Radio War Nerd EP #488 — World of Wars: False-Flag North Koreans, Syria Rhymes with Libya, Assassins' Faces

I would really love to see you all do an episode on the history of terrorism as a charge in United States courts. Jeff Fort was the first and he is still in solitary in Florence Supermax. The American Gulag system. As fucked up as it is my hope for the Mangione trial is that we are able to highlight the flight of Americans suffering at state hands for the same charge. Fort never was convicted of killing anyone. He simply took money from Gaddafi for the PStones. Mangione killed one person that we know of. They are extremely different, but regarding the way, the legal system is treating them. I think there is something to look at.

He was in Bellingham! Hey! Alabama Street! Right down the street from me! That fog was terrible btw.

John is very funny. Chilliwack to Bellingham is a very easy drive by West coast standards.

Imagine my surprise as I sit down for breakfast with a little RWN in my house just off Alabama St in Bellingham, WA. What a small world of wars!

When I went to Western Washington University in Bellingham, that Social Security building was across the street from the nearest bus stop to the place I was renting! Alabama street is wide and wet with cars going too fast — definitely not an easy little building to find (also wrapped in an ugly chainlink fence), I’m glad the war nerd was able to get his appointment!

Completely unrelated question - does anyone know how newcomers are supposed to subscribe to RWN these days? I was recommending to a friend last night and when he downloaded Patreon it said you can’t subscribe to RWN via Patreon anymore. Thanks to anyone who knows!

Came in here to respectfully contend the War Nerd's rather dour retrospective on Hezbollah's latest performance, and it looks like I'm not the only one. From what I've seen, their ground forces performed exceptionally well, especially given the circumstances. Of course they have taken massive losses, but not because of incompetency on the ground (aside from counter espionage efforts maybe), mostly due to Israel having overwhelming air superiority, and the same can be said for the IDF's performance in Gaza as well. Take away their air power and they're just as mid-rate as any other army in the middle east. In fact, this latest round has made me even more confident in stating that Hezbollah's ground forces are the best in the region.

The IDF didn't beat Hezbollah, Hezbollah stopped them in their tracks. The IAF is what beat them, by making it clear that they would do to Lebanon what they did to Gaza if Hezbollah kept fighting

John was looking for a form A38. Asterix fans would get the joke.

I think probably a good reason everyone forgot Thomas Crooks is that he missed.

I’ve been hesitant to say that hezbollah has been soundly defeated by isreal because we really don’t know anything about the battles that have been fought. If they remain an effective fighting force in southern Lebanon, isreal hasn’t beaten them. It feels like people expected the idf to bounce off the southern defenses like a rubber ball against a brick wall and that was probably never going to be the case

Yes to the face fascism thing but also, and I think more importantly, he failed. And his motivations, as far as we can discern, were arbitrary. So there's nothing to emotionally invest in Crooks

The DMV does have pretty good service! Maybe I just go to the greatest DMV on earth but I’ve only had smooth sailing experiences with the DMV

I've had the theme song to Blowback stuck in my head for the past week and a half

Well, that was one of the most depressing episodes you have ever done. Electronic Intifada keeps struggling and trying to find the bright side & new strategies but you paint a bleak picture. I confess I am confused tho by why, if Jolani is really doing all this with US/Israeli approval, Israel is bombing & invading Syria instead of issuing some “yay Jolani” statement. Or is this their payment for playing matchmaker and Jolani/Syria is really supposed to just suck it up? “Getting 9/10ths of Syria is better than not getting any of Syria”?

I have an explanation for Iran’s behavior. It’s true that Iran does possess the ability to hit the West hard and blow up the world economy. They proved it in their missile strike on Israel. However, the US Navy is still really big and could afford to lose some ships and still blockade Iran cutting off oil revenue. Beyond missile range America could cripple the Iranian economy this way. The Iranian leadership doesn’t feel it’s worthwhile to engage in a war of choice since they stand to lose their economic lifeline. Also they gotta be scared of getting nuked.

Biden and blinken have made it their goal to do the stupidest fucking foreign policy goals - get Finland in NATO, get South Korea and Japan in a defensive pact, Ukraine (need I say more) like, the most worthless, stupid objectives that they think are big achievements. It’s like they poorly fixed up an old ass Pontiac firebird from the dump and are acting like it’s a Camaro or something

Well, well, well, look who’s back from the grassy knoll. Can you really sleep at night, Mr. Dr. The war nerd? After using Luigi as your patsy?

An under-disussed part of the Houthi leadership of Yemen is the ongoing agricultural revolution in Yemen. This last year self sufficiency in garlic was achieved. It may seem small but this is the first year in a long time that they don't have to import it, and it's a staple crop. There's a reason they have been able to withstand the tides unlik someone like Assad

I don't think Hezbollah performed that much worse than they did in 2006 the israeli surveillance methods were vastly improved though. Israel took around 1000 casualties in Lebanon this time during a shorter campaign where they did not try and contest or capture and occupy territory (most of their incursions where extremely brief raids under 12 hours). And they were able to score some major victories with air power and the pager attack but otherwise I don't think they preformed better. I think Israel would still be unable to occupy lebanon or much of syria like they were able to in the 80s.

the lefty optimist in me likes to think this all could mark the high tide for the Western run global order in the way that Cambodia and Vietnam falling in within weeks of each other 50 years ago did for the ascendent Soviet world, but maybe Pax Americana just keeps soldiering on for decades to come in its more overtly Hitlerite fashion.

Mercenaries are banned under international law - at the very least it would be some inconvenient PR if they were to openly and flagrantly violate the rules on something like this.

Houthis may not be socially progressive. But they are nice guys to me, they’re one of the only governments in the world doing anything to stop the genocide!!

Drats with the return of the war nerd Gary Brecher AI is no longer needed! Oh well it was currently stuck in a local minimum where it only discussed dental issues

Josh Shapiro the uber Zionist governor of PA, genocidal freak said “here in america we don’t settle policy disputes with violence” irg to Luigi. Just insane exceptionalism. America is THE most violent country in the modern world both home and abroad. Chickens coming home to roost. I truly do not believe this is a one off going forward if we don’t form some sort of anti imperialist, workers political party that is multi-ethnic, lgbtq inclusive. “Adventurism” won’t lead to real change even if this assassination sparked a legitimate class consciousness across the political spectrum. We’ve all probably seen the absolutely insane oped’s from the ruling class legacy media shitting all over this dude even going as so far to say that the healthcare ceo was actually the working class hero. They will not change.

Damn sight better than murdering a bunch of kids or your boss.

As a bellingham resident I feel very special that you were in my town

Hey fellas, a bit disappointed that you’re pushing back the “will you be killed during the regime change” until the next episode. Due to, uh, recent developments in no particular region, I was really, really hoping that you’d clear that up as quickly as possible.

Lol love the artwork

I now like to think all Johns wanderings were the result of not knowing satnav

John in eXile from his homeland once again

sure Thomas Crooks looks like a milk-smelling runt but if he had landed his shot he'd still have plenty of defenders. but he didn't, he missed, and in america we only give a fuck if you win. loser stink is a thousand times worse than milk stink.

First

From the thumbnail alone I know this is gonna be a good one updated: Raw-dogging a trip from Chilliwack to a specific location in effing Bellingham is its own kind of heroism, John; glad you're OK!

John you should’ve mentioned that. As a lawyer I’ve had to advise clients to get us embassy notarizations instead of traveling to America