Mailbag Episode

Plus trips to Moscow, elections in Germany, and more.1:10 Jackassery of the Week19:48 Remembering 9/1145:11 To Russia With Love54:18 AfD Election Implications1:01:15 AI Alarm Bells1:04:25 Iran War UpdateFormer Senior Officials Ask Secretary Wright to Release Saudi Nuclear Deal DocumentsEric’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.comIs 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 Week12:36: Trump’s Canada Trade War18:29: Eliot’s Trip Report from Japan35:56: Venezuelan Oil44:32: Iran War Update55:57: The View From Eastern Europe---59:31: Professor Paul Miller Joins the Show1:02:42: Myths About the War in Afghanistan1:09:02: Key Decisions in the War1:13:45: Counterinsurgency & Counterterrorism1:18:24: Bureaucratic Missteps1:23:55: The Pakistan Dilemma1:33:07: U.S. Policy Reviews During the War1:39:48: The Afghanistan PapersChoosing Defeat: The Twenty-Year Saga of How America Lost AfghanistanBureaucracy Does Its ThingAfghanistan Study Group Final Report: A Pathway for Peace in AfghanistanWhy The Afghan Security Forces CollapsedQuestion for the show? Email [email protected]! 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 [email protected] 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/0g3rRF6sShield 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.pdfCSIS Report on Low Munition Stocks:https://www.csis.org/analysis/six-reasons-why-united-states-low-munitionsIISS 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-01006937Tucker Carlson's Manifesto:https://www.axios.com/2026/08/06/tucker-carlson-third-party-israel-trumpShield 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.htmlTyrants and Rogues: Understanding the Declaration of Independencehttps://a.co/d/0bPfR7hlShield 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.

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 strategic errors that Trump has made in the ongoing war with Iran. Hal then breaks down his recent essay with Michael Beckley in Foreign Affairs, which examines global conflict through the lens of "heartland" and "rimland" coalitions. Finally, they turn to Hal's latest edited volume which brings together essays by a large group of scholars considering the many ways that AI may change the nature of international affairs, the conduct of war, and global order. Hal Brands' latest in Bloomberg:https://www.aei.org/op-eds/trumps-iran-blunder-shows-strategy-can-defeat-firepower/Hal Brands & Michael Beckley's latest in Foreign Affairs:https://www.foreignaffairs.com/china/heartland-vs-rimland-beckley-brandsThe Geopolitics of AI: Power, Conflict, and the Future of Global Order:Free PDF via Johns Hopkins University Press Hard copy via AmazonShield of the Republic is a Bulwark podcast co-sponsored by the Miller Center of Public Affairs at the University of Virginia.