The Scott Horton Show from The Libertarian Institute

Gareth Porter discusses the recent assassination of Iranian defense official Mohsen Fakhrizadeh by the Israeli government, which continues to claim that Fakhrizadeh was a "top nuclear scientist" in Iran. In reality, explains Porter, Fakhrizadeh was not a nuclear scientist, and this assassination is part of a years-long campaign to convince the world that Iran is pursuing nuclear weapons. No doubt the assassination was intended to provoke some kind of response from the Iranians before President Trump leaves the White House. It will also make it harder, he says, for President Biden to renegotiate the Iran nuclear agreement, a clear goal of Israel and its allies in Washington.

Discussed on the show:

"How Israel deployed an intelligence deception to justify killing scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh" (The Grayzone)

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

Obstacle to Peace: The US Role in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

Gareth Porter is an investigative historian and journalist on the national security state. He is the author of Manufactured Crisis: The Untold Story of the Iran Nuclear Scare and, with John Kiriakou, The CIA Insider's Guide to the Iran Crisis. 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: The War State, by Mike Swanson; Tom Woods' Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Photo IQ; Green Mill Supercritical; and Listen and Think Audio.

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

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tqlOKI3aQPE

Scott talks to Stephen Zunes about Joe Biden's track record on foreign policy, and its potential implications for his presidency. Zunes rehashes some of the bad parts of Biden's record, beginning with his support for the invasion of Iraq. Although many Democrats voted for the war, Biden specifically and energetically advocated for it. Zunes worries that Biden is a true believer in the American empire, whereas President Trump doesn't really have firm beliefs about anything. This made Trump unpredictable, but also probably less dangerous on the issue of foreign wars. Zunes speculates that Biden's cabinet picks will be bad; all the same establishment figures that have been running America into the ground for at least 25 years.

Discussed on the show:

"The Other Reason Biden Shouldn’t Run" (Progressive.org)

The Burn Pits: The Poisoning of America's Soldiers

Stephen Zunes is a professor of politics and international studies at the University of San Francisco. He is the author of Western Sahara: War, Nationalism, and Conflict Irresolution and Civil Resistance Against Coups: A Comparative and Historical Perspective. Find him on Twitter @SZunes. 

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; and Listen and Think Audio.

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

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2k2Zii8xlU

Frank Ledwidge, a British former intelligence officer, discusses the futility of the war in Afghanistan (and the rest of the terror wars), which many of the world's countries have now been mired in for nearly two decades. Ledwidge begins by reminding us just how much the Afghans hate foreign armies. Like most people, they don't take kindly to an occupying military force telling them how to live; unlike most people, a huge percentage of the rural villagers, especially in the Helmand Province, have never even heard of 9/11 or the war on terror. The goal of "winning hearts and minds" in a place like Afghanistan, says Ledwidge, is utterly futile. Experts like Ledwidge have been trying to warn their governments about these mistakes for years, but no one, it seems, has learned their lesson.

Discussed on the show:

"Australian special forces involved in murder of 39 Afghan civilians, war crimes report alleges" (The Guardian)

"Kabul War Diary" (WikiLeaks)

"The Crimes of SEAL Team 6" (The Intercept)

"An abrupt U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan undermines the fragile peace" (Washington Post)

"Guns and poses" (The Economist)

"The Afghanistan Papers" (Washington Post)

The Battle for the Arab Spring: Revolution, Counter-Revolution and the Making of a New Eratitle

Frank Ledwidge is a former military officer who served in the Balkans, Iraq and Afghanistan. He is the author of Losing Small Wars and Investment in Blood.

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; and Listen and Think Audio.

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

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jn4ZdP-7lnw

Scott interviews Dan Caldwell of Concerned Veterans for America about President Trump's plans to withdraw troops from the Middle East in what are looking to be his final weeks as president. The appointment of Colonel Douglas Macgregor to a senior role in the Pentagon gave hope to many in the antiwar movement, speculating that Trump might be trying to end the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan for good before he left office. Now that future is less clear; although he plans to order a few thousand troops to come home from Aghanistan, and a smaller amount from Iraq, Caldwell says that Trump has not orchestrated a full end to these wars. Even worse, he has little confidence that Joe Biden will abide by these withdrawals as president, especially considering how hawkish his foreign policy team is shaping up to be.

