1/5/18 Elijah Magnier on U.S. occupation of eastern Syria following fight against ISIS

Middle east correspondent Elijah Magnier returns to the show to discuss the U.S. presence in eastern Syria. Magnier explains what the United States' goals are, why they won't leave without guaranteeing a political transition and how they've, for the time being, partitioned the country along the Euphrates river. Magnier then details how the United States is essentially acting as the undeclared protector of the Islamic State for the time being as they've stopped bombing the Northeastern region...

1/3/18 Peter Van Buren on the end of Iraq War 3—and the history of the Iraq War

Heroic whistleblower Peter Van Buren returns to the Scott Horton Show to discuss his latest piece for the American Conservative, "2017: The Year the Iraq War Truly Ended." Van Buren explains what he means by "the war is over" and why it doesn't mean there won't be continued conflict for locals in Iraq. Van Buren then discusses how he categorizes each of the different phases of the Iraq War, which has been going on for three decades. So what happens in Phase Four, once the shooting stops? Van...

1/3/18 Muhammad Sahimi on the protests in Iran

USC professor Muhammad Sahimi returns to the show to discuss the latest developments in the protests in Iran,  describes how the current regime is responsible for the justified grievances of the people protesting, and explains why some people fear regime change given the opportunistic nature of .the Trump administration, the aftermath of post-Gaddafi Libya, and the role of the Iranian far right in fomenting the protests. Sahimi then explains how the Iran Deal has backfired for Rouhani who...