While Western leaders, media, and institutions have condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and its conduct of the ongoing war—characterizing it as a brutal act of naked aggression—to many Russians, their military forces are heroes, protecting the Russian nation, its place in the world, and its very identity. What explains this extraordinarily different perspective? This episode features a discussion with Dr. Jade McGlynn, a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of War Studies at King’s College London and author of two recently published books that combine to shed light on this question. As she explains, there is a complex set of layers through which the war is understood—layers composed of history, issues of identity, and national narratives. This means that, effectively, Russians are watching an entirely different war than those in the West.
Gen. David Petraeus had a remarkable military career—including commanding the 101st Airborne Division at the beginning of the Iraq War and later commanding all...
In this episode of the Modern War Institute podcast, MWI editorial director John Amble speaks to Dr. James Giordano, the Chief of the Neuroethics...
The term "cohesion" features prominently in discussions of military effectiveness, especially at the small-unit level. We all know intuitively what it means, but understanding...