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Kyle Anzalone was back on Antiwar Radio this week to talk about what’s happening in the Middle East. He gives an overview of the Iranian ballistic missile strike on Israel, the IDF’s invasion of Lebanon, the recklessness we’re seeing from Netanyahu and the pathetic submissiveness we’re seeing from the Biden Administration. They end with a quick summary of the slaughter in Gaza, which hasn’t stopped as the world’s attention shifts to Lebanon.

Discussed on the show:

• “US officials quietly backed Israel’s military push against Hezbollah” (Politico) 
• Devil’s Game by Robert Dreyfuss

Kyle Anzalone is news editor of the Libertarian Institute, opinion editor of Antiwar.com and co-host of Conflicts of Interest with Will Porter and Connor Freeman. Follow him on Twitter @KyleAnzalone_

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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Scott interviews Danny Sjursen about his new book, which chronicles his own story of disillusionment with America’s endless wars, in addition to outlining what he believes should be the new attitude of true American patriotism. He calls this type of patriotism “patriotic dissent,” explaining that when one’s country has become an empire of military adventurism founded on lies, the truly patriotic thing to do is to oppose these trends. Part of the way he does so is by offering historical examples of figures often held up as champions of militarism, like Eisenhower and Grant, and showing that their true opinions were more nuanced. He believes that a multifaceted approach is required in order to build a broad coalition of true patriots who can change America’s military culture for the better.

Discussed on the show:

• Patriotic Dissent: America in the Age of Endless War
• Fiasco: The American Military Adventure in Iraq, 2003 to 2005
  
• “America’s Expeditionary Kleptocracy: A Banana Republic and Its Banana Wars” (Antiwar.com Original)

Danny Sjursen is a retired U.S. army major and former history instructor at West Point. He writes regularly for TomDispatch.com and he’s the author of “Ghost Riders of Baghdad: Soldiers, Civilians, and the Myth of the Surge.” Follow him on Twitter @SkepticalVet.

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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Clive Stafford Smith, expert witness in Julian Assange’s extradition hearing, talks about the outrageous scandal that is the U.S. government’s attempted prosecution of Assange and Wikileaks. Smith begins by making the obvious point that as a recipient of classified leaks, and not a leaker himself, Assange is no different than any journalist who writes stories containing classified information. To prosecute Wikileaks, in other words, the government would have to admit that they could prosecute the New York Times and The Washington Post as well. The focus of Smith’s testimony was on the many heroic and salutary effects Assange’s exposure of U.S. government malfeasance has had, including illegal torture of terrorism suspects, whom Smith has spent part of his legal career defending. Smith argues that these misdeeds must be exposed, since their continuation puts thousands of innocent lives at risk from blowback.

Discussed on the show:

• “Hypocrisy on Display at Assange’s Extradition Hearing” (Antiwar.com Original)
• Joint Prioritized Effects List
• “How Mom sent a guy to Gitmo” (Los Angeles Times)
• “State Department Cables” (WikiLeaks)

Clive Stafford Smith is founder and director of Reprieve, and the author of Bad Men: Guantánamo Bay and the Secret Prisons and Injustice: Life and Death in the Courtrooms of America. Follow him on Twitter @CliveSSmith.
./upload.sh 20_09_11_smith clivestaffordsmith

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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Ted Snider discusses the details of the recent “peace deal” between the UAE and Israel. President Trump, who helped broker the deal, has been bragging that this is a groundbreaking normalization of two hostile nations—most likely, says Snider, in an effort to score political points before the election. In reality, Snider explains, Israel and the UAE have had an unofficially friendly relationship for at least a decade, and really going back to the middle of the twentieth century. Champions of the deal have also promoted the claim that it stops Israeli annexation of Palestinian territory, but again, Snider says this is just public relations packaging: Israel had already announced a temporary suspension of official annexation prior to this deal, and has made no promises that annexation won’t resume in the near future. Finally, all of this talk ignores the fact that in practice Israel annexed all of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank years ago, administering a de facto military occupation of the Palestinians who live there that is unlikely to anytime soon.

Discussed on the show:

• “What’s in the Israel/UAE Agreement? Here’s Five Things That Aren’t” (Antiwar.com Original)
• “Emirates ‘has security links with Israel’” (UPI.com’)
• Oslo Accords
• Treacherous Alliance: The Secret Dealings of Israel, Iran, and the United States

Ted Snider has a graduate degree in philosophy and writes on analyzing patterns in U.S. foreign policy and history. He is a regular writer for Truthout, MondoWeiss and antiwar.com.

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 David Vine about his research into the effects of America’s decades-long wars on terror. Vine and his team have recently estimated that at minimum, 37 million people have been displaced as a direct result of the war on terror, with roughly 8 million of these fleeing across international borders as refugees. He adds, moreover, that at least 800,000 people have been killed just in combat, along with probably 3–4 million more due to deprivation and destruction of infrastructure as a direct consequence of the fighting. Although immediate culpability cannot be placed at the feet of American troops for all of these dead and displaced, without question it is ultimately American policies and actions that have allowed these destructive conflicts to take place, and allow them to continue today.

Discussed on the show:

• “Millions displaced by US combat since 9/11” (Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft)
• Creating Refugees: Displacement Caused by the United States’ Post-9/11 Wars
• “Biden says US must maintain small force in Middle East, has no plans for major Defense cuts” (Stars and Stripes)

David Vine is a professor of Anthropology at American University and the author of Island of Shame: The Secret History of the U.S. Military Base on Diego Garcia. He also writes for the New York Times, Washington Post, and The Guardian, among others. Follow him on Twitter @davidsvine.

