4/2/21 Larry Wilkerson on the Global Struggle for Power in Asia

Scott talks to Larry Wilkerson, former army Colonel and Chief of Staff to Secretary of State Colin Powell, about America's involvement in Asia, both during his time in the federal government and today. Wilkerson calls America's exploits over the last few decades a part of "The Great Game," a reference to the conflict between global powers like the British and Russian Empires over territory in the Middle East and the rest of Asia. This competition for hegemony never really ended, he says, although the players and stakes have changed to some extent. These days, the U.S. competes with China and...

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What I Told the Texas State Legislature

Last week, myself and a great group of antiwar veterans, led by BringOurTroopsHome.us testified before a committee of the Texas Senate in favor of new Defend the Guard legislation proposed by Rep. Bryan Slaton. (Admittedly, my statement was not so well received as a similar one was in Montana the week before that. But lessons were learned and the other guys did great, so it looks like it will pass out of committee and on to Calendars, at least.) Thank you very much for considering this important legislation. I'd like to mention something that is becoming a real crisis in this country, and...

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4/2/21 Jacob Sullum on the Trial of Derek Chauvin

Scott interviews Jacob Sullum about the trial of Derek Chauvin for the death of George Floyd. Sullum highlights two important features of the prosecution's case so far: the first is that paramedics testified to Floyd's already being dead when they showed up, and the second is an argument about Floyd's possible drug overdose. Sullum explains that while the level of fentanyl found in Floyd's system during the autopsy might be high for a normal person, it was actually on the extreme low end of what can cause an overdose, especially for a habitual opioid user. These factors make it unlikely that...

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3/26/21 Daniel Davis: US War With China Over Taiwan Would Be Foolish and Costly

Daniel Davis talks to Scott about the possibility of war with China. Davis fears that despite what would seem to be common sense arguments against ever fighting such a war, that's the direction that the American military establishment is heading in. The war planners in Washington seem to think that even though the U.S. and China both have large nuclear arsenals, we could fight a conventional war without either side resorting to nukes. This is the height of foolishness, says Davis, but even if we did somehow avoid nuclear war, China could probably defeat the United States easily using only...

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3/26/21 Jack Matlock on America’s Unnecessarily Hostile Relationship With Russia

Jack Matlock, America's second-to-last ambassador to the Soviet Union, talks to Scott about relations with Russia today. He stresses that the real ideological differences that once divided America and the USSR don't stand in the way anymore, and we need not continue to have a hostile relationship with a country that for the most part means us well. In fact, given that Russia, like America, has a huge stockpile of nuclear weapons, friendly cooperation between the two countries is far more important than any small issues like claims of election interference and personal insults between...

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3/26/21 Matthew Hoh on Biden’s Afghanistan Equivocations

Matthew Hoh comes back on the show to talk about Afghanistan. President Biden said in a recent press conference that due to logistical difficulties, America is unlikely to meet the May 1 withdrawal deadline laid out in the Doha agreement signed under President Trump. Hoh points out that there shouldn't really be logistical difficulties in getting about 3,000 American troops out of Afghanistan in a month (not to mention the many months both presidents have had already)—really, this is political cover to avoid pulling America out once and for all. No president has been willing to do so so far,...

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3/26/21 Joe Dyke on the Secret Talks that Nearly Saved Gaddafi

Scott interviews Joe Dyke about his coverage of the little-known secret talks between Norwegian diplomats and Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, which sought a peaceful end to the war there. Although Norway was a part of the group of countries that decided to begin bombing Libya, the talks remained mostly a secret, and the Norwegian negotiators even had to be evacuated right before the bombing started. According to Dyke's reporting, Gaddafi was open to a deal that would involve his stepping down peacefully in exchange for legal immunity. The Norwegian government, he says, tried to get Britain and...

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