The Scott Horton Show from The Libertarian Institute

National Interest's executive editor Harry Kazianis joins Scott to discuss his article for The American Conservative, "A War of Choice With North Korea is an Immensely Dumb Idea." Kazianis discusses the horrors that would follow from a war with North Korea, the difficulty of educating the broader public on the possible consequences, and why, even if Donald Trump is bluffing, pushing Kim Jung-Il into a corner is a terrible idea. Kazianis then discusses his previous work projecting what war with North Korea could look like and what he believes to be the status of North Korean chemical and biological weapons. Finally, he explains what he thinks the key is to diplomacy with North Korea and why he holds out some hope that Trump has some realist foreign policy views.

Harry Kazianis is director of defense studies at the Center for the National Interest and executive editor The National Interest. He previously served as editor of The Diplomat, a fellow at CSIS, and on the 2016 Ted Cruz foreign policy team. Follow him on Twitter @GrecianFormula.

Discussed on the show:

Mattis: This would be the most bitter fighting of our lifetimes

"North Korea: The Costs of War, Calculated," by John Feffer (Antiwar.com)

"North Korea proved allowing the Iran deal to collapse could lead to proliferation" (The Hill)

"12/13/17 Doug Bandow on North Korea’s nuclear development" (Scott Horton Show)

"Tillerson’s offer of talks with North Korea left hanging" (Washington Post)

"US ready for talks with North Korea 'without preconditions', Tillerson says" (The Guardian)

"8 million dead - what nuclear war with North Korea could look like," by Harry Kazianis (Fox News)

"12/6/17 Robert Alvarez on the catastrophe of the Korean War (Scott Horton Show)

"Kim Jong-nam killed by VX nerve agent, say Malaysian police" (The Guardian)

In Retrospect: The Tragedy and Lessons of Vietnam, by Robert McNamara

Today’s show is sponsored by: The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Roberts and Roberts Brokerage Inc.; LibertyStickers.com; TheBumperSticker.com; and ExpandDesigns.com/Scott.

Check out Scott’s Patreon page.

Will Porter makes his debut on the Scott Horton Show to discuss his article for the Libertarian Institute, "Yemen's Silent Numbers: Official Death Count Masks War's Toll on Civilians." Porter explains the numerous problems with the OHCHR's civilian death count and why the estimates likely don't reflect near the total number of civilians whose lives have been lost as a result of the war.

Will Porter writes for The Market Radical and NotBeingGoverned. Follow him on Twitter @WKPAnCap.

Discussed on the show:

Nasser Arrabyee

"The situation of human rights in Yemen including violations and abuses since September 2014 (OHCHR)

"Cholera Spreads as War and Poverty Batter Yemen" (The New York Times)

Clair Manera

"Yemen's Hidden War," by Matthieu Aikins (Rolling Stone)

Today’s show is sponsored by: The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Roberts and Roberts Brokerage Inc.; LibertyStickers.com; TheBumperSticker.com; and ExpandDesigns.com/Scott.

Check out Scott’s Patreon page.

Conn Hallinan returns to the show to discuss his latest article for FPIF.org "Asia's Other Nuclear Standoff," which details the United States' role in escalating the India-Pakistan nuclear face off. Hallinan describes the race for resource control in Asia, particularly over the oil supply, and the Chinese expansion throughout southeast Asia and parts of Africa. Hallinan believes the possibility of escalation to nuclear weapons is very real in India and Pakistan. Hallinan then explains the background of the conflict in southeast Asia and addresses Rex Tillerson's latest comments on North Korea.

Conn Hallinan is a columnist for Foreign Policy in Focus. Hallinan is a recipient of a Project Censored "Real News Award" and formerly headed the University of Santa Cruz's journalism program.

Discussed on the show:

Strait of Malacca

One Belt One Road Initiative

"U.S. urges allies to think twice before joining China-led bank" (Reuters)

Opium Wars

Kashmir conflict

Kargil War

"Local Nuclear War, Global Suffering" (Scientific American)

"Text of 1949 UN Resolution Calling for Referendum on Kashmir" (ThoughtCo)

"China says it hasn’t dropped its plan for Korean de-escalation, despite Trump" (Washington Post)

"Tillerson says US won't set preconditions for North Korea talks" (CNN)

123 Agreement

Narendra Modi

"Narendra Modi, a man with a massacre on his hands, is not the reasonable choice for India" (The Guardian)

Gujarat Pogrom

Cold Start

"A New U.S. Approach to Pakistan: Enforcing Aid Conditions without Cutting Ties," by Lisa Curtis (Hudson Institute)

Durand Line

Cato's Doug Bandow joins Scott again to discuss the situation in North Korea. According to Bandow the red line Trump has created for North Korea is worrisome, but he doesn't believe it's a repeat of the lead-up to the Iraq War—Bandow's greater concern is that the Trump administration will make a major blunder. Bandow believes that Donald Trump's approach to foreign policy is based on his feelings—which vary—rather than any coherent strategy. Bandow then explains why he thinks claims that North Korea can hit the east coast of the United States with a nuclear weapon may be premature, but that is certainly where things are headed. Lastly Bandow details what he would do to achieve peace with North Korea.

