2/21/20 Sheldon Richman on the Nonintervention Principle

Sheldon Richman discusses what he calls "the nonintervention principle," a corollary of libertarianism's nonaggression principle. Richman says that in the face of those who advocate foreign intervention and regime change, libertarians have a tendency to deny the claims that are being used to justify the intervention, rather than categorically opposing intervention qua intervention, no matter how bad the situation is. He acknowledges that many of these arguments are sound, so far as they go—for example, the fact that Assad is actually pretty good by regional standards—but that they can give...

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2/21/20 Grant Smith on IsraelLobbyCon 2020

Grant Smith joins the show to promote his upcoming conference, Transcending The Israel Lobby At Home And Abroad, to be held in Washington D.C. this May. The conference, as with most of Smith's work, is focused on exposing the power the Israel Lobby wields in America to control the narrative on both Israel-Palestine, and American relations with Israel. Smith laments the fact that any opposition to the policies of the Israeli government is so easily depicted as mere anti-semitism. He is optimistic, however, about the kind of activism that is gaining steam and showing that it is possible to...

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2/21/20 Daniel Lazare on Erdogan’s Military Adventure in Syria

Daniel Lazare discusses the problems facing Turkish President Recep Erdogan, who is dealing with a troubled economy, declining political popularity at home, and failing military excursions abroad. Lazare and Scott also talk about the failure of President Trump to deliver on his foreign policy promises, instead allowing himself to be bought by zionist donors like Sheldon Adelson, just like any other Republican. Trump's presidency has been characterized by the same pro-Israel, pro-Saudi, interventionist policies as the last few administrations. Even if he wins a second term, he's running out...

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2/19/20 Trita Parsi on Making a Restrained Foreign Policy the Status Quo

Scott talks to Trita Parsi about an event being hosted next week by Parsi's organization, the Quincy Institute, which will pit advocates of a restrained foreign policy against war hawks in a series of panel discussions. The event is Wednesday, February 26 in Washington D.C. Parsi says that although much of the American populace favors a restrained foreign policy, the beltway is dominated by pro-war neoconservatives. Valuable as it is to have outsider writers and activists calling for change, Parsi also wants to be sure there are people on the inside advocating the same thing. His institute...

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2/17/20 Gareth Porter on the History of the Iran Crisis

Gareth Porter comes on the show to promote his new book, The CIA Insider's Guide to the Iran Crisis: From CIA Coup to the Brink of War, cowritten with John Kiriakou. Porter and Scott recap the entire modern history of U.S. relations with Iran, focusing on the inflated threat of their nuclear program. Discussed on the show: The CIA Insider's Guide to the Iran Crisis: From CIA Coup to the Brink of War Devil's Game 1953 Iranian coup d'état Iran Hostage Crisis Iran-Contra Affair "When the Ayatollah Said No to Nukes" (Foreign Policy) Treacherous Alliance: The Secret Dealings of Israel, Iran, and...

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