7/17/19 Jason Ditz on Iran, Yemen, and Afghanistan

Jason Ditz updates Scott on the news from the Middle East. Recently, a missing Emirati tanker that some claimed had been seized by Iran in the Strait of Hormuz was revealed to have simply been towed there voluntarily for repairs. In other news, the UAE has announced the withdrawal of its troops from Yemen, probably realizing it can't win a ground war there, at least not without stretching itself too thinly and becoming exposed at home. Saudi Arabia, on the other hand, seems content to keep fighting the war, since they want to ensure that the entire country is ruled by a friendly regime, or...

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2¾ Cheers for the New Quincy Institute

2¾ Cheers for the New Quincy Institute

What if George Soros and Charles Koch teamed up to do a thing? Sounds pretty scary so far. What if the project was to build a new antiwar think tank in Washington with the financial backing to make a serious mark? Does that sound even scarier? It shouldn’t. The reasons why are Trita Parsi, Andrew Bacevich and Eli Clifton. Recently the great anti-interventionist author Stephen Kinser announced in the Boston Globe that Soros and Koch have teamed up to fund – to the tune of a million dollars to start – a new group called the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, named for John Quincy...

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7/17/19 Daniel McAdams on America’s Dangerous Posture Toward Iran

Scott interviews Daniel McAdams about the influence of Mike Pompeo and John Bolton on President Trump's foreign policy. Lately they've made sure to keep up a policy of maximum pressure through economic sanctions, and to avoid negotiations at all costs. It's clear from their strategy that what they really want is a war. Trump's good instincts on Iran may be the only thing that's still keeping us at peace. Discussed on the show: "Rand Paul angles to become Trump's emissary to Iran" (POLITICO) "Pompeo: 'I was the CIA director. We lied, we cheated, we stole'" (YouTube) Daniel McAdams is the...

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7/17/19 Mark Perry on the Year America Didn’t Go to War

Mark Perry talks about the history of America's near misses on war with Iran, starting with the 1983 Beirut barracks attack that almost led to an American bombing campaign against the Iranians. According to Perry, President Reagan realized that such an attack would be both ineffective, and also beneath the "dignity" of the United States military. The point of a strong military, says Perry, is to not use it, except against major powers in extreme circumstances. The excessive use of our military all over the world in the last 20 years only wastes blood and treasure while making the country...

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Rand Paul Wants To Work Things Out With Iran

He wants Trump to make him an envoy to Iran. Sure hope the report is true. The hawks in it complain that it reduces "maximum pressure," but if the point is a "better deal" and not war, then they need to be able to discuss things then don't they? That's why the hawks in it are really complaining. They don't want talks to get in the way of war.

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7/15/19 Reese Erlich on What’s Really Going On in Hong Kong

Scott talks to Reese Erlich about the demonstrations in Hong Kong against the country's proposed extradition law. After a Hong Kong man brutally murdered his girlfriend in Taiwan, and then fled back to Hong Kong, knowing he couldn't be extradited to the country where he had committed his crime, lawmakers thought it might be time to enact new extradition treaties, of which Hong Kong has very few with any countries. Even though the proposed law is fairly moderate in what it allows, protestors fear the ways it could be abused by the Hong Kong or Chinese governments. Discussed on the show:...

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7/14/19 Gareth Porter Debunks Lies About Iran Killing US Troops in Iraq

Gareth Porter explains the latest lie being used to promote a war with Iran. This time, the old story from the mid-2000s that Iran was responsible for a certain type of roadside bomb that killed about 600 U.S. soldiers in Eastern Iraq has new life, thanks to John Bolton and his allies. Gareth Porter and many other friends of the Scott Horton Show debunked this idea when it first arose more than ten years ago. An extra bit of irony is the recent Army study finding that Iran is the only country that actually benefited from America's wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Discussed on the show: "Lies...

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