Radio War Nerd EP102—Russian Civil War + Remembering Stanislav Petrov

What this episode covers

Guest: Alex Zaitchik, journalist & author In this two-part episode, first the War Nerd talks to journalist and former eXile colleague Alex Zaichik—just back from the oil-poisoned jungles of Peru—about his evening with Stanislav Petrov, "the man who saved the world" from nuclear holocaust in 1983, who just died this week. At 40:08 we discuss The Committee to Investigate Russia, the bazillionth liberal-neocon-CIA project, this one headed up by Rob "Meathead" Reiner, to resurrect Cold War fever. At 1:04:26 we begin our segment on the Russian Civil War, a huge topic about a very alien (and much romanticized) world. The War Nerd gives both an overview of the various phases of battle & some of the major figures. Later we dive deeper into some of the incredible episodes of the war, such as the peasant rebellions and the extraordinary anarchist partisan leader Nestor Makhno. The War Nerd ends with a list of his favorite Russian Civil War novels and writers...