I recently published part 3 (of 4) of my epic Dangerous History series, "The Mad Dream of Conquest," about the Athenian expedition to Sicily to attack Syracuse, the largest city on that island, during the Peloponnesian War in the 5th century BC. This story has a shocking (& unfortunate) amount of relevance to current events: an imperial democracy, high on hubris & at the urging of far-away states, launching an unnecessary, aggressive war of choice against a faraway land that, it turned out, was much better able to defend itself than the Athenian proto-neocons said it would be. The Athenians learn the hard way that logistics & geography matter a lot, that wars rarely go according to plan, that having an unclear strategy doesn't help, & that escalation of an ill-conceived war only makes things worse & doesn't increase your odds of success. Check it out here, or look up the Dangerous History Podcast on your preferred podcast platform. (And be sure to check out the first 2 parts if you haven't already!)

Fountain: Podcasts & Music

The Dangerous History Podcast • Ep. 0290: ‘The Mad Dream of Conquest,’ Pt. III • Listen on Fountain

Here it is, FINALLY — the third installment of ‘The Mad Dream of Conquest’ series, about the Athenian expedition to Sicily during...

My epic labors on pt 3 of “The Mad Dream of Conquest” continue - I’ve got the first segment recorded & edited, & my notes (currently ~40 pgs) are almost complete- just a few more things to add in the latter parts. Doing my best to get it all done by Friday! 🤞🥵😅💪

Gee, the first paragraph of the prologue of the book Hubris: The Tragedy of War in the Twentieth Century by Alastair Horne (published 2015) sure is interesting.🤔

Today is the 59th anniversary of the deliberate & unprovoked Israeli attack on the USS Liberty, an electronic surveillance ship that was in international waters at the time. 34 Americans were killed, 171 wounded, & the ship nearly sunk. For a detailed explanation of the event & its context, check out my 4 hr+ Dangerous History Podcast episode on it: https://fountain.fm/episode/hMuZZSj2tslFFLswUqYI