Kenneth R. Rosen - Polar War
A Book with Legs
Smead Capital Management
4.3 • 1.2K Ratings
🗓️ 19 January 2026
⏱️ 73 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
In this episode, learn how today’s geopolitics, climate change, and key happenings in the Arctic affect people and countries around the globe. The Arctic plays a complex role on the world stage, impacting everything from Russian national identity to shipping routes and military aspirations. Understanding these themes requires a comprehensive look at Arctic history, its exploration, and why it’s considered an important territory for major world powers.
Smead Capital Management CEO and Portfolio Manager Cole Smead is joined by Kenneth R. Rosen, author of “Polar War: Submarines, Spies, and the Struggle for Power in a Melting Arctic." Rosen is the recipient of the Kurt Schork Award for his reporting from Ukraine, Syria, and Malta, and has been featured in The New Yorker, The New York Times, and The Atlantic, among other publications.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | You're listening to A Book with Legs, a podcast presented by Smead Capital Management. |
| 0:07.9 | At Smede Capital Management, we advise investors who play the long game. |
| 0:12.3 | You can learn more at Smedcap.com or by calling your financial advisor. |
| 0:28.2 | Welcome to a book with legs podcast. I'm Cole Smead, CEO and portfolio manager here at Smead Capital Management. |
| 0:34.0 | At our firm, we are readers, and we believe in the power of books to help shape informed investors. |
| 0:38.3 | In this podcast, we speak to great authors about their writings. The late great Charlie Munger prescribed using multiple mental models and analysis. We analyze their work |
| 0:43.9 | through the lens of business, markets, and people. In this episode, we will discuss one of the |
| 0:49.7 | most unbearable places on earth and what often seems to be a typical hotspot of aspiring global |
| 0:56.8 | empires. Kenneth R. Rosen is joining us to talk about his recently published book, Polar War, |
| 1:03.0 | Submarines, Spies, and the Struggle for Power in a Melting Arctic. |
| 1:07.5 | A little background about Mr. Rosen. He was a 2025 IRAA. Lipman Fellow at Columbia University. |
| 1:14.5 | Ken also received the 2022 Kurt Schork Award for his reporting from Ukraine, Syria, and Malta. |
| 1:21.4 | He also published Troubled in 2021 and Bulletproof Vest in 2020. |
| 1:28.3 | Ken is written for the New Yorker, the New York Times, |
| 1:30.6 | and the Atlantic among other publications. |
| 1:33.2 | He spends this time between Italy and Massachusetts. |
| 1:35.5 | And as you mentioned to me before, Ken, |
| 1:37.9 | you're joining us today from Massachusetts. |
| 1:39.6 | So thank for joining me. |
| 1:41.1 | Yeah, thanks for having me. |
| 1:42.2 | I said I'd have a nice long chat. Yeah, this would be fun. |
| 1:46.4 | So, so, you know, I mean, you've traveled a lot of places. You've been a correspondent in some |
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