What if the problem isn’t that we misunderstand war—but that the frameworks we use to understand it are broken?
In this episode, we sit down with Ben Zweibelson—veteran, theorist, and design troublemaker—for a deep dive into his massive new book Reconceptualizing War. This isn’t about doctrine tweaks or buzzword bingo. Ben takes a sledgehammer to the foundations, arguing that modern military thinking is stuck in rigid, outdated paradigms that can’t explain how war really works.
We talk about how childhood art projects shaped his career, why veterans struggle with identity, and what happens when you tell your boss in Kabul that their beloved center of gravity is nonsense. From Clausewitz to Sun Tzu, Marx to Mao, Ben tears into war theory with philosophical tools most strategists are too scared to touch.
This is Part 1 of a two-part conversation. If you're tired of the same recycled thinking, you’ll want to hear this.
Ben’s Work
Reconceptualizing War – https://amzn.to/4jFUZZY
Twitter - https://x.com/BZweibelson
More from Underground Strategy
Discover Number 788 – https://amzn.to/3BQGmm7
Join the mission – https://undergroundstrategy.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
The Joe Rogan Experience
The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Special Summer Offer: Exclusively on Apple Podcasts, try our Dateline Premium subscription completely free for one month! With Dateline Premium, you get every episode ad-free plus exclusive bonus content.