Radio War Nerd EP106—Byzantine-Sassanid Wars + Patrick Cockburn on Kurdistan Fustercluck

Guests: Robin Pierson, podcaster + Patrick Cockburn, correspondent & author KUALA LAMPUR—We know far too little about the Byzantine Empire (ie Roman Empire, East Division) and even less about the great Persian empires like the Sassanid Empire. The War Nerd talks Robin Pierson, host of the excellent History Of Byzantium podcast, about the monumental Byzantine-Sassanid wars culminating in the late 6th and early 7th C AD... In the second half, we talk to Patrick Cockburn of the Independent about the disastrous fallout of the Kurdish independence referendum, and we ask: What the Hell was Barzani thinking? Turns out even smart folks, seasoned survivors, can make catastrophically stupid mistakes...Make sure to get a copy of Cockburn's latest book "The Age of Jihad: Islamic State and the Great War for the Middle East" now out in paperback... Finally, we look the Mogadishu truck bombs that killed over 350 people, and some dumb takes on the Green Berets killed in Niger...