This interview is excerpted from the KPFK 90.7 FM Los Angeles broadcast of July 29th, available here. John Glaser, Assistant Editor at Antiwar.com, discusses the mind-boggling number of ongoing US wars (6, 7, maybe 8?); how US aid to Colombia, supposedly intended to fight the war on drugs and leftist guerrillas like FARC, ends up going to government-connected right wing paramilitary death squads; Plan Colombia‘s gift to the military-industrial complex; the State Department’s heavyhanded,...
07/27/11 – Jeremy Sapienza – The Scott Horton Show
Jeremy Sapienza, Senior Editor at Antiwar.com, discusses the twisted MSM reporting on Somalia, such that most Americans have no idea the US is at war over there; how al-Shabaab grew out of the Islamic Courts Union’s youth movement to control most of the country; why Somalia’s famine is so severe (not from heat and drought) and who’s to blame; and the inevitability that someone in the “history began yesterday” media will advocate US intervention in Somalia to save the children from...
07/27/11 – Matt Barganier – The Scott Horton Show
Antiwar.com editor Matt Barganier discusses this week’s Viewpoints section and his criteria for selecting opinion pieces; Jeff Huber’s humorous take on the “blame Iran for everything” game; David Theroux’s article on prioritizing which government abuses to tackle first; how the editors of Antiwar.com’s main page make Antiwar Radio’s topic and guest selection process much easier; and Come Home America‘s left-right coalition to end the wars and restore our civil liberties.
07/25/11 – Rami Khouri – The Scott Horton Show
Rami Khouri, internationally syndicated political columnist and author, discusses his article “It Sure Looks and Smells Like Apartheid” in Lebanon’s Daily Star; the starkly different competing narratives on Israel’s origin; making protest boycotts illegal within Israel; the Arab world’s broad acceptance of a two-state plan based on 1967 borders – despite rhetoric that they want to “push Israel into the sea;” and how the Israeli state’s version of Judaism has abandoned social justice in favor...
07/22/11 – Philip Giraldi – The Scott Horton Show
This interview is from the KPFK 90.7 FM Los Angeles broadcast of July 22nd. Former CIA officer Philip Giraldi discusses the early (incorrect) rumors that an Islamic group was responsible for the Oslo shooting/bombing; Giraldi’s insightful guess that the attack could very well be the work of a domestic terrorist with a personal agenda; the threat posed by al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula; the CIA stirring up trouble in Mogadishu; the patently ridiculous “official” reasons for US interventions;...
07/22/11 – Nima Shirazi – The Scott Horton Show
Nima Shirazi, creator of WideAsleepinAmerica.com, discusses the summer surge of “blame Iran” talking points – the marketing strategy to sell Obama’s seventh war to Americans; how Iran’s nonchalant response to threats of an Israeli solo attack ruffles feathers in Washington and Tel Aviv; and how the US justifies an extended Iraq stay by pointing to increased Iranian influence (without acknowledging that the US destroyed Saddam’s Sunni government and helped install the current pro-Iran Shia...
07/21/11 – Jacob Hornberger – The Scott Horton Show
Jacob Hornberger, founder and president of the Future of Freedom Foundation, discusses America’s decline from shining beacon of freedom to torture-loving police state; how libertarianism helps people break through nationalist propaganda and public school indoctrination; why Americans should make haste toward limited government before another terrorist attack marks the end of the republic; and the many non-Muslim groups around the world with serious grievances against the US.
07/21/11 – John Tirman – The Scott Horton Show
John Tirman, Executive Director and a Principal Research Scientist at MIT’s Center for International Studies, discusses his article “1 Million Dead in Iraq? 6 Reasons the Media Hide the True Human Toll of War — And Why We Let Them” at AlterNet; the reputable studies done in Iraq to arrive at the approximately 1 million “excess death” toll; why the media consistently low-balls with a “tens of thousands” figure; and the powerful argument (to some) at stake: that at least Iraq is “better off now...
07/20/11 – Kelley B. Vlahos – The Scott Horton Show
Kelley B. Vlahos, featured Antiwar.com columnist and contributing editor for The American Conservative magazine, discusses her article “What Really Goes on in Afghanistan?” at Antiwar.com; how the US military plays down the severity and effectiveness of Taliban attacks; the great uncertainty of events in Afghanistan, owing to the minimal media presence; and why it’s pretty obvious there will be no Karzai government “stepping up” if/when US forces step down.
07/20/11 – Roy Guthman – The Scott Horton Show
Roy Gutman, Baghdad Bureau Chief for McClatchy Newspapers, discusses his article “Kirkuk is a ‘land mine’ where all sides want U.S. to stay;” why the majority of Iraq’s elite in government and the military want the US to remain as a stabilizing force; striking a balance on training Iraqi troops, so they are competent enough to repel foreign attacks (nevermind that their country is currently occupied by a foreign army) but not too strong to threaten regional powers; and why Moqtada al-Sadr’s...
07/20/11 – Philip Giraldi – The Scott Horton Show
Former CIA officer Philip Giraldi discusses the Iranian government’s claim of shooting down a US drone near a nuclear enrichment facility; former CIA officer Robert Baer’s warning about an Israeli-instigated war with Iran, designed to disrupt the September UN vote on a Palestinian state; the Congress’s unconditional support for Benjamin Netanyahu’s every move, no matter how crazy or belligerent; and why Obama doesn’t have the guts to defy Congress and AIPAC by making Israel fight its own...
07/19/11 – Will Grigg – The Scott Horton Show
Will Grigg, blogger and author of Liberty in Eclipse, discusses the “Character First” program spun off from Bill Gothard’s increasingly popular Christian ministry (or authoritarian cult) that advocates abject deference to a military-style hierarchy in all human interactions; parallels with prewar Germany’s rising authoritarianism; and why true character (like Bradley Manning’s) is revealed through bravely opposing unjust authority, not blindly following orders.
07/18/11 – John Glaser – The Scott Horton Show
John Glaser, Assistant Editor at Antiwar.com, discusses his revitalization of Antiwar.com’s long-neglected blog; the many obstacles “on the ground” obstructing a complete US withdrawal from Iraq; how Obama has managed to get the US involved in six simultaneous wars; and why public apathy, though understandable from the deluge of bad news, means the government has us exactly where they want us.
07/18/11 – Stephan Salisbury – The Scott Horton Show
Stephan Salisbury, author of Mohamed’s Ghosts: An American Story of Love and Fear in the Homeland, discusses his article “Islam-Baiting Doesn’t Work” at tomdispatch.com; the increased popularity of Islam-bashing in political campaigns – despite the fact most practitioners in 2010 lost their elections; the real facts on Sharia law “taking over” the US justice system (and if you’re still scared, get out of the bunker, take a look outside and be comforted by the lack of marauding religious...
07/15/11 – Gareth Porter – The Scott Horton Show
This interview is also available (here) in a version packaged for broadcast on KPFK 90.7 FM in Los Angeles, with an introductory summary of foreign policy news and Antiwar Radio interviews from the week of July 11-15. Gareth Porter, independent historian and journalist for IPS News, discusses his article “What Is Sadr’s Game on Future US Troop Presence?” at antiwar.com, about Moqtada al-Sadr trying to have it both ways, by privately agreeing to an extended US troop presence (and getting free...
