The Scott Horton Show from The Libertarian Institute

Arthur Bloom talks about a recent piece from The American Conservative, which exposes the case of a prolific and well-known anti-Iran opinion columnist who turned out not to be a real person. "Amir Basiri," who wrote dozens of pieces for mostly right-leaning publications advocating for war with Iran, turns out to have been nothing more than a pseudonymous figurehead for the Mujahideen-eKhalq (MEK), an Iranian dissident exile group. The MEK has been described as a communist terrorism cult, but in recent years has found favor with the likes of Hillary Clinton, Rudy Giuliani and John Bolton because of their utility in advancing an anti-Iran narrative in America.

Discussed on the show:

"Another Opinion Columnist Pushing War With Iran Who Doesn't Actually Exist" (The American Conservative)

"Is Heshmat Alavi, Writer on Iran, a Fake Run By MEK Opposition?" (The Intercept)

Arthur Bloom is managing editor of The American Conservative. His work has appeared in The Washington Post, The Washington Times, The Guardian, and many other outlets. Follow him on Twitter @j_arthur_bloom.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods' Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WMpIUZPN6kY

Journalist Ford Fischer discusses his coverage of the various armed factions taking to the streets in the wake of the killing of George Floyd, and amid broader calls for police reform. The mainstream media typically paints a black-and-white narrative: on one side are left-leaning, antiracist, mostly peaceful protestors, and on the other are right-leaning, racist, armed militia groups whose presence only makes things more dangerous. But Fischer has made the rather surprising discovery that there are plenty of left-wing pro-gun activist movements, some of which explicitly call themselves militias. These groups have also been involved in the protests, usually in an effort at peaceful protection of the right to assemble, just like the right-wing groups are. And on the issue of gun control, both sides are largely in agreement. In a few cases, such groups have even held unity rallies, promoting their shared causes rather than focusing on what divides them. The corporate media, unfortunately, doesn't want people to see this side of America, and so relentlessly ignores it.

Ford Fischer is co-founder and Editor in Chief of News2Share, an independent media outlet based in Washington, D.C. Follow his work on Twitter @FordFischer and @N2Sreports.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods' Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJb9B4lFPjw

Scott interviews Josiah Lippincott about the conventional narrative surrounding the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War II. The common argument, says Lippincott, is that the U.S. had no real choice but to drop the bombs, since the alternative would have been a ground invasion that ultimately would have cost many more lives. In reality, he explains, the Japanese had been willing to negotiate for months, but the American government, insisting on an unconditional surrender, wouldn't concede Japan's only demand, which was to let the emperor remain on the throne. Ironically, after the bombings, when Japan still didn't look ready to surrender, General MacArthur decided to allow the Japanese surrender while keeping the emperor nominally at the head of his country. This of course raises the question: why couldn't we have negotiated a peace long before dropping the bombs that claimed the lives of thousands of innocent Japanese citizens?

Discussed on the show:

"Wholesale Slaughter of Japanese Civilians in WWII Was Evil" (The American Conservative)

"75 Years Later, It's Clear Truman Was Right To Drop The Atomic Bomb" (The Federalist)

Hiroshima Nagasaki: The Real Story of the Atomic Bombings and Their Aftermath

"China’s vast fleet is tipping the balance against U.S. in the Pacific" (Reuters)

Day Of Deceit: The Truth About FDR and Pearl Harbor

The Grand Strategy of the Byzantine Empire

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods' Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cw9NQmxBUSI

Aaron Maté revisits the many lies on which the 'Russiagate' probe into Donald Trump's campaign and presidency was founded. Maté calls the whole story what it is: a conspiracy theory. The only way someone could find all the far-fetched and flimsy pieces of evidence credible is if they were already convinced beforehand and had to make every new development fit their narrative. In particular, Maté focuses on the way figures like Joseph Mifsud and George Papadopoulos, though initially the entire basis for the FBI's probe into Trump's campaign, were quickly abandoned as the allegations became less and less credible. One might think that as the foundation crumbled, so too would the entire investigation, but instead officials like James Comey and Peter Strzok and their cheerleaders in the media simply move on and never talk about these embarrassing exposures.