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.

Discussed on the show:

"12/4/17 Eric Margolis on how to resolve tensions with North Korea" (Scott Horton Show)

"Trump says Tillerson 'is wasting his time trying to negotiate with Little Rocket Man'" (CBS News)

"North Korea Says It Might Negotiate on Nuclear Weapons. But the Washington Post Isn't Reporting That." by John Schwartz (The Intercept)

"China renews call for North Korea, US 'freeze-for-freeze'" (Fox News)

"There's no evidence that he or anybody else there [in North Korea] is suicidal. I tell everybody: you look at the behavior of him, his father, and his grandfather—they all wanted their virgins in this world...There's no evidence they want to go out on a funeral pyre lit by American nuclear weapons." —Doug Bandow

Today’s show is sponsored by: The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Roberts and Roberts Brokerage Inc.; LibertyStickers.com; TheBumperSticker.com; and ExpandDesigns.com/Scott.

Check out Scott’s Patreon page.

Former police officer Raeford Davis returns to the show to discuss the latest spree of police shootings. According to Davis while there are plenty of bad apples who join police forces across the country, the real problem is the training cops receive and the willingness of courts to acquit unjustifiable shootings. Davis breaks down the details of the video of Daniel Shaver's murder from the perspective of a former cop. Davis then explains how police officers are masters at escalating potentially violent situations with the goal of creating arrests. Scott and Davis then discuss the way cops are portrayed in mainstream culture and the stark differences from reality. Finally Davis gives his advice on what can be done going forward to reduce violent deaths at the hands of the cops.

Raeford Davis, a speaker for Law Enforcement Action Partnership (LEAP), is a former North Charleston police officer turned voluntaryist libertarian. He now works with cops to reduce violent conflict with citizens. Follow Davis on Twitter @RaefordD.

Discussed on the show:

Death of Daniel Shaver

"‘You’re Fucked’: The Acquittal of Officer Brailsford and the Crisis of Police Impunity" (ACLU)

"How Police Training Contributes to Avoidable Deaths" (The Atlantic)

"A Police Killing Without a Hint of Racism," by Connor Friedersdorf (The Atlantic)

"A day with ‘killology’ police trainer Dave Grossman" (Washington Post)

"Being a cop showed me just how racist and violent the police are. There’s only one fix." (Washington Post)

Shooting of Philando Castile

"Use-of-force expert: Cop who fatally shot Philando Castile justified in shooting" (Police One)

"Tamir Rice’s Basically Reasonable Murder," by Scott Greenfield (Simple Justice)

Graham vs. Connor (1989)

"U.S. prison population dwarfs that of other nations" (The New York Times)

Shooting of John Crawford III

"Dash cam video from Walter Scott shooting released" (CNN)

Today’s show is sponsored by: The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Roberts and Roberts Brokerage Inc.; LibertyStickers.com; TheBumperSticker.com; and ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; 

Check out Scott’s Patreon page.

Philip Weiss, editor of Mondoweiss.net, returns to the show to discuss Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as the capitol of Israel and his future plans to move the U.S. embassy there in the future. According to Weiss Trump's decision extinguishes the peace process and is a moment of great despair for those who believed the Oslo Accord would lead to the creation of a Palestinian state. Weiss then details the history of Israeli land annexation from Palestinians in Jerusalem dating back to the the 1940s. Weiss believes that ultimately Palestinian freedom will require American Jews to demand equal political representation for Palestinians. Scott then turns the subject to "Russia-gate" and the grand omission from much of the media: Michael Flynn's behind-the-scenes work to torpedo the U.N. resolution that condemned Israeli settlements.

Philip Weiss is the long-time editor of Mondoweiss.net. Follow him on Twitter @PhilWeiss.

