On this week's episode of History Reconsidered, Sumantra Maitra and Jarrett Stepman begin a new series about presidents in war time starting with the man first in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen: George Washington.

Maitra and Stepman explain how Washington's role as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army became a model for the eventual office of the presidency. They explain how Washington crafted a brilliant strategy to ultimately defeat the British Empire, secure independence for a fledgling nation, and bestow the blessings of liberty to the new nation and its posterity.

Finally, they talk about the tricky international situation during Washington's time as president and his farewell address, which became a model of American foreign policy realism.

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On this week's episode of History Reconsidered, Sumantra Maitra and Jarrett Stepman talk about the history of NATO and the sources of Russian aggression both historically and today.

They cover Maitra's new book called, fittingly enough, "The Sources of Russian Aggression: Is Russia a Realist Power?" You can pick up the book on Amazon here: https://www.amazon.com/Sources-Russian-Aggression-Russia-Realist/dp/1666935840/

Maitra explains what the original purpose of NATO was and how it has evolved since the end of the Cold War. What began as a 12-member alliance to contain the Soviet Union has grown to a 32-member coalition with more abstract goals like democracy promotion and human rights. Is the expanded NATO really stronger?

Also, Maitra and Stepman explore how much the friction between the United States and the "West" more broadly is the result of temporary differences in interest or a deeper conflict of visions. Are good relations with Russia possible in the near future?

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On this week's episode of History Reconsidered, Sumantra Maitra and Jarrett Stepman talk about the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the end of World War II.

Were the bombings necessary or could the war with Japan have been resolved in a better way? Maitra and Stepman talk about the realities of an invasion of the Japanese homeland and what the would have meant for both the Allies and the Japanese people. They also talk about the differences between how World War II ended compared to many modern wars.

The episode ends with a brief exploration of the question: "Who really won World War II?"

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