Series Podcast: In Context

We discuss reforms to U.S. military policy that we hope will be considered by the candidates and the voters in the upcoming presidential election and its aftermath. (Previously broadcast.)

Syrian ceasefire fails as U.S. bombs Syrian base. Russia stages massive drill in Crimea. U.S. President snubbed by China. North Korea tests new nuclear warhead. Unconventional warfare tactics.

Japanese Emperor resignation hint may signal change in Japan s global role. U.S. bombs Libya. Russian bombers hit Syria from Iran. Russian army mobilizes on Ukraine border. China militarizes South China Sea.

U.S.'s vast foreign military and police training operations revealed. Update on wars in Iraq and Syria. China's South China Sea expansion. Japan's military and geopolitical importance today.

Russia's three new divisions on its western border, China's new hypersonic weapon, the war against IS, and the origins of fascism and its manifestation in different countries.

After we discuss the recent Russian “buzzing” of a U.S. Navy destroyer in the Baltic Sea and other U.S.-Russia areas of confrontation, we explore the evolution of modern urban warfare from the Paris Commune uprising of 1871 to the Iraq war.

After we review the latest developments in Syria and around the world, we discuss the historic Easter Rising of 1916 which began Ireland’s final struggle for independence from Britain and we consider what modern insurgency movements might learn from Ireland’s experience.

Turkey threatens to invade Syria. Update on the Ukraine war. China places new missiles in a South China Sea island. As this is Black History Month, we discuss Rev. Martin Luther King’s anti-war campaign and reveal startling facts regarding his murder.

Arab history and culture illuminate the current geo-political role of Arabs. The emergence and spread of Islam, the Crusades, the Ottoman Empire, European colonialism, the creation of Israel and its wars with Arabs, and the U.S. invasions. A major theme is the disunity of the Arabs.

China's global economic expansion. U.S. use of foreign paramilitaries and U.S. special forces. The ancient ties of Russia to the Byzantine Empire and Russia's centuries old struggle with the Turks. Republican presidential candidates split on Syrian war policy.

After reviewing the West’s military response to the latest ISIS terror attacks, we discuss what the Arab nations can contribute to the war against ISIS. Also, we discuss the confrontation between the U.S. and China in the South China Sea.

Russia’s new military campaign in Syria detailed and analyzed. Important role of Russian allies Iran, Hezbollah of Lebanon and Cuba in Syrian ground fighting. U.S. response. Foreign policy in the presidential race.

We describe Russian aircraft, missiles and troops in Syria and how they may affect the war there. Secretary of State Kerry hints at military cooperation with the Russians in Syria. Foreign policy in the second Republican presidential debate.

Kiev reports Russian troops on border. U.S. sends planes and troops to Turkey to fight ISIS as Kurds enter fray and Russians land MIGs in Syria. Assessing Iran nuclear treaty. Japan grapples with World War 2 legacy amid renewed nationalism. U.S. election update.

Military affairs commentator Marchand MacDermotRoe examines the Chinese way of war from Sun Tzu to Mao. He, also, looks at China’s geo-political objectives and military capabilities relative to the U.S. (repeat)

Did the U.S. create ISIS? China's hypersonic WU-14 missile. Russia's new T-14 Armata battle tank. China military white paper anticipates war with U.S. Updates on wars in Ukraine, Syria and Iraq. Russia sells Vietnam advanced submarines and cruise missiles.

The fall of Ramadi to ISIS, NATO's latest maneuvers in Eastern Europe, Chinese and Russian navies in the Mediterranean, Japanese nationalism and a review of the Presidential candidates’ foreign and military policies.

We report on Russia’s massive snap drill in response to NATO, Russian aims in the Baltic and Arctic, Iran’s fighting at Tikrit against the Islamic State, Ukraine’s neo-Nazi Azov Battalion and its ties to jihadist Chechens and we ask “Is the Islamic State really Muslim?”

Pro-Russian separatists win victory in Debaltseve, Eastern Ukraine. Islamic State advances in Anbar Province near Iraq’s capital and gains support in other Muslim countries. Analysis and critique of the U.S. military response and overall strategy vis a vis Russia and the Islamic State.

After reviewing the terror attack on the French newspaper Charlie Hebdo, we discuss Russia’s participation in the Ukraine war, the Israeli bombing raid in Syria and the shortcomings of the new U.S. F-35 fighter jet.

U.S. restoration of relations with Cuba is seen as part of the global conflict with Russia. Also, we present an update on the war in the Ukraine and on ISIS and we remember the Christmas Truce of World War I.

Senator John McCain becomes chairman of Armed Services. How will this affect war policy? Additionally, we discuss the latest developments in the Mideast, the war against ISIS in Iraq and Syria, the conflict in Eastern Ukraine, and Russian President Putin’s speech blaming U.S. a sharply increased likelihood of major power conflict.

In this edition of the In Context War Report, we explore the nature of proxy warfare, discuss examples from history and consider whether current proxy wars may result in a direct conflict between the major powers.

In this edition of the In Context War Report, we discuss, President Obama’s new escalation of the war in Iraq and Syria in response to ISIS.

In this edition of the In Context War Report, we discuss the recent fighting in Palestine and paths to peace including a one state solution. We, also, examine the new U.S. military action in Iraq against ISIS.

In this edition of the In Context War Report, we discuss the reopening of Russia’s intelligence and surveillance center in Cuba, U.S. capacity to defeat China in a Pacific war and the role of Islamic sects in the global wars.

In this edition of the In Context War Report, we examine the dramatic advances in Iraq of the troops the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, the latest developments in the Ukraine civil war, and China’s plans for a new base in the energy rich South China Sea.

In this edition of the In Context War Report, we discuss the fighting in Eastern Ukraine, U.S. support for al Qaeda in Libya and Syria, and U.S. and Chinese cyber spying.

In this edition of the In Context War Report, we report on the latest developments in the Ukraine, the relevance of conventional warfare, the changing role of Europe and the legacy of western intervention in Russia’s civil war.

In this edition of the In Context War Report, we discuss the military and geo-political implications of the Ukraine crisis, the career and goals of Vladimir Putin, the Ukraine’s strategic importance and compare U.S. and Russian military capabilities.