Alan Bock has died

Goodbye my friend. Justin Raimondo's obituary is here. Matt Barganier's is here. The OC Register's is here. The archives of Alan's Antiwar.com column "Eye on the Empire" can be found here. Update: My recent interviews of Steven Greenhut, Gene Berkman and John Seiler about Alan's libertarian legacy are available here.

05/19/11 – Mark Sheffield – The Scott Horton Show

Mark Sheffield of the Policy on Point blog discusses his article “Screwing the Swedes: Lockheed vs. SAAB;” how Lockheed’s F-35 Joint Strike Fighter beat out SAAB’s JAS-39 Gripen fighter (with much lobbying help from the US government) for the contract to modernize Norway’s air force; a behind-the-scenes look at the cutthroat business of international arms dealing, courtesy WikiLeaks; how Russia has been surrounded by fleets of top-end jets in neighboring Western-allied and NATO countries; and...

05/19/11 – John Feffer – The Scott Horton Show

John Feffer, co-director of Foreign Policy In Focus at the Institute for Policy Studies, discusses the Afghanistan debate following Osama bin Laden’s death; his disagreement with Jonathan Landay, who says we can’t withdraw for fear of the terrible consequences; the sea-change in public opinion (and even in Congress and among elite opinion-makers) on the wisdom of staying in Afghanistan; why Syria may be a bridge too far for US intervention; the failed “kill the chicken to scare the monkey” US...

05/19/11 – Angela Keaton – The Scott Horton Show

Angela Keaton, Antiwar.com Development Director and Antiwar Radio producer, discusses the quarterly Antiwar.com fundraising drive; the tough times under President Obama, where the wars keep on keepin’ on and half the antiwar activists have their heads buried in the sand; why you can count on the libertarian-minded staff at Antiwar.com to stay antiwar, no matter who’s in the White House (because you know it’ll never be “our” guy/gal); and how supporters can call (323-512-7095), email...

05/19/11 – Steven Greenhut, Gene Berkman, and John Seiler – The Scott Horton Show

Steven Greenhut, Gene Berkman and John Seiler, friends and coworkers with the late Alan Bock, discuss Alan’s life and legacy; his libertarian roots dating from the late 60s; his advocacy of free market environmentalism; and his consistently good-humored nature – in contrast to the typical cantankerous libertarian – during a writing career dedicated to freedom and anti-interventionism.

05/16/11 – Jason Leopold – The Scott Horton Show

Investigative reporter Jason Leopold discusses his article “Filling in the Gaping Holes in WikiLeaks’ Guantanamo Detainee Files;” how the FBI emails (available here) on Guantanamo prisoner detention conditions indicate torture was the primary means of extracting “evidence;” the torture of Mohammed al-Qahtani, choreographed in the White House by top Bush administration officials; Bush speech writer Marc Thiessen’s admission that KSM was tortured for compliance, not actionable intelligence...

05/16/11 – Dean Ahmad – The Scott Horton Show

Imad-ad-Dean Ahmad, founder of the Minaret of Freedom Institute, discusses the typically sycophantic White House response to Israel’s shooting of peaceful Nakba protesters; Israel’s core founding myth, especially to Americans: no indigenous population existed (a.k.a. there is no such thing as a Palestinian); Palestinian peace activists initiating a third, peaceful, intifada in the spirit of the Arab Spring revolutions; the unquestioned absurdity of Israel “defending its borders” of the...

05/16/11 – Grant F. Smith – The Scott Horton Show

Grant F. Smith, director of the Institute for Research: Middle Eastern Policy in Washington, D.C., discusses his article “Obama vs. Reagan on AIPAC: documents reveal Ronald Reagan’s response to Israel lobby invitation;” how Israel’s constant state of emergency makes negotiated concessions impossible; the counter AIPAC convention in Washington during May 21-24; and how Israel has earned more international scorn (but not in the US) by shooting Nakba protesters.

05/13/11 – Thomas E. Woods – The Scott Horton Show

Thomas E. Woods, author of Rollback: Repealing Big Government Before the Coming Fiscal Collapse, discusses Ron Paul’s preference for a joint police action to arrest and try Osama bin Laden, rather than a covert military operation/execution; Paul’s unhesitating subversion of the popular propaganda line, even though support for the rule of law is a political liability right now; why this may be Paul’s “Giuliani moment” for the 2012 presidential campaign; the conservatives who think civil...

05/13/11 – Andy Worthington – The Scott Horton Show

Andy Worthington, author of The Guantanamo Files, discusses the resurgent torture propaganda in the wake of Osama bin Laden’s death; why torture is still only useful for gathering false confessions and bad information; the unedifying nationalistic chest thumping over bin Laden; how civilian criminal trials sufficed for the 1993 World Trade Center bombers, but somehow are no longer tough enough for terrorism since 9/11 and Guantanamo “changed everything;” and how government lawlessness, torture...

05/13/11 – Gareth Porter – The Scott Horton Show

Gareth Porter, independent historian and journalist for IPS News, discusses the minimal impact Osama bin Laden’s death has had – or will have – on US foreign policy; how the Obama administration’s insta-bragging makes clear the operation was a domestic political ploy rather than a blow against terrorism or an intelligence bonanza; keeping US troops in Afghanistan long past 2014 through a strategic partnership with the Karzai regime; how the security situation in Afghanistan is getting worse,...

05/12/11 – Scott Horton – The Scott Horton Show

The Other Scott Horton (no relation), international human rights lawyer, professor and contributing editor at Harper’s magazine, discusses winning the National Magazine Award for Reporting for his article “The Guantanamo “suicides”: A Camp Delta sergeant blows the whistle;” the still-developing story, including more details on the infamous “Camp No”; why torture still isn’t justified and didn’t help find bin Laden (according to John McCain); the scope and severity of the torture programs under...

05/12/11 – Jason Ditz – The Scott Horton Show

Jason Ditz, managing news editor at Antiwar.com, discusses the latest news with Scott, who’s been on the road this week and missed that whole bin Laden story; the changing US government narrative on events before, during and after the bin Laden raid; the already-forgotten euphoria that gave Obama’s approval rating a temporary boost and had crowds chanting USA! USA!; the White House’s confident assertion that the raid sets a “precedent” that may well be repeated; renewed drone strikes and...