Iskander Rehman, Ax:son Johnson Fellow at the Kissinger Center at Johns Hopkins SAIS and contributor to New Makers of Modern Strategy, joins the show to talk about French grand strategy during the 16th and 17th century rivalry between the Bourbons and Habsburg Spain. ▪️Times     •    02:41 Introduction     •    04:35 A nagging curiosity      •    06:59 Sully at the start     •    13:27 The genesis of a struggle    •    21:19 French internal cohesion     •    26:51 Naval power    •    29:28 Religious factions and Richelieu    •    32:14 The 30 Years War and France    •    36:22 The fruits of disorder    •    41:44 Defender of the faith    •    44:41 Mazarin     •    49:48 Hegemonic France    •    53:56 Rapid-fire lessonsFollow along on Instagram