Jason Ditz, managing news editor at Antiwar.com, discusses his debate with the “Prince of Darkness” (Richard Perle) on BBC Radio; the Obama administration’s refusal to apologize for the deadly November attack on a Pakistani military outpost – even though critical supply lines to Afghanistan remain closed as a consequence; the technological barrier preventing other countries from using drones the way the US does; and how the dearth of journalists in Syria allows the Western media to spin the...
06/11/12 – Antiwar Radio; Sarah Manusek – The Scott Horton Show
Sarah Marusek, social science doctoral candidate at the Maxwell School of Syracuse University, discusses her article “West Must Recognize Peaceful Palestinian Resistance Movement;” the hundreds of thousands of down-and-out Palestinian refugees in Lebanon who, inspired by the Arab Spring uprisings in Egypt and beyond, are demonstrating to get back home; the surprising alliance between competing Palestinian factions (Fatah, Hamas) and militant groups (Islamic Jihad) that are joining together for...
06/11/12 – Giorgio Cafiero – The Scott Horton Show
Foreign Policy in Focus contributor Giorgio Cafiero discusses his article “Resurgent Arab Nationalism in Egypt;” a history lesson on Gamal Abdel Nasser and Egypt’s non-aligned independence during the Cold War; US support for the Muslim Brotherhood as a bulwark against Arab nationalism; how Egypt was brought under US influence after the 1973 Yom Kippur War demonstrated the power of Arab unity against Israel; the current runoff presidential election in Egypt, which does not include the popular...
06/11/12 – Joe Lauria – The Scott Horton Show
Independent investigative journalist Joe Lauria discusses his article “Security Council Blames Syria for Attack;” allegations that the Houla massacre was actually Sunni rebels killing pro-government Alawites and Shia; why Bashar al-Assad deserves the blame for Syria’s civil unrest; the media’s scant coverage of al-Qaeda’s presence within Syria’s rebellion; Russia’s strategic interests in Syria aside from the Tartus naval port; why NATO intervention would almost certainly worsen the crisis; and...
06/08/12 – Philip Giraldi – The Scott Horton Show
Former CIA officer Philip Giraldi discusses the corrupt narco-state of Afghanistan; the Russian mafia’s control of heroin distribution to Western Europe; former CIA Deputy Director for Operations Jose Rodriguez’s torture defense (and book promotion) on the talk-show circuit; Secretary of State Clinton’s promotion of internet freedom while President Obama wages cyber warfare on Iran and plans an internet “kill switch;” Obama’s dictatorial powers under the National Defense Resources Preparedness...
06/08/12 – Eric Margolis – The Scott Horton Show
Eric Margolis, internationally syndicated columnist and author of American Raj, discusses the fundamentally flawed Middle East countries created after the Ottoman Empire’s dissolution; the US’s first attempt at regime change in Syria in 1948, as told in The Game of Nations: The Amorality of Power Politics; a history of the Baath Party; the chance for regional autonomy in Syria instead of a bloody civil war; why the US insists on picking fights with Russia in Azerbaijan, Georgia and Syria; and...
06/08/12 – Ron Kukal – The Scott Horton Show
Ron Kukal, former US Navy Petty Officer and USS Liberty survivor, discusses his firsthand account of Israel’s attack on the Liberty on June 8, 1967; the carnage of dead sailors below decks from the Israeli torpedo strike; Phil Tourney’s book What I Saw That Day; how PTSD still effects Kukal’s life and family relationships; the dangers facing Liberty survivors who dare tell the truth about the attack; and Kukal’s thanks to the rescue ships and sailors who saved the Liberty from sinking and...
06/06/12 – Gareth Porter – The Scott Horton Show
Gareth Porter, investigative historian and journalist specializing in U.S. national security policy, discusses his article “US Rejected 2005 Iranian Offer Ensuring No Nuclear Weapons;” the Bush administration’s hardline stance against even a single Iranian centrifuge; how the MEK “laundered” Israeli intelligence on the Natanz facility, providing enough disinformation for years of anti-Iran propaganda; and Iran’s offer to have all its low-enriched uranium converted into fuel-rods, which cannot...
06/05/12 – Nick Turse – The Scott Horton Show
Nick Turse, associate editor of TomDispatch.com, discusses his article “A Drone-Eat-Drone World;” the Pentagon’s eager anticipation of autonomous drones that decide when and where to rain death from above; why drones are rapidly proliferating even though they aren’t effective in fighting and winning wars; the 1-to-1 UAV flight time to maintenance ratio; and the ability of drones to evade rifle-wielding tribesmen – but not semi-modern air defenses (or Pakistani public opinion).
06/05/12 – Eric Margolis – The Scott Horton Show
Eric Margolis, internationally syndicated columnist and author of American Raj, discusses Pakistan’s potential for dissolution; the Lebanonization of Syria; why Defense Secretary Leon Panetta is urging India to get more involved in Afghanistan; India’s big-spending on Afghanistan’s ethnic minorities; and what a foreign military “trainer” really is.
06/04/12 – Nikolas Kozloff – The Scott Horton Show
Nikolas Kozloff, author of Hugo Chavez: Oil, Politics and the Challenge to the U.S., discusses his article “What’s Behind Obama’s New Military Base in Chile;” doubts about the base’s official purpose as peacekeeper training facility, considering the recent history of US interference in South America; the Chilean government’s fight (aided by the FBI) with the Mapuche Indians over control of natural resources; US worries about Brazil as a future near-peer competitor; why the School of the...
06/04/12 – Robert Naiman – The Scott Horton Show
Robert Naiman, Policy Director at Just Foreign Policy, discusses his article “Yes, Virginia, We Can Do Something About the Drone Strikes;” the US government’s determination that military-age males killed by drones are always enemy combatants; targeting people for assassination that aren’t even on the “kill list” (as if the list itself wasn’t bad enough); opposition to Obama’s drone program from within his own administration and Congress; how regular people can (indirectly) change federal...
06/04/12 – Patrick Cockburn – The Scott Horton Show
Patrick Cockburn, Middle East correspondent for The Independent, discusses his article “Why War is Marching on the Road to Damascus;” assigning blame for the Houla massacre and whether it will spark US intervention; why Syria looks like Lebanon before its disastrous 15-year civil war; Saudi Arabia’s continued fight against Iran’s 1979 revolution and the Shia revival; why NATO “safe haven” zones would exacerbate conflict in Syria and lead to wider war; Iraq’s export of suicide bombers; how...
06/01/12 – Stephen Zunes – The Scott Horton Show
Dr. Stephen Zunes, Professor of Politics and International Studies at the University of San Francisco, discusses his article “Bipartisan Assault on Middle East Peace;” the overwhelming passage of H.R. 4133, which commits the US to defend Israel as a “Jewish state;” the lunatics in Congress that make the Obama administration look downright rational in comparison; how the US raises the bar on Arab concessions to Israel in order to prevent a peace deal; and Congress’s contempt for the Arab...
06/01/12 – Will Grigg – The Scott Horton Show
Will Grigg, blogger and author of Liberty in Eclipse, discusses his article “What to Remember on Memorial Day;” Westward expansion and the 19th century genocide of American Indians; the different negotiating tactics of private and government-subsidized railroads; Dr. Seuss’s anti-Japanese propaganda during WWII; historical revisionism and the sometimes-counterproductive American Indian activism in the 1960s and 70s; and how the state demonizes its enemies to justify their extermination – from...
