Radio War Nerd EP #369 — Georgia Protests & NGO Colonialism, feat. Sopo Japaridze

ukrainian soldiers tell western press that russians are using human wave tactics, but for the size of the russian forces and wager, that's an insane notion. The soldiers talking to the Kyiv Independent say they mainly use small recon groups to spot artillery targets. That sounds more plausible and it's not in Russia's interests to spend soldiers like cheap fodder since the US wants that to happen anyways, so I think that's probably more accurate. if the story russian media is telling is accurate, one potential flash point that could change the course of the war is the SBU trying to shut down that Orthodox Church in Kyiv. It probably depends on how big the explosion of public anger is *if* this blows up in the govt's face. I'm probably just reading too much into it though.

this frigging war in ukraine would not have happened if literally anybody in the state department had bothered doing any diplomacy at all, but the very fact that they overthrew the ukrainian government in 2014 - that fact by itself is proof enough that they wanted this war because they hoped to turn it into Afghanistan 2 for them. Everyone in the state dept who helped make this happen should be thrown out of a C130 over the war zone, but if it were me flying the plane then they'd have to buy their own parachutes.

Is now really the time to focus on "russophobia"? Perhaps it has something to do with ruZZia's colonial policy and genocidal propaganda rhetoric on ALL their channels? Nah. Its all US/NATO. You guys.....

for those who speak Spanish about the NGO industry, it is old but still funny, valid and to the point https://www.voltairenet.org/article152980.html

Good interview. I'm sure Mark and John remember how upset Soros was after his foundation democracy money couldn't buy him an interest in the telecom privatization.

Sorry guys. Too much time spent on a subject that isn't that interesting or current.

Sopo’s description of the NGO-ization of leftist activists who fall in line and embrace the trappings of the international NGO lifestyle is right on target…have unfortunately seen it so many times.

Wagner intentionally modeled themselves after Blackwater. Erik Prince bragged about it: https://sofmag.com/blackwater-founder-erik-prince-talks-about-wagner-group/

I ran the start of the audio through an AI autotranscription program: Hello, and welcome to another episode of Radial Warner. Today. Today is March 10th, 2023, and this is episode 369. I'm the Ghost Mark Games coming to you in from Rochester, New York, where winter finally arrived in March, weirdly enough. And, uh, you're listening to Radio Warner. Subscribe to us at patreon.com/radio Warner. And I'm on the line, of course, with the Warner himself. Gary Butcher, a k a John Dolan.

The quote from Arundhati Roy can be read here: https://kanaanonline.org/en/2018/02/07/the-ngo-ization-of-resistance-by-arundhati-roy/ Apparently it’s from Arundhati Roy, The End of Imagination (Haymarket Books, 2016)

It is really weird that an organisation that is mainly funded by a government can call itself "non-governmental"

All this NGO talk makes me really wonder what happened in Afghanistan. I think we need a 3 part series on that topic.

NGO Man is a black comedy script waiting to be written.

“some guys are saying…” that Bakhmut is largest battle of 21st century… that guy would be Brian Berletic of the New Atlas. Credit where credit is due.

On what Mark said about Chartism. Chartism's influence is seen as the "fourth pillar of Marxism" by some. Most of their demands have been met these days, though subsequently watered down by additional measures of control. The only one that hasn't been met still is annual elections. Chartism was actually born moreso in South Wales but did take off and have its first big moments elsewhere including Glasgow. Wales also had the Newport Rising.

Great interview with brave Sopo! It's sad to hear how Georgia may be plunged into a major crisis because the elites there are so impoverished that they would support such an event just to sustain their grants and per diems. Re: casualty numbers. MoA again explained it in plain and simple arithmetic (https://www.moonofalabama.org/2023/03/ukraine-is-lying-about-casualty-ratios-to-justify-holding-of-bakhmut.html). >Artillery and mortar fire together accounted for 65 percent of the total casualties in the European and Mediterranean theaters, 64.0 and 69.1, respectively. In the Pacific, they accounted for 47.0 percent. >Data from the European Commission, quoted by El Pais, says that Russia has a 10:1 advantage in artillery >The total ratio may well be 7 to 1 but it will certainly be to the advantage of the Russian forces side. This is before accounting for air force, fixed wing and rotary, missiles, cruise and ballistic, and generally much poorer medevac capabilities on the Ukrainian side.

Also, I’m going to start using the phrase “grant eaters.”

Great episode, one of the best in awhile. I’d say even though the Georgian NGOs lean right, a lot of what Sopa said rings true for the liberal non-profit world in the West, ie poorly treated lower level employees, bending over backwards to please donors, etc.

We all need a laugh, so I present to you a headline from The Telegraph (March 12, 2023): "Worse than Stalingrad": Ukraine troops battle Wagner fighters in Bakhmut metal works.

David Thewlis (Lebowski, Naked, and a whole bunch of other stuff) is indeed a very great and extremely overlooked actor

Great discussion!

Bakhmut seems to be about as important as Bastogne - both were regional crossroads for roads (5in and out of Bakhmut) and I think railroads too. Important for political purposes too, but Bakhmut also seems to have been fortified as a hub for the “Zelensky line” of defense, which appears to be crumbling

Mark: [referring to Georgians' desire for maidan event] "Look at how great Ukraine is doing today, I mean Jesus"... Pretty disgusting. But typical from him

So this is going to be an interesting listen. The radio war nerd guys think it's western backed and the protesters are claiming the new NGO laws are russian influenced.

My two patreon favorites comin together - love to see it!