History Impossible

Hey everyone. No preamble here. Just a nice bonus as a thank you for your continued support. As the title suggests, this is an audio adaptation of an essay I wrote about the 25th anniversary of 9/11 and how it led me to reflect on my generation, that is millennials, seems to believe about itself regarding trauma, adversity, and the future.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/history-impossible--5634566/support.

We often hear about how the Second World War was more morally nuanced and complex than we have been led to believe. This is, to a certain extent, very true. The Axis powers meted out a level of genocidal destruction and suffering upon tens of millions of people across the world, decimating generations in places as far flung as Poland and the Philippines, and Croatia and China. To call their actions existential by their very nature is to arguably undersell the threat they posed. The Allies realized these were the stakes and were eventually faced with a very real question: what would it take to stop such a threat? It required what many have come to believe was the unthinkable: meeting destruction with destruction. And in meeting the Axis violence with more violence did indeed bring the war to its ultimate end.But was it the right thing to do?This episode of History Impossible aims to address that question, one that has vexed generations of historians and commentators, and inflamed debates that last until this very day. The immense fury with which Allied air forces pummeled German cities, particularly Dresden and Hamburg, has been well-covered, including on this very program. But perhaps the most shocking devastation came on the night of March 9-10, 1945, when the United States Army Air Force conducted a daring raid over Tokyo, resulting in a death toll that dwarfed even that created by the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki several months later. The fires of war became more literal than they had ever been, and it had all been part of a deliberate campaign to crush the spirit of the Japanese. The bombers, and eventually the United States, accomplished their mission to bring the Empire of Japan to its knees. The suffering of the millions under Hirohito’s boot would be brought to an end. But at what cost?Many will go into this story with an answer to that question in the affirmative or negative at the ready. I thought I did. I came out the other side less certain, and I hope all of you who listen do as well. Because uncertainty should is something with which we should all be more comfortable, especially when it comes to the subject of war, even when we make defensible decisions.....History Impossible has been made possible by the following generous supporters on Patreon, Substack, and PayPal. Please consider donating today if you want to show some love for what I do and make and what to help keep the show and all my written content going:David AdamcikMonica AlmirallDavid AlsbachGregg Andersonapproso1999Rajan AthulRobert BabeonMichael BeachBenjaminGreg BosaiJohannes BreitsameterCarol ABCCarol ChappelleCharles CChomo the ClownCurtis ChristiansenJason ColemanClayton ConnellClickCliffydeuceCRCraig CrawfordB.CyrdaddygorgonLynda DavisPaul DeCosterRegina Dick-EndrizziNeil DickensNathan DiehlBob DowningDramicasEastoneGavin EdwardsSnow FarmerHowie FeltersnatchMatt GassnerPierre GhazarianJosh GoedertElena GomelSam GrahamJayson GriesmeyerNathan GroteBenjamin HamiltonPeter HauckJack HennemanEric HodgesMike JarulicJoe6245Lionel JosephThomas JustesenMike KalninsBryn KaufmanLeah KodnerConstance LoucksMaddyMounty of MadnessJose MartinezMike MaylebenS.M. McAvoyJudy McCoidMikeKyle MohneyKostas MorosRyan MortensonJohn MullerCameron NeedhamSean PSkip PachecoDavid PageMolly PanPhilip PomerantzSr. PowellBrian PritzlAnaR737PJ RaderGleb RadutskyAleksandr RakitinReptilycusMatthew M. RicePhillip RiceCheryl RobertsonTerry RosenRun Tough MindsetAndrew SDan SJon Andre SaetherJake ScaliaEmily SchmidtJulian SchmidtScryptarAndrew SeeberShiranJoshua SimpsonCameron SmithJerry Spanglertimetosuccedd1995Thomas SqueoAthal Krishna SundarrajanJared Cole TempleAnn ToutMike USWard Van RoyPierre VorupuniRobert VSNate WadeweaverapJonny WilkieChristian WilsonJanora WinsorM. YaoBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/history-impossible--5634566/support.

