Foreign Policy Focus

On FPF #474, I discuss the US moving towards war with Iran under the cover of Coronavirus. Trump took to Twitter to threaten Iran if an attack is carried out against American forces in Iraq. Trump's Tweet creates a situation that means any attack in Iraq - with Iran's support or not - is likely to result in the US attacking the Shia militias in Iran, if not attacking within Iran. The attack could enter the US into a tit-for-tat cycle with Iran that escalates into a larger war.

Links

• The Guardian - US drone strikes in Somalia.

On FPF #473, I discuss the US attempts to exploit coronavirus outbreaks to overthrow governments. In Venezuela, the US already has a 'maximum pressure' campaign going. The over a year-long campaign has failed to force the countries president, Maduro, from power, but has killed 10,000s of civilians. Rather than seeing COVID as an opportunity for diplomacy and saving the lives of Venezuelans, the Trump admin is viewing it as a chance to force Maduro from power. The scheme will likely fail, as all sanctions campaigns do. Maduro will likely be more empowered, and the politicians supported by the US will be marginalized as the people of Venezuela understand that their suffering is exacerbated by the US.

Will Porter returns to Foreign Policy Focus to discuss how the US military is being impacted by the coronavirus. Will explains that several DoD personnel have now tested positive and many soldiers are in quarantine. The Pentagon has scaled back some games, although others have been able to continue. The close quarters' soldiers live in - especially on ships - makes it likely the coronavirus will spread quickly. However, this has not prevented hawks in the Trump administration from pushing war with Iran.

On the first bonus episode of Foreign Policy Focus, Steven Clyde of the Libertarian Party Mises Caucus joins the show to talk about the $2 trillion bailouts passed by Congress. The establishment claims the "stimulus" is meant to benefit all Americans in a difficult situation created by the coronavirus. However, it is a bailout to the rich, the political class, and large corporations for an economic rot that existed long before the coronavirus existed. The rest of us will get just enough to keep most Americans from realizing that the government is again stealing from us to enrich their friends, families, and donors.

Steven Clyde is the Content Director for the Libertarian Party Mises Caucus.

Joanne Leon returns to FPF to discuss the five year anniversary of the US/Saudi war on Yemen. The anniversary has received almost no media coverage in the midst of the coronavirus outbreak. Ironically, the five years of war in Yemen has created the world's worst humanitarian crisis - making Yemen one of the most likely to be devastated by a coronavirus. The US/Saudi/UAE/UK bombing campaign has intentionally targeted the civilian in fracture of Yemen. Now - before coronavirus even reaches Yemen - 24 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance and millions of children are at risk of starvation. Yemen must be remembered and the war must end.

Joanne Leon is the host of the Around the Empire podcast.

Links

FPF #209 - Killing Yemen

ATE #128 - Isa Blumi

ATE #132 - Shireen Al-Adeimi

John Dangelo joins Foreign Policy Focus to discuss the dangerous EARN IT Act. While the bill claims to protect children, in reality, it will allow for mass regulation of communication on the internet. It will roll back the key Section 230 rule that allows for websites to have comment sections on their sites. More importantly, the bill takes aim at encryption and could forces companies to build governments a back door. John also talks about coronavirus. John is a former combat vet and currently an ER nurse. He uses those experiences to explain how coronavirus could impact war zones.

John A. Dangelo III, a former marine turned anti-war advocate. Today He is a nurse in an emergency department. He is a new dad and a student. His work has been published at Antiwar.com and Libertarian Institute. He runs AntiwarWarVet.com.

Links

• Turning the Handle on the Door They Can't Breach
• Corona Crow Is a Feast Fit for Kings

Will Porter returns to the show to discuss the Trump admin's move towards war with Iran. The recent events happened under the cover of the coronavirus and got little attention in the MSM. Trump's civilian advisers pushed him to carry out strikes within Iran, and it was the military leaders - Secretary of Defense and Head of the Joint Chiefs - that disagreed with striking Iran. Fortunately, Trump decided not to strike Iran because of the corona outbreak. Will and Kyle explain how the instability in Iraq - and Trump's hawkish advisers - could eventually push Trump to strike Iran.

Links

• Lockheed Promo
• Pakistan/India Nuclear War Fallout
• Pompeo and Netanyahu Pave Path to War
• The Insanity of the Iran Obsession

On FPF #467, I discuss the deaths caused by coronavirus and US sanctions in Iran. The country has been one of the hardest hit by the outbreak so far and continues to struggle to import medical supplies due to the US sanctions. North Korean and Venezuela are in a similar position but so far have not had a serious outbreak of corona. Countries like Iraq, Libya, Afghanistan, Syria, Somalia, and Yemen are also at heightened risk as years of American warfare has wrecked the countries' medical and humanitarian networks.

Links

Will Arkin on the militaries martial law plans

Peter Quinones returns to Foreign Policy Focus to discuss the state's right to murder and the lack of accountability. Pete first explains how the flawed US justice systems has put innocent people to death. He discusses how police are able to kill people and avoid all accountability. Pete and Kyle look at the issue of war and how the government gets to slaughter people in mass.

Peter R. Quinones is managing editor of the Libertarian Institute and hosts the Free Man Beyond the Wall podcast. He released his first book, Freedom Through Memedom – The 31-day Guide to Waking Up to Liberty in November 2017. It reached #4 in the Libertarian Section on Amazon. He is currently co-producing a documentary entitled, "The Monopoly on Violence," which is scheduled for a 2020 release.

Links

• Danny Sjursen on the failure of empires

Will Porter returns to the show to talk about the chaos in Iraq. Over the weekend, the US bombed several positions claiming to be striking back against the "Iranian-backed" Shia group that killed two Americans and a British soldier. However, the Iraqi government reports the US only killed Iraqi soldiers, police, and civilians. Will explains what the US is trying to do in Iraq and how Trump's policy is failing. 

Links

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