Episode 18: World War II and the Early Cold War

Profiles in Strategy

In this episode, Jon O’Gorman hosts Andrew Wilson, Michael Dennis, and Nicholas Sarantakes in a discussion about the grand strategy of the Second World War. They begin by talking about the Europe First strategy and what it meant for the United States on the home front: socially, economically, and politically. Next, they discuss how the Sino-Japanese Conflict that started in the 1930s was the real underlying cause that drew the U.S. into the war. The theory of Douhet’s air power as a strategy to defeat Germany and Japan is discussed as well as the how the war was terminated differently in each theater. Finally, the contemporary parallel is drawn as they look at two theories of containment of Communism in the early cold war as an allegory to the actions of the U.S. support of Ukraine and Taiwan today.