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Scott Paul joins the show to talk about recent developments in the war in Yemen, where new casualty estimates claim at least 50,000 deaths just from direct violence. Oxfam estimates that the there are over 100 additional deaths from cholera and deprivation per day, and that when all is said and done hundreds of thousands of civilians will have been found to have died because of the war. Paul reminds us that there is plenty of room to negotiate peace, since most Yemenis hardly care at all about the politics of the war—they just want to be able to afford food.

Discussed on the show:

ALCED Yemen Data

Jamal Khashoggi

"1/5/18 The UN’s Jamie McGoldrick on the state of affairs in Yemen" (Libertarian Institute)

"10/20/18 Martha Mundy Gives an Update on Yemen" (Libertarian Institute)

"A Yemen Ceasefire? Believe It When You See It" (American Conservative)

"ACTION ALERT: It’s Been Over a Year Since MSNBC Has Mentioned US War in Yemen" (Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting)

Scott Paul is a senior policy advisor at OxFam. Follow him on Twitter: @ScottTPaul.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: Kesslyn Runs, by Charles Featherstone; NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Roberts and Roberts Brokerage Inc.; Zen Cash; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; and LibertyStickers.com.

Check out Scott’s Patreon page.

Professor Stephen Walt comes on the show to talk about his new book on American foreign policy. He explains the doctrine of "foreign policy realism," which tries to objectively evaluate the consequences of military endeavors, and not focus excessively on the morality of stopping bad people across the world. For example, if the United States keeps trying to remake the Middle East, the unintended victims tend to want retribution, no matter how noble the intentions of spreading liberalism were. Of course, it's not even a given that American intentions are noble to begin with, which Scott presses Walt on. Walt goes on to discuss his idea of "offshore balancing."

Discussed on the show:

The Hell of Good Intentions: America's Foreign Policy Elite and the Decline of U.S. Primacy

Henry Kissinger

Arab Spring

Likud Party

Stephen Walt is Professor of International Affairs at the Harvard Kennedy School, and the author of Taming American Power: The Global Response to U.S. Primacy. He is a regular contributor to ForeignPolicy.com. Follow him on Twitter @stephenWalt.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: Kesslyn Runs, by Charles Featherstone; NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Roberts and Roberts Brokerage Inc.; Zen Cash; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; and LibertyStickers.com.

Check out Scott’s Patreon page.

On FPF #267, Brian Saady returns to discuss Venezuela. Brian explains the rise of Chavez and the Communist government. He reviews the opposition to the Communist government. We talk about the current state of Venezuela and Trump's Venezuela policy. 

Brian Saady is the author of Rackets and the host of Rackets Podcast. Brian's books and podcast can be found at his website BrianSaady.com. His articles have been published at AntiWar.com and The American Conservative. 

Links

FPF #223 - Immigration Crisis guest Brian Saady 

 

FPF #207 - Colombia guest Brian Saady

Frequent Scott Horton Show guest Nasser Arrabyee comes back for an update on the current situation in Yemen. He explains that Coalition goals there simply can't be realized, and that the U.S. should just end its support for the Saudis as soon as possible. If America withdraws, he believes Saudi Arabia will soon follow suit. Arrabyee also talks about how the casualty reports from the New York Times and other sources, namely 10,000 deaths, can't possibly be right, given all the deliberate bombing of civilian infrastructure and the cholera outbreaks. He does think, however, that the war could actually end soon, due to recent outcry against Saudi Arabia.

Discussed on the show:

"6/20/18 Nasser Arrabyee on the Latest in the War in Yemen" (Libertarian Institute)

"How the War in Yemen Became a Bloody Stalemate" (New York Times)

Jamal Khashoggi

ALCED Data

Nasser Arrabyee is a Yemeni journalist based in Sana’a, Yemen. He is the owner and director of yemen-now.com. You can follow him on Twitter @narrabyee.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: Kesslyn Runs, by Charles Featherstone; NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Roberts and Roberts Brokerage Inc.; Zen Cash; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; and LibertyStickers.com.

Check out Scott’s Patreon page.

