Radio War Nerd EP #61 — Jack Murphy on Syria, Jihadis & Chickenhawks

Hey M & J/B, A show idea introduced by a bit of a digression... I find listening to your show kind of unnerving as your take seems to skirt around some issues in a way that seems weird given the punk sensibility of Exiled. An example: JM is super critical of US actions in the ME while also being contemptuous of Russian actions. It creates a weird effect where he seems to be unable to take the final step of saying, for instance, that American policy has been so flawed that it might have handed the region to Russia and China as more "realist" players... but can't seem to say it. As a kind of hint at what I'm suggesting... John Mearshimer recently commented that he felt more at home in Beijing in Moscow than Washington. As JM described himself as a realist I really wonder what he thought of that protest. Anyway, here's a story idea: there are apparently a lot of DOD people that are disgusted with the neo-con agenda. They are also very sympathetic to the eastern Ukrainians and the Syrian state / SAA. Pat Lang being the prime example. Ever thought of having them on?

There's essentially a soft coup inside the USA govt. The most paranoid claims of the Trump voters and Sy Hersh is true, and everyone knows it.

The "vetting process" for foreign national fighters and other collaborators has been obviously broken BS since day one in Afghanistan. I always wonder if it's really due to ineptitude or if it's willful maliciousness from somewhere. It makes no sense. The best we could do back in 2002 was asking the village elder to vouch for a person's name and story. Just as useless as the biometric data Jack mentions.

The global rise of far right nationalism, paradoxically has a lot to do with the decreasing power of governments and national institutions. Its a corporate world now, and the Charles Kochs of the earth are better served with paranoid governments that invest heavily in defense and internal security, and wants nothing to do with other nations, rather than national governments cooperating with other governments on regulating banking, regulating environment, regulating labor or basically; regulating global corporations. Its classic divide and conquer.