Introduction In the mainstream view, al-Qaeda did not play a role in the Syria conflict until Islamic State of Iraq (ISI) leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi dispatched his deputy, Abu Muhammad al-Jolani, to Syria in August 2011 to establish a wing of the group there, called...
Qatar
Who Owns The US Government? Hint, Not The American People
by Steven Woskow | Jul 10, 2019 | Blog
President Trump doubled as chief dealmaker on Tuesday. “We're going to be signing a document today, very large transaction,” said Trump. “It’s a transaction that will be purchasing a lot of Boeing jets, that means a lot of jobs,” he added without elaborating....
America Cannot Save Afghanistan
by Robert Gaines and Scott Horton | Apr 30, 2019 | Featured Articles, Foreign Policy
After nearly two decades of bloodshed, meaningful progress is finally being made towards a conclusion of the war in Afghanistan. Negotiations with the Taliban in Qatar have achieved an uncommon consistency. On the domestic front, a bipartisan resolution matching the...
Peace Talks
by Kyle Anzalone | Mar 1, 2019 | Conflicts of Interest
On FPF #317, I discuss Trump's meeting with Kim Jong-un and US talks with the Taliban. The meeting with Kim ended early and without a peace agreement. Trump said the talks were positive. In Qatar, US officials are meeting with Taliban leadership. The talks will be...
Taliban Attack Intel Base
by Scott Horton | Jan 21, 2019 | Blog
Kill 126. Just before sitting down to talk with Americans in Qatar. The Taliban always were known for their subtle sense of humor.
News Roundup 6/6/18
by Kyle Anzalone | Jun 6, 2018 | News Roundup
The US government estimates Medicare will be insolvent by 2026. [Link] A report claims that National Security Advisor John Bolton was barred from attending the meeting between Trump and Kim Yong Chol by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. [Link] Bowe Bergdahl will not...
News Roundup 4/11/18
by Kyle Anzalone | Apr 11, 2018 | Blog
3,000 Google employees sign an open letter addressed to the company arguing Google should not contract with the Pentagon. [Link] A video of Ahed Tamimi's interrogations has been released. The video show's the Israeli interrogators threatening Ahed's friend and family...
3/19/18 Mark Perry on Rex Tillerson's firing and the political workings behind it
by Scott Horton | Mar 19, 2018 | The Scott Horton Show
Reporter Mark Perry returns to the show to discuss his latest article for The American Conservative, "The Political Forces Behind Rex Tillerson's Firing." Perry begins by breaking down what he calls the "Qatar Fiasco" and the role that Israel and its friendly American...
3/19/18 Mark Perry on Rex Tillerson’s firing and the political workings behind it
by Scott Horton | Mar 19, 2018 | The Scott Horton Show
Reporter Mark Perry returns to the show to discuss his latest article for The American Conservative, "The Political Forces Behind Rex Tillerson's Firing." Perry begins by breaking down what he calls the "Qatar Fiasco" and the role that Israel and its friendly American...
07/27/17 Conn Hallinan on the Persian Gulf Crisis
by Damon Hatheway | Jul 27, 2017 | The Scott Horton Show
Foreign Policy in Focus columnist Conn Hallinan returns to the show to discuss his latest article for Foreign Policy in Focus, "The Tortured Politics Behind the Persian Gulf Crisis." Hallinan details the reasons for the rising tensions between Qatar and their former...
06/28/17 Mark Perry on Jared Kushner’s Middle East Mess
by Damon Hatheway | Jun 29, 2017 | The Scott Horton Show
Mark Perry returns to the show to discuss his latest article in the American Conservative, detailing how Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner has the president's ear in the Middle East and how Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Secretary of Defense James Mattis...
6/14/17 Derek Davidson on ‘What’s Happening in the Persian Gulf’
by Scott Horton | Jun 14, 2017 | The Scott Horton Show
Derek Davidson, formerly of the Rand Corporation, Middle East and Iran specialist and writer at lobelog.com, on his article from June 5th, “What’s Happening in the Persian Gulf”. Davidson explains the complex situation between the Whabbi Qataris and rival Saudis, the...
12/27/16 Gareth Porter on Obama’s real strategic blunder in Syria
by Scott Horton | Dec 27, 2016 | The Scott Horton Show
Gareth Porter, an independent investigative journalist and winner of the 2012 Gellhorn Prize for journalism, discusses President Obama's decision to help arm the Syrian opposition to appease Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar; then-CIA Director David Petraeus's role in...
Blog
The Non-Existent Difference Between National Socialism and Democratic Socialism
Summary: National Socialism and Democratic Socialism both advocate institutionalized violence by the state against peaceful people only differing in rhetoric. The most popular self described Democratic Socialists in America today are Senator Bernie Sanders and...
A Response to My Memorial Day Critics
My article against Memorial Day drew a lot of ire and attention. This should not have been surprising; I was making a controversial statement. What did surprise me, however, was that many critics were self-described libertarians or former libertarians. There were many...
Ignoring Political Gossip & Sticking to Principle
https://youtu.be/ZwWHjYVY4tg In the private sector, firms must attract voluntary customers or they fail; and if they fail, investors lose their money, and managers and employees lose their jobs. The possibility of failure, therefore, is a powerful incentive to find...
The Myth of “Hyper-Rugged-Isolationist-Individualism”
Myth #1: Libertarians believe that each individual is an isolated, hermetically sealed atom, acting in a vacuum without influencing each other. This is a common charge, but a highly puzzling one. In a lifetime of reading libertarian and classical-liberal...
The Lesson From Germany and Korea
Institutions are, of course, in some sense the products of culture. But, because they formalize a set of norms, institutions are often the things that keep a culture honest, determining how far it is conducive to good behaviour rather than bad. To illustrate the...
Occupational Licensing Increases Prices and Deprives People of Options
When you shop online, vendors usually give you a bunch of different ways to sort your options. Take Amazon: One popular sorting option – especially for customers with low income – is “Price: Low to High.” You’ve probably used it yourself many times. This...
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