Episode 14: The Past, Present and Future of American and Global Wars

What does war mean in the context of the 21st century? How has 9/11 and the so-called War on Terror shaped American life? And, what do the conflicts of the future look like? 

M reflects on his brief stint at the United States Military Academy, and L shares about the military’s influence on the manosphere. They think about the role of technological innovations like drones, artificial intelligence, and robots, as well as present-day conflicts such as Russia-Ukraine, and the formidability of non-state actors in Myanmar and Hamas (18:30). They further reflect on the military’s relationship with shaping national pride and identity, tracing the shift away from the draft to a professionalized military with family ties (35:30). They conclude by asking what war will look like when it is brought against the state’s own citizens, with particular attention to the roles National Guards may play (44:00). 

Notes and Sources

*This episode was recorded in October 2024; since then, the U.S. armed forces under Pete Hegseth have banned affirmative action at service academies *

“America Isn’t Ready for the Wars of the Future,” Mark A. Milley and Eric Schmidt, https://www.foreignaffairs.com/united-states/ai-america-ready-wars-future-ukraine-israel-mark-milley-eric-schmidt?utm_medium=social

“Barack Obama doubles US troop levels for War against ISIS in Iraq” https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2014/nov/07/obama-doubles-us-troop-levels-iraq-isis 

Frederic Jameson, “An American Utopia: Dual Power and the Universal Army” https://archive.org/details/americanutopiadu0000jame 

“Megacities and Urban Warfare in the 21st Century: The City as Cemetery of Revolutionaries and Resources”  https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2189&context=jss

“Robot-delivered lethal explosive in Dallas police standoff was a first, experts say” https://www.pbs.org/newshour/science/robot-delivered-lethal-explosive-in-dallas-police-standoff-was-a-first-experts-say 

“The U.S. Military’s Recruiting Crisis” https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2025/02/10/the-us-militarys-recruiting-crisis