The Limits of Power

The Limits of Power

From History As It Happens by Martin Di Caro

April 7, 2026 · 48 min

About this episode

Historian Michael Kimmage discusses the limits of power in modern warfare and its implications for global stability.

Keep the narrative flow going in 2026. Subscribe now for early access, ad-free listening, and bonus content! Wars in Eastern Europe and the Greater Middle East are killing and displacing societies and roiling the global economy. There is no end in sight: despite possessing powerful military arsenals and cutting-edge tech, warring states are unable to achieve decisive victories in modern warfare. In this episode, historian Michael Kimmage, the director of the Kennan Institute, defines the limits of power and how the failure to grasp these limits threatens further disorder. Recommended reading: The War in Ukraine Changed the World in Ways We're Only Starting to Comprehend by Michael Kimmage (New York Times) Collisions: The War in Ukraine and the Origins of the New Global Instability by Michael Kimmage

People in this episode

Host: Martin Di Caro

Guest: Michael Kimmage

Topics covered

  • modern warfare
  • limits of power
  • global economy
  • Eastern Europe
  • Middle East conflict
  • historical analysis

Keywords

  • modern warfare
  • power limits
  • global instability
  • Eastern Europe
  • Middle East
  • military technology
  • historical context

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Kennan Institute

Books & works: The War in Ukraine Changed the World in Ways We're Only Starting to Comprehend, Collisions: The War in Ukraine and the Origins of the New Global Instability

Places: Eastern Europe, Greater Middle East, Ukraine

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