Investigative journalist Gareth Porter returns to the Scott Horton Show to discuss his latest article "How Cheney and his allies created the North Korea nuclear missile crisis." Porter explains how the North Koreans have historically used their nuclear program as a negotiation tool with the United States and how Dick Cheney and his allies in the Bush administrations sabotaged deals that would have reduced tension and also stalled development of North Korea's nuclear program. Porter then goes...
12/29/17 Derek Davison on the latest neocon plans for confronting Iran
Derek Davison returns to the show to discuss his latest article, “Clean Break II: Iran Hawks Decide To Burn It All Down.” Davison details the latest neoconservative nightmare, explains his fear that Donald Trump is being quickly coopted by the neoconservatives, and considers what might happen if the U.S. walks away from the deal. Derek Davison is a freelance writer. His work appears at LobeLog and Jacobin. Learn more about his work at his site And That’s The Way It Was and follow him...
12/29/17 Nasser Arrabyee on the latest Saudi massacre of Yemeni civilians
Nasser Arrabyee returns to the show to discuss the latest war crimes committed by the U.S.-Saudi coalition, which included strikes on civilian areas in four different cities on markets, farms, and government buildings that killed entire families and more than 200 people. Arrabyee then explains why ISIS and Al Qaeda have been the big winners as a result of the U.S.-Saudi war in Yemen and why, on the ground in Yemen, ISIS and Al Qaeda are basically one entity. Nasser Arrabyee is a Yemeni...
12/22/17 Robert Viglione on the latest cryptocurrency Zen Cash and the Seasteading movement
Co-founder of cryptocurrency Zen Cash Robert Viglione joins Scott on the show—and as the latest sponsor of the Scott Horton Show—to discuss the future of cryptocurrencies and his project Zen Cash. Viglione believes that Zen Cash is leading the way in privacy and anti-censorship in cryptocurrency in the name of creating a virtual free society. Viglione outlines the mission of Zen Cash and how it is differentiated not only from fiat money but also from other cryptocurrencies. Scott and Viglione...
12/22/17 Roger Ver on the split between Bitcoin Cash and Bitcoin Core
CEO of Bitcoin.com Roger Ver—aka “Bitcoin Jesus”—joins the show to discuss the explosion of bitcoin and the split in the bitcoin community between Bitcoin Core and Bitcoin Cash. Ver details the problems with Bitcoin Core and predicts that a year from now it will no longer be the top global cryptocurrency. He then explains how he became interested in bitcoin in 2011 when he realized it could be a true alternative to fiat currencies and explains the connection between Bitcoin and the anti-war...
12/20/17 Matthew Hoh on Afghanistan and Trump’s newest National Security Strategy
Afghan war whistleblower Matthew Hoh returns to discuss the latest developments in Afghanistan, recalls his thought process when he blew the whistle in the lead up to Obama’s surge, and describes the perverse incentives created by the military for advancement. Hoh then discusses the brand new Trump security strategy and how it relates to the Untied States’ nuclear rivals, China and Russia. Hoh concludes by pointing out that, as delusional and malleable as Trump appears, his outlook on the...
12/22/17 John Feffer on North Korea, Iran, and the foreign policy of the Koch brothers
Co-director of FPIF.org John Feffer returns to the show to discuss his latest article, “North Korea: The Costs of War, Calculated.” Feffer agrees that North Korea is not President Trump’s Iraq War and explains why the geography of the Korean Peninsula make it clear what the consequences of a war with North Korea would be. Feffer explains why North Korea has little reason to trust American diplomatic guarantees, where sensible common ground for negotiations between the two countries should be,...