Discussed on the Show:

Dave Smith

"ABC News apologizes for ‘serious error’ in Trump report and suspends Brian Ross for four weeks" (Washington Post)

"The unresolved story of ABC News’ false Saddam-anthrax reports," by Glenn Greenwald (Salon)

Sheldon Adelson

Oslo Accords

1967 War

Green Line (Israel)

Edward Said

Ali Abunimah (Electronic Intifada)

United Nations Partition Plan for Palestine

"Arafat didn't negotiate—he just kept saying no" (The Guardian)

"Statement by Prime Minister Ehud Barak-07-Oct-2000" (Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs)

Public Choice Theory

"A majority of one is pushing for embassy move — Sheldon Adelson," by Philip Weiss (Mondoweiss.net)

Reuven Rivlin

“Trump’s Transition Team Colluded With Israel. Why Isn’t That News?” (The Intercept)

"Flynn indictment exposes collusion with Israel, not Russia," by Max Blumenthal (Salon)

The Doomsday Machine: Confessions of a Nuclear War Planner, by Daniel Ellsberg

"Flynn’s plea on Russian influence reveals… Israel’s influence!" by Philip Weiss (Mondoweiss.net)

"Trump just ‘pushed the two-state solution over the cliff’" (Mondoweiss.net)

Today’s show is sponsored by: The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Roberts and Roberts Brokerage Inc.; LibertyStickers.com; TheBumperSticker.com; and ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; 

Check out Scott’s Patreon page.

The ACLU's Jonathan Hafetz joins Scott to shed light on the situation in Iraq where an American citizen has been held by the United States military for nearly three months. According to Hafetz the military has not released the man's name, and hasn't given him access to a lawyer despite his requests for one. The ACLU is now fighting in court in order to speak with him and and advise him on his rights. According to Hafetz there are three options the state is considering: 1) Hold the man in military custody as an enemy combatant; 2) try to bring charges against him in federal court; or 3) move him to another country. Hafetz explains the nuances of the legal proceedings, including the important fact that U.S. law enforcement read the man his Miranda Rights. Scott then turns to the latest horrific police shooting and asks Hafetz about the legal precedent set by cases involving police shootings.

Jonathan Hafetz is a senior staff attorney at the ACLU Center for Democracy. He teaches at Seton Hall Law School and has published many books. Follow him on Twitter @JonathanHafetz.

Discussed on the show:

"A Captured American ISIS Fighter Could Undermine the Whole War" (The Daily Beast)

"American Detained by Military Wants a Lawyer, Government Acknowledges," by Charlie Savage (The New York Times)

Lackawanna Six

"At judge’s order, Pentagon confirms American ISIS suspect caught in Syria asked for lawyer" (Washington Post)

"Court releases DOJ memo justifying drone strike on US citizen" (The Hill)

Hamdi vs. Rumsfeld

Scott Greenfield

Graham vs. Conner

Today’s show is sponsored by: NoDev, NoOps, NotIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Roberts and Roberts Brokerage Inc.; LibertyStickers.com; TheBumperSticker.com; 3tediting.com; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; and Darrin’s Coffee.

Check out Scott’s Patreon page.

Mark Perry returns to the show to discuss his latest article for the American Conservative, "Tillerson, Mattis Warned Trump Against Embassy Move." Perry doubts that Trump understands the true effect of his decision and explains why Jerusalem is integral to the Arab world and to Palestine in particular. Scott asks if, now that the two-state solution is clearly over, peace can be found in a single state—assuming apartheid conditions are lifted. Perry believes that the silver lining is that the Jerusalem decision creates division in what has become an ever-cozier relationship between Israel and Saudi Arabia. Scott then turns to Perry's new book, "The Pentagon's Wars: The Military's Undeclared Wars Against America's Presidents."

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. Follow him on Twitter @MarkPerryDC.

Discussed on the show:

"Arab world responds to Trump’s Jerusalem decision with protests and warnings" (Christian Science Monitor)

"Arabs, Europe, U.N. reject Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israeli capital" (Reuters)

"Pope Francis Has 'Deep Worry' Over President Trump's Decision to Move U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem" (Time)

Palestinian Christians

"Tom Friedman on Trump's ignorance in Jerusalem embassy decision" (MSNBC)

"Rice’s Turnabout on Mideast Talks" (The New York Times)

"Trump's Transition Team Colluded With Israel. Why Isn't That News?" (The Intercept)

"U.S. Abstains From U.N. Vote Condemning Israeli Settlements" (ForeignPolicy)

"An explanation of Israeli settlements" (MSNBC)

Philip Weiss

Ramzy Baroud

"A Split Over Israel Threatens the Democrats’ Hopes for Unity" (The New York Times)

Ahmed Yassin

2004 Fallujah Ambush

"Sadr: Muslims must liberate Jerusalem not fight each other" (Middle East Monitor)

"Military Times survey: Troops prefer Trump to Clinton by a huge margin" (Military Times)

"Poll: Active Military Members Have Had Quite Enough of Nation Building, Regime Change" (Reason)

"Ron Paul Awash in Active Duty Military Donations" (U.S. News)

"America 1st: Tucker Carlson & Col. Macgregor Reveal Secrets!" (YouTube)

Today’s show is sponsored by: The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Roberts and Roberts Brokerage Inc.; LibertyStickers.com; TheBumperSticker.com; and ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; 

Check out Scott’s Patreon page.

