uniting political extremes around isolationism and anti-Israeli sentiment. They then discuss the ongoing negotiations over the Strait of Hormuz and the difficulties the Iranian government…
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Shield of the Republic's New Home
Welcome to the new home of Shield of the Republic! You can also find us on Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. Help us spread the word by sharing this and stay tuned for our official launch soon! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus...
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The Iranian Doom Loop (w/ Robert Parkinson)
Eric begins with major show news before pivoting to the jackassery of the week with Eliot. They then analyze Trump's interactions with Bibi Netanyahu and Vladimir Zelensky at Lindsey Graham's funeral and discuss the ways in which the Iranian and Ukrainian wars are increasingly intertwined. The…
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Ukraine's Defense Shake Up
Eliot returns from his trip to western Canada to review the latest jackassery with Eric. The two discuss recent developments surrounding a potential U.S.-Saudi nuclear cooperation agreement and contextualize it against the history of U.S. non-proliferation and counter-proliferation efforts. They...
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The Anti-Strategic President
Eric welcomes back friend of the show Professor Hal Brands, the Henry A. Kissinger Distinguished Professor of Global Studies at Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies. The two discuss Hal's recent work, beginning with his column in Bloomberg dissecting the key…
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NATO's Annual Circus Comes to Turkey
Eric and Eliot catch up for the first time in a month after returning from overseas. They break down the latest jackassery, from Graham Platner's campaign implosion to Recep Tayyip Erdoğan gifting revolvers and live, gold-plated ammunition to the heads of state at the recent NATO summit. They...
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Rising Antisemitism is a Dark Omen for Society (w/ Deborah Lipstadt)
Eliot reviews the week’s jackassery and offers his thoughts on Juneteenth and the upcoming 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. He then welcomes Ambassador Deborah Lipstadt, distinguished professor at Emory University and prolific author. She explains her…
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The Iranian Regime Isn't Going Anywhere (w/ Kenneth Pollack)
With Eric on vacation, Eliot welcomes Kenneth Pollack, VP for Policy at the Middle East Institute, to the show. Ken outlines MEI's mission before providing analysis on the current state of the Iran war. They discuss the difficulty of ending a conflict when both sides believe they are winning, and...
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North Korea's New Nuclear Doctrine
Eric and Eliot dissect the latest jackassery before pivoting to the war with Iran. They offer differing assessments of the negotiations and discuss the prospects for a lasting ceasefire. Next, they return to the Russia-Ukraine war and reflect on the staggering Russian casualty levels and severe...
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The Never-ending Iran Negotiations
Eliot joins Eric from the shores of Lake Champlain to break down the latest administration jackassery before pivoting to the ongoing negotiations with Iran. They also discuss Russia's recent drone and missile barrage directed at Kyiv which included an Oreshnik missile capable of carrying...
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Trump's Regime Change Plan for Cuba
Eliot and Eric discuss the current state of the Iran negotiations, the apparent US-Israeli plan to install Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as a Delcy Rodríguez-type figure early in the war, and Reuters' report on the ongoing hollowing out of U.S. diplomacy. They assess Trump's apparent designs in Cuba…
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Ending the War Will Require Force
Eric and Eliot survey a wide range of jackassery, highlighting Trump's bizarre attack on longtime Mitch McConnell aide Robert Karem. They discuss Trump's gross mismanagement of the Department of Defense as exemplified by the US Army budget shortfall due to National Guard deployments to US cities...
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Trump is Destroying Our Diplomatic Corps
Eric and Eliot lament the firing of 200 Foreign Service officers and the recent large-scale exodus of senior diplomats from public service. They discuss the impact of the Trump Administration's diplomatic malpractice including the handling of Operation Freedom and their own disagreements about…
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Pete Hegseth’s Long War Disaster
Eric and Eliot discuss Pete Hegseth's job security amidst the ongoing war with Iran. They recap his contemptuous testimony at a House Armed Services Committee budget hearing and Vice President Vance's efforts to distance himself from the war through planted stories. They then turn to King Charles...
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Can Iran Take More Pain Than Us?
Eric and Eliot review an extended buffet of jackassery before turning to the current state of affairs in Iran. They assess the prospects for a negotiated settlement to the war, and whether we could end up in a "no war, no peace" situation. They also discuss the mutual incomprehension that leaders...
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Eliot's Return & Schrodinger's Strait
Eric welcomes Eliot back from his sojourn in Spain to break down the latest jackassery from the administration. They discuss the current state of the Iran war, including the somehow simultaneously open and closed Strait of Hormuz, the ongoing negotiations, and how China factors into the conflict....
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Trump's Path of Destruction (w/ Mona Charen)
Eric welcomes The Bulwark's own Mona Charen back to the show to discuss the week's developments. They cover the President's meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and the Vice President's trip to Hungary before pivoting to Vance's new diplomatic assignment to negotiate an end to the war...
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The Cost of Boots on the Ground (w/ Mike Nelson)
Eric welcomes retired U.S. Army Special Forces officer, and Penn Washington's Chief of Staff and Director of Communications, Mike Nelson to the show. They discuss the President's White House speech to sell the Iran war to the American people, and its failure to address a number of important...
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Trump Needs Approval for This War (w/ Michael O'Hanlon) | Shield of the Republic
Eric welcomes Michael O'Hanlon, the Philip Knight chair in defense and strategy at the Brookings Institution, and author of To Dare Mighty Things, and a recent op-ed in the Financial Times on the Trump administration's $200 billion supplemental budget request to fund the Iran War. They discuss...
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Iran and the Roots of Islamist Terror (w/ Jason Burke)
Eric and Eliot open by analyzing the decapitation campaign against Iran's leadership, the knock-on consequences of the war's energy disruptions, and the Gulf states' reaction to the war. They also explore how the PRC will incorporate lessons from the war, and how depleted U.S. munitions stocks…
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How Does The Iran War End?
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…
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Iran's Regional War Strategy is Failing (w/ Norman Roule)
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...
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Trump's Iran Gamble
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...
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China Is Ready For War. We Aren't. (w/ Seth Jones)
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…
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On The Precipice of Illegal War (w/ Frank Dikötter)
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…
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Arms Control is Dead
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...
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The Crisis Facing Our Military (w/ Kori Schake)
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...
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America's New Defense Strategy is Nonsense
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...
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How Evil Regimes Cling to Power (w/ Stephen Kotkin)
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...
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Don't Count on Trump Coming to the Rescue (w/ Michael Weiss)
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...
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A Dangerous Start to 2026
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...