In this newest episode of History Impossible we’re joined a second time by Richard Lim, host of the This American President podcast, who last appeared on this program a couple years ago to discuss the insane, contentious election of 1876. He is also the author of a new book, Refusing a Crown: How George Washington Changed the World, which releases on October 13, 2026, and covers the most significant aspect of America’s first president: his restraint from seizing power that almost certainly would have remained his.In this episode, Richard and I spoke about his new book, about Washington’s enduring character, the best and most important of the Founders, the role of deism, the constitutional foundations of the American experiment, and why figures like Washington prove that this experiment endures for a reason, even as it has faced many trials and challenges until this very day (among other topics). The polarization that plagues United States politics in the 21st century is, after all, nothing new, and Washington was among those who recognized this potential, and yet created an example that is easily forgotten. Richard aims to—and I believe succeeds—remind us that there was more to Washington than his supposed inability to tell lies about cherry trees and crossing a river during the Revolution, revealing that he was far more than some “presidential messiah.”...History Impossible has been made possible by the following generous supporters on Patreon, Substack, and PayPal. Please consider donating today if you want to show some love for what I do and make and what to help keep the show and all my written content going:David AdamcikMonica AlmirallDavid AlsbachGregg Andersonapproso1999Rajan AthulRobert BabeonMichael BeachBenjaminGreg BosaiJohannes BreitsameterCarol ABCCarol ChappelleCharles CChomo the ClownCurtis ChristiansenJason ColemanClayton ConnellClickCliffydeuceCRCraig CrawfordB.CyrdaddygorgonLynda DavisPaul DeCosterRegina Dick-EndrizziNeil DickensNathan DiehlBob DowningDramicasEastoneGavin EdwardsSnow FarmerHowie FeltersnatchMatt GassnerPierre GhazarianJosh GoedertElena GomelSam GrahamJayson GriesmeyerNathan GroteBenjamin HamiltonPeter HauckJack HennemanEric HodgesMike JarulicJoe6245Lionel JosephThomas JustesenMike KalninsBryn KaufmanLeah KodnerConstance LoucksMaddyMounty of MadnessJose MartinezMike MaylebenS.M. McAvoyJudy McCoidMikeKyle MohneyKostas MorosRyan MortensonJohn MullerCameron NeedhamSean PSkip PachecoDavid PageMolly PanPhilip PomerantzSr. PowellBrian PritzlAnaR737PJ RaderGleb RadutskyAleksandr RakitinReptilycusMatthew M. RicePhillip RiceCheryl RobertsonTerry RosenRun Tough MindsetAndrew SDan SJon Andre SaetherJake ScaliaEmily SchmidtJulian SchmidtScryptarAndrew SeeberShiranJoshua SimpsonCameron SmithJerry Spanglertimetosuccedd1995Thomas SqueoAthal Krishna SundarrajanJared Cole TempleAnn ToutMike USWard Van RoyPierre VorupuniRobert VSNate WadeweaverapJonny WilkieChristian WilsonJanora WinsorM. YaoBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/history-impossible--5634566/support.

“Because remember: Russia is a religious experience.” Those are the oft-repeated and well-said words by the host of The Eastern Border podcast, my good friend Kristaps Andrejsons. They are well-said because there are very few alternatives for explaining Russian actions, rhetoric, and political culture over the past near half-decade in its World War I-style conflict with Ukraine. The Russian religious experience, made emblematic by Kristaps’ and my favorite shared punching bag Aleksandr Dugin, is a phenomenon best understood as a more formalized and colossal version of what ISIS was ten years ago, and it helps explain why Kristaps believes the spiral of the Russian state as we currently know it is beginning in 2026.In this episode, we discuss the potential for collapse and its consequences (including the potential proliferation of nuclear weapons), as well as the barriers of understanding between the West and East, the state of media coverage and perils of sponsorship, the use (and potentially misguided fear) of AI, and Kristaps’ new book that he is releasing serially on his Substack and Patreon. As is always the case with Kristaps, it was a wide-ranging, enlightening, and fun conversation, and I think it sheds a light on the history being made in his part of the world, as well as the motivations that lay behind it. Russia’s dark autumn (another Kristaps coinage) is almost here and having Kristaps as our Gonzo guide for that coming darkness is a blessing more of us should appreciate.As mentioned in the episode, if you would like to donate to the Car4Ukraine Eastern Border Summer Campaign, please go here and make your donation....History Impossible has been made possible by the following generous supporters on Patreon, Substack, and PayPal. Please consider donating today if you want to show some love for what I do and make and what to help keep the show and all my written content going:David AdamcikMonica AlmirallDavid AlsbachGregg Andersonapproso1999Rajan AthulRobert BabeonMichael BeachBenjaminGreg BosaiJohannes BreitsameterCarol ABCCarol ChappelleCharles CChomo the ClownCurtis ChristiansenJason ColemanClayton ConnellClickCliffydeuceCRCraig CrawfordB.CyrdaddygorgonDannyLynda DavisPaul DeCosterRegina Dick-EndrizziNeil DickensNathan DiehlBob DowningDramicasEastoneGavin EdwardsSnow FarmerHowie FeltersnatchMatt GassnerPierre GhazarianJosh GoedertElena GomelSam GrahamJayson GriesmeyerNathan GroteBenjamin HamiltonPeter HauckJack HennemanEric HodgesMike JarulicJoe6245Lionel JosephThomas JustesenMike KalninsBryn KaufmanLeah KodnerConstance LoucksMaddyMounty of MadnessJose MartinezMike MaylebenS.M. McAvoyJudy McCoidMikeKyle MohneyKostas MorosRyan MortensonJohn MullerCameron NeedhamSean PSkip PachecoDavid PageMolly PanPhilip PomerantzSr. PowellBrian PritzlAnaR737PJ RaderGleb RadutskyAleksandr RakitinReptilycusMatthew M. RicePhillip RiceCheryl RobertsonTerry RosenRun Tough MindsetAndrew SDan SJon Andre SaetherJake ScaliaEmily SchmidtJulian SchmidtScryptarAndrew SeeberShiranJoshua SimpsonCameron SmithJerry Spanglertimetosuccedd1995Thomas SqueoAthal Krishna SundarrajanJared Cole TempleAnn ToutMike USWard Van RoyPierre VorupuniRobert VSNate WadeweaverapJonny WilkieChristian WilsonJanora WinsorF. YouBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/history-impossible--5634566/support.

