The Scott Horton Show from The Libertarian Institute

Phil Weiss is back to discuss Israel, beginning with the observation us that now that the two-state solution is essentially off the table for good, it's impossible to ignore the fact that Israel is an apartheid state that has enshrined in law its subjugation of the Palestinians. Part of this growth in Israel's boldness can be lain at the feet of Donald Trump, who was unusually loyal to Israel, even by the standards of American politics. But Weiss doesn't expect much in America's Israel policy to change under President Biden, who has long been known as one of Israel's best friends in Washington. Whatever Biden's personal feelings about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel's lobby simply wields too much power in domestic politics for one president to change the whole system.

Discussed on the show:

Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid

"Arkansas’ anti-BDS law violates the First Amendment, says court" (Mondoweiss)

"Israeli Jewish ‘leftists’ will vote for far-right Sa’ar to oust Netanyahu" (Mondoweiss)

"Pressure mounts on State Dep’t: If Navalny deserves support, why not Issa Amro?" (Mondoweiss)

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

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: The War State, by Mike Swanson; Tom Woods' Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Photo IQ; Green Mill Supercritical; Zippix Toothpicks; and Listen and Think Audio.

Shop Libertarian Institute merch or donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal or Bitcoin: 1DZBZNJrxUhQhEzgDh7k8JXHXRjYu5tZiG.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7e34nR9-MZE

Scott talks to Mike Swanson about some of the problems in the U.S. economy and what we can expect in the near future. Scott points out the emerging real estate booms in places like Austin, Texas, as wealthy residents of states with severe lockdowns seek relief in states with less strict policies. These price spikes represent real demand, no doubt, but they come at the expense of local residents who can no longer afford to live in their home cities. Swanson adds that the real unemployment levels are much higher than official figures indicate, thanks to people who have been out of work so long they're no longer actively looking for jobs. Historically, he says, this level of unemployment has led to social turmoil in the form of strikes, protests and even riots. He wonders to what degree the unrest seen over the summer and at the U.S. Capitol last month are related to the economic hardship that Americans have been facing for 11 months now. Unfortunately, explains Swanson, all the tools that the government has for addressing problems like unemployment and inflation only lead to even worse problems. Whatever form the eventual devastation takes, Americans must be prepared for more instability and hardship.

Discussed on the show:

Why The Vietnam War?: Nuclear Bombs and Nation Building in Southeast Asia, 1945-1961

Perils of Dominance: Imbalance of Power and the Road to War in Vietnam

The Creature from Jekyll Island: A Second Look at the Federal Reserve

The Great Deformation: The Corruption of Capitalism in America

Mike Swanson provides investment advice at wallstreetwindow.com and is the author of The War State: The Cold War Origins Of The Military-Industrial Complex And The Power Elite. He also works with the Neopolis Media Group, a group of historians, educators, authors, researchers, and free speech advocates who endeavor to provide original and engaging content, including The Ochelli Effect, and The Lone Gunman Podcast.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: The War State, by Mike Swanson; Tom Woods' Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Photo IQ; Green Mill Supercritical; Zippix Toothpicks; and Listen and Think Audio.

Shop Libertarian Institute merch or donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal or Bitcoin: 1DZBZNJrxUhQhEzgDh7k8JXHXRjYu5tZiG.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fuReH6cnPoU

Nasser Arrabyee discusses the heavy fighting going on outside of Ma'rib, the last stronghold of the Saudi-backed government in Yemen. The Houthi "rebels" are closing in on the city, says Arrabyee, and may capture it within a few days—doing so could give them the bargaining chip they need to finally negotiate an end to Saudi aggression against their country and their people. Arrabyee hails the recent announcement of an end to American support for Saudi "offensive operations" as very good news, but insists that the suffering will not end until the Saudi blockade is abolished. Most of the deaths in Yemen have not been due to direct fighting, but instead to starvation and easily-preventable illnesses like cholera. Hundreds of thousands of civilians, at least, have died from these factors—many of them children—and hundreds of thousands more are at risk for as long as the blockade continues.

Discussed on the show:

"'Serious' questions over SAS involvement in Yemen war" (The Guardian)

"UN Warns 400,000 Yemeni Children May Starve To Death In 2021" (Forbes)

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 Twitter @narrabyee.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: The War State, by Mike Swanson; Tom Woods' Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Photo IQ; Green Mill Supercritical; Zippix Toothpicks; and Listen and Think Audio.

Shop Libertarian Institute merch or donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal or Bitcoin: 1DZBZNJrxUhQhEzgDh7k8JXHXRjYu5tZiG.

