Live! At Mount Vernon
Episodit
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 Career 11:48: President Washington’s Constraints 15:27: The Neutrality Crisis 26:41: Washington’s Farewell Address 40:58: How Important is Travel in Foreign Policy? 47:33: Effective Modern Decision Makers 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 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 subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.shieldoftherepublic.com/subscribe
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 & Politicshttps://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
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
