The Scott Horton Show from The Libertarian Institute

Scott talks to Elijah Magnier about what's going on in Syria, with Russian troops now helping to mediate between Syria and Turkey, and where President Trump has announced his intention to seize formerly ISIS-controlled oil fields for America. Scott and Magnier agree that this move is surely illegal, and that it doesn't even make much economic sense. Magnier also discusses Lebanon, where widespread civil unrest has failed to result in any actual political change as yet.

Elijah Magnier is a Senior Political Risk Analyst with over 32 years’ experience covering Europe & the Middle East. Find him at his website, ejmagnier.com or on Twitter @ejmalrai.

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; Washinton Babylon; Liberty Under Attack Publications; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com.

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

Jason Ditz talks about President Trump's announcement that he wants American oil companies to take control of the oil fields in eastern Syria, which, beyond the troubling legality of such a move, implies that the U.S. might have to leave troops in Syria indefinitely. This is a rather dramatic turnaround from Trump's apparent desire to get out of the war in Syria, as seemed to be the point behind the recent withdrawal from the northeast. Ditz also describes the latest in the war in Yemen and efforts at home to end it.

Discussed on the show:

"Trump's Oil Claims Complicate and Prolong US War in Syria" (News From Antiwar.com)

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; Washinton Babylon; Liberty Under Attack Publications; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com.

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

Jason Ditz talks about President Trump's announcement that he wants American oil companies to take control of the oil fields in eastern Syria, which, beyond the troubling legality of such a move, implies that the U.S. might have to leave troops in Syria indefinitely. This is a rather dramatic turnaround from Trump's apparent desire to get out of the war in Syria, as seemed to be the point behind the recent withdrawal from the northeast. Ditz also describes the latest in the war in Yemen and efforts at home to end it.

Discussed on the show:

"Trump's Oil Claims Complicate and Prolong US War in Syria" (News From Antiwar.com)

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; Washinton Babylon; Liberty Under Attack Publications; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com.

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

Dan Cohen discusses what he calls one of the greatest scandals in modern American history, America's role in helping start the Syrian civil war. Under President Obama, says Cohen, the CIA started funding and arming the "moderate rebels," who actually were mostly members of Al-Qaeda and its  offshoots. Cohen explains the various name changes that these jihadist groups have undergone, which have allowed the media and the public to pretend that America's new alliance with these extremists wasn't what it clearly was: nothing short of treason.

Discussed on the show:

"By protecting Syria's Idlib, the US created a safe haven for Baghdadi and ISIS | The Grayzone" (The Grayzone)

"ISIS Leader Paid Rival for Protection but Was Betrayed by His Own" (The New York Times)

"Presenting The Syria Deception: Al Qaeda Goes to Hollywood (VIDEO)" (The Grayzone)

"The Redirection" (The New Yorker)

Dan Cohen is a journalist and co-producer of the award-winning documentary, Killing Gaza. His website is dancohenmedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @dancohen3000.

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; Washinton Babylon; Liberty Under Attack Publications; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com.

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

Dan Cohen discusses what he calls one of the greatest scandals in modern American history, America's role in helping start the Syrian civil war. Under President Obama, says Cohen, the CIA started funding and arming the "moderate rebels," who actually were mostly members of Al-Qaeda and its  offshoots. Cohen explains the various name changes that these jihadist groups have undergone, which have allowed the media and the public to pretend that America's new alliance with these extremists wasn't what it clearly was: nothing short of treason.

Discussed on the show:

"By protecting Syria's Idlib, the US created a safe haven for Baghdadi and ISIS | The Grayzone" (The Grayzone)

"ISIS Leader Paid Rival for Protection but Was Betrayed by His Own" (The New York Times)

"Presenting The Syria Deception: Al Qaeda Goes to Hollywood (VIDEO)" (The Grayzone)

"The Redirection" (The New Yorker)

Dan Cohen is a journalist and co-producer of the award-winning documentary, Killing Gaza. His website is dancohenmedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @dancohen3000.

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; Washinton Babylon; Liberty Under Attack Publications; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com.

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

Jon Schwarz gives us a brief history of America's many betrayals of the Kurds since the end of World War I. In a recent article for The Intercept he describes at least eight separate times the U.S. government has used Kurdish fighters to its own advantage and then later allowed, or even encouraged, other countries to turn on them while America pulls its support. Although he thinks President Trump's betrayal of our Kurdish allies this time around is bad, just like all the other times, he reminds us that this is a necessary consequence of running a world empire. We should direct our anger where it truly belongs—at American military hegemony itself.

Discussed on the show:

"Eight Times the U.S. Has Betrayed the Kurds" (The Intercept)

"Red Dawn (1984)" (IMDb)

"Rambo III (1988)" (IMDb)

Foreign policy of the Ronald Reagan administration

"The Redirection" (The New Yorker)

Treacherous Alliance: The Secret Dealings of Israel, Iran, and the United States

A Problem from Hell: America and the Age of Genocide

"Three Kings (1999)" (IMDb)

"Preparing the Battlefield" (The New Yorker)

Necessary Illusions: Thought Control in Democratic Societies (CBC Massey Lecture)

"Comprehensive Report of the Special Advisor to the DCI on Iraq's WMD" (Central Intelligence Agency)

"Democrats Still Can’t Level With Voters About the U.S. Empire" (The Intercept)

Jon Schwarz is a writer for The Intercept, and has written for the New Yorker, the New York Times, The Atlantic, the Wall Street Journal, “Saturday Night Live,” and many others. Find him on his blog, A Tiny Revolution, or on Twitter @schwarz.

