Battleground

In this episode of Battleground, host Saul David is joined by acclaimed historian and Pulitzer Prize finalist James M. Scott to discuss his brilliant new book, Empire of Ashes: Truman, Hirohito, and the Descent into Total War.

Completing his gripping decade-long trilogy on the American aerial bombardment of Japan (following Target Tokyo and Black Snow), James delves into the dramatic final four months of the Second World War in the East. Together, Saul and James explore:

The Scientific & Political Genesis: The massive secret undertaking of the Manhattan Project, the building of secretive atomic cities, and the heavy burden placed on President Harry Truman as he assumed office.
Emperor Hirohito’s Delicate Peace Push: How the isolated Japanese leader navigated a military desperate for a catastrophic mainland showdown, ultimately pulling his nation back from total destruction.
The Debate Over Use: The fierce moral and scientific opposition led by figures like Leo Szilard, the calculation of staggering potential invasion casualties, and whether Japan would have surrendered without the atomic bombs.

In the second half of the conversation, the discussion pivots from 1945 to the modern day, examining the ongoing shadow of nuclear proliferation, the threat posed by reckless actors like Putin's Russia, the future of non-proliferation frameworks following actions regarding Iran, and how the existence of nuclear weapons uniquely reshapes global conflict. Finally, James shares his candid perspective on recent geopolitical developments surrounding Ukraine, shifting US policies, and how upcoming midterm elections could completely alter the political landscape.

Join the Conversation: If you have a question about the war in Ukraine or any of the conflicts we cover, email us at podbattleground@gmail.com
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Producer: James Hodgson
A Goalhanger Podcast
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If you're interested in supporting Sebastian and Ethan's Driving Ukraine initiative you can find their donation page here: https://donorbox.org/sebastianandethan
And you can find more information about the charity here: https://drivingukraine.org

In this episode of Battleground Ukraine, Patrick Bishop and Roger Moorhouse examine the shifting geopolitical landscape, rising political turbulence in Europe, and escalating hostility from Washington toward Ukraine.

French Unrest & Le Pen's Programme: The hosts analyse the political consequences of recent mass disturbances across France, Marine Le Pen's pledge to phase out French bilateral assistance to Ukraine within six months, and comparisons to Italy's Giorgia Meloni and Germany's AfD.
Washington's Strategic Pivot: A deep dive into Donald Trump's sharp rhetoric against President Zelensky, his decision to bypass the Lindsey Graham sanctions package, pursue a diesel deal with Moscow, and effectively align with Russia.
Starlink Restrictions & Cyber Update: Reviewing cyber expert David Alexander's report on how speed limits introduced on Starlink/Starshield severely hampered Ukrainian drone defence and military operations.
A Modern Yalta & St Petersburg Fallout: Discussion surrounding the alarming proposal for a tripartite meeting between Trump, Putin, and Xi Jinping, alongside Steve Witkoff's controversial diplomatic visit to St Petersburg.
Listener Q&A: Patrick and Roger answer listener questions regarding the true motivations behind the diesel deal, Ukrainian targeting strategies and the Kerch Bridge, why the UK is providing jets to support Saudi Arabia against the Houthis, and whether upcoming US midterms will restrict Trump's foreign policy manoeuvres.

Join the Conversation: If you have a question about the war in Ukraine or any of the conflicts we cover, email us at podbattleground@gmail.com
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Producer: James Hodgson
A Goalhanger Podcast
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Around 95% of international internet traffic, as well as vast amounts of energy and data, travels through fibre-optic cables and pipelines resting silently on the ocean floor. Despite being the invisible backbone of modern civilisation, this critical infrastructure remains largely unprotected and increasingly vulnerable to hybrid warfare and deliberate sabotage.

In this episode of The Big Picture, host Roger welcomes Elisabeth Braw, Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council and author of The Undersea War: Ancient Law, Modern Sabotage, and the Struggle for the Ocean Floor.

Together, they dive deep into the hidden vulnerabilities of our global maritime order, discussing:

The Invisible Backbone: How a network of subsea cables—dating back to Victorian-era telegraph lines—powers our modern daily existence.
Modern Sabotage & Shadow Fleets: Real-world case studies of subsea damage, including the cutting of Taiwan’s Matsu Islands cables and the "Christmas Day Massacre" in the Gulf of Finland involving the Russian-linked vessel Eagle S.
Legal Grey Zones: Why UNCLOS (UN Convention on the Law of the Sea) and current international maritime law struggle to hold bad actors accountable in Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs).
Private Tech Giants as Cable Owners: The geopolitical implications of tech giants like Meta, Google, and Amazon owning subsea infrastructure—and the risks of private cyber-retaliation.
A Path Forward: Braw’s proposal for an International Seabed Protection Alliance and a tribute to the "cable surgeons" who repair damaged infrastructure under extreme conditions.

Join the Conversation: If you have a question about the war in Ukraine or any of the conflicts we cover, email us at podbattleground@gmail.com
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Producer: James Hodgson
A Goalhanger Podcast
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As winter approaches, Ukraine faces escalating pressure on both the battlefield and the diplomatic front. In this episode, Patrick Bishop and Saul David unpack alarming allegations from Kyiv that the U.S. government—via Starshield speed restrictions—temporarily crippled Ukraine's ability to track fast-moving ballistic missiles and coordinate frontline operations.
The hosts analyse President Trump’s campaign to pressure President Zelenskyy into halting deep strikes on Russian energy infrastructure, alongside field reports on the grim conditions inside the fortress city of Sloviansk and the relentless drone threat in Kyiv.

Also in this episode:
Cyber Warfare Update: David Alexander breaks down recent Ukrainian drone strikes hitting Russia's primary cloud service provider, Yandex, and the arrest of a pro-Kremlin disinformation blogger in Montenegro.
Listener Q&A: Patrick and Saul answer questions on whether Europe can ever truly bridge the massive intelligence and satellite gap left by the U.S., and examine how Russia is steadily losing its geopolitical hegemony in the South Caucasus and Central Asia.

Join the Conversation: If you have a question about the war in Ukraine or any of the conflicts we cover, email us at podbattleground@gmail.com
Follow us on:
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Producer: James Hodgson
A Goalhanger Podcast
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Battleground The Big Picture, host Patrick Bishop is joined by Oleksandra Matviichuk, head of the Centre for Civil Liberties and recipient of the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize.

Oleksandra discusses the immense human toll of Russia's war on Ukraine, detailing how her team has documented over 100,000 war crimes while striving to return names and dignity to the victims. The conversation explores the urgent push to establish a special international tribunal for the crime of aggression to hold Vladimir Putin and his leadership accountable, the limitations and failures of existing global structures like the International Criminal Court and the United Nations, and the profound resilience of ordinary people in the face of global turbulence.

Tune in for a powerful and thought-provoking discussion on how we can forge a new architecture of international justice, why Europe must move beyond "the weakness of the powerful," and why the defence of human rights matters for the future of the entire world.

Join the Conversation: If you have a question about the war in Ukraine or any of the conflicts we cover, email us at podbattleground@gmail.com
Follow us on:
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Producer: James Hodgson
A Goalhanger Podcast
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.