Robert Alvarez joins Scott to discuss his latest article for CommonDreams.org "Korea: End the 67-Year War." According to Alvarez there's no political will on either side to end the war—instead, the United States believes tensions between the two countries further U.S. national interests. Alvarez explains why he doesn't believe that the North Korean nuclear threat is as significant as it's been portrayed. He then takes on the argument that North Korea serves as a convenient excuse for the U.S. to exert its power and control over the region. Scott asks: "if the U.S. made nice with Mao Zedong, why can't they do it with Kim?"

Alvarez then returns to his days in the Department of Energy in 1994 when he traveled to North Korea to help hammer out the Agreed Framework. Alvarez describes the progress the Clinton administration made with North Korea, before George W. Bush unraveled all the progress in the aftermath of 9/11. Scott then asks Alvarez about the debate about North Korea's uranium enrichment program—did they have one, and if so, what was it used for? The two then discuss the horrors of the Korean War, which, counter to popular belief was a catastrophic failure.

Robert Alvarez is a senior scholar at the Institute for Policy Studies. He served as a senior policy adviser in the Department of Energy from 1993 to 1999.

Discussed on the show:

"Deadly Lessons: The Last Time China and America Went to War" (National Interest)

38th Parallel

Korean DMZ Conflict (1966-69)

"North Korea Says It Might Negotiate On Nuclear Weapons. But The Washington Post Isn't Reporting That." by John Schwartz (The Intercept)

“A grand bargain with China could remove North Korea’s nuclear threat — but it would destroy America’s global influence” (LA Times)

"Kim Jong Un wants to join Trump’s club," by David Ignatius (Washington Post)

Agreed Framework

"Carter Visit to North Korea: Whose Trip Was It Really?" (New York Times)

"Americans once carpet-bombed North Korea. It's time to remember that past," by Bruce Cumings (The Guardian)

"Why Do North Koreans Hate Us? One Reason — They Remember the Korean War." (The Intercept)

Korean Armistice Agreement

"North Korea: The Rubicon is crossed," by Charles Krauthammer (Washington Post)

"War with North Korea would be 'catastrophic,' Defense Secretary Mattis says" (CBS)

Today’s show is sponsored by: NoDev, NoOps, NotIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Roberts and Roberts Brokerage Inc.; LibertyStickers.com; TheBumperSticker.com; 3tediting.com; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; and Darrin’s Coffee.

Check out Scott’s Patreon page.

Nasser Arrabyee returns to the show to discuss the latest developments in Sana'a where ex-Houthi leader Ali Abdullah Saleh was assassinated by his former Houthi allies. Arrabyee explains that the Saleh-Houthi alliance was always one of convenience and was bound to end—but that no one was expecting it to happen during the war. Arrabyee believes that the beginning of the conflict goes back to August when Houthis clashed with Saleh supporters. Arrabyee now sees two possible options in the wake of Saleh's death: 1) Yemenis will continue to fight Saudi Arabian aggression behind a united Houthi front or 2) they will attempt to disband the Houthi movement altogether. Arrabyee believes that Saleh made a massive miscalculation in his dramatic about-face—and that none of his many supporters came to his defense—but that Saudi Arabia made an even bigger one. Arrabyee then does his best to predict what will happen next. Finally Scott asks about the reported cases of close to a million cases of cholera and the new outbreak of diphtheria.

Nasser Arrabyee is a Yemeni journalist based in Sana’a, Yemen. He is the owner and director of yemen-now.com. You can follow him on Twiiter @narrabyee.

Discussed on the show:

Ali Abdullah Saleh

Houthis

August 26, 2017: "Houthis and Saleh forces clash in Sanaa, at least two dead" (Reuters)

"Yemen's Saleh says ready for 'new page' with Saudi-led coalition" (Reuters)

Aden

Southern Movement (Yemen)

Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi

"Ravaged by Cholera, Yemen Faces 2nd Preventable Scourge: Diphtheria" (New York Times)

Today’s show is sponsored by: NoDev, NoOps, NotIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Roberts and Roberts Brokerage Inc.; LibertyStickers.com; TheBumperSticker.com; 3tediting.com; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; and Darrin’s Coffee.

Check out Scott’s Patreon page.