Connor Freeman was on Antiwar Radio this week to talk about developments in Gaza. He and Scott discuss the slaughtering of civilians that continues unchecked, the threat this all poses to the safety of the American public, the reason a wider war breaking out is so concerning and more.

Discussed on the show:

Full video from Palestine Deep Dive
“Israel killed 1.8% of Gaza’s population, official figures show” (Anadolu Agency)

Connor Freeman is the Assistant Editor of the Libertarian Institute, primarily covering foreign policy. He is a co-host on Conflicts of Interest. His writing has been featured in media outlets such as Antiwar.com and Counterpunch, as well as the Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity. You can follow him on Twitter @FreemansMind96

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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1/24/20 Daniel McAdams on the Failure of the Juan Guaido Coup in Venezuela

Daniel McAdams talks to Scott about the failed attempt to oust Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in favor of opposition leader Juan Guiado. The U.S. government has made many claims about the illegitimacy of the latest elections, and has blamed the country’s current crisis on Maduro’s failures. Really, says McAdams, this is just another example of America’s State Department making false claims and conveniently exploiting existing problems to push their chosen political narrative. Fortunately the attempt seems to have failed completely, with Guaido’s support virtually gone. Sadly, says Scott, many libertarians fell for this narrative as soon as it was positioned as “socialism vs. capitalism”.

Discussed on the show:

“The Failure of the Juan Guaido Coup in Venezuela” (Antiwar.com Original)
“Juan Guaidó tells EU that Venezuelan refugee crisis ‘compares with Syria’” (Financial Times)
“Army Veteran Claims Prosthetic Legs Repossessed After Va Refused To Pay For Them: ‘Medicare Did Not Send Me To Vietnam’” (Newsweek)

Daniel McAdams is the executive director of the Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity and the co-host of the Ron Paul Liberty Report. Follow him on Twitter @DanielLMcAdams and read all of his work over at 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.

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1/24/20 Nozomi Hayase on Glenn Greenwald and the ‘Assange Precedent’

Scott talks to Nozomi Hayase about the movement to prosecute Glenn Greenwald for cybercrimes in Brazil. Greenwald is accused of helping to steal confidential text messages, as opposed to simply publishing information that had been hacked by someone else. This is exactly the same accusation being leveled against Julian Assange, says Hayase, but is really just a flimsy pretext for going after journalists that are trying to expose state malfeasance. Scott and Hayase are perplexed as to why mainstream American journalists seem to be so quick to indict people like Assange and Greenwald, apparently not understanding that they are guilty of the very same things.

Discussed on the show:

“The War on Journalism: The Greenwald Persecution Mimics Assange” (Antiwar.com Original)

Nozomi Hayase is a journalist and liberation psychologist. Through her writing she applies psychological lenses to social and political issues and engages the public in a search for truth, justice and fairness. She is the author of WikiLeaks, the Global Fourth Estate: History Is Happening. Follow her on Twitter @nozomimagine.

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1/24/20 Jason Ditz on the Phantom Threat of Iranian Nukes

Jason Ditz discusses the latest on Iran’s nuclear weapons capabilities. Although Iran has talked about abandoning their obligations under both the JCPOA and the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, Ditz says they are still so far from having nukes that withdrawing from these agreements doesn’t mean they would actually get nukes. More importantly, Iran is well aware of how quickly the U.S. and its allies would come down on them if they really did try to start producing weapons. In fact the only conceivable way Iran would pursue nukes, says Scott, is if the U.S. had already declared war on them and they felt they needed a nuclear deterrent.

Discussed on the show:

“Friedman’s Hapless Fear-Mongering” (The American Conservative)
“Obama to Iran and Israel: ‘As President of the United States, I Don’t Bluff’” (The Atlantic)

Jason Ditz is the news editor of Antiwar.com. Read all of his work at news.antiwar.com and follow him on Twitter @jasonditz.

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1/24/20 Dave DeCamp on the OPCW’s Douma Cover-Up

Dave DeCamp talks about the scandalous apparent cover-up of the OPCW’s real findings on the alleged chemical attack in Douma in 2018. In 2019 the organization issued a final report affirming the likelihood of a real chemical attack. But now Ian Henderson, one of the engineers on the ground in Douma, has come forward to claim that his team was convinced the attack had been staged, contrary to the OPCW’s report. Henderson is quick to defend the organization’s integrity, but believes that in this case political pressure may have compromised them. DeCamp reminds us what exactly is at stake with these lies, citing the fact that the alleged attack was used as justification for the largest U.S. military strike against Syria during the course of the war. The media has covered virtually none of this.

