The Scott Horton Show from The Libertarian Institute

Jason Ditz discusses the latest on Iran's nuclear weapons capabilities. Although Iran has talked about abandoning their obligations under both the JCPOA and the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, Ditz says they are still so far from having nukes that withdrawing from these agreements doesn't mean they would actually get nukes. More importantly, Iran is well aware of how quickly the U.S. and its allies would come down on them if they really did try to start producing weapons. In fact the only conceivable way Iran would pursue nukes, says Scott, is if the U.S. had already declared war on them and they felt they needed a nuclear deterrent.

Discussed on the show:

"Friedman’s Hapless Fear-Mongering" (The American Conservative)

"Obama to Iran and Israel: 'As President of the United States, I Don't Bluff'" (The Atlantic)

Jason Ditz is the news editor of Antiwar.com. Read all of his work at news.antiwar.com and follow him on Twitter @jasonditz.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods' Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com.

Donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal, or Bitcoin: 1Ct2FmcGrAGX56RnDtN9HncYghXfvF2GAh.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHvi1ZQKZGU

Dave DeCamp talks about the scandalous apparent cover-up of the OPCW's real findings on the alleged chemical attack in Douma in 2018. In 2019 the organization issued a final report affirming the likelihood of a real chemical attack. But now Ian Henderson, one of the engineers on the ground in Douma, has come forward to claim that his team was convinced the attack had been staged, contrary to the OPCW's report. Henderson is quick to defend the organization's integrity, but believes that in this case political pressure may have compromised them. DeCamp reminds us what exactly is at stake with these lies, citing the fact that the alleged attack was used as justification for the largest U.S. military strike against Syria during the course of the war. The media has covered virtually none of this.

Discussed on the show:

"Author of Leaked OPCW Engineering Report on Douma Speaks at UN Security Council" (Antiwar.com Blog)

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods' Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com.

Donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal, or Bitcoin: 1Ct2FmcGrAGX56RnDtN9HncYghXfvF2GAh.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZfOmmAwsUeI

Dan Caldwell of Concerned Veterans for America talks to Scott about his organization's latest efforts to change the conversation about support for America's wars in the Middle East. Their new ad campaign emphasizes the fact that even most veterans simply want to end the wars. Caldwell hopes to remind Americans that a truly conservative foreign policy would be much more restrained than the current neoconservative status quo.

Discussed on the show:

"End Endless Wars" (Concerned Veterans for America)

"Concerned Veterans for America Launch Campaign To Bring Our Troops Home" (Antiwar.com Blog)

Dan Caldwell is the Executive Director of Concerned Veterans for America. Find him on Twitter @dandcaldwell.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods' Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com.

Donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal, or Bitcoin: 1Ct2FmcGrAGX56RnDtN9HncYghXfvF2GAh.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vlnMiFPgsuk

Jim Bovard talks about the federal pressure for states to comply with their "REAL ID" laws, which place higher standards on proving one's identity and may require the submission of fingerprints or even DNA samples. Bovard reminds us that even if the requirements aren't so onerous at first, these laws could easily be used as a precedent to ram through more Orwellian standards in the future. Bovard also comments on the recent rallies in Virginia against the state's proposed gun control measures.

Discussed on the show:

"How Washington Is Ramming REAL ID Down Our Throats" (The American Conservative)

Three Felonies A Day: How the Feds Target the Innocent

Jim Bovard is a columnist for USA Today and the author of Public Policy Hooligan: Rollicking and Wrangling from Helltown to Washington. Find all of his books and read his work on his website and follow him on Twitter @JimBovard.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods' Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com.

Donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal, or Bitcoin: 1Ct2FmcGrAGX56RnDtN9HncYghXfvF2GAh.

Stephen Zunes discusses the catastrophic mistake of the U.S. plan to invade Iraq, then "divide and rule" along sectarian lines. Zunes says that although the relationship between Iran and the Iraqi Shiite government is a problem for those who worry about Iranian influence in the Middle East, the irony that everyone seems to have forgotten is that it was the Bush Administration that overthrew the Sunni government there in the first place, essentially fighting against Saddam Hussein on behalf of Iran. Moreover, the only real threat from Iran is to the American soldiers who are there on foreign soil fighting a war we started. We would be far better off if we had just stayed away, a message that Zunes says nearly every Middle East scholar in America could have told you in 2001.

Discussed on the show:

"Today’s US-Iran Crisis Is Rooted in the Decision to Invade Iraq" (Truthout)

"US seeking to carve out Sunni state as its influence in Iraq wanes" (Middle East Eye)

"US Commander: Troops in Iraq Face More Threats From Shi'ites Than ISIS" (News From Antiwar.com)

Stephen Zunes is a professor of politics and international studies at the University of San Francisco. He is the author of Western Sahara: War, Nationalism, and Conflict Irresolution and Civil Resistance Against Coups: A Comparative and Historical Perspective. Find him on Twitter @SZunes. 

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods' Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com.

Donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal, or Bitcoin: 1Ct2FmcGrAGX56RnDtN9HncYghXfvF2GAh.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EpLJEr8WpwE

Scott talks to Ramzy Baroud about the Israeli occupation of Gaza, where Palestinian civilians continue to be killed and otherwise oppressed by Israeli forces. Baroud describes the many ways in which Israel has twisted the mainstream narrative and manipulated their supporters in the U.S., who are mostly ignorant of just how oppressive the regime is. Baroud says the outlook is bleak: only through continued resistance and international solidarity do Palestinians have any hope of changing the narrative and gaining full civil rights. Until then, they will continue to suffer and die under the Israeli siege of their homeland.

