Pepe Escobar, journalist and author of Obama Does Globalistan, discusses his article “Welcome to Libya’s ‘democracy’” and whether Gadhafi’s apparent defeat is instead a strategic retreat – presaging a guerrilla war; how NATO filters all information from Libya’s National Transitional Council, making it very difficult for outsiders to determine what’s really going on; why eastern Libya may become an emirate ruled by heavily armed Islamists, much to the delight of the Persian Gulf monarchies; how...
08/23/11 – Reza Marashi – The Scott Horton Show
Reza Marashi, Research Director for the National Iranian American Council, discusses the eight year prison sentence for Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal, the American hikers accused of crossing the Iranian border and spying; why they are casualties of the non-existent diplomatic relations between the US and Iran; the hard work behind the scenes by lower level American diplomats seeking their release; and why a goodwill pardon by Iran’s President or Supreme Leader, timed for the 2011 UN General...
08/23/11 – Trevor Aaronson – The Scott Horton Show
Trevor Aaronson, Investigative Reporting Fellow at the University of California, Berkeley, discusses his article “The Informers” that looks at the FBI’s prosecution of terrorism cases in the US; the huge increase of government informants since 2004, and whether they are exposing terrorist plots or manufacturing them; why an “entrapment” legal defense simply doesn’t work, even when it really should; and several specific cases of informants-run-amok, from Lodi, California to Miami,...
08/23/11 – Marcy Wheeler – The Scott Horton Show
Blogger Marcy Wheeler discusses her article “FBI Conducts Threat Assessment on Antiwar.Com Journalists for Linking to Publicly Available Document;” the convoluted chain of events that led the FBI to investigate Antiwar.com; how the file ended up in a FOIA request for the “Israeli Movers” sidebar to the 9/11 attacks; the few barriers to intrusive government investigation into the lives and businesses of private US citizens, thanks in part to the PATRIOT Act; and why the FBI viewed Justin...
08/23/11 – Eric Margolis – The Scott Horton Show
Eric Margolis, internationally syndicated columnist and author of War at the Top of the World and American Raj, discusses the ragtag Libyan rebels entering Tripoli and seizing Gadhafi’s compound (courtesy of massive NATO air support); the similarity with Egypt’s governmental reforms, where the head autocrat is deposed yet former ministers and the power structure remain intact; why the disparate rebel factions, united in hatred of Gadhafi, will splinter and fight amongst themselves; and the...
08/22/11 – John Glaser – The Scott Horton Show
John Glaser, Assistant Editor at Antiwar.com, discusses the seemingly victorious Libyan rebels (or was NATO the victor?); imagining Libya post-Gadhafi, with a devastated infrastructure, East/West schism, wrecked economy and human rights abuses galore; whether this is the end of foreign intervention or just the beginning; and the manic, self-destructive US empire, where limited resources are spread ever thinner.
08/22/11 – Adam Morrow – The Scott Horton Show
Adam Morrow, journalist with IPS News, discusses his article “Sinai Simmers in Security Vacuum;” how the killing of Egyptian border guards has further soured relations with Israel; why the Rafah crossing might close again, trapping residents of Gaza and enabling another “Cast Lead” type operation; why the 2004-06 Sinai resort bombings blamed on Islamic groups could have been false-flag attacks; and Egypt’s increasing displeasure with the Camp David Accords, which prevents troop deployments...
08/22/11 – Eric Garris – The Scott Horton Show
Eric Garris, founder and director of Antiwar.com, discusses Justin Raimondo’s column “The FBI vs. Antiwar.com” about FOIA documents detailing a 2004 FBI investigation of Antiwar.com, its staff and particularly Raimondo himself; the FBI’s apparent interest in “Urban Movers” and the Israeli connection to 9/11; how the FBI got a FISA warrant to essentially conduct a counterterrorism investigation against Antiwar.com, a US-based non-profit media outlet; holding our collective breath until the...
08/19/11 – Angela Keaton – The Scott Horton Show
Antiwar.com Development Director Angela Keaton discusses firing up the blog with new assistant editor John Glaser and intern Brian Beyer; the quarterly fundraising drive, now accepting silver/gold, livestock (space permitting), and old cars; how you can buy stuff at Cafe Press and Amazon or use a Capital One credit card to benefit Antiwar.com; and why you can’t get Antiwar.com’s intensive coverage of foreign policy from a news aggregator.
08/19/11 – Stephen M. Walt – The Scott Horton Show
Stephen M. Walt, professor of international affairs at Harvard University and co-author of The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy, discusses his article “When did the American empire start to decline;” locating the peak of US global dominance during the first Gulf War rout of Iraqi forces, following the Soviet collapse and “unipolar moment;” the big mistakes and missed opportunities that have degraded US power since then; the Clinton administration’s failed dual-containment policy on Iran...
08/19/11 – Gale Courey Toensing – The Scott Horton Show
Gale Courey Toensing, writer for Indian Country Today, discusses her article “Andrew Jackson’s Actions Model Anti-Speech, Perpetual War Legislation;” admitted al-Qaeda member Ali Al-Bahlul’s conviction on material support for terrorism charges for making a YouTube video; how the prosecutors used Andrew Jackson’s 1818 invasion of Spanish Florida to round up runaway slaves (and his execution of two British men for inciting the Seminoles to “savage warfare”) as legal precedent; provisions in the...
08/18/11 – Dave Nalle – The Scott Horton Show
Dave Nalle, Chairman of the Republican Liberty Caucus‘s National Committee, discusses the RLC’s origin and Old-Right style politics; the RLC-endorsed Congressional Representatives who stood firm on the debt ceiling and rebuffed John Boehner’s compromise plan; Nalle’s press release “Texas RLC Sends Out Warning on Rick Perry;” why we should worry about the cabal of neoconservatives whispering foreign policy advice in Perry’s ear; his executive order mandating HPV vaccines for all Texas...
08/18/11 – 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 “Muslims Smash Right-Wing Stereotypes;” jumping to incorrect conclusions about race and religion in the UK riots; the informal loyalty oath already demanded of American Muslims; why conservatives should blame Bill Clinton instead of Islam for 9/11; and why American Muslims may soon experience the repression of their European counterparts.
08/18/11 – Daniel Larison – The Scott Horton Show
Daniel Larison, writer for The American Conservative Magazine, discusses the many prominent Democrats and Republicans trying to whitewash the MEK’s image; evidence that most US supporters are ignorant of the group’s terrorist credentials (and that the “M” stands for “Mujahadeen”); why MEK members are still regarded as traitors in Iran, and kooky ones at that; doubting their transformation from armed revolutionaries into peaceful democratic reformers; how the MEK got their unique blend of...
08/17/11 – Jason Ditz – The Scott Horton Show
Jason Ditz, managing news editor at Antiwar.com, discusses why Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s “turn towards dictatorship” is deemed beneficial to the US; reneging on a promise to put the 2008 Iraq Status of Forces Agreement to a popular referendum; five months of Libyan rebels claiming imminent victory; why, winning or not, the rebels are not the bastions of democracy; whether the NATO bombing campaign is saving civilians, or extending a bloody civil war; and how a 2012 breakthrough in...