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; Washinton Babylon; Liberty Under Attack Publications; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com.

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

Jon Schwarz gives us a brief history of America's many betrayals of the Kurds since the end of World War I. In a recent article for The Intercept he describes at least eight separate times the U.S. government has used Kurdish fighters to its own advantage and then later allowed, or even encouraged, other countries to turn on them while America pulls its support. Although he thinks President Trump's betrayal of our Kurdish allies this time around is bad, just like all the other times, he reminds us that this is a necessary consequence of running a world empire. We should direct our anger where it truly belongs—at American military hegemony itself.

Discussed on the show:

"Eight Times the U.S. Has Betrayed the Kurds" (The Intercept)

"Red Dawn (1984)" (IMDb)

"Rambo III (1988)" (IMDb)

Foreign policy of the Ronald Reagan administration

"The Redirection" (The New Yorker)

Treacherous Alliance: The Secret Dealings of Israel, Iran, and the United States

A Problem from Hell: America and the Age of Genocide

"Three Kings (1999)" (IMDb)

"Preparing the Battlefield" (The New Yorker)

Necessary Illusions: Thought Control in Democratic Societies (CBC Massey Lecture)

"Comprehensive Report of the Special Advisor to the DCI on Iraq's WMD" (Central Intelligence Agency)

"Democrats Still Can’t Level With Voters About the U.S. Empire" (The Intercept)

Jon Schwarz is a writer for The Intercept, and has written for the New Yorker, the New York Times, The Atlantic, the Wall Street Journal, “Saturday Night Live,” and many others. Find him on his blog, A Tiny Revolution, or on Twitter @schwarz.

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; Washinton Babylon; Liberty Under Attack Publications; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com.

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

Kieren McCarthy discusses the recent revelation that the FBI has access to the NSA's national security database, and has queried it tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of times. The database, gathered under special surveillance powers by the NSA and CIA, is not supposed to be accessible by other law enforcement agencies, except under special cases of investigating foreigners for purposes of national security. But it turns out that regular FBI agents have in fact been using it to gather information on American crimes by American citizens. McCarthy points out that even after this kind of scandal breaks, people just seem to forget about it, allowing these agencies to continue abusing their power.

Discussed on the show:

"Remember the FBI's promise it wasn’t abusing the NSA’s data on US citizens? Well, guess what…" (The Register)

Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act

Three Felonies A Day

Kieren McCarthy is an Internet author and consultant who has written for The Guardian, The Independent, Techworld and many more. He is the author of Sex.com: One Domain, Two Men, Twelve Years and the Brutal Battle for the Jewel in the Internet's Crown. Find him on Twitter @kierenmccarthy.

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; Washinton Babylon; Liberty Under Attack Publications; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com.

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

Kieren McCarthy discusses the recent revelation that the FBI has access to the NSA's national security database, and has queried it tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of times. The database, gathered under special surveillance powers by the NSA and CIA, is not supposed to be accessible by other law enforcement agencies, except under special cases of investigating foreigners for purposes of national security. But it turns out that regular FBI agents have in fact been using it to gather information on American crimes by American citizens. McCarthy points out that even after this kind of scandal breaks, people just seem to forget about it, allowing these agencies to continue abusing their power.

Discussed on the show:

"Remember the FBI's promise it wasn’t abusing the NSA’s data on US citizens? Well, guess what…" (The Register)

Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act

Three Felonies A Day

Kieren McCarthy is an Internet author and consultant who has written for The Guardian, The Independent, Techworld and many more. He is the author of Sex.com: One Domain, Two Men, Twelve Years and the Brutal Battle for the Jewel in the Internet's Crown. Find him on Twitter @kierenmccarthy.

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; Washinton Babylon; Liberty Under Attack Publications; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com.

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

Trevor Aaronson discusses some of the FBI's egregious abuses of its power over American citizens, most recently brought to light by their use of an informant to investigate a law-abiding militia group in California for years. Although the FBI claims to be concerned with acts of violence alone, and not ideology, cases like this are clear examples of their willingness to go after people only for their views, and despite the absence of any wrongdoing whatsoever. Most of the supposedly foiled terrorist plots of recent years, in fact, are FBI entrapments to begin with, as Aaronson documents in his book, The Terror Factory.

Discussed on the show:

"Informant Reveals FBI’s Already Vast Powers to Investigate Right-wing Extremists" (The Intercept)

"In Search of John Doe No. 2: The Story the Feds Never Told About the Oklahoma City Bombing" (Mother Jones)

ATF gunwalking scandal

Trevor Aaronson is a contributing writer for The Intercept and executive director of the nonprofit Florida Center for Investigative Reporting. He is the author of The Terror Factory: Inside the FBI's Manufactured War on Terrorism. Find him on Twitter @trevoraaronson.

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; Washinton Babylon; Liberty Under Attack Publications; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com.

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