The Sosh Podcast

About

The Sosh Podcast is a co-production of the Sosh Research Lab and WKDT at West Point. Our Department motto is “Humani nihil alienum,” meaning “nothing human is alien to us,” and with this podcast, we’ll endeavor to increase our understanding of what’s going on in the world through the lenses of political science and economics. Show notes at https://www.westpoint.edu/academics/academic-departments/social-sciences/sosh-research-lab/podcast

Ep27- Counterterrorism in the Age of Great Power Competition, ft. Javed Ali and Audrey Alexander.
For this episode, MAJ Haz Yano interviews Javed Ali and Audrey Alexander to talk about the relevance of counterterrorism in the age of great power competition. What is the evolving security landscape in the 2022? Is counterterrorism outdated and irreleva...
Ep26- Autonomy without Authority: Japanese Civil-Military Relations ft. Prof. Stephen Saideman
For this episode of the Sosh Podcast, MAJ Haz Yano interviews Professor Stephen Saideman from Carleton University to talk about the state of civil-military relations in Japan. They discuss Japan’s increasingly perilous security situation, whether Japan’s...
Ep25- The Honorable John Tien, Deputy Secretary of DHS
For this episode of the Sosh Podcast, MAJ Haz Yano and Dr. Scott Limbocker interview the Honorable John Tien, Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security. The hosts spoke with him about the history of the Department of Homeland Security, the challenges of mana...
Ep 24- Dr. Jason Lyall on Divided Armies
On this episode, CPT Charlene Hoadwonic interviews Dr. Jason Lyall from Dartmouth College to talk about his book, Divided Armies. How does a state’s pre-war levels of equity and inclusion impact a military’s battlefield performance? Does diversity in a m...
Ep. 23- Craig Whiteside, Daniel Milton, and Audrey Alexander on the al-Mawla Interrogation Reports: Deconstructing the Islamic State Leader
For this edition of the Sosh Pod, Audrey Alexander moderates a discussion between Dr. Daniel Milton, Director of the USMA Combatting Terrorism Center (CTC), and Dr. Craig Whiteside, Associate Professor of National Security Affairs at the US Naval War Col...
Ep. 22: Doug Livermore from No One Left Behind (NOLB) and Saving the Afghan Interpreters
For this edition of the Sosh Podcast, MAJ Sam Wilkins and MAJ Kyle Atwell interview Doug Livermore from No One Left Behind (NOLB), a nonprofit dedicated to assisting wartime interpreters who have worked for the United States during the Global War on Terr...
Episode 21- Ali Wyne on the US-China Relationship: Competition, Collaboration, and Compartmentalization
For this edition of the Sosh Pod, CPT Tony Palocaren interviews Ali Wyne from the Eurasia Group’s Global Macro Project about the US-China Relationship – how the competition between the two nations has evolved over the past decade, the role that diplomacy...
Episode 20: Summer Reading with ADM (Ret) James Stavridis
For Episode 20 of the SOSH Podcast, we interview Retired ADM James Stavridis to talk about his recent book, 2034: A Novel of the Next World War. MAJ Tom Fox makes a return to the podcast to speak with ADM Stavridis about writing a fiction book as a milit...
Episode 19: LTG (Ret) Sean MacFarland on the Use of Mechanized Forces in Counterinsurgency
For Episode 19 of the SOSH Podcast, we interview the former Commander of III Corps, LTG (Ret.) Sean MacFarland. In a conversation with the SOSH Department’s MAJ Ryan Van Wie, LTG MacFarland reflected on his time as Brigade Commander of the “Ready First” ...
Episode 18: Cadet Theses in American Politics
For this episode of the Sosh Podcast, MAJ AJ Glubzinski interviews three (former) cadets from the Class of 2021 who completed senior thesis projects in American Politics. Their paper topics covered a broad range of topics, such as measuring the economic ...
Episode 17: Addressing the Challenge of Extremism and the Military
On this episode, Sosh faculty members Audrey Alexander and Mike Robinson talk about the emerging concerns over extremism in the military, how the portrayal of this threat is sometimes distorted, and what the military, government, and the public should do...
Episode 16: Ambassador Nicholas Burns on NATO, Democracies, and China
Following up on Episode 15 where we talked about NATO with LTC Seth Johnston, we continue our deep dive into NATO by sitting down for a conversation with Ambassador Nicholas Burns, Former US Ambassador to NATO. Ambassador Burns spoke with CPT Tony Paloca...
Episode 15: Why NATO Matters, featuring Dr. Seth Johnston
In this edition of the podcast, SOSH Faculty Alumni Dr. Seth Johnston sits down to talk with us about the history and future of NATO: How did an organization originally intended as a defense alliance against Germany and the Soviet Union morph into a majo...
Episode 14: Restoring Thucydides and the Classics, featuring Dr. Jay Parker
On this episode of the SOSH Podcast, COL (Ret.) Jay Parker and Dr. Scott Silverstone sit down to talk about Dr. Parker’s latest book, “Restoring Thucydides: Testing Familiar Lessons and Deriving New Ones.” The two discussed topics such as why Thucydides ...
Episode 13: The Foreign Policy Toolkit
In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Anne Bennett and MAJ Thomas Dyrenforth to discuss the dynamics of civil-military cooperation and implementing foreign policy at U.S. diplomatic missions around the world. Dr. Bennett talks about her experience as a S...
Episode 12: West Point Cadets on Why They Chose SOSH
On this episode, we talk to four cadets from the Class of 2021 on why they chose to major in the Department of Social Sciences at West Point. CDT Maxwell Myers (International Affairs Major and Grand Strategy Minor) moderates a panel featuring CDT Mikayla...
Episode 11: Dr. Risa Brooks, MAJ Michael Robinson, and Dr. Heidi Urben on the Socialization of Civil Military Norms and Non-Partisanship
On this edition of the SOSH podcast, we sit down with Risa Brooks, Michael Robinson, and Heidi Urben to discuss their upcoming paper on the socialization of civil-military norms for West Point cadets. How do cadets interpret the concept of civilian contr...
Episode 10: Dr. Michael Warner and LTC John Childress on "The Use of Force for State Power"
For this episode of the SOSH Podcast, Dr. Michael Warner and LTC John Childress talk about their new book, “The Use of Force for State Power: History and Future.” They discuss their model of analyzing how leaders can apply force against adversaries, both...
The Sosh Podcast: Episode 9, Talking Afghanistan with AMB Lute, Part 2
During this second part of MAJ Glubzinski’s interview with AMB Lute, they dive into development assistance and security force assistance in Afghanistan. They assess successes and failures, reflect on what we’ve accomplished over 19 years, and discuss pos...
The Sosh Podcast: Episode 8, Talking Afghanistan with AMB Lute, Part 1
MAJ AJ Glubzinski sits down with Ambassador Doug Lute to talk about Afghanistan. 19 years into American involvement there with so many twists, turns, and lessons learned along the way, they cover a lot of ground in this first part of their conversation f...

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Episodes