Discussed on the show:

Compromised: Counterintelligence and the Threat of Donald J. Trump

"Bombshell: Crowdstrike Admits ‘No Evidence’ Russia Stole Emails From DNC Server" (The Grayzone)

Aaron Maté is a former host and producer at The Real News and writes regularly at The Nation. Follow him on Twitter @AaronJMate.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods' Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmJPpYpa11Y

Trita Parsi discusses President Trump's recent announcement of a troop withdrawal from Iraq. Parsi is hesitant to fully endorse this move, explaining that while troop reductions are obviously good, such individual tactical moves, in order to be truly effective, must be part of a larger strategy of peace. Trump, instead, has repeatedly escalated tensions in other regions, even as he withdraws troops elsewhere, with the result that his foreign policy often results in, at best, a net wash for detente.

Discussed on the show:

"What Trump’s troop withdrawal from Iraq means for ending America’s endless wars" (Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft)

"9/11/20 Ted Snider on the Israel-UAE Normalization Agreement" (The Libertarian Institute)

"Commentary: Trump’s ‘ending’ the Iraq War is a gift to Iran" (West Hawaii Today)

"Trump’s Troop Withdrawal Is a ‘Disingenuous’ Election Year Ploy, Officials Say" (The Daily Beast)

Trita Parsi is the president of the National Iranian American Council and the author of Losing an Enemy: Obama, Iran and the Triumph of Diplomacy. Parsi is the recipient of the 2010 Grawemeyer Award for Ideas Improving World Order. Follow him on Twitter @tparsi.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods' Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com.

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

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-nvIrjCR3c

Scott talks to Paul Robinson about yet another round of claims that President Trump colluded with Russia to disingenuously win the 2016 election. This time, what's at issue is a trove of emails from Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort from his time working as a consultant in Ukraine. Manafort's ties to Ukraine have long been labeled suspect by the Democrats and the corporate media because they supposedly connect him, by extension, to the Russian government. But Robinson explains that while working with former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych, Manafort was actually advancing strongly anti-Russian interests by helping to negotiate an Association Agreement between Ukraine and the EU. As usual, the actual evidence doesn't matter to those who are already convinced of a narrative, and who will do anything to advance what they see as their own righteous cause.

Discussed on the show:

"Proof of collusion at last!" (Irrussianality)

Collusion: Secret Meetings, Dirty Money, and How Russia Helped Donald Trump Win

"07/25/16 - Jeffrey Carr" (The Scott Horton Show)

"Rubio Statement on Senate Intel Release of Volume 5 of Bipartisan Russia Report - Press Releases" (U.S. Senator for Florida, Marco Rubio)

"Trump’s Troop Withdrawal Is a ‘Disingenuous’ Election Year Ploy, Officials Say" (The Daily Beast)

Paul Robinson is a professor at the University of Ottawa who writes about Russian and Soviet history, military history, and military ethics. He is the author of many books, including Russian Conservatism. You can follow Robinson's work on his blog, Irrussianality.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods' Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com.

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

Scott interviews Danny Sjursen about his new book, which chronicles his own story of disillusionment with America's endless wars, in addition to outlining what he believes should be the new attitude of true American patriotism. He calls this type of patriotism "patriotic dissent," explaining that when one's country has become an empire of military adventurism founded on lies, the truly patriotic thing to do is to oppose these trends. Part of the way he does so is by offering historical examples of figures often held up as champions of militarism, like Eisenhower and Grant, and showing that their true opinions were more nuanced. He believes that a multifaceted approach is required in order to build a broad coalition of true patriots who can change America's military culture for the better.