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

Scott interviews Patrick Jaicomo of the Institute for Justice about the case of José Oliva, a Vietnam veteran who was assaulted by police officers at a VA hospital in 2016. Because of doctrines like qualified immunity, it has taken years just to reach the point where Oliva can make his case against the officers in civil court. In America, government officials are virtually immune from civil prosecution, even in cases like this that seem so obviously unjust. Jaicomo and his group work tirelessly to try to change this.

Discussed on the show:

"Veteran Beaten by Police in Unprovoked Assault at VA Hospital Appeals Case to U.S. Supreme Court" (Institute for Justice)

"Tamir Rice’s Basically Reasonable Murder" (Simple Justice)

"Jaicomo presents case to Supreme Court" (The Herald Republican)

Patrick Jaicomo is an attorney with the Institute for Justice. You can follow his work on Twitter @pjaicomo.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: The War State, by Mike Swanson; Tom Woods' Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Photo IQ; Green Mill Supercritical; Zippix Toothpicks; and Listen and Think Audio.

Shop Libertarian Institute merch or donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal or Bitcoin: 1DZBZNJrxUhQhEzgDh7k8JXHXRjYu5tZiG.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=unt85kT-Xqo

John Kiriakou discusses an alarming new trend in the government and the media, in which the American right is freely compared to some kind of domestic terrorist or insurgent movement. Kiriakou describes the way that a small group of radicals like those who stormed the U.S. Capitol in January are being used to justify a crackdown on anyone on the right. So far this crackdown has manifested mostly in the controlling of speech online and calls for Donald Trump and his allies to be held directly accountable for the actions of a few. But Kiriakou warns that the situation could get even worse. Several high-ranking intelligence officials have recently made public statements likening Americans on "the far right" to insurgent groups that the U.S. military has fought in the war on terror, and implying that the same techniques ought to be used at home. Kiriakou is horrified by this suggestion, reminding us just what those tactics are: spying, no-knock raids, warrantless arrests and even torture and assassination.

Discussed on the show:

"A Terrible Take on the Capitol Storming" (Consortium News)

88 Days to Kandahar: A CIA Diary

John Kiriakou is a former CIA officer and author of The Convenient Terrorist: Two Whistleblowers’ Stories of Torture, Terror, Secret Wars, and CIA Lies and Doing Time Like A Spy. He is the host of Loud and Clear on Sputnik Radio. Follow him on Twitter @JohnKiriakou.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: The War State, by Mike Swanson; Tom Woods' Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Photo IQ; Green Mill Supercritical; Zippix Toothpicks; and Listen and Think Audio.

Shop Libertarian Institute merch or donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal or Bitcoin: 1DZBZNJrxUhQhEzgDh7k8JXHXRjYu5tZiG.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zGMFZ1Kgww

Scott talks with Danny Sjursen about President Biden's foreign policy moves during his first few weeks in office. Most notably, the administration has announced an end to all support for "offensive operations" in Yemen. Sjursen agrees that this is great news, but urges some caution so that we don't too readily accept a declaration that could still allow loopholes. The news isn't all good: the Biden administration has also hinted that they will cancel the Afghanistan withdrawal deal that was made with the Taliban under Trump. Sjursen suspects that Biden will escalate the war a little at first, put it on the back burner, withdraw some troops and then leave the war in basically the same state for the next administration. In other words, he will do what all presidents have done since the start of the war 20 years ago.

Discussed on the show:

"Biden's Bolt From Yemen?: Symbolic Step, Systemic Limits, and Linguistic Gymnastics" (Antiwar.com Original)

"2/5/21 Hassan El-Tayyab on Biden’s Big Step Toward Peace in Yemen" (The Scott Horton Show)

Danny Sjursen is a retired U.S. army major and former history instructor at West Point. He is the author of Ghost Riders of Baghdad: Soldiers, Civilians, and the Myth of the Surge and Patriotic Dissent: America in the Age of Endless War. Follow him on Twitter @SkepticalVet.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: The War State, by Mike Swanson; Tom Woods' Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Photo IQ; Green Mill Supercritical; Zippix Toothpicks; and Listen and Think Audio.

Shop Libertarian Institute merch or donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal or Bitcoin: 1DZBZNJrxUhQhEzgDh7k8JXHXRjYu5tZiG.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=us67gW2E2Uk

Alan Macleod talks about the unholy alliance between government and social media. In an alarming number of cases, says Macleod, companies like Facebook and Twitter end up hiring former government officials to high-ranking positions, creating a revolving door that makes it hard to separate the public sector from "private" media companies. Macleod explains that it was officials like these who had a hand in suppressing the Hunter Biden laptop story, who perpetuate the idea that anything that runs against their narrative is "fake news" and who continue to cooperate with, and even advocate for, government regulation that disproportionately harms smaller platforms.

