The Scott Horton Show from The Libertarian Institute

Grant Smith joins the show for another look at the Virginia Israel Advisory Board, a government entity associated with the state of Virginia that allocates taxpayer money to Israeli companies starting operations in the U.S. The projects, Smith explains, aren't viable on their own, or else they wouldn't need the massive subsidies from the public sector—but after getting the money, they can often put local competitors out of business because of their unnatural advantage. When these projects do fail, as illustrated by a recent biodiesel project, standard practice has been to forgive repayment of the grants. Smith describes the whole endeavor as privatized gains and socialized losses writ large.

Discussed on the show:

"Virginia Israel Advisory Board Deal Improper Says IG" (Antiwar.com Original)

"Sign petition: EJECT ENERGIX!" (GoPetition.com)

Grant F. Smith is the author of a number of books including Big Israel: How Israel’s Lobby Moves America, Divert!, and most recently The Israel Lobby Enters State Government: Rise of the Virginia Israel Advisory Board. He is director of the Institute for Research: Middle Eastern Policy in Washington, D.C.

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=Owt3noVgl5w

Scott talks to Dan McAdams about the precarious situation in Belarus, where some western agitators are seeking to use the country's recent presidential elections as an excuse to foment and support a revolution. McAdams reminds us that although Belarus' president, Alexander Lukashenko, might not be a great guy, it doesn't justify regime change—most of the time, in fact, when America gets involved in these kinds of conflicts, the people that take over after the revolution end up being much worse than the previous regime. Belarus' significance in this case, explains McAdams, has a lot to do with its proximity to Russia, and therefore its relevance to Russia-U.S. relations. He says Russia is unlikely to make an aggressive move unless, ironically, they feel forced to do so by continued American-led NATO expansion.

Discussed on the show:

"War, Inc. (2008)" (IMDb)

"Lukashenko rivals unite behind blogger's wife to fight Belarus election" (Reuters)

"‘Regime Change’ in Belarus Looks Like an Objective of Both the Trump Administration and the Biden Campaign" (GEORIVISTA)

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

Daniel McAdams is the executive director of the Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity and the co-host of the Ron Paul Liberty Report. Follow him on Twitter @DanielLMcAdams and read all of his work over at 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=Sxx-jLaB-Rc

Max Blumenthal discusses the case of Kong Tsung-gan, an "expert source" on the ground in Hong Kong, who has been quoted by many American media outlets in recent months as an authority on the separatist movement there. The problem? Kong is actually an American named Brian Kern masquerading on the internet as a native. The mainstream media, explains Blumenthal, has been happy to go along unquestioningly with Kern's story because his narrative suits theirs: China is an oppressive and violent regime bent on the brutal subjugation of Hong Kong, and indeed of all Chinese people. Sadly, Blumenthal says, a media scandal like this has become par for the course, and is unlikely to receive serious attention.

Discussed on the show:

"Western media’s favorite Hong Kong ‘freedom struggle writer’ is American ex-Amnesty staffer in yellowface" (The Grayzone)

"Whatever happened to Tom MacMaster, the "Gay Girl in Damascus" hoaxer?" (Electronic Intifada)

"Opinion | A Hong Kong Protester’s Tactic: Get the Police to Hit You" (The New York Times)

Director and writer of “Killing Gaza,” Max Blumenthal is a senior editor of the Grayzone Project and the author Goliath, Republican Gomorrah, and The 51 Day War. Follow Max on Twitter @MaxBlumenthal.

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=mFq4mfu-r9g

Dan McKnight discusses recent efforts by his organization, BringOurTroopsHome.US, to get Republicans in congress to distance themselves from Liz Cheney. Cheney wields enormous influence in congress, both because of her last name and because she supports the reelection campaigns of a whole slew of congressmen. But her brand is utterly toxic, McKnight explains, and continued association with the Cheney name, he thinks, is likely to move the Republican party in a bad direction. It's time that conservatives—and especially veterans—unite behind the only common sense answer to America's endless terror wars, which is to bring the troops home as soon as possible.

Discussed on the show:

"Urgent Letter To Congress: Remove Cheney" (BringOurTroopsHome.US)

"RELEASE: Veterans group forewarns Republican candidates endorsed or financed by “Chicken Hawk Cheney" (BringOurTroopsHome.US)

Patriotic Dissent: America in the Age of Endless War

"Poll: About three quarters support bringing troops home from Iraq, Afghanistan" (The Hill)

"New poll: Veterans and military families want out of Afghanistan, support more health care options for vets" (Concerned Veterans for America)

"Majorities of US veterans say Iraq, Afghanistan wars weren’t worth fighting" (Pew Research Center)

Dan McKnight is the founder and Chairman of Idahoans to Bring Our Troops Home. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves, three years active duty with the U.S. Army, and ten years with the Idaho Army National Guard, including a one-year deployment to Afghanistan in 2006.

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=NlncUmyQPlg

Scott talks to Michael Klare about the incentives behind America's involvement in wars in the Middle East. One common narrative says that Bush invaded Iraq simply because America needed the oil—the truth, says Klare, is somewhat more complicated. He explains that American war planners see a combined strategic interest in U.S. involvement in the Middle East that includes military positioning and the economic interest of exerting control over the oil trade. For one thing, America has essentially promised Saudi Arabia that it will defend their kingdom forever in exchange for a privileged position in the oil business. Even if the U.S. is energy independent, says Klare, oil prices here depend on the global market, so there will always be incentive to try to maintain stability in the Middle East. With the current state of global economy, there doesn't appear to be an end in sight.

Discussed on the show:

"8/7/20 Kingston Reif on the Growing Nuclear Tensions Between the US, Russia and China" (The Libertarian Institute)

All Hell Breaking Loose: The Pentagon's Perspective on Climate Change

"A World of "Killer Robots" But Not "National Security"" (TomDispatch)

Michael Klare is the author of The Race for What’s Left and a regular contributor at TomDispatch.com. Find him on Twitter @mklare1.

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=j5lTXBdEPCQ

Brett Wilkins discusses the story about Hiroshima and Nagasaki that everyone learned in school: the U.S. was forced to drop the atomic bombs, because the alternative would have meant a ground invasion of Japan that would have cost a million American lives. In reality, Japan was already making moves toward negotiating a surrender, especially after the USSR declared war on Japan earlier that summer. What's more, seven out of eight U.S. generals at the time, including Eisenhower and MacArthur, agreed that the bomb was unnecessary. Scott and Wilkins go on to talk about the state of the world's nuclear powers today, reminding us that this is surely the most important geopolitical issue of our time.

Discussed on the show:

"Nuclear War or Invasion: The False Dichotomy of Hiroshima and Nagasaki" (Antiwar.com Original)

Collective 20

The Beginning or the End: How Hollywood―and America―Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb

"Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)" (IMDb)

NSC-68

War is a Racket: The Antiwar Classic by America's Most Decorated Soldier

"The elusive horror of Hiroshima" (MSN)

Unit 731

"8/7/20 Kingston Reif on the Growing Nuclear Tensions Between the US, Russia and China" (The Libertarian Institute)

"The Day After (TV Movie 1983)" (IMDb)

"Doomsday Clock" (Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists)

New START Treaty

The Doomsday Machine: Confessions of a Nuclear War Planner

"Threads (TV Movie 1984)" (IMDb)

Brett Wilkins is the editor-at-large for US news at the Digital Journal and a contributor at The Daily Kos. Follow him on Twitter @MoralLowGround.

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=NaHRmbZnu1k

Kingston Reif talks about the imminent lapse of the New START treaty, one of the last remaining nuclear safeguard agreements between the U.S. and Russia. Russia has made some moves to renegotiate the treaty, but the Trump administration has refused to do so, ostensibly in the name of making it much more restrictive, and of including China in the negotiations. These efforts would be admirable, Reif notes, except that there is little reason to believe they are legitimate. Reif suspects that the U.S. and Russia are actually both interested in being able to use the threat of medium range missiles to rein in China, and that Trump's overtures are mostly an excuse to let the current treaty lapse. When it comes to nuclear issues, Reif and Scott agree that Trump has delivered on his worst promises to increase funding to the arms industry, while failing to follow through on his pledge to get along better with Putin.

Discussed on the show:

"No Progress Toward Extending New START" (Arms Control Associate)

New START Treaty

Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty

Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty

Kingston Reif is the Director for Disarmament and Threat Reduction Policy at the Arms Control Association, where his work focuses on nuclear disarmament, deterrence, and arms control, preventing nuclear terrorism, missile defense, and the defense budget. Find him on Twitter @KingstonAReif.

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=wOc2dSmyRTY

Scott interviews Tom Woods about his new eBook, which provides a libertarian perspective on some of the national questions being raised these days about the future of policing. Scott and Woods focus in on the war on drugs in particular, which has been the culprit behind so many of the police abuses of the last few decades. They review the reasons why this policy has been completely ineffective, a staggering waste of resource and has led to vastly disproportionate outcomes between white and minority populations. As a libertarian, Woods supports the replacement of government police forces with free market alternatives, but short of this, he also offers a few relatively simple reforms that could go a long way toward solving some of the worst problems with police, and which he hopes almost any American could get behind.

Discussed on the show:

The Pentagon vs. the Economy

The Problems With the Police

"81 Percent of Black Americans Want the Same Level, or More, of Police Presence: Gallup" (Reason)

"Amash, Pressley introduce bipartisan legislation to end qualified immunity" (U.S. Representative Justin Amash)

Tom Woods is the host of the Tom Woods Show and the author of numerous books including Real Dissent. Follow him on Twitter @ThomasEWoods.

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=Ae57l3e0dbs

Scott talks to Stephen Zunes about Susan Rice, one of the leading candidates for Joe Biden's VP pick. Rice fits Biden's criteria in that she's a black woman with political experience, but Zunes raises serious concerns about her track record. In particular, Rice turned out to be one of the most hawkish Democrats during her time in the Clinton and Obama administrations, and she played a role in pushing for America's invasion of Iraq in 2003. Zunes points out that if "a black woman" is Biden's only important qualification, then he should at least pick someone with better left-wing credentials and with actual ties to the black community—Rice, he says, is virtually indistinguishable in her politics from all the white male establishment war hawks.

Discussed on the show:

"Implications of Pro-War Susan Rice as VP Nominee" (Accuracy.Org)

"Colin Powell’s speech to the UN Security Council" (Brookings)

"Column: No, Susan Rice did not support the Iraq War" (Chicago Tribune)

"Don't Attack Saddam" (WSJ)

"Susan Rice has Israel's back" (POLITICO)

"Why Would Biden Pick Susan Rice?" (Defense One)

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: 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=rZ6SqFKcoEA

Australian journalist Mark Willacy talks to Scott about his investigations into alleged war crimes by Australian special forces units in Afghanistan. Willacy has worked closely with former SAS operative Braden Chapman, the leading figure in blowing the whistle on what has become a spate of such allegations. The incidents include the killing of unarmed, compliant civilians and the fabrication of evidence to cover up wrongdoing. There is currently an investigation underway in Australia into these misdeeds, but Willacy reminds us how much is at stake with the image of the Australian military, and is unsure whether anyone will be brought to justice in the end. He continues to work hard to make sure those at fault are ultimately held accountable.

Discussed on the show:

"The same AK-47 was photographed on two dead Afghan civilians killed by Australian soldiers" (ABC News)

"Former Australian SAS soldier Braden Chapman speaks out about unlawful killings and war crimes in Afghanistan" (ABC News)

"5/22/20 Braden Chapman on Australian Special Forces War Crimes in Afghanistan" (The Libertarian Institute)

"Video shows Australian SAS soldier shooting and killing unarmed man at close range in Afghanistan" (ABC News)

Mark Willacy is a reporter for ABC Australia. He's twice been named Queensland Journalist of the Year and is a five-time winner of Australia's premier journalism prize, the Walkley Award. Follow Mark on Twitter at @MarkWillacy.

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=P3ZESCTP1OE