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Daniel Davis returns to the show to talk about Israel and Ukraine. They start with Israel’s actions in Gaza and the Zionists’ impact on the 2024 election so far. At the end, they turn to Ukraine’s incursion into the Kurst region of Russia. 

Discussed on the show:

• Davis’ interview with John Mearsheimer

Daniel Davis did multiple tours in Iraq and Afghanistan during his time in the army. He is a Senior Fellow at Defense Priorities and is the author of the reports “Dereliction of Duty II: Senior Military Leaders’ Loss of Integrity Wounds Afghan War Effort” and “Go Big or Go Deep: An Analysis of Strategy Options on Afghanistan.” Find him on Twitter @DanielLDavis1and subscribe to his YouTube Channel.

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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Peter Van Buren discusses the details of the Horowitz Report and gives a retrospective of the whole Russia conspiracy investigation into President Trump. Van Buren stresses that the Steele dossier—opposition research paid for by the democrats—was the only evidence presented by the FBI to the FISA courts in order to get warrants to surveil Carter Page. The FBI knew the research was questionable at the very least, but did not disclose that fact, and also misled the courts into thinking that their was corroborating evidence, which in reality was also based on the Steele dossier. And worst of all, the FBI knew Carter Page was actually working with the CIA, but didn’t disclose that either. Van Buren thinks it comical that Horowitz found 17 cases of FBI “mistakes”, all of which favored their agency to the detriment of Trump, but still concluded no political bias.

Discussed on the show:

• “Can We Impeach The FBI Now?” (The American Conservative)
• Review of Four FISA Applications and Other Aspects of the FBI’s Crossfire Hurricane Investigation 120919-examination

Peter Van Buren worked for 24 years at the Department of State including a year in Iraq. He is the author of We Meant Well: How I Helped Lose the Battle for the Hearts and Minds of the Iraqi People and the novel Hooper’s War. He is now a contributing editor at The American Conservative magazine.

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; Washinton Babylon; Liberty Under Attack Publications; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com.

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Scott talks to Jerrod Laber about the status of the U.S. presence in Afghanistan following the Washington Post’s release of their “Afghanistan Papers” last week. Laber thinks that if and when American troops leave, things are sure to get worse in the short term. The Afghan government is likely to collapse, and the Taliban will be able to consolidate power in many regions of the country. As things begin to stabilize, however, he and Scott think it will start to get better for the Afghan people, who will no longer be caught in America’s senseless war. In any case, the sooner we can withdraw, the sooner the country can begin to progress, slowly, on its own—likely the only way to see any kind of positive and sustainable change.

Discussed on the show:

• “Don’t Buy the Pentagon’s Statements on Afghanistan” (Real Clear Defense)
• “The Afghanistan Papers” (Washington Post)
• Defense Planning Guidance, FY 1994-1999
• “Survey of the Afghan People” (The Asia Foundation)

Jerrod A. Laber is a Washington-based foreign policy writer and journalist who focuses on the Afghanistan War, national security and the post-9/11 world. His work has been published in The Independent UK, Defense One, Washington Examiner, The National Interest, and The American Conservative, among other outlets. Follow him on Twitter @JerrodALaber.

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; Washinton Babylon; Liberty Under Attack Publications; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com.

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Adam Wunische discusses the fact that Afghans overwhelmingly want U.S. troops out of their country—and they are also optimistic about the chances for a peaceful resolution to the resultant power vacuum. Scott has always said there’s a strong chance that the civil strife that has plagued the country for years will just continue in America’s absence, but that that is no reason to stay. Still, it is possible that the various factions vying for control will be able to reasonably negotiate a peace.

Discussed on the show:

• “Survey Finds Afghans Want U.S. Troops to Leave” (Responsible Statecraft)
• “U.S. officials misled the public about the war in Afghanistan, confidential documents reveal” (Washington Post)
• An Enemy We Created: The Myth of the Taliban-Al Qaeda Merger in Afghanistan
• “The Real Lesson from the Afghanistan Papers: Pull the U.S. Military Out of the Statebuilding Business” (Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft)

Adam Wunische is a researcher for the Quincy Institute, an instructor at George Washington University’s Security Policy Studies program, and a PhD candidate at Boston College. He is a veteran of the U.S. Army, completing two deployments to Afghanistan. Follow him on Twitter @AdamWunische.

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; Washinton Babylon; Liberty Under Attack Publications; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com.

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Daniel Davis, Matthew Hoh, and Danny Sjursen reflect on America’s war in Afghanistan in light of the Washington Post’s publishing of a trove of formerly confidential documents on the war. The report, which is being hailed as this generations Pentagon Papers, details the ways officials in the Bush, Obama, and Trump administrations have lied about the progress being made in Afghanistan and the need to keep troops there. Even though lots of people like Davis, Hoh, and Sjursen have been speaking out for years about America’s forever wars, they say that it’s embarrassing for top brass to admit that lower level officers could see strategic failures that the war planners could not—and so voices like theirs mostly just don’t get heard. At some point all three guests had moments that convinced them they couldn’t keep contributing to this lost cause in good conscience, and have since striven to show the world what’s really going on. We need to bring back a healthy skepticism, they say, of the idea that America’s military is a wise force for good in the world.