12/20/17 Eric Margolis on the history of NATO expansion towards Russia
Eric Margolis joins Scott to discuss his latest article, “Sorry, Chump, You Didn’t Have It In Writing” in which Margolis recalls the history of broken promises and lies made to Russia by NATO and the United States, and the subsequent increase in tension and near misses in Eastern Europe. Scott then asks Margolis: just how evil—and how ambitious—is Vladimir Putin? Margolis describes his visit in 1990 to the KGB headquarters and Putin-as-Russian-Pinochet, how U.S. corporate interests pillaged...
12/18/17 Ramzy Baroud on the long-awaited death of the Two-State Solution
Editor-in-chief of the Palestine Chronicle Ramzy Baroud returns to the show to discuss his latest articles, “Towards a New Palestinian Beginning” and “The ‘Last Martyr’: Who Killed Kamal Al-Assar?” Baroud shares his memories from the First Intifada 30 years ago, explains how socialism and not Radical Islam drove the Palestinian struggle at the outset, and provides nuance for Israel’s role in Hamas’ rise to power in Palestine. Baroud then details the length to which the Israeli state has gone...
12/18/17 Harry Kazianis on the potential for apocalyptic war with North Korea
National Interest’s executive editor Harry Kazianis joins Scott to discuss his article for The American Conservative, “A War of Choice With North Korea is an Immensely Dumb Idea.” Kazianis discusses the horrors that would follow from a war with North Korea, the difficulty of educating the broader public on the possible consequences, and why, even if Donald Trump is bluffing, pushing Kim Jung-Il into a corner is a terrible idea. Kazianis then discusses his previous work projecting what war with...
12/15/17 Conn Hallinan on containment of China and the India-Pakistan nuclear standoff
Conn Hallinan returns to the show to discuss his latest article for FPIF.org “Asia’s Other Nuclear Standoff,” which details the United States’ role in escalating the India-Pakistan nuclear face off. Hallinan describes the race for resource control in Asia, particularly over the oil supply, and the Chinese expansion throughout southeast Asia and parts of Africa. Hallinan believes the possibility of escalation to nuclear weapons is very real in India and Pakistan. Hallinan then explains the...
12/15/17 Will Porter on the undercounted civilian deaths in Yemen
Will Porter makes his debut on the Scott Horton Show to discuss his article for the Libertarian Institute, “Yemen’s Silent Numbers: Official Death Count Masks War’s Toll on Civilians.” Porter explains the numerous problems with the OHCHR’s civilian death count and why the estimates likely don’t reflect near the total number of civilians whose lives have been lost as a result of the war. Will Porter writes for The Market Radical and NotBeingGoverned. Follow him on Twitter @WKPAnCap. Discussed...
12/13/17 Doug Bandow: North Korea’s Nuclear Weapons
Cato’s Doug Bandow joins Scott again to discuss the situation in North Korea. According to Bandow the red line Trump has created for North Korea is worrisome, but he doesn’t believe it’s a repeat of the lead-up to the Iraq War—Bandow’s greater concern is that the Trump administration will make a major blunder. Bandow believes that Donald Trump’s approach to foreign policy is based on his feelings—which vary—rather than any coherent strategy. Bandow then explains why he thinks claims that North...
12/11/17 Raeford Davis on the murder of Daniel Shaver and other police shootings
Former police officer Raeford Davis returns to the show to discuss the latest spree of police shootings. According to Davis while there are plenty of bad apples who join police forces across the country, the real problem is the training cops receive and the willingness of courts to acquit unjustifiable shootings. Davis breaks down the details of the video of Daniel Shaver’s murder from the perspective of a former cop. Davis then explains how police officers are masters at escalating...
12/8/17 Philip Weiss on Trump’s Jerusalem decision
Philip Weiss, editor of Mondoweiss.net, returns to the show to discuss Donald Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as the capitol of Israel and his future plans to move the U.S. embassy there in the future. According to Weiss Trump’s decision extinguishes the peace process and is a moment of great despair for those who believed the Oslo Accord would lead to the creation of a Palestinian state. Weiss then details the history of Israeli land annexation from Palestinians in Jerusalem dating back to...
