EDITOR’S NOTE: The current temporary theme we are using only credits a single guest. This episode featured John Nagl, Matthew Woessner and Ron Granieri.
At the end of January 2023 we ran an article by John Nagl and Matthew Woessner about a fictional student’s ill-informed preparation for his War College comprehensive exams. It was a bit tongue-in-cheek, demonstrating how the student learns the exact wrong lessons by skimming Thucydides’ The History of the Peloponnesian War. Today, 28 March 2023, is the first day of comps for the AY23 resident class and Woessner and Nagl felt they had to step up to the mics to help the students with that last minute cram session. They join podcast editor Ron Granieri to explain the origin of the idea and what students really need to know about T-Diddy.
The events in the ancient past never perfectly parallel what’s happening today…the ability to move back and forth to see the parallels and recognize the differences is the key to trying to tease out some potential lessons.
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John Nagl is an Associate Professor of Warfighting Studies at the U.S. Army War College.
Matthew Woessner is Professor of Institutional Research at the U.S. Army War College.
Ron Granieri is Professor of History at the U.S. Army War College and the Editor of A BETTER PEACE.
The views expressed in this presentation are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect those of the U.S. Army War College, U.S. Army, or Department of Defense.
Photo Description: A statue of Thucydides in front of the Austrian Parliament Building.
Photo Credit: Walter Maderbacher via Wikimedia Commons