Is the Russia–Ukraine War a Failure of Strategy? With Lawrence Freedman

Intelligence Squared

News, Society & Culture, Arts, News Commentary

4.2 • 1.2K Ratings

🗓️ 15 March 2026

⏱️ 49 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In an age of grinding wars, nuclear brinkmanship, and political volatility, what does strategy really mean - and how do leaders make decisions when the world feels chaotic? In this episode, Lawrence Freedman draws on decades of scholarship and his experience as official historian of the Falklands War and adviser to the UK’s Iraq inquiry to explore how strategy evolves under pressure. Together with Adam McCauley, Freedman discusses the long arc of the Russia–Ukraine conflict and the opportunities seized and missed along the way. They examine the uneasy balance between rational calculation and irrational impulse in global conflict, whether Putin could be serious about nuclear escalation, and whether Donald Trump’s unpredictable actions on the world stage represent the absence of strategy - or a strategy in itself. If you'd like to become a Member and get access to all our full conversations, plus all of our Members-only content, just visit intelligencesquared.com/membership to find out more. For £4.99 per month you'll also receive: - Full-length and ad-free Intelligence Squared episodes, wherever you get your podcasts - Bonus Intelligence Squared podcasts, curated feeds and members exclusive series - 15% discount on livestreams and in-person tickets for all Intelligence Squared events ... Or Subscribe on Apple for £4.99: - Full-length and ad-free Intelligence Squared podcasts - Bonus Intelligence Squared podcasts, curated feeds and members exclusive series … Already a subscriber? Thank you for supporting our mission to foster honest debate and compelling conversations! Visit intelligencesquared.com to explore all your benefits including ad-free podcasts, exclusive bonus content and early access. … Subscribe to our newsletter here to hear about our latest events, discounts and much more. https://www.intelligencesquared.com/newsletter-signup/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:59.0	Welcome to Intelligence Squared, where great minds meet.
1:02.0	I'm producer Mia Serente.
1:05.0	When leaders choose war, what guides their decisions?
1:08.0	At a time of rising tensions between the US and Iran, and continued fighting in Ukraine and in the Middle East,
1:14.6	should we understand today's conflicts as the result of clear strategic thinking, or the absence of it?
1:21.6	On today's episode, academic and author Lawrence Friedman joins us to shed light on the long history of thinking about strategy
1:28.1	and what it reveals about how leaders weigh risk, power and uncertainty in an increasingly
1:33.5	unstable world. Let's join our host Adam McCauley now with more.
1:39.8	Welcome to Intelligence Squared. I'm your host, Adam McCauley. Our guest today needs little introduction. His book on the evolution of nuclear strategy,
1:48.8	published in 1981, has been called a Bible by scholars in the field. His later work on
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