Who would win a war in Europe?

Oh God, What Now?

Podmasters

Politics, Government, News, Society & Culture

4.6 • 2.5K Ratings

🗓️ 7 October 2025

⏱️ 62 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Nobody wants to imagine a large-scale war in Europe. But after Putin invaded Ukraine and Trump tore up Europe’s security guarantee, it’s horribly plausible. Is Russia as powerful as Putin wants us to think? Is there more to military power than tanks and guns? Why do strategists keep making the wrong predictions? And what does Pete Hegseth’s unhinged locker-rom pep talk/incitement to the US military to commit war crimes mean for any American role in the world? In a fascinating, surprise-packed conversation Phillips Payson O’Brien, Professor of Strategic Studies at St Andrews University and author of new book War and Power: Who Wins Wars and Why gives Andrew Harrison and Jacob Jarvis an urgent update on the realities of military power. • Buy War and Power through our affiliate bookshop and you’ll help fund OGWN by earning us a small commission for every sale. Bookshop.org’s fees help support independent bookshops too. ESCAPE ROUTES • Phillips recommends Better Call Saul on Netflix. • Jarv recommends horror movies Weapons and Bring Her Back. • Andrew went to see Roland Gift of Fine Young Cannibals. Buy any book through our affiliate bookshop and you’ll help fund OGWN by earning us a small commission for every sale. Bookshop.org’s fees help support independent bookshops too. • Head to nakedwines.co.uk/ohgodwhatnow to get 6 top-rated wines from our sponsor Naked Wines for £39.99, delivery included. • Advertisers! Want to reach smart, engaged, influential people with money to spend? (Yes, they do exist). Some 3.5 MILLION people download and watch our podcasts every month – and they love our shows. Why not get YOUR brand in front of our influential listeners with podcast advertising? Contact [email protected] to find out more • Back us on Patreon for ad-free listening, bonus materials and more. Written and presented by Andrew Harrison with Jacob Jarvis. Audio/video production by Chris Jones. Theme music by Cornershop. Art direction: James Parrett. Produced by Chris Jones. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. OH GOD, WHAT NOW? is a Podmasters production. www.podmasters.co.uk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	I'm Alison Phillips.
0:01.3	And I'm John Ewich.
0:02.4	And this edition of Oh God What Now is sponsored by naked wines.
0:07.5	A great tasting wine is one of life's little treats.
0:11.1	But it's not always easy to find.
0:13.5	Especially when you're in the supermarket and all the wines kind of look the same.
0:17.0	Good thing there's naked wines.
0:18.8	Skip the fath, shop with confidence and enjoy hundreds of excellent wines from world-class independent winemakers. As a member of myself, I love that I can try stuff I wouldn't find anywhere else. Even better. Each bottle costs up to 33% less compared to other retailers. So you know you're always getting great wine and a great price.
0:41.2	Plus, there's no need to leave the house. Naked delivers the wine straight to your doorstep.
0:45.5	And if you ever feel like a wine doesn't quite hit the spot, you can always get a credit back to try something else. Good luck doing that in a supermarket. Now today, we are going to be trying
0:51.8	Simpsons of Servian Rose.
0:54.9	Right, here we go.
0:56.0	So it's giving vibes of like hanging out in Provence with my family, which is lovely.
0:59.9	Which is nice memory to have on a Friday afternoon when I probably shouldn't be drinking wine at this time.
1:04.4	Oh, that's lovely.
1:04.9	It gives me sort of vibes of maybe sitting in a park, the sun's shining, which it is today.
1:11.3	I have no idea how to talk about wine, but it's delicious.
1:13.8	You will enjoy it.
1:15.4	It is really, really nice.
1:16.8	I'm going to have another little glug there.
1:18.0	That is really lovely.
1:20.1	So if you like the sound of that, there's an offer exclusively for Oh God What Now listeners.
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Podmasters, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Podmasters and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.