The Scott Horton Show from The Libertarian Institute

Danny Sjursen explains why President Trump could end the war in Afghanistan if he wanted to. When it comes to foreign policy, the president is basically a dictator, and Trump in particular is pugnacious enough to cover his right flank at all times, just like Nixon was able to meet with Mao in the 1970s. Negotiations with the Taliban have also continued without falling apart, which is a good sign for the possibility of ending the war on agreeable terms. By the same token, Hillary Clinton felt that because she was a woman and a democrat, she had to be extra hawkish, and Scott and Sjursen agree that as president she would not have accomplished what Trump has with respect to negotiations in Afghanistan and Korea.

Discussed on the show:

"Could Donald Trump Actually End the Afghan War?" (The Nation)

"A Majority of Military Veterans Think the Wars in Afghanistan and Iraq Were a Mistake – Mother Jones" (Mother Jones)

Danny Sjursen is a retired U.S. army major and former history instructor at West Point. He writes regularly for TomDispatch.com and he’s the author of “Ghost Riders of Baghdad: Soldiers, Civilians, and the Myth of the Surge.” Follow him on Twitter @SkepticalVet.

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; Tom Woods' Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; and LibertyStickers.com.

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Tim Shorrock joins the show to discuss U.S. negotiations with Korea and the status of the relations between North and South. Lately soldiers from the North and South have begun patrolling together, one of several important symbolic gestures in the process of reconciliation between the two nations. Recently Donald Trump became the first president to visit the North, and Shorrock thinks his willingness to participate in negotiations, which previous presidents have not, has been hugely important. Unfortunately the democrats have almost unanimously condemned President Trump's willingness to meet with Kim Jong-un as a personal liking for dictators.

Discussed on the show:

"Most Dem Presidential Candidates Are Attacking Trump’s Korea Policy—From the Right" (The Nation)

"The U.S.-North Korean Agreed Framework at a Glance" (Arms Control Association)

Rumsfeld: His Rise, Fall, and Catastrophic Legacy

Tim Shorrock is the author of Spies For Hire: The Secret World of Intelligence Outsourcing and a regular contributor to The Nation and the Korea Center for Investigative Reporting. Follow him on Twitter @TimothyS.

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; Tom Woods' Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; and LibertyStickers.com.

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

Scott interviews Gareth Porter about John Bolton's most recent efforts to raise tensions with Iran. He and Scott speculate about Iran's ability to disrupt international trade in the region by shutting down the Strait of Hormuz, and the likelihood that they would do so given the risks of inciting more serious conflict as a result.

Discussed on the show:

"Did John Bolton Light the Fuse of the UK-Iranian Tanker Crisis?" (The American Conservative)

"Britain Rejects Iran's Offer to Swap Seized Tankers" (News From Antiwar.com)

Three Felonies A Day: How the Feds Target the Innocent

"What is the law of the sea?" (NOAA)

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; Tom Woods' Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; and LibertyStickers.com.

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

Dave DeCamp discusses the latest in the Trump-Russia collusion conspiracy, which at this point has all but completely fallen apart. Democrats continue to cling to anything that will keep the narrative alive, and the mainstream media has fallen in line by putting out extremely misleading headlines. DeCamp explains one by one why the stories are incorrect.

Discussed on the show:

"MSM Coverage of Senate Intelligence Report Is Misleading" (Antiwar.com Original)"Senate Intelligence report: “extensive” Russia 2016 election meddling" (Vox)

"Russia Hacks All 50 States" (Young Turks)

"Russia's propaganda machine discovers 2020 Democratic candidate Tulsi Gabbard" (NBC News)

Shattered: Inside Hillary Clinton's Doomed Campaign

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; Tom Woods' Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; and LibertyStickers.com.

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Hassan El-Tayyab summarizes the efforts in congress to end America's various wars in the Middle East, led mostly by democrats, but also with the support of some liberty-oriented republicans. Democrats have been accused of slashing the military because their proposed NDAA budget is smaller than the republicans'. But the critics leave out the fact that it too would mean an increase from last year, and is almost as large as the republican proposal. Scott theorizes that this multi-pronged campaign in congress may have been partly responsible for the recent announcement that the UAE will be withdrawing most of its soldiers from Yemen, signaling a possible end to the war.

Discussed on the show:

National Defense Authorization Act

"RELEASE: Rep. Khanna and Rep. Gaetz Introduce Bipartisan Amendment to Prohibit Funds from Being Used with a War Against Iran" (Congressman Ro Khanna)

"Congresswoman Barbara Lee Passes Defense Amendment That Would Repeal 2001 Endless War Authorization" (Congresswoman Barbara Lee)

"UAE Not Withdrawing From Yemen, FM Reiterates" (News From Antiwar.com)

Hassan El-Tayyab is a musician and peace activist based in Chicago. Find his work at justforeignpolicy.org.

