Episode 203 - The Truth about Cats & Syria feat. The War Nerd
Added 2018-04-19 17:11:44 +0000 UTCWe're joined by John Dolan aka The War Nerd to learn why war is not about weapons or strategy, but people. We get a brief history of the Syrian conflict to date, discuss the use of chemical weapons, recent US airstrikes and another short history lesson on Hezbollah. We then ask the War Nerd to War Game out a possible US Civil War and close with a reading from Dolan's new translation of The Iliad, arguably the greatest war of all time.
Buy The War Nerd Illiad :
https://www.amazon.com/War-Nerd-Iliad-John-Dolan/dp/1627310509
Comments
Marc Maronites!!😂😂😂😂
Yairo Martis
2019-07-23 16:35:31 +0000 UTCThis episode made all the senseless, shitty patreon malfunctions worth it.
Mina
2018-06-07 18:31:37 +0000 UTCplease have Dolan on again
Ian Renfro
2018-05-05 11:55:33 +0000 UTCOh man, wish this would’ve waited just a bit so he could do Korea!
Angelica
2018-04-29 02:09:09 +0000 UTCFelix go on War Nerd
Pete Scully
2018-04-25 00:56:05 +0000 UTCOr at least try to.
Ellen Harold
2018-04-24 04:53:14 +0000 UTCIt's on the Overview page.
Chris B
2018-04-24 00:18:57 +0000 UTCPeople should learn poetry. Also Greek.
Ellen Harold
2018-04-23 15:25:57 +0000 UTCNew patron, what's the RSS feed? I usually listen to my podcasts on 1.5x speed in my podcast app so it's very offputting to try listening in regular speed.
feddydost
2018-04-23 06:19:38 +0000 UTCspeaking from experience cops in the Northeast (central NH in my example) can be pretty stormtroopy, love too see cops with glans-shaped heads driving cruisers with the punisher logo
Michael Bloomer
2018-04-22 19:51:48 +0000 UTCI had the War Nerd Iliad in my pile since it came out, and after this ep, i finally started it. It's really good. Really really good. Somehow my ancient Greek epic poetry education was Odyssey-exclusive, so other than Dan Simmons's "Ilium," i wasn't really familiar with any of the specifics. Makes Dolan's version even better. Ideally, high school teachers would assign his version as reading either concurrent with or immediately before (or instead of) a more traditionally poetic translation. Also re "Ilium," there are a couple of cool science-fictional elements in Dolan's telling of the sequences in which the gods Do Their Thing. (Dan Simmons readers, feel free to honk off in the comments. I have some Opinions about the Voynix. Also, War Nerd episode 64 was about right-wing sci-fi authors, and it's a good 'un. I don't know if it's been made a free episode yet, but it's really worth a listen. Got me into Gene Wolfe, who I'm super-glad to have learned about)
Nick Thomson
2018-04-22 18:44:05 +0000 UTCOne thing I'd like to hear more about is that there seems to be a consistent cops vs army split in a lot of middle east instability and I wonder how PDs and army would shake out I think it's safe to say most police would run with trump, but there's definitely a regional split where certain regions have way more aggressive police than others (a friend of mine compared southern cops to stormtroopers for example vs new England cops which he thinks are more lenient) But also I have to wonder how many federal army/national guard guys would fuck off to, say, Oregon to do their weird little secessionist project and stay away from the main theaters of conflict.
Doug Cartel
2018-04-22 13:01:40 +0000 UTChow do i lower the volume for this?
Angelo
2018-04-21 22:27:14 +0000 UTCI agree. Best show yet.
Ellen Harold
2018-04-21 20:47:35 +0000 UTCfelix leverage your chicago connections to get this done
putzen
2018-04-21 20:45:00 +0000 UTCDolan is the best guest I've heard yet on CTH. Dry humor, stunning insight, encyclopedic knowledge of both wars and pop culture. Bravo.
Christopher Rao
2018-04-21 16:55:09 +0000 UTCyo John Dolan is our Abimael Guzman
Lo
2018-04-21 16:46:05 +0000 UTCThank you Felix for "the Marc Maronites"
Michael Kelly
2018-04-21 16:15:39 +0000 UTCListen motherfucker government, if you dont accede to my demands I'm gonna use this jumanji game to UNLEASH THE BEAST That was my favorite quote from the chilcot report
Doug Cartel
2018-04-21 12:05:03 +0000 UTCbrilliant brilliant show. more like this, always. genuinely good.
