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Free video series
A free 5-part video lecture series on why war is, at its core, a battle between stories — and how Ukraine is using that to win. Filmed at the Kyiv-Mohyla Academy and taught by founder Samuel P.N. Cook.
From the frontlines to the homefront
Dear fellow storyteller,
We are all watching history unfold before our eyes — on television, on our phones — and we struggle to understand what it all means as it happens.
This series takes you inside the making of history, from someone who has lived it: a U.S. Army officer who served two tours in Iraq, then studied and taught history at West Point, and now lives in Kyiv.
The War & Storytelling in Ukraine series is designed to take you behind the scenes of how history is made — so you can better understand what you're seeing as the war unfolds.
And when you understand the role of story in this war, you can find your own way to take part in Ukraine's fight for freedom. Join us in both watching and making history.
Your instructor
West Point graduate (European history, 2000) and U.S. Army cavalry officer with two tours in Iraq — including service under H.R. McMaster at Tal Afar. He went on to study Russian history with a focus on Ukraine and to teach at the West Point history department.
After the Army he founded James Cook Media, teaching businesses to harness storytelling. When Russia launched the full-scale invasion, he founded the Borderlands Foundation to help Ukraine win the war through story.
Read the full storyInside the series
Five lessons on how story shapes war, and the history we'll all read in the future.
The nine principles of modern war, and how they form the foundation for how historians and journalists should think about this one.
The greatest weapon of mass destruction ever created was the story. Why stories drive history — and what makes the most powerful ones.
The first three principles of war, which fall under information warfare — and how they drive every other operation.
The next three principles — the intelligence that drives all action in war, and how and why it shapes everything that follows.
The final three principles — the operations that determine the outcomes of the wars that write our history.
Get instant access
After signing up, you'll receive an email sequence with links to each video lesson — so you can dive deep into the principles of war and storytelling, at your own pace, for free.