The Scott Horton Show from The Libertarian Institute

James Carden joins the show to talk about his latest article, "A Fateful Encounter: On Today's Meeting Between Presidents Trump and Putin," on Donald Trump's meeting with Vladimir Putin at the G20 Summit. Carden also discusses how Liberal Twitter is off its hinge, how the U.S. is the worst of all foreign election meddlers, why tensions with Iran make it impossible for a lasting agreement between Russia and the United States, why no one understands what's happening in the Ukraine and the United States' role in the mess, how all of the pundits screeching about Trump's connections to Russia were the same pundits who supported the case for WMDs in Iraq, and that regime change in Russia is the ultimate goal for many in Washington.

Carden is a contributing writer at The Nation. He is executive editor for the American Committee for East-West Accord and former adviser on Russia policy at the US State Department.

Discussed on the show:

"For Russia, Trump-Putin Meeting Is a Sure Winner," New York Times

"The U.S. is no stranger to interfering in the elections of other countries," Los Angeles Times

"Bloodlands: Europe Between Hitler and Stalin," by Timothy Snyder

"Did Endless War Cost Hillary Clinton the Presidency? A new academic paper says yes." Reason.com

CNN/ORC poll (March, 2017)

Kurt Volker

"John McCain and Paul Ryan Hold 'Good Meeting' With Veteran Ukrainian Nazi Demagogue Andriy Parubiy," by Ben Norton and Max Blumenthal

Minsk Agreement

"Former Soviet states stand up to Russia. Will the U.S.?," by Carl Gershman

Joe Lauria returns to the show to discuss the battle for Mosul, and the degree to which the Iraqi army has defeated the Islamic State. Lauria details the awful destruction of the war: thousands of civilians have been killed, and at least 850,000 people have fled since the fighting started last October, though the origins of the conflict trace back to George W. Bush's decision to invade in 2003 and the role of the U.S. in aiding ISIS's rise. Lauria then discusses what's next: a referendum in Irbil for Kurdish independence from Iraq, the United States attempt to break up the "Shia crescent" between Iran and Syria, and how Donald Trump's uncertain but aggressive plan in the Middle East makes the situation somehow even more volatile.

Lauria is the author of "How I Lost By Hillary Clinton" and a contributing writer at Consortium News. He is a former UN correspondent and wrote at the Boston Globe and Wall Street Journal. You can follow him on Twitter @unjoe.

Discussed on the show:

Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi

Al Nuri Grand Mosque (Mosul)

Baath Party (Iraq)

Raqqa (Syria)

August 2012 intelligence report predicting rise of ISIS

Leaked audio of John Kerry saying U.S. tried to "manage" rise of ISIS in Syria

Pesh Merga

Al Nusra

Ayad Allawi

Haider al-Abadi

Nouri al-Maliki

"Iraqi Kurds Build Washington Lobbying Machine to Fund War Against ISIS," New York Times

"The Sunni rise again: Uprising in Syria emboldens Iraq's minority community," by Patrick Cockburn

"U.S. military says it conducted airstrike on pro-government forces in Syria," LA Times

"Inquiry Points Toward a Pentagon Plot to Subvert Obama's Syria Policy," by Gareth Porter

Doug Bandow returns to the show to discuss his latest article for the National Interest, "I was in Pyongyang When Otto Warmbier Was Released." Bandow discusses how Pyongyang has changed since he was last there 25 years ago, why North Korea won't give up their nuclear weapons, and why military engagement would have massive implications for Seoul, which is located just 30 miles from the DMZ. Bandow suggests that the solution is Trump stepping outside the box and reasserting his unconventional approach to US foreign policy. Scott wonders whether the American troops stationed in South Korea aren't deterrence from American politicians starting a war, which would lead to significant American casualties and whether we could ever live in a world without nuclear weapons.

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:

Lindsey Graham: "If there's a war between us and North Korea now it will be over there not here."

Seoul proximity to the DMZ makes it vulnerable to heavy shelling.

"U.S. Nuclear War Planning for a Hundred Holocausts," Daniel Ellsberg

"Rodman 'trying to open door' in North Korea"

"Kim Jong Eun inherited an eccentric obsession with basketball from father Kim Jong Il"

"Trump Says He'd Meet With Kim Jung Un Under Right Circumstances"

Bob Logan joins the show to discuss his article for Antiwar.com: "Understanding ISIS in the Philippines." Logan explains the recent uptick in violence in the Philippines and how it's connected to the history of oppression of Muslims in the Philippines both by colonialist powers and also by the Filipino state. The government has not lived up to its peace agreement with moderate separatists—predicated largely on who controls local natural resources—which has inspired a more radical, violent group of fighters who have aligned themselves with ISIS. Logan details the demands of the Southern separatists and the devastation being carried out by the government—aided by American forces—in its attempt to suppress the opposition.

Robert Logan has a PhD in economics and is a contributing author at antiwar.com.

Discussed on the show:

Abu Sayyaf

Moro Massacre

Sultanate of Sulu

Marawi City

Maute Group

Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM)

Eruption of Pinatubo (1991)

Asia Pivot