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Radio War Nerd EP #198 — Max Blumenthal in Syria + "Drone" Swarms Hit Saudi (Patreon)

Published:
2019-09-25 20:03:46
Imported:
2026-06
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Guest: Max Blumenthal, author, journalist, podcaster 

Recorded: September 22, 2019

Max Blumenthal drops in to the Radio War Nerd control & command center for what was supposed to be a quick chat about his recent controversial trip to Syria, but which turned into a great wide-ranging conversation on politics, propaganda, journalism, free speech & the war pigs among us.  

At 1:19:00 The War Nerd & Ames discuss the recent "drone" swarm attack on two Saudi Arabian oil refining centers, which the US and Saudis want to pin on Iran. 

Buy Max Blumenthal's new book "The Management of Savagery". Read his investigative reporting at The Grayzone. Follow Max on Twitter. And check out Max & Ben Norton's podcast, Moderate Rebels. 

Total time: 2:12:55

Direct link to this episode's mp3 here 

Files

Comments

Isaac Suárez

I just listened to this four years later and it makes me feel quite sad. I now see Gray Zone as a kooky borderline conspiracy theory, clickbait sight. I read Blumenthal and admire his books (especially his coverage of the Middle East) and there’s a part in this discussion where he brings up the risk of becoming “monomanicallly obsessed” with proving the MSM wrong (and how dangerous that can be to your judgement and ouvre.) Sadly, it even happens to the best. There’s no winning in 21st century internet journalism.

Shfifty_five

I keep hearing this. I don't check the Grayzone a ton, but I do read an article or two every once in a while, I wouldn't describe it as kooky conspiracy theories. I mean media deceipt and parapolitical conpiracies are well documented phenomena. We just do them with a characteristic imperial sloppiness that John, Mark, and Max are lambasting on this episode. I could be wrong though. Do you have a example in mind?

Dylan O'Brian

Where is the RSS feed for the podcast

CP

I can't access the podcast via the Itunes app anymore - can you let us know what's going on?

Boobs123

The file name is mislabeled.

Patrick Conner

Did you get the newsletter on 9/16? The current RSS feed is at the top.

Jelle Haandrikman

Almost sounds like a Kodak moment for the USAF. (When Kodak invented the digital camera and didn't do anything with it. Because it threatens the business model of the company.)

Brian Fagin

This was a great episode. I especially loved the conversation about Yemen and Iran.

Jon_dog

I think the idea you were trying to bring up that accounts for certain approaches (neocon, interventionist) towards the middle east is their usage of "The Arab Mind", which I'm sure has been mentioned on the show before. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Arab_Mind

CP

Got it, thank you!

Karl Knight

This is my favorite podcast. Much love to Mark, John, and Max!

Jeff Normal

Loosing 800 fighters is no small thing if this turns out to be true. Very little English language coverage

THEKILLERWHALE

"A Houthi spokesman told the BBC that three Saudi brigades had surrendered near the Saudi town of Najran." Errrr ... John? What is happening?

Jason Thompson

Guys, I really love your show and I love Max Blumenthal, and I appreciate Max and Carl’s exposé of the gross right-wing US elements the Hong Kong opposition has been pal-ing around with. That said, these are my thoughts, and this isn’t meant as some kinda “gotcha!” but as serious questions...

Jason Thompson

(1) The Hong Kong opposition is clearly bankrolled by the US and that is problematic. OTOH, necessity makes strange partners and I’ve also seen leftists totally diss and dismiss the Kurds because of *their* support by the US. Now, of course there are significant communist & revolutionary factions in the Kurds and they aren’t having Patriot Prayer folks come and give them speeches. But still.

Jason Thompson

(2) I’m not a Chinese speaker so I have no idea how bigoted things like “Shina” are to Chinese speakers. But if being able to cherrypick gross utterances is the main factor in dismissing a movement, it reminds me of my own college days as a Typical Democrat, when I’d hear these cherry-picked anti-Semitic statements by Palestinian figures and, to my great shame looking back, I completely wrote off the Palestinian movement as anti-Semitic. So while there may be some urban-rural snobbery, or class snobbery, or regional bigotry in the Hong Kong protests, is that a core component of their rhetoric (as you could say about, say, the anti-Shia rhetoric in major Syrian opposition groups), and does that invalidate *all* Hong Kong protesters? This seriously isn’t meant to be a “gotcha” but I am honestly comparing it to my own snap reaction to Hamas statements in the ‘90s and asking where you draw the line. Maybe you think it’s innately ridiculous to compare statements by an anti-US revolutionary movement living under occupation and barbed wire to statements by US-backed groups waving American flags living in an authoritarian but at least middle-class existence. But, I’d honestly like to ask.

Jeff Normal

In addition to the events this week, there was some reporting in Middle East Eye of over 1000 captured or killed in the battle of Jabara Valley, August 26th to 29.

Chris H

I very much enjoyed this episode. Hearing about the Syria conflict from a "loyalist" perspective was especially interesting.

eh

I've been reading some of the leftcom and anarchist sites with clear Hong Kong protester sympathies (chuangcn.org which has some interesting material on China in general and lausan.hk to try to get some understanding of the left wing of the protests) lately and honestly I'm not sure what the outcome is supposed to be. Liberals sympathizing with the movement makes perfect sense but I don't see what a leftist outcome is supposed to be. A continuation of the status quo? Hong Kong as a new Singapore with maintained financial ties to China but more representative elections? Anything "radical" seems almost ruled out by both the framing of the protests and what a single city can realistically do in opposition to the Chinese state, especially with nativist elements working to actively alienate mainlanders. Platitudes about the state response to insurrection driving people to the left is fine and all, but when outrage can easily be channeled against mainlanders in general and even some of the leftists admit that the nativists are a larger presence than them at most protests I don't see why that turn isn't equally likely.

xnfec

These days the Times is like the Daily Express but for rich people.

Max Durries

A little late catching up on this one, but just wanted to gush over how near-perfect this episode was. This will be my new 'dipping ones toes into the Brecher-verse' recommended first-timer episode. Mark - love how "Bonesaw" seems to be catching on!

xnfec

Weird thing. The Houthi's taking out half of Saudi oil processing doesn't seem to have affected the oil price that much. What gives?