Dael Morris
2018-04-21 09:39:01 +0000 UTCBest episode ever. ...helps to have a brilliant guest.
MShark
2018-04-21 04:48:20 +0000 UTCFREE THE POD
Marcos Rubios
2018-04-21 02:49:40 +0000 UTCGreat episode, two of my faves coming together. Make it a recurring episode, make it public, whatever it takes.
Wilson Sihlis
2018-04-21 01:40:18 +0000 UTCThis episode should be made available to the public
Phillip Davis
2018-04-21 01:25:01 +0000 UTCHaven't listened to this podcast in ages. Resubscribed just for this episode. John Dolan is a legend.
lazy millennial
2018-04-21 01:13:39 +0000 UTCHonestly guys, this episode is a top fiver. I’d be so intimidated trying to interview Dolan, he’s so brilliant, but it was endlessly enthralling. Cheers.
Chris McCarthy
2018-04-20 23:57:16 +0000 UTCSo glad you were able to get John Dolan on; he's truly a one-of-a-kind intellectual. I recently re-read his accounts of being an ESL teacher in southwest KSA -- part 1: <a href="https://www.nsfwcorp.com/dispatch/shia-me/," rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://www.nsfwcorp.com/dispatch/shia-me/,</a> and part 2: <a href="https://www.nsfwcorp.com/dispatch/holiday-inn-surrection/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://www.nsfwcorp.com/dispatch/holiday-inn-surrection/</a> -- and he only identified the town as Najran several years later (<a href="https://pando.com/2015/03/28/the-war-nerd-a-brief-history-of-the-yemen-clusterfck/)" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://pando.com/2015/03/28/the-war-nerd-a-brief-history-of-the-yemen-clusterfck/)</a> when he was sufficiently confident that he wasn't putting at risk anyone he had dealt with there.
S.L.
2018-04-20 22:47:44 +0000 UTCBTW, Tkacik called him a misogynist, but don't recall any specific charges of physical abuse. Could have happened, I just don't remember Moe T. claiming that. Now, psychological abuse, THAT I could easily believe happened.
S.L.
2018-04-20 22:34:09 +0000 UTCHoo boy, that relationship fell apart with flame and fury, at least on Tkacik's part; I don't recall Ames saying anything about it publicly, though I'm only on Twitter, so he could have piped up elsewhere. I usually avoid citing that personal relationship in my evaluation of Ames, but based on the rage links Tkacik provided back then, Ames ain't exactly a lovable dude. (It's none of my business, but hopefully he's a decent and contented partner and parent these days; hope the same for Tkacik.) My conclusion about Ames is that he's a (usually) good reporter, but was/is a shitty human being, that "satire" he put out with Taibbi being a primary piece of evidence. But his shittiness notwithstanding, he helped out Dolan during some very bad moments, and anyone who is on the Protect Dolan Squad gets a few points from me, even if grudgingly so.
S.L.
2018-04-20 22:32:08 +0000 UTCReally excellent show.
Carter Gunn
2018-04-20 22:01:56 +0000 UTC"marvel infinity war is the most ambitious crossover of all time".mem
V
2018-04-20 18:15:08 +0000 UTCreza negarestani predicted all of this in cyclonopedia
JAH
2018-04-20 17:40:37 +0000 UTCplease get norman finkelstein on your show.
realm lich
2018-04-20 16:50:52 +0000 UTCThe War Nerd himself is fine, it's his association with Ames that is a problem, given that Ames has been repeatedly accused of being an abuser (the one that sticks in my mind is from Moe Tkacik).
AR
2018-04-20 14:49:30 +0000 UTCIt was a British White helmets false flag operation. Russia already capture their spies down there.
Jared
2018-04-20 14:41:45 +0000 UTCUnbelievably good episode folks
Daniel Miller
2018-04-20 13:44:16 +0000 UTCthis should be public! very important info
ballsssse
2018-04-20 12:55:22 +0000 UTCReally great episode
GFY
2018-04-20 12:47:32 +0000 UTCI knew this would happen eventually, thank you. John Dolan is one of the greatest of all time
John Morrissey
2018-04-20 10:56:03 +0000 UTCLong time War Nerd fan. Chapo/War Nerd collab long overdue.
