Ep 078 "Iran and I Lost: The American Empire Tilts Again"

Ep 078 "Iran and I Lost: The American Empire Tilts Again"

From Chasing Ghosts: An Irregular Warfare Podcast by Bill Buppert

March 2, 2026 · 45 min · Season 1 · Episode 78

About this episode

Bill Buppert discusses the implications of the escalating conflict in Iran and its impact on future warfare.

With Western conflict in Iran escalating and in train, I discuss the vagaries and verities of the nuclear gambit in Iran in the Middle East and what this will mean to the future of warfare for the reminder of this century. I assess how the RMAs rapidly displacing centuries-old conflict norms are going to look for the remainder of the century. Buppert’s Law of Military Topography: “Mountainous terrain held by riflemen who know what they are about cannot be militarily defeated.” For other insight on Iran, I recommend CG episodes 061 and 067 . References: Points of Resistance and Departure: An interview with James C. Scott Lester Grau and Charles J. Bartles Mountain Warfare and Other Lofty Problems: Foreign mountain combat veterans discuss movement and maneuver, training and resupply (Helion Studies in Military History) Lester Grau The Bear Went Over The Mountain: Soviet Combat Tactics In Afghanistan [Illustrated Edition] Lester Grau The Other Side of the Mountain: Mujahideen Tactics in the Soviet-Afghan War Mark Thompson The White War: Life and Death on the Italian Front 1915-1919 James C. Scott The Art of Not Being Governed: An Anarchist History of Upland Southeast Asia Sun Tzu…

People in this episode

Host: Bill Buppert

Topics covered

  • Iran conflict
  • nuclear warfare
  • military strategy
  • future of warfare
  • RMA
  • military topography

Keywords

  • Iran
  • nuclear gambit
  • military strategy
  • RMA
  • warfare
  • Buppert's Law
  • Middle East

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: The Bear Went Over The Mountain: Soviet Combat Tactics In Afghanistan [Illustrated Edition], The Other Side of the Mountain: Mujahideen Tactics in the Soviet-Afghan War, The White War: Life and Death on the Italian Front 1915-1919, The Art of Not Being Governed: An Anarchist History of Upland Southeast Asia, The Art of War, On War, A Book of Five Rings: The Classic Guide to Strategy, The Last Hundred Yards: The NCO’s Contribution to Warfare, The Kill Chain: Defending America in the Future of High-Tech Warfare

Places: Iran, Middle East

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