Winning and Losing (E134)

About this episode

This episode explores the concepts of winning and losing in modern warfare through the lens of historical military theorists.

The United States is in yet another war. The usual pundits say that we cannot win while others say we have already won. The same people seem to say nearly the same things about Russia’s war in Ukraine. I doubt that pundits in either camp can coherently describe what winning or losing a war means or looks like. So, in this episode, I will once again lean heavily on Carl von Clausewitz to describe what has always been true about winning a war and how that applies to current wars. For the pro-Sun Tzu crowd, stay with me to the end as he makes a rare appearance in my podcasts. Disclaimer: The information in these podcasts is my own opinion and does not represent that of the Department of Defense or any other organization I am or have been affiliated with. Music: Wagner, R. and the USMC Band, Siegfried’s Funeral (Public Domain)

People in this episode

Host: Chris Mayer

Topics covered

• war
• strategy
• winning
• losing
• Clausewitz
• Ukraine
• Sun Tzu

Keywords

• war
• winning
• losing
• Clausewitz
• Sun Tzu
• Ukraine
• strategy

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Department of Defense, USMC Band

Books & works: Siegfried’s Funeral

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