Discussed on the show:

• “U.S. officials misled the public about the war in Afghanistan, confidential documents reveal” (Washington Post)
• War Is a Lie
• “Potemkin Patrols: Performing the (Afghan) War” (Antiwar.com Original)
• “Casablanca (1942)” (IMDb)
• The One Percent Doctrine: Deep Inside America’s Pursuit of Its Enemies Since 9/11
• Obama’s Wars
• The Promise
• The Best and the Brightest
• A Bright Shining Lie: John Paul Vann and America in Vietnam
• About Face: The Odyssey of an American Warrior

Daniel Davis did multiple tours in Iraq and Afghanistan during his time in the army. He writes a weekly column for National Interest and is the author of the reports “Dereliction of Duty II: Senior Military Leaders’ Loss of Integrity Wounds Afghan War Effort” and “Go Big or Go Deep: An Analysis of Strategy Options on Afghanistan.” Find him on Twitter @DanielLDavis1.

Matthew Hoh is a senior fellow at the Center for International Policy and formerly worked for the U.S. State Department. Hoh received the Ridenhour Prize Recipient for Truth Telling in 2010. Hoh is a member of the Board of Directors for Council for a Livable World and is an Advisory Board Member for Expose Facts. He writes on issues of war, peace and post-traumatic stress disorder recovery at matthewhoh.com.

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; Washinton Babylon; Liberty Under Attack Publications; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com.

Donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal, or Bitcoin: 1KGye7S3pk7XXJT6TzrbFephGDbdhYznTa.

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Bill Law talks about the need for Americans to support those in foreign countries peacefully demonstrating for political reform against oppressive regimes, and the hypocrisy surrounding America’s so-called support for democracy. Really, says Law, our government and its allies support the regimes they like and overthrow the ones they don’t, and call it “democracy” no matter what.

Discussed on the show:

• “How the death of a president shed light on Egypt’s brutal dictatorship” (Middle East Eye)
• “U.S. officials misled the public about the war in Afghanistan, confidential documents reveal” (Washington Post)

Bill Law is an award-winning journalist formerly of the BBC. He is editor of Arab Digest and runs The Gulf Matters. Follow him on Twitter @BillLaw49.

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; Washinton Babylon; Liberty Under Attack Publications; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com.

Donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal, or Bitcoin: 1KGye7S3pk7XXJT6TzrbFephGDbdhYznTa.

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Scott talks to Eli Clifton about the billionaire “megadonors” who control the Republican party. Although Trump started his campaign touting his status as an independent billionaire who couldn’t be bought, Clifton explains how even if that’s true, someone needs to fund all the senate and congressional campaigns of the candidates to support Trump during his term. Since these donors are almost universally zionist neocons, Trump’s foreign policy ends up being directed toward Israel’s interests, meaning toward war with Afghanistan.

Discussed on the show:

• “2¾ Cheers for the New Quincy Institute” (Antiwar.com Original)
• “Trump Stuck Between Ending Endless Wars and his Hawkish Megadonors” (Responsible Statecraft)

Eli Clifton is an investigative journalist working with the Quincy Institute and a contributing editor for Lobe Log. Follow him on Twitter @EliClifton.

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; Washinton Babylon; Liberty Under Attack Publications; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com.

Donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal, or Bitcoin: 1KGye7S3pk7XXJT6TzrbFephGDbdhYznTa.

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Tom Collina tells Scott about the “nuclear sponge”, a collection of land-based nuclear weapons in America’s upper midwest, whose real purpose is just to absorb the strikes of a nuclear attack by a hostile power rather than to actually be used in an attack of their own, which would most likely be done by submarine. Needless to say this is utterly crazy. Collina reminds us that there are enough nukes between just the U.S. and Russia to destroy the world’s population centers many times over, not to mention the nuclear winter that would follow and could wipe out almost all life on the planet.

Discussed on the show:

• “Why Are We Rebuilding the ‘Nuclear Sponge’?” (The National Interest)
• “Welcome to America’s ‘Nuclear Sponge’” (Defense One)
• Able Archer 83

Tom Collina is Director of Policy for the Ploughshares Fund, a nonprofit combatting the spread of nuclear weapons. Collina writes for The National Interest, The Independent, Defense One, and many other publications. Find him on Twitter @TomCollina.

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; Washinton Babylon; Liberty Under Attack Publications; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com.

Donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal, or Bitcoin: 1KGye7S3pk7XXJT6TzrbFephGDbdhYznTa.

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Scott talks to Ted Carpenter about the NATO secret no one wants to admit, which is that part of the alliance involves America promising to enter a nuclear war in the defense of its allies, including the Baltic states right on Russia’s border. It hardly needs to be said how dangerous this is. Carpenter reminds us of the original promise not to extend NATO eastward, which has since been broken many times, even to the extent that some want Ukraine added to the organization. He says this would be like a hostile power adding Canada to its alliance. Carpenter advocates disbanding NATO and allowing European powers to figure out more reasonable defense arrangements for themselves.

Discussed on the show:

• “NATO’s Dirty Little Secret Is Out” (The National Interest)
• “Exploring the Role Nuclear Weapons Could Play in Deterring Russian Threats to the Baltic States” (RAND)
• “NYET MEANS NYET” (WikiLeaks)

Ted Galen Carpenter is a senior fellow for defense and foreign policy studies at the Cato Institute. Carpenter has written 10 books including America’s Coming War with China: A Collision Course over Taiwan and most recently NATO: Dangerous Dinosaur. He is a contributing editor at The American Conservative Magazine and the National Interest.

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; Washinton Babylon; Liberty Under Attack Publications; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com.

Donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal, or Bitcoin: 1KGye7S3pk7XXJT6TzrbFephGDbdhYznTa.

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