03/03/09 – Noam Chomsky – The Scott Horton Show

by | Mar 3, 2009 |

Noam Chomsky, author of Manufacturing Consent: The Political Economy of the Mass Media, discusses the roots of U.S. imperialism, the often overlooked opportunity costs of empire, the exaggerated strength of U.S. economic rivals, the continuation of the Great Game into the 21st century, how the Western World’s observance of the Durand Line exacerbates problems in Afghanistan, the empire’s loss in Iraq, the U.S. doctrine of punishing Iran just to make an example out of them and the Israeli...

03/02/09 – Robert Dreyfuss – The Scott Horton Show

by | Mar 2, 2009 |

Robert Dreyfuss, author of Devil's Game: How the United States Helped Unleash Fundamentalist Islam, discusses the Obama administration's Iraq withdrawal plan, the survivability of Iraq's central government without U.S. support, the prospect of a nuclear-armed Iran and why the doctrine of preventive war left town with the Bush administration.

03/02/09 – Amna Akbar – The Scott Horton Show

by | Mar 2, 2009 |

Amna Akbar, Clinical Fellow at the International Human Rights Clinic, discusses her legal team’s representation of Mohamed Farag Bashmilah in the 'extraordinary rendition' lawsuit against Boeing subsidiary Jeppesen Dataplan, Inc. and the ongoing collaborative FOIA lawsuit against U.S. government secrecy on torture issues.

Ron Paul Talks With Bob Sheiffer

by | Mar 1, 2009 |

My favorite is the part where he "admits" that he does not attend Caesar's speeches to the Congress. They are, he says, "unbearable." It's also fun to see how many edits there are in part two. Part one and Part two. Thanks to Lew.

02/26/09 – Kaveh L. Afrasiabi – The Scott Horton Show

by | Feb 26, 2009 |

Kaveh L. Afrasiabi, author of the article 'Iran’s security concerns weigh heavy' in the Asia Times Online, discusses Iranian security from a non-U.S. perspective, the problems presented by instability in Pakistan, tensions between Sunni and Shia throughout the region, how the U.S. embargo on Iran hurts U.S. companies and the similar meaning of President Obama’s 'clenched fist' metaphor and Bush’s 'axis of evil' designation.

02/26/09 – David R. Henderson – The Scott Horton Show

by | Feb 26, 2009 |

David R. Henderson, research fellow with the Hoover Institution, discusses the love-fest between Congressional Democrats and President Obama, the benefit of empire for a select few and the net loss for everyone else, the common misconceptions on what caused and worsened the 1973 oil crisis and the difficulty of communicating with people whose ideas and arguments are wrapped in insulating layers of emotion and patriotism.

02/26/09 – Gareth Porter – The Scott Horton Show

by | Feb 26, 2009 |

Gareth Porter, independent researcher and journalist, discusses Obama's extended withdrawal plan that keeps tens of thousands of troops in Iraq indefinitely, the political calculation behind the change from a 16 to 19 month withdrawal timetable and the incremental victory won by the generals and Pentagon officials who want to stay in Iraq for the long term.

Guns

by | Feb 25, 2009 |

A friend asked me to write a defense of my individualist view of gun rights. So here it is (this is an email, not a real essay, so go easy on me): Okay, I've never really written about this, nor is it really my area of expertise, but here's my best shot. (the following arguments are awesome, but not necessarily in comprehensible order or grammar.) First thing I think is that government does not legitimately hold any power or rights that haven't been delegated to them from the people - which...

02/25/09 – Daniel Levy – The Scott Horton Show

by | Feb 25, 2009 |

Daniel Levy, Senior Fellow and Co-Director of the Middle East Task Force at the New America Foundation, discusses the future of Israel with Benjamin Netanyahu as likely next Prime Minister, the multi-party complexity of Knesset coalition negotiations, how an Israeli government that includes moderate factions would provide some protection from international condemnation of future bad behavior and how U.S. initiative combined with Israelis and Palestinians thinking outside the box can produce...