The Bulwark69%
The Anti-Strategic President (w/ Hal Brands) 48%
By Eric S. Edelman23%
7/20/2026, 1:45:48 AM
BS Summary: This article contains 12 faulty reasoning types, including Availability Heuristic, Optimism Bias, and Hasty Generalization, with Framing Effect as the most egregious example at 21.2% saturation with 39 hits. Analysis detected 342 faulty-reasoning hits from 184 analyzed words, generating a BS Score of 49.8% and a BS Rank of 48% (9,799 of 18,798 articles). This article is better (less manipulative) than 52.10% of the article peer group.
Eric welcomes back friend of the show Professor Hal Brands, the Henry A.
Kissinger Distinguished Professor of Global Studies at Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies.
The two discuss Hal’s recent work, beginning with his column in Bloomberg dissecting the key strategic errors that Trump has made in the ongoing war with Iran.
Hal then breaks down his recent essay with Michael Beckley in Foreign Affairs, which examines global conflict through the lens of “heartland” and “rimland” coalitions.
Finally, they turn to Hal’s latest edited volume which brings together essays by a large group of scholars considering the many ways that AI may change the nature of international affairs, the conduct of war, and global order.
Hal Brands’ latest in Bloomberg:
https://www.aei.org/op-eds/trumps-iran-blunder-shows-strategy-can-defeat-firepower/
Hal Brands & Michael Beckley’s latest in Foreign Affairs:
https://www.foreignaffairs.com/china/heartland-vs-rimland-beckley-brands
The Geopolitics of AI: Power, Conflict, and the Future of Global Order:
Free PDF via Johns Hopkins University Press
Hard copy via Amazon
Shield of the Republic is a Bulwark podcast co-sponsored by the Miller Center of Public Affairs at the University of Virginia.
Analysis
Hover over highlighted words in the article to view the associated bias or fallacy analysis.