Last week’s livestream was dedicated to the work of my friend and mentor Thomas C. Schelling. December 13 marked the ninth anniversary of his passing. Whenever I watch a particular global conflict unfold—whether combat is involved or not—and I find myself having difficulty thinking through its implications, I try to ask myself what Tom would say. A great theorist like Tom leaves behind two legacies: his own work and the work he inspires, the work that would have been impossible to conceptualize were it not for his foundational contributions. Certainly, it would never have occurred to me to approach the problem of self-censorship in the way that I did were it not for Tom. There are countless other theorists, thinkers, and strategists who would say the same thing about the work of which they’re most proud.
In this episode, in conversation with Robert Patton-Spruill, Mark Sussman, and Nikita Petrov, I provide an introduction to the life and work of Thomas Schelling and consider how a “Schellingesque” point of view might influence our interpretation of current events, like the Ukraine War, the “human shields” argument in Gaza, the Trump administration’s new national security strategy, nationalist and populist movements throughout the world, and nuclear deterrence today. We also talk about Schellingesque approaches to AI, but that segment of the conversation is available only to full subscribers.
This is a free segment from a two-hour livestream of The Glenn Show. To watch the whole thing, become a full subscriber. You’ll get access to all TGS content, including video of livestreams, audience Q&As with me and John McWhorter, and lots of other great content. The Glenn Show is almost entirely audience supported. Thank you for all you do.
0:00 Who was Thomas C. Schelling?
8:51 The Schellingesque
13:22 Ground News ad
15:05 Battlefield commitment and signaling
27:00 How deterrence works
35:14 Schelling's role in conceptualizing Stanley Kubrick's film Dr. Strangelove
49:08 Europe, Ukraine, and Trump's new national security strategy
1:04:41 Why does the US care about immigration in other nations?
1:09:02 Glenn: Bill Maher is either dishonest or wrong about asymmetrical war in Gaza
17:54 Schelling and Glenn on new nuclear powers
1:26:00 The problem of self-command
Recorded December 12, 2025
