Radio War Nerd

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 & blogger Recorded: January 25, 2022 Our monthly World Of Wars looks at two wars: the phony Russia-Ukraine war that NATO & western media is screaming about...and the grim, real ongoing war in Syria, which NATO and the western media don

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

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 For non-subscribers, here is a 30+ minute preview of Radio War Nerd episode #189 with guest Joey Lawrence about his incredible stories & photos from his journeys to Iraqi Kurdistan & Rojava. Joey talks about his new book, "We Came From

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

Guest: Joshua Landis, Director of Center for Middle East Studies & blogger Recorded: September 23, 2018 From his new digs in Sicily, the War Nerd interviews Syria expert Joshua Landis (EP #118) to break down the situation in Idlib: the Russia-Turkey agreement, who the main rebel/jihadi groups are in

Guest: May Jeong, journalist Recorded April 21, 2018 The War Nerd talks to journalist May Jeong about her time covering the war in Afghanistan, the disastrous misconceptions, and the gruesome "logic" that fuels this war without end, and without purpose. . . We talk to May about her reporting on a US

Guest: Gabriel Uriarte, fellow history nerd Recorded March 11, 2018 PORTUGAL—One of the big surprises in the Syrian war has been the poor performance of Turkey's military, in its 2016 incursion, and in the recent incursion into Afrin. The War Nerd talks to former Argentine journalist now living in t

Guest: Patrick Kasprik Recorded March 4, 2018 PORTUGAL—This episode, the War Nerd & Ames being with a look at war news: Turkey attacks pro-Assad forces in Afrin . . . East Ghouta propaganda is the new East Aleppo (and the western outrage corner is still oddly unconcerned about the Yemen famine-slaug