For more than a year now, the world has watched as Ukrainian cities have become unrecognizable, transformed by the destruction of the ongoing war triggered by Russia's invasion. Bucha, Mariupol, Kherson, Severodonetsk, Lysychansk, Bakhmut—these are just a few among many cities that, when the fighting ends, will face the monumental task of rebuilding. To better understand what that task involves, John Spencer is joined on this episode by retired Colonel Leonard DeFrancisci. A Marine Corps officer, he led a civil affairs detachment during the Second Battle of Fallujah and participated in the massive coalition effort to rebuild the city after the intense fighting and major destruction of the urban battle. He describes that effort in a conversation rich with lessons that will be important when the challenge of rebuilding Ukrainian cities comes.
When Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, one of its first targets was the city of Mariupol. Despite being outnumbered by—and less well equipped...
In this episode, John Spencer is joined by Dr. Anthony King, a professor of war studies at the University of Warwick and the author...
On the morning of March 7, 1988, three members of the Palestine Liberation Organization hijacked a bus full of Israeli women traveling to work...