Discussed on the show:

"Sealed Off and Forgotten: What You Should Know about Israel’s ‘Firing Zones’ in the West Bank" (ramzybaroud.net)

Oslo Accords

"On the Road to Gaza: The Freedom Flotilla Will Sail Again" (ramzybaroud.net)

"Netanyahu: America is Easy to Push Around (English Subtitles)" (YouTube)

"Leave Iran to the Americans" (The Jerusalem Post)

"How Western Media Bias Allows Israel to Getaway with Murder in Gaza" (Counterpunch)

Devil's Game

Obstacle to Peace: The US Role in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

Ramzy Baroud is a US-Arab journalist and is the editor-in-chief of the Palestine Chronicle. He is the author of My Father Was A Freedom Fighter: The Untold Story of Gaza and The Last Earth: A Palestinian Story. His new book is These Chains Will Be Broken: Palestinian Stories of Struggle and Defiance in Israeli Prisons. Follow Ramzy on Twitter @RamzyBaroud and read his work at RamzyBaroud.net.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods' Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com.

Donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal, or Bitcoin: 1Ct2FmcGrAGX56RnDtN9HncYghXfvF2GAh.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3G6fRrDw0s

Doug Bandow talks about the legacy of the war in Libya, which many Americans seem already to have forgotten. Bandow says Qaddafi was supposed to be the test case for a dictator agreeing to U.S. terms of peaceful nuclear disarmament. Instead, as soon as he disarmed America sent troops in to overthrow him, creating an obvious chilling effect on any country of whom we make similar demands in the future. Bandow also reminds us of the blowback caused by the war there, and fears for the possibility of Yemeni terrorism against U.S. targets in the future, since what America is doing to the Yemenis is far worse even than what happened to the Libyans.

Discussed on the show:

"The Obama Administration Wrecked Libya for a Generation" (Cato Institute)

"Note to Trump: Iraq Is Not a U.S. Colony" (Cato Institute)

"Clinton on Qaddafi: We came, we saw, he died" (YouTube)

Doug Bandow is a senior fellow at the Cato Institute and a regular contributor at Forbes Magazine, the National Interest, and elsewhere. He’s on Twitter @Doug_Bandow.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods' Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com.

Donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal, or Bitcoin: 1Ct2FmcGrAGX56RnDtN9HncYghXfvF2GAh.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-4ivunSZFo

Trita Parsi explains why he thinks that President Trump's clear signal that he doesn't want to go to war with Iran has sent a message to American allies like Saudi Arabia that they should now pursue diplomacy instead of war. Some assume that without a strong U.S. military presence in the Middle East, the region will fall apart. Parsi says it is quite the opposite, and that these countries are perfectly capable of getting along with each other without our involvement. Most recently, the Iraqi government has voted to kick American troops out, as they desperately want to avoid becoming the battlefield for a war between the U.S. and Iran.

Discussed on the show:

"As the Assassination of Iran’s Suleimani Shows, the United States Is the Main Spoiler of Peace in the Middle East" (Foreign Policy)

Trita Parsi is the president of the National Iranian American Council and the author of Losing an Enemy: Obama, Iran and the Triumph of Diplomacy. Parsi is the recipient of the 2010 Grawemeyer Award for Ideas Improving World Order. Follow him on Twitter @tparsi.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods' Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com.

Donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal, or Bitcoin: 1Ct2FmcGrAGX56RnDtN9HncYghXfvF2GAh.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5g_t38GsSzY

Ryan McMaken discusses his recent articles for the Mises Institute about the future of U.S. dollar hegemony. He walks us through the dollar's history as global reserve currency, which began in the mid 20th century as an alternative to a direct gold standard. Still, the dollar was redeemable for gold in theory, until Nixon suspended the policy altogether and unchained debt and inflation to bring about the system we have today. McMaken describes the importance of keeping the dollar as the default currency for oil transactions, creating demand for not only the currency itself, but for dollar-denominated securities that can be purchased back with those dollars by oil producers like Saudi Arabia. He conjectures that a key factor in America's aggressive foreign policy is to make sure the Middle East continues to agree to this system.

Discussed on the show:

"Huge Debt Got Us Hooked on Petrodollars — and on Saudi Arabia" (Mises Wire)

"The World Looks to Abandon the Dollar as US Sanctions Tighten Their Grip" (Mises Wire)

Ryan McMaken is a senior editor at the Mises Institute. He has degrees in economics and political science from the University of Colorado, and was the economist for the Colorado Division of Housing from 2009 to 2014. He is the author of Commie Cowboys: The Bourgeoisie and the Nation-State in the Western Genre.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods' Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com.

Donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal, or Bitcoin: 1Ct2FmcGrAGX56RnDtN9HncYghXfvF2GAh.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kqrWRb-s0Og

Scott talks to Andy Worthington about Guantanamo Bay, where dozens of prisoners are still detained without charges under suspicion of involvement in terrorism. Worthington reminds us that President Obama campaigned on closing the prison, but quickly gave up after resistance from republicans. Trump, meanwhile, has kept his campaign promise not to release any more prisoners. Worthington fears that the plight of these men being detained with no hope of justice is simply not a cause most Americans care about. He continues to do what he can to keep the issue in the public consciousness.

Discussed on the show:

The Guantanamo Files: The Stories of 774 Detainees in America's Illegal Prison

Outside the Law: Stories From Guantanamo

"The Guantánamo "Suicides"" (Harper's Magazine)

"The Report (2019)" (IMDb)

Andy Worthington is the author of Guantanamo Files and the director of "Outside the Law: Stories from Guantanamo." Read his work at the Future of Freedom Foundation and AndyWorthington.co.uk and follow him on Twitter @GuantanamoAndy.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods' Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com.

Donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal, or Bitcoin: 1Ct2FmcGrAGX56RnDtN9HncYghXfvF2GAh.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A18FxSrfs8c