Discussed on the show:

"Trump Should Get Out of Afghanistan Before Inauguration Day" (The American Conservative)

"Trump Wants to Withdraw Troops From Afghanistan. The Antiwar Movement Is Cheering Him On." (Mother Jones)

"11/18/20 Kevin Gosztola on the Profiteers and War Hawks of the Biden Transition Team" (The Libertarian Institute)

Dan Caldwell is the Executive Director of Concerned Veterans for America. Find him on Twitter @dandcaldwell.

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; and Listen and Think Audio.

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

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jaQ_u9kpFQo

Scott talks to Jacob Sullum about the allegations of widespread fraud in November's presidential elections. Sullum concedes that errors in counting, illegal votes and deliberate obfuscation do sometimes happen in isolated situations—but maintains that the widespread conspiracy alleged by the Trump team would be basically impossible. Even in the handful of cases where Trump has won temporary legal victories, they simply don't amount to anything close to what he would need to reverse the results of the election. Sullum is no fan of Biden, but still realizes that it's bad if half of the country considers the results of the election illegitimate.

Discussed on the show:

"The Case Against Biden: Joe Biden’s Politics of Panic" (Reason)

Yesterday's Man: The Case Against Joe Biden

Jacob Sullum is a senior editor at Reason Magazine. He is the author of Saying Yes: In Defense of Drug Use and For Your Own Good: The Anti-Smoking Crusade and the Tyranny of Public Health. Follow him on Twitter @jacobsullum.

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; and Listen and Think Audio.

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

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qVUksgpOXE

Kevin Gosztola discusses the abominable record of some of Joe Biden's key transition team officials, people who are likely to become high-level members of Biden's eventual cabinet. This list includes the usual war hawks and D.C. insiders, who are sure to return the country to the bipartisan foreign policy consensus of the last few decades, including increased sanctions on Iran and Russia, regime change in Venezuela and Syria, and increased troop levels in the Middle East and Eastern Europe. Gosztola fears that the new cold war with Russia will become even more intense under a Biden administration, as the Democratic Party continues to conveniently blame Russia for all of America's problems.

Discussed on the show:

"Biden's transition team is filled with war profiteers, Beltway chickenhawks, and corporate consultants" (The Grayzone)

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

Rage

"‘We Think the Price Is Worth It’" (FAIR)

A Promised Land

The Management of Savagery: How America's National Security State Fueled the Rise of Al Qaeda, ISIS, and Donald Trump

"02/17/16 - Charlotte Silver" (The Scott Horton Show)

Kevin Gosztola is managing editor of Shadowproof. He also produces and co-hosts the weekly podcast, "Unauthorized Disclosure." Follow him on Twitter @kgosztola.

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; and Listen and Think Audio.

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

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vTjBLA-Ohjo

Gareth Porter is back for a retrospective on Trump's foreign policy. Despite campaigning on a relatively non-interventionist platform, and indeed despite explicitly denouncing the policies of the Bush and Clinton families along the way, Trump has not been especially effective in delivering on his promises to bring American troops home from the forever-wars. Porter lays the blame for this failure primarily on the fact that Trump surrounded himself with terrible people who worked to actively undermine his wishes. Moreover, he lacks the knowledge and personal conviction to see his policies through in the face of serious opposition. Judging by recent standards, says Porter, Trump's foreign policy hasn't been so bad, except on Israel and Palestine, where he has been quite possibly the worst president of all time. Sadly, when it comes to Israel, a Biden administration is likely to continue along similar lines.

Gareth Porter is an investigative historian and journalist on the national security state. He is the author of Manufactured Crisis: The Untold Story of the Iran Nuclear Scare and, with John Kiriakou, The CIA Insider's Guide to the Iran Crisis. 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: The War State, by Mike Swanson; Tom Woods' Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Photo IQ; Green Mill Supercritical; and Listen and Think Audio.