Dennis C.
2018-04-20 10:01:56 +0000 UTCIf you listen carefully at 33:10 you can hear Felix cream his pants when John says "War has changed".
Ed Irwin
2018-04-20 09:49:06 +0000 UTCBest episode yet. Interesting Syria civil war stuff that non grey wolves could benefit from
generic.hybridity
2018-04-20 08:49:22 +0000 UTCThis shit bangs, unlock it for the people
Richard Davenport
2018-04-20 05:48:01 +0000 UTCThis was so long overdue that I was wondering if it was John’s fault or yours.
Max
2018-04-20 05:00:49 +0000 UTCMake this one free for the Irish fans!
Nicholas Kiersey
2018-04-20 04:06:09 +0000 UTCSing in me, O muse, and through me tell the truth about Syria...
Arthur Fretheim
2018-04-20 03:35:39 +0000 UTCThere’s something very funny about the sentence ‘all they had left was his weak brother, Amine’
Otto Wicks-Green
2018-04-20 03:34:29 +0000 UTCOne of the best episodes hands down. Also...have Yasha Levine on.
Daniel Boeckner
2018-04-20 03:24:07 +0000 UTCPlease release this episode to everyone. John’s explanation of the Syrian Civil War should be heard by more people.
Bradley Meek
2018-04-20 03:22:09 +0000 UTCSaul Berenson was a great guest
Phil S Stein
2018-04-20 02:12:06 +0000 UTCMark Ames go on cum town
Jimothy Realname
2018-04-20 00:55:07 +0000 UTCwill menaker also played menelaus in netflix's Troy
ggmacd
2018-04-20 00:52:02 +0000 UTCOkay, this is one of my favorite Chapo eps ever. You've got your knowledgeable Middle East politics, your US Civil War 2.0 game theory (Maronites: brilliant!), and your lit covered, with the Illiad. Hell yeah, dude.
Kindrid Parker
2018-04-20 00:32:24 +0000 UTCIt finally happened! John Dolan went on Chapo! And all because I posted "GARY BRECHER GO ON CHAPO" on this site 2 months ago!
Jimothy Realname
2018-04-20 00:10:36 +0000 UTCI agree that was a great graphic novel
Ian Munroe
2018-04-19 23:45:21 +0000 UTCUnlock
Jillian Porter
2018-04-19 23:37:11 +0000 UTCy’all should make this public
jason
2018-04-19 22:14:33 +0000 UTCwine-mom Sardaukar
sensorsweep
2018-04-19 21:19:34 +0000 UTCGood one
Son of Samsung
2018-04-19 21:11:34 +0000 UTCTaking satire from The Exile as proof they are pieces of shit. Ironically this was started by Jim Goad and fucking Gavin Mcinnes after Mark Ames trashed them.
Matt Brotchie
2018-04-19 21:03:20 +0000 UTCHow is the war nerd problematic?
Ben Handshue
2018-04-19 20:58:30 +0000 UTCOne of my advisors worked with VDH in his UCSC days—I brought it up a while back and it seemed to be a sore subject.
Alex Davis
2018-04-19 20:33:46 +0000 UTCOne of the best episodes yet. However! AN 94 is Russian, not Chinese
Gijs van Niftrik
2018-04-19 20:27:18 +0000 UTCI bought the book without even listening to the episode first. Still haven't pre-ordered the Chapo book though so fuck you guys.
James Kellner
2018-04-19 20:26:20 +0000 UTCAlso, on the subject of a second American civil war scenario: I remember enjoying Brian Woods DMZ alot. He basically just took what happened in Iraq and Afghanistan and transplanted it to Manhattan, which worked surprisingly well
Oskaras Funk
2018-04-19 20:16:03 +0000 UTCEasily a top 5 episode. Up there with the Noid, Adam Curtis, and Matt's Drunk History of the Port Huron Statement.
Carson Stones
2018-04-19 20:14:24 +0000 UTCOh hell yes! Dolan on Chapo is something I have wanted for quite some time. Looking forward to listening.
