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Scott had Dave DeCamp back on Antiwar Radio to discuss the developments in Gaza. They begin with frequent guest Ramzy Baroud’s sister who was just killed by the IDF in Gaza. They also talk about the scores of journalists Israel has killed so far, the IDF’s latest strategy in northern Gaza, the Grayzone’s new documentary exposing some Israeli lies about the October 7 attacks and more.

Discussed on the show:

• “Journalist Ramzy Baroud Mourns His Sister Killed Today by Israeli Bombs” (Antiwar.com)
• Atrocity Inc: How Israel Sells Its Destruction Of Gaza — The Grayzone
• Airwars report on Israel air campaign in Gaza

Dave DeCamp is the news editor of Antiwar.com and the host of Antiwar News with Dave DeCamp. Follow him on Twitter @decampdave

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: Roberts and Robers Brokerage Incorporated; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; Libertas Bella; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott.

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Kevin Gosztola is back for an update on Julian Assange’s extradition hearing. He describes the great line-up of witnesses being summoned by Assange’s defense team and how easily, for the most part, they’ve been able to dismantle the arguments from the prosecution. It’s unclear, however, how effective any kind of reasoned argument about the facts will be, given that we know this whole hearing has been conducted on political grounds from the beginning. The case the U.S. government wants to bring against Assange is based on the conspiracy theory that he deliberately directed Chelsea Manning to steal classified information, and the attempt to brand Wikileaks not as a journalistic organization, but as a hostile intelligence agency. Gosztola reminds us what kind of a precedent this could set: if the grounds for Assange’s extradition are that he, an Australian citizen living in Britain, revealed U.S. government secrets, then could any country extradite anyone for publishing something their government didn’t like? This, Gosztola and Scott agree, is a truly terrifying prospect.

Discussed on the show:

• “9/11/20 Clive Stafford Smith on Julian Assange’s Political Show Trial” (The Libertarian Institute)
• War in the Age of Trump

Kevin Gosztola is managing editor of Shadowproof. He also produces and co-hosts the weekly podcast, “Unauthorized Disclosure.” Follow him on Twitter @kgosztola.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com.

Donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal, or Bitcoin: 1Ct2FmcGrAGX56RnDtN9HncYghXfvF2GAh.

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Scott and Gareth Porter continue their ongoing conversation about President Trump’s foreign policy so far. Porter focuses first on Iran, which has become the ultimate excuse for just about every foreign policy decision over the last decade. In reality, of course, Iran is basically irrelevant to the security of the United States, and isn’t, says Porter, even much of a threat to America’s allies like Israel and Saudi Arabia. But in the perception of the neocon establishment, Iran is the greatest enemy since Nazi Germany, and must be opposed at every turn no matter how destructive and quixotic the endeavor. Porter and Scott then discuss Trump’s attitude toward China, where, unlike in the Middle East, he really does appear to have bought into all the hawkish propaganda. This hostility toward China has resulted, among other things, in the failure of the peace talks with North Korea, a process that Porter and Scott agree every sane person should have viewed as a good thing.

Discussed on the show:

• “9/5/20 Gareth Porter on Trump’s First Term Foreign Policy Record” (The Libertarian Institute)
• “The Redirection” (The New Yorker)

Gareth Porter is an investigative historian and journalist on the national security state. He is the author of Manufactured Crisis: The Untold Story of the Iran Nuclear Scare and, with John Kiriakou, The CIA Insider’s Guide to the Iran Crisis. Follow him on Twitter @GarethPorter and listen to Gareth’s previous appearances on the Scott Horton Show.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com.

Donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal, or Bitcoin: 1Ct2FmcGrAGX56RnDtN9HncYghXfvF2GAh.

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Arthur Bloom talks about a recent piece from The American Conservative, which exposes the case of a prolific and well-known anti-Iran opinion columnist who turned out not to be a real person. “Amir Basiri,” who wrote dozens of pieces for mostly right-leaning publications advocating for war with Iran, turns out to have been nothing more than a pseudonymous figurehead for the Mujahideen-eKhalq (MEK), an Iranian dissident exile group. The MEK has been described as a communist terrorism cult, but in recent years has found favor with the likes of Hillary Clinton, Rudy Giuliani and John Bolton because of their utility in advancing an anti-Iran narrative in America.

Discussed on the show:

• “Another Opinion Columnist Pushing War With Iran Who Doesn’t Actually Exist” (The American Conservative)
• “Is Heshmat Alavi, Writer on Iran, a Fake Run By MEK Opposition?” (The Intercept)

Arthur Bloom is managing editor of The American Conservative. His work has appeared in The Washington Post, The Washington Times, The Guardian, and many other outlets. Follow him on Twitter @j_arthur_bloom.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com.

Donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal, or Bitcoin: 1Ct2FmcGrAGX56RnDtN9HncYghXfvF2GAh.

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Journalist Ford Fischer discusses his coverage of the various armed factions taking to the streets in the wake of the killing of George Floyd, and amid broader calls for police reform. The mainstream media typically paints a black-and-white narrative: on one side are left-leaning, antiracist, mostly peaceful protestors, and on the other are right-leaning, racist, armed militia groups whose presence only makes things more dangerous. But Fischer has made the rather surprising discovery that there are plenty of left-wing pro-gun activist movements, some of which explicitly call themselves militias. These groups have also been involved in the protests, usually in an effort at peaceful protection of the right to assemble, just like the right-wing groups are. And on the issue of gun control, both sides are largely in agreement. In a few cases, such groups have even held unity rallies, promoting their shared causes rather than focusing on what divides them. The corporate media, unfortunately, doesn’t want people to see this side of America, and so relentlessly ignores it.