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

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xWZHoniTEs4

Ray McGovern discusses the recent personnel changes in the Trump administration and what they could mean for his final months in office. McGovern thinks that John Brennan and his allies are getting nervous that as a lame duck, Trump might decide to simply release documents that incriminate these deep-state officials for their roles in the "Russiagate" plot, and potentially even worse things. Brennan is trying to make it seem like Trump could be endangering national security with these moves—really the only thing in danger is Brennan's own skin.

Discussed on the show:

"RAY McGOVERN: What is John Brennan So Worried About?" (Consortium News)

"Our Work with the DNC: Setting the record straight" (CrowdStrike)

"My Resignation From The Intercept" (Glenn Greenwald)

"JFK (1991)" (IMDb)

JFK and the Unspeakable: Why He Died and Why It Matters

Mary's Mosaic: The CIA Conspiracy to Murder John F. Kennedy, Mary Pinchot Meyer, and Their Vision for World Peace

"Tucker investigates why 'DOJ is pursuing Julian Assange aggressively'" (YouTube)

"UN expert says "collective persecution" of Julian Assange must end now" (OHCHR)

Ray McGovern is the co-creator of Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity and the former chief of the CIA’s Soviet analysts division. Read all of his work at his website: raymcgovern.com.

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; and Listen and Think Audio.

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

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUvPJGQqzV8

Scott interviews Doug Bandow about the missed foreign policy opportunities of the Trump administration. Bandow laments that Trump didn't push harder to get U.S. troops out of our wars in the Middle East, theorizing that he was worried the political cost in the eyes of wealthy donors like Sheldon Adelson would outweigh the benefits in terms of popularity with voters. Bandow hopes that Trump's policy toward North Korea, at least, will be preserved in the next administration—a policy that recognizes that North Korea is no threat to America so long as America doesn't first threaten Korea. The South Korea-led peace talks that Trump participated in nearly led to an official end to the Korean War, says Bandow, and were only sabotaged because Trump had surrounded himself with bad advisors who didn't really want things to work out. Sadly this has been the story of Trump's whole four years in office.

Correction: In this interview Scott refers to Pompeo boasting about starving North Korean fishermen to death. It was his predecessor, Rex Tillerson.

Discussed on the show:

"The Lost Opportunities of the Trump Administration" (Antiwar.com Original)

"Donald Trump's North Korea Strategy Must Survive" (Cato Institute)

"Is Mike Pompeo the Worst Secretary of State in History?" (Cato Institute)

"Outgoing Syria Envoy Admits Hiding US Troop Numbers; Praises Trump’s Mideast Record" (Defense One)

"Exclusive: Esper, on his way out, says he was no yes man" (Military Times)

"Citigroup chose Obama’s 2008 cabinet, WikiLeaks document reveals" (World Socialist Web Site)

Rage

"‘We Think the Price Is Worth It’" (FAIR)

The Downing Street Memo

"Nixon (1995)" (IMDb)

"Dying North Koreans a sign US diplomatic strategy works, Tillerson says" (RT)

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.

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; and Listen and Think Audio.

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

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VycT5w6HCWw

Scott talks to Mike Maharrey of the Tenth Amendment Center about the shameful state of U.S. foreign policy. In particular, Maharrey explains the way that congress has completely abdicated its role of declaring wars—instead, they have ceded that power fully to the president. Maharrey reminds us that all empires collapse eventually, and indeed that empire is often the final stage in a civilization's existence. If we want to preserve our republic, he says, we must do so at the cost of abandoning our empire. Scott and Maharrey share the hope that Colonel Douglas Macgregor, recently appointed to a senior advisory role in the Pentagon, will be able to help us do so.

Discussed on the show:

"The Unconstitutional War in Yemen Grinds Life and Liberty Under Its Wheels" (Tenth Amendment Center)

Tragedy & Hope: A History of the World in Our Time

bringourtroopshome.us

Mike Maharrey is National Communications Coordinator for the Tenth Amendment Center. He is the author of three books on nullification and hosts the Thoughts from Maharrey Head podcast. Find him on Twitter @mmaharrey10th.

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; and Listen and Think Audio.

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

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9CETZr982-8