Igor Igorsson
2018-04-19 20:04:51 +0000 UTC🦉🐳🦔🌸✨
KC
2018-04-19 19:40:00 +0000 UTCDimitry Orlov's 2009 talk, "Social Collapse Best Practices", develops quite well some of the themes raised in the civil war discussion. Perennially good reading: <a href="http://cluborlov.blogspot.com.es/2009/02/social-collapse-best-practices.html" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">http://cluborlov.blogspot.com.es/2009/02/social-collapse-best-practices.html</a>
Phil Hostak
2018-04-19 19:39:08 +0000 UTCFantastic episode!!
Alex Villa
2018-04-19 19:24:07 +0000 UTCyous should make this public there aren't a lot of coherent discussions like this out there
Michael Clifford
2018-04-19 19:17:31 +0000 UTCThe problem with this sectarian narrative is that the majority of the Syrian Army is Sunni. The 30 year war was sectarian, but as important it was a geopolitical struggle between the Habsburgs in Austria, Spain and what is now the Netherlands (formerly an outpost of the Spanish empire),and France. So you had Catholic France financing Lutheran Sweden to fight the Catholic Habsburgs. So the mistake is to paint the conflict as due to some historic animus between Sunni and Shi’a. What was completely ignored in the discussion was the historic opposition of the west to Ba’athist Arab nationalism supported by Sunni Shi’a alike. This disaster is principally down to the US, Israel, Saudi’s, UAE, Turkey, and UK. As far as the Khan Sheikhoun chemical attack, the OPCW-JIM blamed Assad. One problem; the OPCW never visited the site and relied on samples provides by the anti-Assad forces via Turkey.
Robert D
2018-04-19 19:08:42 +0000 UTCDamn it! This totally ruins the ace up my sleeve in podcast recommendations that wouldn't immediately out me as a lefty white guy who got into Chapo at some point during the Bernie campaign. Now all of my favorites have been dragged into the Chapo-verse. They might as well start target advertising on Patreon because my tastes are totally predictable and cliche.
John Williams
2018-04-19 18:54:02 +0000 UTCAwesome! Big RWN fan here too. You guys should get Mark Ames or Yasha Levine on as well.
Oskaras Funk
2018-04-19 18:44:15 +0000 UTCHell yeah! War Nerd rules
William R Richards
2018-04-19 18:20:32 +0000 UTCHell yeah babyy
Jason Elrick
2018-04-19 18:16:32 +0000 UTCYou just keep topping yourselves.
Twitch Hunt!
2018-04-19 18:14:29 +0000 UTCHuge Venn overlap on this one
Andy Cassidy
2018-04-19 18:09:03 +0000 UTCOh my god, I've been waiting for this, the most ambitious crossover event of all-time.
Scott H
2018-04-19 18:03:41 +0000 UTCAs someone who's read War Nerd since high school this is the god damn GameMasterAnthony's party of podcast episodes
A Children's Day Breakfast
2018-04-19 17:40:54 +0000 UTCWe need the beer nerd
Saying Monty Python Quotes In Lieu of Conversation
2018-04-19 17:36:28 +0000 UTCThe War Nerd Iliad: it’s good, folks.
Lotto Graves
2018-04-19 17:35:35 +0000 UTCWooo finally!
TowerOfJon
2018-04-19 17:31:53 +0000 UTCChapo's two most supposedly problematic shows that they get shit for associating with are the actually the best. Dialectic: War Nerd Radio (profound) Cumtown (retarded). Synthesis (profoundly retarded)
Matt Brotchie
2018-04-19 17:24:12 +0000 UTCI’m so fucking excited for this.
Dmthompson360
2018-04-19 17:22:41 +0000 UTCFuck yeah, War Nerd Radio is the fucking best
Matt Brotchie
2018-04-19 17:20:01 +0000 UTCInject this into my veins
Lo
2018-04-19 17:19:54 +0000 UTCFuck yes
Chris McCarthy
2018-04-19 17:19:07 +0000 UTCThe ultimate crossover 🤗🇸🇾😤
Kevin Hickey
2018-04-19 17:17:50 +0000 UTCGood god!
Brett Lanier
2018-04-19 17:16:52 +0000 UTC
