Preview: Radio War Nerd EP 38
For non-subscribers, here is a 20+ minute preview of our latest Radio War Nerd episode (total length 2:36:38) featuring an excellent interview with Islamic State expert Gunnar Hrafn Jonsson of Iceland Public Radio, a guest on our show earlier this year (listen here). We talk about online IS reactions to the Orlando massacre, and to IS's battlefield defeats. Later we discuss the latest news in the world of wars, from historical empires to today's flareups in the Horn of Africa and in NATO commanders' fevered imaginations.
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Comments (5)
<a href="https://meduza.io/en/feature/2016/06/24/russia-s-state-duma-just-approved-some-of-the-most-repressive-laws-in-post-soviet-history?utm_source=t.co&utm_medium=share_twitter&utm_campaign=share" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://meduza.io/en/feature/2016/06/24/russia-s-state-duma-just-approved-some-of-the-most-repressive-laws-in-post-soviet-history?utm_source=t.co&utm_medium=share_twitter&utm_campaign=share</a> Hope to hear the War Nerd's thoughts on this as well!
Indeed good to see that lines are moving in Iraq, but what does it actually mean in what is still essentialy a guerilla war? Looking at the new conquests in Anbar, it is looking less like "government reasserting control" than a Shia invasion of Sunni lands. The units involved emblazon their vehicles with banners reading "Ya Hussein", "Labyak ya Ali" etc. - with those almost ridiculolously idolatrous, stylized portraits of the Imams. It's almost demonstratively sectarian. So, let's say IS leaves Anbar. Place was always mostly problematic for them. May sting alot and be bad for propaganda, short term. But before they left, they killed of what was left of the Sahwa, made sure both Ramadi and Fallujah was completely destroyed, forced much of the urban population into refugee camps and - most importantly - dragged the Shia into guerilla country. Once IS leaves, I bet Baghdad will not be able to find anyone capable of bringing the province back onto its feet. The Shia militias will find themselves in the situation of the USMC before them, and we may witness a new Anbar insurgency. I'm also worried about the demographic impact of all the refugess fleeing Anbar. They move into places like Baghdad and Diyala, potentially spreading the war to those provinces (in the long run). If nothing else, IS is making sure that the Iraqi civil war will continue for a long time. Considering that they are the most seasoned and well-funded of the Sunni groups, I bet they will be able to reinsert themselves into any place were there is chaos and sectarianism.
Any chance you could put the music credits in the podcast description for future episodes please? That'd be awesome!
Label: KoolArrow Records — koolarrow.com Bands: Dubioza Kolektiv, Michael Hanke
Not sure how to spell the name of the record label you mentioned- could you drop a link?