Shield of the Republic

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 Israeli Election Results 47:27: What’s Next in the Iran War? Eric’s Latest Hot Take on Venezuela: https://www.shieldoftherepublic.com/p/erics-hot-take-acf Eric’s Latest Hot Take on France: https://www.shieldoftherepublic.com/p/erics-hot-take-640 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

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

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, His Team, and the Dawn of AI Warfare https://a.co/d/0dWdDvHC 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

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 Wars Update 45:02: Ethiopia Continues to Spiral --- 49:15: Discussing THE STRATEGIST: How to Think About War & Politics Paid Shield of the Republic subscribers can take 30% off when ordering THE STRATEGIST from Princeton University Press !https://www.shieldoftherepublic.com/p/special-offer-30-off-eliots-upcoming The Strategist: How to Think About War & Politics https://a.co/d/06Omof4b 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

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

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 a reminder, for just $5 a month, paid subscribers gain access to mailbags, hot takes, book reviews, and more!

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 this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.shieldoftherepublic.com/subscribe

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

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 Russia : https://www.fe-ddis.dk/globalassets/fe/dokumenter/2026/trusselsvurderinger/-assessment-of-the-threat-from-russia-.pdf Email mailbag@shieldoftherepublic.com to submit questions for our next mailbag 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

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 mailbag@shieldoftherepublic.com to submit questions for our next mailbag 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

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 1:16:39: Flirting with Fascism 1:27:45: Roosevelt’s Process 1:40:40: The Specter of WWI Available today! A Shadow Over the World: Franklin D. Roosevelt, the Rise of Fascism, and the Making of America’s World War II https://a.co/d/04rQQOF6 Eliot’s Hot Take on the Saudi pipeline strikes Eric’s Hot Take on Saudi Arabia’s next moves Question for the show? Email mailbag@shieldoftherepublic.com ! 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

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 Eric’s Hot Take on our dangerously incompetent Secretary of Defense 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

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 just $5 a month, paid subscribers gain access to mailbags, hot takes, book reviews, and more.

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 Joins the Show 1:02:42: Myths About the War in Afghanistan 1:09:02: Key Decisions in the War 1:13:45: Counterinsurgency & Counterterrorism 1:18:24: Bureaucratic Missteps 1:23:55: The Pakistan Dilemma 1:33:07: U.S. Policy Reviews During the War 1:39:48: The Afghanistan Papers Choosing Defeat: The Twenty-Year Saga of How America Lost Afghanistan Bureaucracy Does Its Thing Afghanistan Study Group Final Report: A Pathway for Peace in Afghanistan Why The Afghan Security Forces Collapsed Question for the show? Email mailbag@shieldoftherepublic.com ! 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

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, and Venezuela before turning to a retrospective of the major international developments during Shield's five year run on the Bulwark. Finally, they close with reflections about what they got wrong along the way. Reminder: going forward Shield of the Republic will be available at shieldoftherepublic.com ! If you are currently subscribed via Apple, Spotify, or a major podcast provider, you will continue to receive the free weekly show. We'll also be available on YouTube and can be followed on Twitter and Instagram . Question for the show? Email mailbag@shieldoftherepublic.com or leave a comment on the site! Eric on Trump turning on South Korea: https://thedispatch.com/article/south-korea-military-exercises-trump-asia/ Shield of the Republic is a Bulwark podcast co-sponsored by the Miller Center of Public Affairs at the University of Virginia.

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 travel to a NATO summit being held adjacent to a war zone. They also cover the new diplomatic alignment among Turkey, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia in the Middle East, the changes in leadership in Iran, and the rival missile campaigns of Russia and Ukraine in their ongoing war. Frank Kendall then joins the show to discuss his new book, Lethal Autonomy: The Future of Warfare Whether We Like It or Not, and his determination not to be silenced or intimidated by the Trump administration. Reminder: Shield of the Republic will be going independent soon! Subscribe at shieldoftherepublic.com and follow @ShieldPod on Twitter , Instagram , and YouTube . Lethal Autonomy: The Future of Warfare Whether We Like It or Not: https://a.co/d/0g3rRF6s Shield of the Republic is a Bulwark podcast co-sponsored by the Miller Center of Public Affairs at the University of Virginia.

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 and Trump administration have created for themselves. From there they move to the recent cyberattacks on American water systems and the seemingly blasé response by both the Trump administration and the larger public. The two also highlight Russia's ongoing hybrid war with Europe and the tightening links among Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea. They revisit the continuing degradation of Turkish democracy before wrapping up with thoughts on the recent migrant surge into the Spanish exclave of Ceuta. Reminder: Shield of the Republic will be going independent soon! Subscribe at shieldoftherepublic.com and follow @ShieldPod on Twitter , Instagram , and YouTube . Congressional Budget Office Analysis of the Trump-Class Battleship: https://www.cbo.gov/system/files/2026-08/62550-battleships.pdf CSIS Report on Low Munition Stocks: https://www.csis.org/analysis/six-reasons-why-united-states-low-munitions IISS Report on Russia's Hybrid War Operations: https://www.iiss.org/research-paper/2025/08/the-scale-of-russian--sabotage-operations--against-europes-critical--infrastructure/ Garry Kasparov on the DSA: https://open.substack.com/pub/persuasion1/p/the-dsa-is-a-menace?r=24onkh&utm_ Kathy Gilsinan on the GOP's Groyper Problem: https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2026/08/01/heritage-foundation-young-republicans-groypers-hiring-01006937 Tucker Carlson's Manifesto: https://www.axios.com/2026/08/06/tucker-carlson-third-party-israel-trump Shield of the Republic is a Bulwark podcast co-sponsored by the Miller Center of Public Affairs at the University of Virginia.

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 episodes, visit www.shieldoftherepublic.com/subscribe

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 two discuss Iran's ongoing unwillingness to "take yes for an answer" as evidenced by their recent strikes across the region. Historian and Professor Robert Parkinson then joins the show to discuss his recent book Tyrants and Rogues: Understanding the Declaration of Independence. Parkinson explains his focus on the twenty-seven colonial grievances listed in the Declaration, the crown's misjudgments in attempting to address colonial discontent, and Thomas Jefferson's additional two grievances that were edited out--among other topics. Greg Jaffe & Kate Kelly in the New York Times on Adm. Daryl Caudle: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/26/us/politics/caudle-navy-hegseth-parlatore-promotion.html Tyrants and Rogues: Understanding the Declaration of Independence https://a.co/d/0bPfR7hl Shield of the Republic is a Bulwark podcast co-sponsored by the Miller Center of Public Affairs at the University of Virginia.

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 also reflect on their personal experiences with the late Senator Lindsey Graham and examine his legacy. From there they turn to the latest updates from Ukraine, including President Zelensky's dismissal of Defense Minister Fedorov and Commander-in-Chief Syrskyi. Finally, they consider the ongoing likelihood of escalation in Iran. Shield of the Republic is a Bulwark podcast co-sponsored by the Miller Center of Public Affairs at the University of Virginia.