Radio War Nerd

Guest: Kamal Chomani Recorded: June 18, 2026 We talk to researcher Kamal Chomani about the Iranian Kurdish groups that were, according to various reports, supposed to act as the ground force for the US-Israel War on Iran. We discuss the real reasons why the Iranian Kurds didn't join Trump-Netanyahu'

Recorded: February 3, 2026 We discuss Bass Pro shops, Trump's imperial armada over Iran, the grim fate of Syria's Kurds and the SDF project, Russian missiles destroying Ukrainian energy infrastructure... Total time: 1:02:00 Direct link to this episode's mp3 here * Buy & review John Dolan's new book,

Recorded: May 13, 2025 The PKK (Kurdish Workers Party) voted to end their 40-year insurgency for a Kurdish homeland in Turkey. We look back at the party's origins in the 1970s, its leader Abdullah Ocalan, and the many betrayals of the Kurds. Music interlude by Brendon Anderegg. Check out music from

Guest: Joshua Landis, Director of Center for Middle East Studies Recorded: December 9, 2022 The war in Ukraine has sucked all the west's attention away from other wars around the world, including the Syria war, which was once the star of the NATO thinktank world. Dr. Joshua Landis is of the few west

Guest: Patrick Cockburn, author & Middle East correspondent for The Independent (UK) Recorded: July 8, 2020 BELFAST—After a harrowing escape from the looneyland of pandemic America, the War Nerd awakens in Northern Ireland to talk to roving war correspondent & previous RWN guest Patrick Cockburn abo

Guest: Matt Kennard, journalist & co-founder Declassified UK Recorded: March 4, 2020 Since we started this show 4-1/2 years ago, over and over we've been asking in disbelief, "What happened to the Guardian?" This episode we talk to one of the best investigative journalists working today who answered

Recorded: January 3, 2020 A special rushed-out episode to get out our first impressions of Trump's assassination of Iran's legendary Quds leader, Gen. Qasem Soleimani. Total time: 1:39:35 Direct link to this episode's mp3 here

Guest: Philip Matyszak, author & historian Recorded: December 13, 2019 The War Nerd talks to historian Philip Matyszak about Xenophon's Anabasis — the story of the March of the Ten Thousand, when Greek mercenaries, stuck deep inside the Persian Empire, were forced to fight their way out through stra

Guests: Narin Briar & Elijah Magnier Recorded: October 23, 2019 Recorded just after Russia and Turkey announced an agreement on the dismantling of Rojava, we talked first to Kurdish-American activist Narin Briar for the Rojava perspective of this grim moment . . . At 1:05:00 we talk to longtime Midd

Guest: Carl Zha, podcaster Recorded: October 11, 2019 First, the War Nerd and Ames discuss the grim news out of Rojava as Turkish tanks and their throat-slitter jihadi proxies roll into northern Syria . . . At 25:11 — we're joined by Carl Zha for the second part of our series on Genghis Khan and the

Guest: Joey L., photographer & filmmaker Recorded: July 6, 2019 The War Nerd talks to photojournalist Joey Lawrence about his incredible stories & photos from his journeys to Iraqi Kurdistan & Rojava. Joey talks about his new book, "We Came From Fire"—a collection of his photos and reporting from th

Recorded: December 29, 2018 We always knew the betrayal would come, and here it is: Trump announces US withdrawal from Syria war, and DC neocon crocodile tears started flowing for Rojava Kurds, and blue state liberals are now the outraged militarists they once pretended at least to oppose . . . We a

Sarandë, Albania — With Trump and Flynn talking up a new war with Iran, the War Nerd looks back at the Iran-Iraq War from 1980-8, the longest conventional war of the 20th C that left nearly 1.5 million casualties . . . Total time: 2:24:17 Direct link to this episode's mp3 here Music: "Notes From the