Discussed on the show:

“Author of Leaked OPCW Engineering Report on Douma Speaks at UN Security Council” (Antiwar.com Blog)

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1/24/20 Dan Caldwell on America’s Conservative Antiwar Veterans

Dan Caldwell of Concerned Veterans for America talks to Scott about his organization’s latest efforts to change the conversation about support for America’s wars in the Middle East. Their new ad campaign emphasizes the fact that even most veterans simply want to end the wars. Caldwell hopes to remind Americans that a truly conservative foreign policy would be much more restrained than the current neoconservative status quo.

Discussed on the show:

“End Endless Wars” (Concerned Veterans for America)
“Concerned Veterans for America Launch Campaign To Bring Our Troops Home” (Antiwar.com Blog)

Dan Caldwell is the Executive Director of Concerned Veterans for America. Find him on Twitter @dandcaldwell.

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1/24/20 Jim Bovard on Washington’s Oppressive REAL ID Act

Jim Bovard talks about the federal pressure for states to comply with their “REAL ID” laws, which place higher standards on proving one’s identity and may require the submission of fingerprints or even DNA samples. Bovard reminds us that even if the requirements aren’t so onerous at first, these laws could easily be used as a precedent to ram through more Orwellian standards in the future. Bovard also comments on the recent rallies in Virginia against the state’s proposed gun control measures.

Discussed on the show:

“How Washington Is Ramming REAL ID Down Our Throats” (The American Conservative)
Three Felonies A Day: How the Feds Target the Innocent

Jim Bovard is a columnist for USA Today and the author of Public Policy Hooligan: Rollicking and Wrangling from Helltown to Washington. Find all of his books and read his work on his website and follow him on Twitter @JimBovard.

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1/24/20 Stephen Zunes: Today’s US-Iran Crisis Is Rooted in the Decision to Invade Iraq

Stephen Zunes discusses the catastrophic mistake of the U.S. plan to invade Iraq, then “divide and rule” along sectarian lines. Zunes says that although the relationship between Iran and the Iraqi Shiite government is a problem for those who worry about Iranian influence in the Middle East, the irony that everyone seems to have forgotten is that it was the Bush Administration that overthrew the Sunni government there in the first place, essentially fighting against Saddam Hussein on behalf of Iran. Moreover, the only real threat from Iran is to the American soldiers who are there on foreign soil fighting a war we started. We would be far better off if we had just stayed away, a message that Zunes says nearly every Middle East scholar in America could have told you in 2001.

Discussed on the show:

“Today’s US-Iran Crisis Is Rooted in the Decision to Invade Iraq” (Truthout)
“US seeking to carve out Sunni state as its influence in Iraq wanes” (Middle East Eye)
“US Commander: Troops in Iraq Face More Threats From Shi’ites Than ISIS” (News From Antiwar.com)

Stephen Zunes is a professor of politics and international studies at the University of San Francisco. He is the author of Western Sahara: War, Nationalism, and Conflict Irresolution and Civil Resistance Against Coups: A Comparative and Historical Perspective. Find him on Twitter @SZunes.

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1/20/20 Ramzy Baroud on the Israeli Siege of Gaza

Scott talks to Ramzy Baroud about the Israeli occupation of Gaza, where Palestinian civilians continue to be killed and otherwise oppressed by Israeli forces. Baroud describes the many ways in which Israel has twisted the mainstream narrative and manipulated their supporters in the U.S., who are mostly ignorant of just how oppressive the regime is. Baroud says the outlook is bleak: only through continued resistance and international solidarity do Palestinians have any hope of changing the narrative and gaining full civil rights. Until then, they will continue to suffer and die under the Israeli siege of their homeland.

Discussed on the show:

“Sealed Off and Forgotten: What You Should Know about Israel’s ‘Firing Zones’ in the West Bank” (ramzybaroud.net)
Oslo Accords
“On the Road to Gaza: The Freedom Flotilla Will Sail Again” (ramzybaroud.net)
“Netanyahu: America is Easy to Push Around (English Subtitles)” (YouTube)
“Leave Iran to the Americans” (The Jerusalem Post)
“How Western Media Bias Allows Israel to Getaway with Murder in Gaza” (Counterpunch)
Devil’s Game
Obstacle to Peace: The US Role in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict