Scott interviews William Astore about his recent TomDispatch piece on American air power. Astore, a retired Air Force officer, explains what he was and was not taught about bombing as a strategy in war, most notably the fact that the perception of the U.S. military by the people getting bombed is rarely considered. Air power, and particularly unmanned drones, explains Astore, creates a tremendous amount of blowback from people living under the constant threat of death from the skies. This has explicitly been the case with several recent acts of terrorism, including the Times Square bomber of 2010.

Discussed on the show:

• “Tomgram: William Astore, The Dark Side of Air Power” (TomDispatch)
• Operation Rolling Thunder
• “Caught Between U.S. and Taliban, a Family Dies and the Survivor Seeks Justice” (The New York Times)
• “5/14/19 Andrew Cockburn on the Military-Industrial ‘Virus'” (The Libertarian Institute)

William J. Astore is a retired lieutenant colonel (USAF) and history professor. He is a contributing writer at Antiwar.com and TomDispatch.com. Read all of his work at his website, BracingViews.com.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: Kesslyn Runs, by Charles Featherstone; NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Roberts and Roberts Brokerage Inc.; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; and LibertyStickers.com.

Donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal, or Bitcoin: 1KGye7S3pk7XXJT6TzrbFephGDbdhYznTa.

Podcast (thescotthortonshow): Play in new window | Download