On FPF #266, I discuss how the US wars in Syria, Afghanistan, and Libya are failing. In Syria, NATO member state Turkey is attacking the US-backed Syrian Kurds. The Syrian Kurds have now abandoned their fight against ISIS. In Afghanistan, over half the people live in districts controlled or contested by the Taliban. In Libya, ISIS is mounting successful attacks against the US-backed government. 

Links

Free Man Beyond the Wall #152 - Scott Horton & Angela Keaton

Free Man Beyond the Wall #175 - Minds.Com

Maj Danny Sjursen - Myth of the Magical Soldier

Around the Empire - Maj Danny Sjursen

Scott Horton Show - Conn Hallinan

Conn Hallinan comes on to talk about the many players in Syria making the situation there almost incomprehensibly complicated. In fact Patrick Cockburn calls it "3-dimensional chess with no rules." Scott and Hallinan also discuss the world's various nuclear weapons treaties and the threats facing them. Hallinan worries that the test ban treaty in particular is on the chopping block, in part because of all the potential contracts for arms manufacturers that it would create.

Discussed on the show:

"Syria’s Chessboard" (Counterpunch)

Operation Euphrates Shield

Iran nuclear deal framework

Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty

Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty

START II

Project for the New American Century

Conn Hallinan is a columnist for Foreign Policy in Focus. Hallinan is a recipient of a Project Censored “Real News Award” and formerly headed the University of Santa Cruz’s journalism program.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: Kesslyn Runs, by Charles Featherstone; NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Roberts and Roberts Brokerage Inc.; Zen Cash; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; and LibertyStickers.com.

Check out Scott’s Patreon page.

On FPF #265, I discuss President Trump deploying troops to the southern border to assist in preventing migrants from entering the US. I explain why it is a mistake to treat the migrants as invaders. 

I update the Syrian War. The American mission in continues to kill civilians and fail to retake the remaining territory from ISIS. 

Links

FPF #223 - Brian Saady

Scott interviews Gareth Porter on his latest article for Middle East Eye, in which he explains that there's enough pressure now, following the death of Jamal Khashoggi, for the United States to back down a little in our relationship with Saudi Arabia. Porter doesn't imagine a drastic cutting of ties, but he is confident something will have to change. Unfortunately, too much of our foreign policy is controlled by interests in the arms industry, particularly drone bombers these days, for a little bit of public backlash to completely upend our presence in the Middle East.

Discussed on the show:

"A chance for the US to distance itself from Saudi Arabia" (Middle East Eye)

Jamal Khashoggi

"Lockheed Stock and Two Smoking Barrels" (CorpWatch)

Khobar Towers bombing

"10/28/18 Lecture for the Committee for Responsible Foreign Policy" (Libertarian Institute)

"The Crown Prince of Riyadh vs. The Crown Prince of Jihad" (War on the Rocks)

"The Khashoggi Affair and the Future of Saudi Arabia" (Consortium News)

Gareth Porter is an investigative historian and journalist on the national security state, and author of Manufactured Crisis: The Untold Story of the Iran Nuclear Scare. Follow him on Twitter @GarethPorter and listen to Gareth’s previous appearances on the Scott Horton Show.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: Kesslyn Runs, by Charles Featherstone; NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Roberts and Roberts Brokerage Inc.; Zen Cash; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; and LibertyStickers.com.

Check out Scott’s Patreon page.

Listen to Scott's lecture at a recent Committee for Responsible Foreign Policy event, where he discusses his book and the background of the war on terror.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: Kesslyn Runs, by Charles Featherstone; NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Roberts and Roberts Brokerage Inc.; Zen Cash; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; and LibertyStickers.com.

Check out Scott’s Patreon page.

On FPF #264, I discuss some new casualty numbers for the War on Yemen. The media has long cited a UN estimate that said 10,000 people have died. However, that estimate stopped counting deaths over a year ago. The 10,000 number has helped mask the catastrophic humanitarian crisis in Yemen. The new reports suggest there have been 70,000 - 80,000 deaths from violence and 130 children under five die every day.

Links

Patrick Cockburn on Yemen's death toll

Scott Horton Show - Martha Mundy 

FPF #254 - South China Sea