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 Kevin Gosztola about day two of Julian Assange’s extradition hearing. Gosztola covers some of the highlights of the day’s proceedings, including witness testimony for Assange’s defense, the main purpose of which was to emphasize the fact that Assange’s behavior in running Wikileaks is not categorically different from any other journalistic practices as carried out by, say, the New York Times. Gosztola explains that the prosecution’s main strategy seems to be to emphasize these newer supposed hacking charges, which, though specious, distract from the plain fact that the charges under America’s Espionage Act are simply not credible.

Discussed on the show:

• “Kevin Gosztola’s Great Coverage of Assange Hearings” (The Libertarian Institute)
• “9/7/20 Joe Lauria on Julian Assange’s Show Trial” (The Libertarian Institute)
• “The Guantanamo Files” (WikiLeaks)
• “Kabul War Diary” (WikiLeaks)
• “Baghdad War Diary” (WikiLeaks)
• “State Department Cables” (WikiLeaks)
• “WikiLeaks” (WikiLeaks)
• Poisoning the Press: Richard Nixon, Jack Anderson, and the Rise of Washington’s Scandal Culture
  

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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Joe Lauria gives an update on Julian Assange’s extradition trial in the UK. The biggest piece of news from day one is that certain media outlets are reporting 17 new charges added to Assange’s indictment, when in reality, there was simply a superseding indictment to add a little bit of new evidence, but which had to restate all of the original charges. Lauria explains that this new indictment is nothing more than a PR move, designed to elicit exactly this kind of false narrative that there’s a whole slew of new charges. In reality, none of Assange’s supposed crimes should stick—he’s basically guilty of jumping bail to evade questioning in connection with the dubious sexual assault charges from 2010. Everything else about this trial, says Lauria, is for show, and in particular to allow the U.S. government to demonstrate what happens to people who publish things that they don’t like.

Discussed on the show:

• “The WikiLeaks Mole” (Rolling Stone)
• “UN expert says “collective persecution” of Julian Assange must end now” (United Nations)

Joe Lauria is the editor-in-chief at Consortium News. He is a former UN correspondent and wrote at the Boston Globe and Wall Street Journal. You can follow him on Twitter @unjoe.

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 James Carden about his latest article, which explores the recent return of many prominent neocons to the Democratic Party in opposition to Trump. Carden reminds us that during the 1960s a group of hawkish Democrats moved over to side with the Republicans in response to some of the radical social movements in America at that time, thus founding the neoconservative movement. Now, as we near the end of Trump’s first term, many of them are supporting Biden—and it’s easy to see why, says Carden: Biden and Harris represent the exact same establishment foreign policy consensus shared by both Bushes, both Clintons, and Barack Obama. Sadly, even many progressives find themselves siding with the centrist establishment, since they will do anything to oppose Trump.

Discussed on the show:

• “The Rotten Alliance of Liberals and Neocons Will Likely Shape U.S. Foreign Policy for Years to Come” (Public Seminar)
• “Don’t Look Now, but We May Be Re-Winning the War in Iraq” (National Review)
• “Baghdad Delenda Est” (National Review)
• “Israel’s Friends at the RNC: ‘Christian Zionists’ Dictate the Agenda of the Republican Party” (Antiwar.com Original)
• Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy
  
• The New American Militarism: How Americans Are Seduced by War
  
• “Groups didn’t disclose grants from Israeli government” (The Forward)
• “The Bernie Sanders Doctrine on Foreign Policy” (Jacobin)
• “Veterans doubt value of wars in Iraq, Afghanistan in new poll” (Military Times)
• “Transcript: Joe Biden foreign policy adviser Antony Blinken on COVID shortfalls, failures in Syria” (CBS News)
• “Jake Sullivan leaked Syria email” (WikiLeaks)
• “Ghislaine Maxwell’s Nephew Worked At Hillary Clinton’s State Department” (Analyzing America)

James Carden is the executive editor for the American Committee for East-West Accord and former adviser on Russia policy at the US State Department. He is a contributing writer at The Nation.

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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Gareth Porter discusses President Trump’s foreign policy as we near the end of his first term. The story of Trump’s time in office, as everyone knows, has been that despite his sense for the futility and unpopularity of America’s endless wars, he, like Obama before him, hasn’t been able to resist the pressures of the military-industrial complex and actually follow through with ending them. The news in Afghanistan is somewhat positive, where Trump has put Zalmay Khalilzad in charge of negotiating a U.S. withdrawal. But Porter is concerned that because there are no stipulations about peace between the Afghan government and the Taliban, any conflict between them could easily be used as an excuse for American troops to go back. In the opposite case, Trump has been absolutely horrible when it comes to Yemen, where he has helped Saudi Arabia wage a war of genocide, basically in exchange for weapons sales by American companies.

Discussed on the show:

• An Enemy We Created: The Myth of the Taliban-Al Qaeda Merger in Afghanistan
  
• “Yemen: 85,000 Children May Have Died from Starvation Since Start of War” (Save the Children)
• “Report: Strategies of the Coalition in the Yemen War” (World Peace Foundation)
• “Quiet Support for Saudis Entangles U.S. in Yemen” (The New York Times)

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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