The Libertarian Institute - All Podcasts

Former CIA terrorism analyst Cynthia Storer discusses the credentials of Sebastian Gorka, President Trump’s deputy advisor on national security affairs, who claims to be an expert on Islamic terrorism; Cynthia’s earlier CIA work tracking Osama bin Laden and warning about Al-Qaeda’s intent to target the US; and why labeling the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist organization would be a stupid thing to do.

Zaid Jilani, a writer for The Intercept, discusses President Trump’s apparent concessions to critics accusing him of being soft on Russia, including his selection of Richard Grennell (who is in favor of arming Ukraine and leaving direct military confrontation with Russia “on the table”) for NATO ambassador, H.R. McMaster for national security adviser, and Nikki Haley for UN Ambassador.

Jason Ditz, news editor for Antiwar.com, discusses why a few thousand more US troops in Afghanistan won’t stop the steady loss of ground to the Taliban; President Trump’s deployment of troops all over the Middle East/North Africa to fight ISIS; and the official understatement of civilian casualties from US air strikes in Iraq and Syria.

Andrew Cockburn, the Washington editor of Harper’s Magazine and the author of Kill Chain: The Rise of the High-Tech Assassins, discusses the history of Yemen’s (sort of) civil war, the different factions and foreign backers, and why President Trump is escalating US support for Saudi Arabia and its Al-Qaeda allies (yet fighting them at the same time).

Joost Hiltermann, program director for the Middle East and North Africa at the International Crisis Group, discusses the Trump administration’s mistaken view that the Houthis in Yemen are an Iranian proxy-militia like Hezbollah in Lebanon. Hiltermann also debunks claims that Iran is allied with Al-Qaeda, and examines the clan-based divisions in Yemen, the country’s unique religious makeup, and what kind of political solution could end the war.

Blogger Marcy Wheeler discusses WikiLeaks’s exposure of the CIA’s powerful hacking toolkit, what devices are most vulnerable to being exploited, and why this leak might be a Russian operation using WikiLeaks as a cutout to release sensitive documents.

Doug Bandow, a senior fellow at the Cato Institute, discusses what a responsible North Korea policy would look like after successive US administrations have failed to gain anything from isolating the regime and eschewing diplomacy; and why we should look to Europe for clues about Russia’s so-called threatening intentions – if France and Germany aren’t furiously expanding their military budgets, why should the US?

Raeford Davis, a speaker for Law Enforcement Action Partnership (LEAP) and a former North Charleston police officer, discusses how drug prohibition and gun control laws create both dangerous criminals and corrupt cops, like the seven Baltimore “high-profile gun unit” officers, who all stand to profit from government-created black markets.

Brian McGlinchey, the director of 28Pages.org, discusses how American veterans were used as unwitting pawns in a Saudi-sponsored lobbying campaign to weaken the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA), a law allowing 9/11 victims’ families to pursue civil lawsuits against Saudi Arabia’s government.

Daniel McCarthy, editor-at-large of The American Conservative, discusses the poor showing of libertarian politicians in 2016, despite Ron and Rand Paul’s national prominence and two strongly disliked presidential candidates in Clinton and Trump; and how “virtue libertarianism” can revive the American commitment to liberty, keep the left and right more intellectually honest, and provide a means to punish vice and reward virtue without getting the government involved.