Discussed on the show:

Patriotic Dissent: America in the Age of Endless War

Fiasco: The American Military Adventure in Iraq, 2003 to 2005

"America's Expeditionary Kleptocracy: A Banana Republic and Its Banana Wars" (Antiwar.com Original)

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: NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods' Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-ZTFhOeJP4

Clive Stafford Smith, expert witness in Julian Assange's extradition hearing, talks about the outrageous scandal that is the U.S. government's attempted prosecution of Assange and Wikileaks. Smith begins by making the obvious point that as a recipient of classified leaks, and not a leaker himself, Assange is no different than any journalist who writes stories containing classified information. To prosecute Wikileaks, in other words, the government would have to admit that they could prosecute the New York Times and The Washington Post as well. The focus of Smith's testimony was on the many heroic and salutary effects Assange's exposure of U.S. government malfeasance has had, including illegal torture of terrorism suspects, whom Smith has spent part of his legal career defending. Smith argues that these misdeeds must be exposed, since their continuation puts thousands of innocent lives at risk from blowback.

Discussed on the show:

"Hypocrisy on Display at Assange's Extradition Hearing" (Antiwar.com Original)

Joint Prioritized Effects List

"How Mom sent a guy to Gitmo" (Los Angeles Times)

"State Department Cables" (WikiLeaks)

Clive Stafford Smith is founder and director of Reprieve, and the author of Bad Men: Guantánamo Bay and the Secret Prisons and Injustice: Life and Death in the Courtrooms of America. Follow him on Twitter @CliveSSmith.

./upload.sh 20_09_11_smith clivestaffordsmith

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods' Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kjxh8lFGJio

Ted Snider discusses the details of the recent "peace deal" between the UAE and Israel. President Trump, who helped broker the deal, has been bragging that this is a groundbreaking normalization of two hostile nations—most likely, says Snider, in an effort to score political points before the election. In reality, Snider explains, Israel and the UAE have had an unofficially friendly relationship for at least a decade, and really going back to the middle of the twentieth century. Champions of the deal have also promoted the claim that it stops Israeli annexation of Palestinian territory, but again, Snider says this is just public relations packaging: Israel had already announced a temporary suspension of official annexation prior to this deal, and has made no promises that annexation won't resume in the near future. Finally, all of this talk ignores the fact that in practice Israel annexed all of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank years ago, administering a de facto military occupation of the Palestinians who live there that is unlikely to anytime soon.

Discussed on the show:

"What's in the Israel/UAE Agreement? Here's Five Things That Aren't" (Antiwar.com Original)

"Emirates 'has security links with Israel'" (UPI.com’)

Oslo Accords

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

Ted Snider has a graduate degree in philosophy and writes on analyzing patterns in U.S. foreign policy and history. He is a regular writer for Truthout, MondoWeiss and antiwar.com.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods' Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com.

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

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvNigQKwY8Q

Scott interviews David Vine about his research into the effects of America's decades-long wars on terror. Vine and his team have recently estimated that at minimum, 37 million people have been displaced as a direct result of the war on terror, with roughly 8 million of these fleeing across international borders as refugees. He adds, moreover, that at least 800,000 people have been killed just in combat, along with probably 3–4 million more due to deprivation and destruction of infrastructure as a direct consequence of the fighting. Although immediate culpability cannot be placed at the feet of American troops for all of these dead and displaced, without question it is ultimately American policies and actions that have allowed these destructive conflicts to take place, and allow them to continue today.

Discussed on the show:

"Millions displaced by US combat since 9/11" (Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft)

Creating Refugees: Displacement Caused by the United States’ Post-9/11 Wars

"Biden says US must maintain small force in Middle East, has no plans for major Defense cuts" (Stars and Stripes)

David Vine is a professor of Anthropology at American University and the author of Island of Shame: The Secret History of the U.S. Military Base on Diego Garcia. He also writes for the New York Times, Washington Post, and The Guardian, among others. Follow him on Twitter @davidsvine.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods' Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com.

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

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MaijzL4qn38