The Libertarian Institute - All Podcasts

Historian and journalist Gareth Porter, author of Manufactured Crisis, discusses Trump, Mattis and McMaster’s coming escalation of the Afghan war and why it cannot be won.

Derek Davidson, formerly of the Rand Corporation, Middle East and Iran specialist and writer at lobelog.com, on his article from June 5th, “What’s Happening in the Persian Gulf”. Davidson explains the complex situation between the Whabbi Qataris and rival Saudis, the rest of the Gulf States, Turkey, and Iran, and the consequences of the recent diplomatic row between the states in the Persian Gulf.

Check me out on Patreon.

Anastasia Moloney, reporter for the Thomson Reuters Foundation, on her article “As Columbia’s FARC Disarmed, Rebels Enlisted to Fight Deforestation”. Moloney talks about the ceasefire in the FARC rebellion by peaceful resolution, and the ongoing disarmament of FARC. The former FARC rebels are being considered for positions as rain forest guardians, and Moloney talks about the other creative disarmament options being considered.

Check me out on Patreon.

Judging by the stance of the leadership of the Democratic Party and much of the media, Hillary Clinton’s devastating loss in the presidential election of November 2016 was all the fault of pernicious Russian leaks, unwarranted FBI investigations and a skewed electoral college. Rarely blamed was the party’s decision to run a deeply unpopular candidate on an uninspiring platform.

At a time of widespread dissatisfaction with business-as-usual politics, the Democrats chose to field a quintessential insider. Her campaign dwelt little on policies, focusing overwhelmingly on the personality of her opponent.

That this strategy was a failure is an understatement. Losing an election to someone with as little competence or support from his own party as Donald Trump marked an extraordinary fiasco.

The refusal of the Democratic leadership to identify the real reasons for their defeat is not just a problem of history. If Democrats persevere with a politics that prioritizes well-off professionals rather than ordinary Americans, they will leave the field open to right wing populism for many years to come.

Drawing on the WikiLeaks releases of Clinton’s talks at Goldman Sachs and the e mails of her campaign chief John Podesta, as well as key passages from her public speeches, How I Lost By Hillary Clinton also includes extensive commentary by award-winning journalist Joe Lauria, and a foreword by Julian Assange, editor-in-chief of WikiLeaks.

It provides, in the words of the Democratic candidate and her close associates, a riveting, unsparing picture of the disastrous campaign that delivered America to President Trump, and a stark warning of a mistake that must not be repeated.

Pick it up here.

Check me out on Patreon.

Peter van Buren is on the show to talk about the arrest of the latest leaker or whistleblower to be arrested, Reality Winner. The dubious circumstances and questions surrounding the arrest and leaking of the document are discussed at length. van Buren also discusses how an intelligence operation designed to unwittingly recruit Winner for the purposes of discrediting The Intercept would be put into action.

Check me out on Patreon.

Daniel McAdams, Director of the Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity, is on to talk about the recent terror attacks in Iran and the Saudi Iranian proxy wars in the Middle East. The Trump administrations three strikes on Syrian government positions, as well as the upcoming battle for Raqqa and which force is likely going to be able to take and hold the capital of the Islamic State are also reviewed. The Manchester terror attack is also discussed and how the UK’s foreign policy contributed to the security situation, and the new and actual Ghaddafi in Libya.

Check me out on Patreon.

Eric Margolis, the famous foreign affairs correspondent and author of “War at the Top of the World” and “American Raj”, on the 1967 Arab Israeli War that started fifty years ago this June. In a wide ranging interview, Margolis delivers a 101 on postwar Middle Eastern conflicts and politics, especially as relates to Israel and Palestine, and how American power props up the Israeli state. Also discussed is the demonization of people like Roger Waters who speak out against the status quo in Israel.

Check me out on Patreon.

Hey all, I’m a bit under the weather with the chicken pox. Sorry I’m not able to get you interviews, will be back to normal soon!

Claire Manera, coordinator of Médecins Sans Frontières’s project in Yemen, is interviewed on the Cholera outbreak in Yemen. Yemen has been in a state of conflict since 2015. That conflict is causing a humanitarian crisis, especially since the intervention by Saudi Arabia later in that same year. The Cholera outbreak in Yemen is also a result of this conflict, and is exacerbated by the malnutrition of the population because of the Saudi blockade. This extremely treatable disease is discussed, and as are other steps that could be taken to help the people of Yemen.

Check out my Patreon page

https://www.patreon.com/scotthortonshow

Iona Craig is on the show to discuss her new article “Villagers Say Yemeni Child Was Shot as He Tried to Flee Navy Seal Raid”. The article details the deaths of five civilians in a Navy Seal raid in Yemen, including a fifteen-year-old boy. The raid involved perhaps fifty Navy Seals with Apache helicopters. The helicopter also fired on civilians in the village in the hamlet of al Adhlan in Mareb province. This is the second botched raid in Yemen since Donald Trump became president, the first taking place on January 29th in al Ghayil. That raid left at least 10 children among the 26 villagers that were killed, including an American citizen, and also a Navy Seal, in what Trump later called a “highly successful” operation.

Check out my Patreon page

https://www.patreon.com/scotthortonshow