EPISODE 136
The Bear, The Dragon,
and You
The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan may be over (for now) but that doesn’t leave us in a world without conflict. While we were hip-deep in the Global War on Terror, major great power competitors have been nursing grievances and feeling rising ambitions and opportunities. In this episode, Jim takes a detailed look at the state of play with respect to Russia and China, and how that could affect the US as a nation, and us as individual citizens.
While neither of our great power opponents would benefit from a shooting war with the United States at this point in time, Jim points out that they are both conducting war by other means; the struggles are already underway. Whether by economic means, attempts to control raw material sources, or meddling with public opinion via social media channels, it’s important to be aware of these methods. Listen to this episode to have it all laid out.
Links:
War Without Rules by Robert Spalding
War with Russia by Sr Richard Shirreff
US National Security Strategy
Find us on social media (Facebook/Twitter/Instagram/YouTube) @TacTangents
You can join the conversation in our Facebook Discussion Group.
Find all of our episodes, articles, some reading list ideas, and more on our website www.tacticaltangents.com
Like what we’re doing? Head over to Patreon and give us a buck for each new episode. You can also make a one-time contribution at GoFundMe.
Intro music credit Bensound.com
CLICK BELOW TO SUBSCRIBE NOW ON YOUR FAVORITE PLAYER
THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS! PLEASE GO CHECK THEM OUT
Recent Episodes
The Pen is Mightier Than The Sword… sometimes
This episode explores why communication is not a soft skill—but a core professional competency. Mike and Jim break down how narratives form, spread, and harden in high-stress environments, and why organizations that fail to tell their own story often lose control of it. From each of their own real-world experiences, they show how storytelling affects trust, cooperation, and institutional survival.
Closing the Gaps: Building Competence in High Performing-Teams
In high-stakes professions, the things you don’t see can hurt you. In this episode, Mike and Jim break down how gaps and blind spots develop in training, operations, and leadership—often without anyone realizing it. They dive into cognitive load, skill decay, mismatched expectations, and why even good training pipelines struggle to produce consistent results.