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...
12/8/17 Mark Perry on Why moving the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem is a mistake
Mark Perry returns to the show to discuss his latest article for the American Conservative, “Tillerson, Mattis Warned Trump Against Embassy Move.” Perry doubts that Trump understands the true effect of his decision and explains why Jerusalem is integral to the Arab world and to Palestine in particular. Scott asks if, now that the two-state solution is clearly over, peace can be found in a single state—assuming apartheid conditions are lifted. Perry believes that the silver lining is that the...
12/8/17 Jonathan Hafetz on an American being held without due process
The ACLU’s Jonathan Hafetz joins Scott to shed light on the situation in Iraq where an American citizen has been held by the United States military for nearly three months. According to Hafetz the military has not released the man’s name, and hasn’t given him access to a lawyer despite his requests for one. The ACLU is now fighting in court in order to speak with him and and advise him on his rights. According to Hafetz there are three options the state is considering: 1) Hold the man in...
12/6/17 Robert Alvarez on the catastrophe of the Korean War
Robert Alvarez joins Scott to discuss his latest article for CommonDreams.org “Korea: End the 67-Year War.” According to Alvarez there’s no political will on either side to end the war—instead, the United States believes tensions between the two countries further U.S. national interests. Alvarez explains why he doesn’t believe that the North Korean nuclear threat is as significant as it’s been portrayed. He then takes on the argument that North Korea serves as a convenient excuse for the U.S....
12/6/17 Nasser Arrabyee on Saleh’s death and the latest breaking news in Yemen
Nasser Arrabyee returns to the show to discuss the latest developments in Sana’a where ex-Houthi leader Ali Abdullah Saleh was assassinated by his former Houthi allies. Arrabyee explains that the Saleh-Houthi alliance was always one of convenience and was bound to end—but that no one was expecting it to happen during the war. Arrabyee believes that the beginning of the conflict goes back to August when Houthis clashed with Saleh supporters. Arrabyee now sees two possible options in the wake of...
12/4/17 Peter van Buren on the core problems of the State Department
Author and whistleblower Peter van Buren returns to the show to discuss Rex Tillerson’s apparent impending firing/resignation, how Americans have been fooled into thinking they have a Donald Trump problem and not an empire problem, and what the role of the State Department is supposed to be vs. the reality of what it is. Van Buren details the core problems facing the state department, including why its power and influence abroad are severely curtailed by the Pentagon, CIA, and American...
12/4/17 Eric Margolis on how to resolve tensions with North Korea
Legendary journalist Eric Margolis returns to the show to discuss the escalated tensions in North Korea. Margolis explains why the threat of nuclear war is all the greater with Donald Trump in the Oval Office. Margolis says that tension with North Korea really demonstrates that South Korea is just a vassal of American foreign policy. According to Margolis the road to peace requires the U.S. to officially end the Korean War, end economic sanctions, agree to a non-aggression treaty, and,...
12/1/17 Ron Paul on his new book “The Revolution at Ten Years”
Dr. Ron Paul returns to the show to discuss his most recent book "The Revolution at Ten Years." Scott explains why Ron Paul's "Giuliani moment" is the reason why millions of people have become libertarians. Scott asks whether American strength of markets and wealth can overcome the welfare/warfare state for a considerable time longer; Dr. Paul makes the case why the debt is the reason the current American way cannot be sustained. Paul then explains the importance of sound money and how...
11/29/17 Jacob Hornberger on abolishing the U.S. national security state
President of the Future of Freedom Foundation Jacob Hornberger returns to the show to discuss the welfare/warfare state and the harm it's done to the country. Hornberger makes the case that today's national security state is a post-World War II creation to fight the Soviet Unions and totalitarianism, and not inherent to what the United States has been. Hornberger and Scott then discuss the role of the UN in building the American empire, what libertarians need to do to convince the left and the...
11/29/17 Reese Erlich on Saudi Arabia’s expanding role in the Middle East
Reese Erlich joins Scott to discuss Saudi Arabia and their new de facto King, Mohamed Bin Salman, the story behind Lebanon prime minister Saad al-Hariri's resignation and subsequent un-resignation, and the deep discord in Trump's state department over it all. Erlich and Scott then discuss Trump's heightened tension with Iran, how the Iraq War was a major gift to the Iranians, and why the concern for control of the global oil supply has determined much of U.S. foreign policy. Lastly, Erlich...
11/27/17 Aniqa Raihan on the unrecognized Bedouin villages of Israel
Aniqa Raihan joins Scott to discuss her article for Foreign Policy in Focus, “A Beginner’s Guide to the Unrecognized Villages of Israel.” Raihan explains how the bedouins of Israel—who are citizens—have been continually deprived of their homes, land, and other vital resources. The Bedouin people are regularly forced from their homes and villages, many of which are unrecognized by the state of Israel and reappropriated for other purposes. Scott then asks about the BDS movement; Raihan explains...
11/22/17 Gareth Porter on the latest bogus Iran-Al Qaeda claims
Investigative journalist Gareth Porter returns to the show to discuss his article for The American Conservative, “Translated Doc Debunks Narrative of Al Qaeda-Iran ‘Alliance’.” Porter explains how Americans are manufacturing a nonexistent relationship between Iran and Al Qaeda in much the same way they did with Al Qaeda and Saddam Hussein in the lead up to the Iraq war. Porter then details the specifics of the document and the context in which it was written. Scott and Porter discuss at length...