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; Tom Woods' Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; and LibertyStickers.com.

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Scott interviews Pat Buchanan about his life in politics and the lessons we can apply to today. Buchanan was a committed cold warrior during the 1980s, but then advocated withdrawal of the U.S. from Europe after the Soviet Union collapsed, and urged that NATO not expand up to Russia's border. Much of his advice has been ignored, and the consequences have been America's catastrophic and endless wars. Today, he is optimistic that we will not have a war with Iran, since he believes that President Trump knows what a bad idea that is, and because Iran does not want, and has never wanted, nuclear weapons. This takes the main excuse for war off the table.

Discussed on the show:

"Averting a Middle East Holocaust" (C-SPAN.org)

"Whose War?" (The American Conservative)

"Russiagate Is No Watergate" (Antiwar.com Original)

"Trump: War President or Anti-Interventionist?" (Antiwar.com Original)

"Is a New US Mideast War Inevitable?" (Antiwar.com Original)

Pat Buchanan is a former Republican presidential candidate and political analyst who advised Presidents Nixon, Ford, and Reagan. He is the author of Churchill, Hitler, and "The Unnecessary War": How Britain Lost Its Empire and the West Lost the World and A Republic, Not an Empire: Reclaiming America's Destiny. Follow him on Twitter @PatrickBuchanan.

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; Tom Woods' Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; and LibertyStickers.com.

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

Scott interviews Lyle J. Goldstein about what the "Russiagate" narrative means for America's relationship with Russia. Scott and Goldstein remind us that a hot war would probably mean the destruction of both American and Russian cities with tactical nukes, and possibly the devastation of human civilization all over the world. For that reason it's incredibly irresponsible of the media to push the narrative that the Russian government attacked our country during the 2016 election, and that any sign of President Trump's conciliation toward Putin is confirmation that he's a foreign agent.

Discussed on the show:

"Europe Is Stuck between the United States and Russia" (The National Interest)

Sevastopol Naval Base

Lyle J. Goldstein is Research Professor in the China Maritime Studies Institute (CMSI) at the United States Naval War College in Newport, RI. He is the author of Meeting China Halfway: How to Defuse the Emerging US-China Rivalry. Follow his work at The National Interest.

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; Tom Woods' Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; and LibertyStickers.com.

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

Jason Ditz updates Scott on the news from the Middle East. Recently, a missing Emirati tanker that some claimed had been seized by Iran in the Strait of Hormuz was revealed to have simply been towed there voluntarily for repairs. In other news, the UAE has announced the withdrawal of its troops from Yemen, probably realizing it can't win a ground war there, at least not without stretching itself too thinly and becoming exposed at home. Saudi Arabia, on the other hand, seems content to keep fighting the war, since they want to ensure that the entire country is ruled by a friendly regime, or even a puppet ruler.

Discussed on the show:

"'Missing' Oil Tanker Was Towed to Iran for Repairs" (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: Kesslyn Runs, by Charles Featherstone; NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods' Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; and LibertyStickers.com.

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

Scott interviews Daniel McAdams about the influence of Mike Pompeo and John Bolton on President Trump's foreign policy. Lately they've made sure to keep up a policy of maximum pressure through economic sanctions, and to avoid negotiations at all costs. It's clear from their strategy that what they really want is a war. Trump's good instincts on Iran may be the only thing that's still keeping us at peace.

Discussed on the show:

"Rand Paul angles to become Trump's emissary to Iran" (POLITICO)

"Pompeo: 'I was the CIA director. We lied, we cheated, we stole'" (YouTube)

Daniel McAdams is the executive director of the Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity and the co-host of the Ron Paul Liberty Report. Follow him on Twitter @DanielLMcAdams and read all of his work over at Antiwar.com.

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; Tom Woods' Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; and LibertyStickers.com.

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

Mark Perry talks about the history of America's near misses on war with Iran, starting with the 1983 Beirut barracks attack that almost led to an American bombing campaign against the Iranians. According to Perry, President Reagan realized that such an attack would be both ineffective, and also beneath the "dignity" of the United States military. The point of a strong military, says Perry, is to not use it, except against major powers in extreme circumstances. The excessive use of our military all over the world in the last 20 years only wastes blood and treasure while making the country look weak.

Discussed on the show:

"1984: The Year America Didn’t Go To War" (The American Conservative)

A Foreign Policy Of Freedom: Peace, Commerce, And Honest Friendship

Mark Perry is the author of Talking to Terrorists: Why America Must Engage with its Enemies and The Most Dangerous Man in America: The Making of Douglas MacArthur. His most recent book, The Pentagon’s Wars was released in October. Read his work at The American Conservative Magazine and follow him on Twitter @MarkPerryDC.

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; Tom Woods' Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; and LibertyStickers.com.

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