Antizionism, as it has become, has been having a bit of a moment for going on three years. It is a tough nut to crack, given its various claims of varying legitimacy and, as we have covered more than once on History Impossible, its increasing tendency to veer into outright antisemitism, especially by those looking for a supposedly intellectual and moral veneer for their racial and geopolitical fixations. Part of the reason for this confusion is the complex intellectual history of the position, which, after 1948, became more complicated than the relatively straightforward debate over Jewish statehood before, during, and after the Holocaust.To help make sense of this complicated intellectual history, I was thrilled to be joined by Kile Jones of The Inverted World Substack, which, along with his work for the Times of Israel, has helped map out this historical trajectory and challenge many of the preconceived notions held by many who take their anti-Israel positions for granted. We discussed this trajectory, as well as a number of other subjects, including the time Kile met with Noam Chomsky, his transition from card-carrying Marxist to an old-fashioned liberal, and many other things. It was a great conversation, hopefully the first of many, and I hope you all enjoy the journey we go on together....History Impossible has been made possible by the following generous supporters on Patreon, Substack, and PayPal. Please consider donating today if you want to show some love for what I do and make and what to help keep the show and all my written content going:David AdamcikMonica AlmirallDavid AlsbachGregg Andersonapproso1999Rajan AthulRobert BabeonMichael BeachBenjaminGreg BosaiJohannes BreitsameterCarol ABCCarol ChappelleCharles CChomo the ClownCurtis ChristiansenJason ColemanClayton ConnellClickCliffydeuceCRCraig CrawfordB.CyrdaddygorgonDannyLynda DavisPaul DeCosterRegina Dick-EndrizziNeil DickensNathan DiehlBob DowningDramicasMartin E.EastoneGavin EdwardsSnow FarmerHowie FeltersnatchMatt GassnerPierre GhazarianJosh GoedertElena GomelSam GrahamJayson GriesmeyerNathan GroteBenjamin HamiltonPeter HauckJack HennemanEric HodgesMike JarulicJoe6245Lionel JosephThomas JustesenMike KalninsBryn KaufmanLeah KodnerConstance LoucksMaddyMounty of MadnessJose MartinezMike MaylebenS.M. McAvoyJudy McCoidMikeKyle MohneyKostas MorosRyan MortensonJohn MullerCameron NeedhamSean PSkip PachecoDavid PageMolly PanPhilip PomerantzSr. PowellBrian PritzlAnaR737PJ RaderGleb RadutskyAleksandr RakitinReptilycusMatthew M. RicePhillip RiceCheryl RobertsonTerry RosenRun Tough MindsetAndrew SDan SJon Andre SaetherJake ScaliaEmily SchmidtJulian SchmidtScryptarAndrew SeeberShiranJoshua SimpsonCameron SmithJerry Spanglertimetosuccedd1995Thomas SqueoAthal Krishna SundarrajanJared Cole TempleAnn ToutMike USWard Van RoyPierre VorupuniRobert VSNate WadeweaverapJonny WilkieChristian WilsonJanora WinsorF. YouBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/history-impossible--5634566/support.