About this episode

In this episode, Chris Mayer explores the concept of 'wars of choice' and its implications in modern conflicts, particularly in relation to the current situation with Iran.

I haven’t posted for a few weeks mostly because the current armed conflict with Iran poses a lot of questions that I don’t have answers for. One thing I might have an answer for is the question about wars of choice. Recently, this term is used in a way that implies that this armed conflict is illegitimate or unethical. Like many terms used by any faction with intended political impact, the term is left undefined. Without defining terms there can be no logical argument. Rather, the intent is an appeal to emotion, rather than reason. In this episode of the Ancient Art of Modern Warfare, I take on the challenge of defining that term and applying it to modern conflicts. Music: Traditional, The Army Strings, Garryowen (Public Domain) Holst, G. The Planets: Mars Bringer of War, downloaded from Internet Archive

People in this episode

Host: Chris Mayer

Topics covered

• wars of choice
• armed conflict
• ethics in warfare
• political terminology
• modern conflicts

Keywords

• wars of choice
• armed conflict
• Iran
• ethics
• political terminology
• modern warfare

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Internet Archive

Books & works: The Planets: Mars Bringer of War, Garryowen

Places: Iran

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• When the Law of War Fails (E132) · March 29, 2026 · 11 min

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