Discussed on the show:

"Facebook Hires NATO Press Officer as Intelligence Chief" (Mint Press News)

Alan MacLeod is a member of the Glasgow University Media Group. He is the author of Propaganda in the Information Age: Still Manufacturing Consent. Follow him on Twitter @AlanRMacLeod.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: The War State, by Mike Swanson; Tom Woods' Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Photo IQ; Green Mill Supercritical; Zippix Toothpicks; and Listen and Think Audio.

Shop Libertarian Institute merch or donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal or Bitcoin: 1DZBZNJrxUhQhEzgDh7k8JXHXRjYu5tZiG.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXcmOaj58wE

Hassan El-Tayyab discusses the great news out of Washington last week: the Biden administration has announced an end to all support for Saudi offensive operations in Yemen, and is appointing an envoy to help negotiate a peace deal. This is a great victory for all the grassroots peace activists who have worked tirelessly over the last few years to put an end to the world's worst humanitarian crisis. But there is still work to be done—the Trump administration's designation of the Houthis as a terrorist group is making it nearly impossible for aid organizations to send assistance to the people of Yemen, and Biden's team hasn't reversed that designation. Scott also reminds us that Biden could pick up the phone today and simply tell Saudi Arabia to end their war now. The fact that he hasn't done so means that peace in Yemen could still be a slow and messy process despite the recent good news.

Hassan El-Tayyab is a musician and peace activist, who works as the lead lobbyist on Middle East policy for the Friends Committee on National Legislation.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: The War State, by Mike Swanson; Tom Woods' Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Photo IQ; Green Mill Supercritical; Zippix Toothpicks; and Listen and Think Audio.

Shop Libertarian Institute merch or donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal or Bitcoin: 1DZBZNJrxUhQhEzgDh7k8JXHXRjYu5tZiG.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Fss67vqzic

Scott talks to Lyle Goldstein about the U.S.-Russia relationship and the future of global nuclear arms negotiations. Goldstein says that after the Cold War, the world's nuclear weapon situation was mostly under control—as a result, people today have forgotten how dangerous these weapons are, as evidenced by the American government's willingness to let old treaties lapse. Today, explains Goldstein, there's almost nothing preventing another buildup and proliferation of nuclear weapons. Given the risks to our very existence on this planet, Goldstein stresses that getting along peaceably with Russia is among the most important issues in the world. At a certain point, we have to be okay with them handling their own business in eastern Europe without threatening to go to war over issues that are none of our business.

Discussed on the show:

"A deteriorating U.S.-Russia relationship is dangerous. Biden should rein in tensions" (Washington Times)

"Nyet means Nyet" (WikiLeaks)

"Ukraine crisis: Transcript of leaked Nuland-Pyatt call" (BBC News)

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: The War State, by Mike Swanson; Tom Woods' Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Photo IQ; Green Mill Supercritical; Zippix Toothpicks; and Listen and Think Audio.

Shop Libertarian Institute merch or donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal or Bitcoin: 1DZBZNJrxUhQhEzgDh7k8JXHXRjYu5tZiG.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3k9Uf5parc

Scott interviews Bette Dam about her reporting on the war in Afghanistan. Dam explains how faulty intelligence about enemy "combatants" has led to many unjustified killings, notably the war crimes by Australian special forces in Oruzgan Province in recent years. In such cases, the "Taliban" label can be used to justify the killing of any fighting-age male, even when many of these are innocent civilians. But of course even calling them Taliban is begging the question of who our enemy is. It was al Qaeda, as Scott points out, who attacked the U.S. on 9/11, and America basically wiped them all out at the very beginning of the war—since then, we have been fighting a pointless and unjustified war with no path to anything resembling victory. America should simply make whatever peace it can with the Taliban and come home.

Discussed on the show:

"How flawed information created a ‘Taliban’ threat" (The Australian)

No Good Men Among the Living: America, the Taliban, and the War through Afghan Eyes

"Tracking Mullah Omar: How the US failed to catch the former Taliban leader" (Perspective)

An Intimate War: An Oral History of the Helmand Conflict, 1978-2012

Bette Dam is a journalist and the author of A Man and A Motorcycle: How Hamid Karzai Came to Power and Searching For An Enemy: The Secret Life Of Mullah Omar. Find her on Twitter @BetteDam.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: The War State, by Mike Swanson; Tom Woods' Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Photo IQ; Green Mill Supercritical; Zippix Toothpicks; and Listen and Think Audio.

Shop Libertarian Institute merch or donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal or Bitcoin: 1DZBZNJrxUhQhEzgDh7k8JXHXRjYu5tZiG.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmEE5B8I_Kw