Ford Fischer is co-founder and Editor in Chief of News2Share, an independent media outlet based in Washington, D.C. Follow his work on Twitter @FordFischer and @N2Sreports.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com.

Donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal, or Bitcoin: 1Ct2FmcGrAGX56RnDtN9HncYghXfvF2GAh.

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Scott interviews Josiah Lippincott about the conventional narrative surrounding the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War II. The common argument, says Lippincott, is that the U.S. had no real choice but to drop the bombs, since the alternative would have been a ground invasion that ultimately would have cost many more lives. In reality, he explains, the Japanese had been willing to negotiate for months, but the American government, insisting on an unconditional surrender, wouldn’t concede Japan’s only demand, which was to let the emperor remain on the throne. Ironically, after the bombings, when Japan still didn’t look ready to surrender, General MacArthur decided to allow the Japanese surrender while keeping the emperor nominally at the head of his country. This of course raises the question: why couldn’t we have negotiated a peace long before dropping the bombs that claimed the lives of thousands of innocent Japanese citizens?

Discussed on the show:

• “Wholesale Slaughter of Japanese Civilians in WWII Was Evil” (The American Conservative)
• “75 Years Later, It’s Clear Truman Was Right To Drop The Atomic Bomb” (The Federalist)
• Hiroshima Nagasaki: The Real Story of the Atomic Bombings and Their Aftermath
• “China’s vast fleet is tipping the balance against U.S. in the Pacific” (Reuters)
• Day Of Deceit: The Truth About FDR and Pearl Harbor
  
• The Grand Strategy of the Byzantine Empire

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com.

Donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal, or Bitcoin: 1Ct2FmcGrAGX56RnDtN9HncYghXfvF2GAh.

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Aaron Maté revisits the many lies on which the ‘Russiagate’ probe into Donald Trump’s campaign and presidency was founded. Maté calls the whole story what it is: a conspiracy theory. The only way someone could find all the far-fetched and flimsy pieces of evidence credible is if they were already convinced beforehand and had to make every new development fit their narrative. In particular, Maté focuses on the way figures like Joseph Mifsud and George Papadopoulos, though initially the entire basis for the FBI’s probe into Trump’s campaign, were quickly abandoned as the allegations became less and less credible. One might think that as the foundation crumbled, so too would the entire investigation, but instead officials like James Comey and Peter Strzok and their cheerleaders in the media simply move on and never talk about these embarrassing exposures.

Discussed on the show:

• Compromised: Counterintelligence and the Threat of Donald J. Trump
  
• “Bombshell: Crowdstrike Admits ‘No Evidence’ Russia Stole Emails From DNC Server” (The Grayzone)

Aaron Maté is a former host and producer at The Real News and writes regularly at The Nation. Follow him on Twitter @AaronJMate.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com.

Donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal, or Bitcoin: 1Ct2FmcGrAGX56RnDtN9HncYghXfvF2GAh.

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Trita Parsi discusses President Trump’s recent announcement of a troop withdrawal from Iraq. Parsi is hesitant to fully endorse this move, explaining that while troop reductions are obviously good, such individual tactical moves, in order to be truly effective, must be part of a larger strategy of peace. Trump, instead, has repeatedly escalated tensions in other regions, even as he withdraws troops elsewhere, with the result that his foreign policy often results in, at best, a net wash for detente.

Discussed on the show:

• “What Trump’s troop withdrawal from Iraq means for ending America’s endless wars” (Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft)
• “9/11/20 Ted Snider on the Israel-UAE Normalization Agreement” (The Libertarian Institute)
• “Commentary: Trump’s ‘ending’ the Iraq War is a gift to Iran” (West Hawaii Today)
• “Trump’s Troop Withdrawal Is a ‘Disingenuous’ Election Year Ploy, Officials Say” (The Daily Beast)

Trita Parsi is the president of the National Iranian American Council and the author of Losing an Enemy: Obama, Iran and the Triumph of Diplomacy. Parsi is the recipient of the 2010 Grawemeyer Award for Ideas Improving World Order. Follow him on Twitter @tparsi.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com.

Donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal, or Bitcoin: 1Ct2FmcGrAGX56RnDtN9HncYghXfvF2GAh.

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Scott talks to Paul Robinson about yet another round of claims that President Trump colluded with Russia to disingenuously win the 2016 election. This time, what’s at issue is a trove of emails from Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort from his time working as a consultant in Ukraine. Manafort’s ties to Ukraine have long been labeled suspect by the Democrats and the corporate media because they supposedly connect him, by extension, to the Russian government. But Robinson explains that while working with former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych, Manafort was actually advancing strongly anti-Russian interests by helping to negotiate an Association Agreement between Ukraine and the EU. As usual, the actual evidence doesn’t matter to those who are already convinced of a narrative, and who will do anything to advance what they see as their own righteous cause.

Discussed on the show:

• “Proof of collusion at last!” (Irrussianality)
• Collusion: Secret Meetings, Dirty Money, and How Russia Helped Donald Trump Win
  
• “07/25/16 – Jeffrey Carr” (The Scott Horton Show)
• “Rubio Statement on Senate Intel Release of Volume 5 of Bipartisan Russia Report – Press Releases” (U.S. Senator for Florida, Marco Rubio)
• “Trump’s Troop Withdrawal Is a ‘Disingenuous’ Election Year Ploy, Officials Say” (The Daily Beast)

Paul Robinson is a professor at the University of Ottawa who writes about Russian and Soviet history, military history, and military ethics. He is the author of many books, including Russian Conservatism. You can follow Robinson’s work on his blog, Irrussianality.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com.

Donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal, or Bitcoin: 1Ct2FmcGrAGX56RnDtN9HncYghXfvF2GAh.

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