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Scott brings William van Wagenen on to talk about what he observed on his recent trip to Syria. They dig into what’s happened since the Jihadists took control last December, often looking to parallels in the ISIS takeover of western Iraq about a decade ago. They also look at the broader geopolitical dynamic of the region and consider how all of this will play out in the next few years. 

Discussed on the show:

• Van Wagenen’s article at The Libertarian Institute
• Van Wagenen’s article at The Cradle

William Van Wagenen has a BA in German literature From Brigham Young University and an MA in Theological Studies from Harvard Divinity School. You can read his other writings on Syria for the Libertarian Institute here. Follow him on Twitter @wvanwagenen

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 talks to Danny Sjursen about the many catastrophic failures of American foreign policy, and most recently the proposed plan to carve out an autonomous Sunni region in western Iraq, which the U.S. could use to help control the Middle East and prevent Iranian influence from spreading to the eastern Mediterranean. The plan, says Scott, would be a reversal of everything the American military has spent much of this century doing in its wars in Iraq, and could lead to the deaths of thousands of U.S. troops. Sjursen also brings up the utter failure of the American Left to show up in important ways in the antiwar movement, something that in theory they are actually supposed to be good on. Most “activists” today seem content to post on social media about gender politics and let the political elites forge ahead with their bipartisan pro-war agenda.

Discussed on the show:

• “US seeking to carve out Sunni state as its influence in Iraq wanes” (Middle East Eye)
• “2/7/20 Suadad al-Salhy on the Insane Plan to Divide Iraq in Two” (The Libertarian Institute)
• Britain and France conclude Sykes-Picot agreement
• A Clean Break: A New Strategy for Securing the Realm
• “Coping with Crumbling States: A Western and Israeli Balance of Power Strategy for the Levant by David Wurmser 1996” (The Scott Horton Show)
• Tyranny’s Ally: AMERICA’S FAILURE TO DEFEAT SADDAM HUSSEIN
• “The New Yorker” (The New Yorker)
• Yinon Plan
• Oslo Accords
• Perils of Dominance: Imbalance of Power and the Road to War in Vietnam
• “World War I as Fulfillment: Power and the Intellectuals” (Mises Institute)
• The War State: The Cold War Origins Of The Military-Industrial Complex And The Power Elite, 1945-1963

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: 1KGye7S3pk7XXJT6TzrbFephGDbdhYznTa.

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Scott interviews Suadad al-Salhy about her recent piece on the proposed U.S. plan to create an autonomous Sunni state in western Iraq. This would theoretically allow the U.S. to continue to exert control in the country, preventing the dreaded “land bridge” connecting Iran to Syria and other allies in the Mediterranean. But this plan is idiotic for a number of reasons, say Scott and al-Salhy, not least of which being that America has been fighting on behalf of the Iraqi Shiites for years, and would have to turn on them to ally themselves with the Sunnis who used to rule the country. This is likely to put the U.S. troops who are still in Iraq at great risk, which al-Salhy fears in turn could be used as further justification for more intervention.

Discussed on the show:

• “US seeking to carve out Sunni state as its influence in Iraq wanes” (Middle East Eye)
• “Was U.S. Wrong About Attack That Nearly Started a War With Iran?” (The New York Times)
• “The Redirection” (The New Yorker)
• A Clean Break: A New Strategy for Securing the Realm

Suadad al-Salhy is freelance journalist covering Iraq’s politics and security. She is a former Reuters correspondent who has written for Al Jazeera, Newsweek and Lebanon’s Daily Star. Follow her on Twitter @suadadalsalhy.

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: 1KGye7S3pk7XXJT6TzrbFephGDbdhYznTa.

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Scott talks to Peter Van Buren about impeachment and the fiasco at the Iowa Caucuses, and what they mean for the Democrats’ political prospects heading into the election. Van Buren says that although President Trump’s behavior with respect to Ukraine seems a little sleazy, nothing even remotely impeachable happened, and the trials in the House and Senate were little more than shows of partisan hatred or loyalty. He also says this victory for Trump will clearly be detrimental to the democrats in 2020, as will the complete screw-up of the recent presidential voting in Iowa. He and Scott discuss the way these two events demonstrate America’s failure to even pretend to be a free, liberal democracy anymore, instead letting pretty much everyone know that the country is controlled by political elites who get their way no matter what. When someone does defy the will of the deep state, they are thrown in prison and shunned by the media, as in the cases of Chelsea Manning and Edward Snowden.

Discussed on the show:

• “The campaign to impeach President Trump has begun” (The Washington Post)
• “Dems Don’t Realize How Much Impeachment Hurts Them” (The American Conservative)
• “Clinton Remark on Kennedy’s Killing Stirs Uproar” (The New York Times)
• “Who’s Got the Rocks to Stand Up to Government?” (Peter Van Buren)
• Collateral Murder
• Baghdad War Diary

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; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com.

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

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Sheldon Richman discusses President Trump’s new “Vision to Improve the Lives of the Palestinian and Israeli People,” which is really just an update of last year’s “Deal of the Century.” The plan presents itself as generous and fair, but really, says Richman, it simply codifies much of the settlement and annexation of Palestinian land that Israel has been engaged in for decades, and would create what in practice would be an apartheid state. Richman says this plan is, for the most part, probably a ploy to paint the Palestinians as unwilling to cooperate after they inevitably refuse. Indeed, Palestinian authorities have thus far not even been involved in the negotiations.

Discussed on the show:

• “Trump Lays an Egg: The Israel/Palestine Vision” (The Libertarian Institute)
• “Trump Would Make Palestinian Subjugation Permanent” (Antiwar.com Original)
• Oslo Accords
• The Invention of the Jewish People
• “Israel can no longer shake off the Apartheid label ” (Mondoweiss)

Sheldon Richman is the executive editor of the Libertarian Institute and the author of Coming to Palestine and America’s Counter-Revolution: The Constitution Revisited. Follow him on Twitter @SheldonRichman.

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: 1KGye7S3pk7XXJT6TzrbFephGDbdhYznTa.

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Scott interviews John Dennis, a Republican congressional candidate from California challenging Nancy Pelosi in the upcoming election. Dennis, a businessman, says he wants to unseat Pelosi mainly because she’s terrible on issues of war and the intelligence state. These areas used to be strengths among Democrats, but since the Obama administration the left has been conspicuously silent. Dennis believes that not only are American Republicans coming around to become the antiwar party, but also that principled leftists might see the appeal of his positions over those of Pelosi, whom many on the left despise.

Discussed on the show:

• Defend the Guard Legislation
• “The Neocons Strike Back” (The New Republic)

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: 1KGye7S3pk7XXJT6TzrbFephGDbdhYznTa.

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Sam Jacobs of Ammo.com discusses the 2016 Oregon standoff between federal agents and Ammon Bundy, Lavoy Finicum and their allies. Most listeners probably remember some of the details of the 2014 standoff in Bundy’s native Nevada, which ultimately resulted in a judge dismissing all charges with prejudice after it was shown that federal agents lied about their side of the story. Most probably aren’t as familiar with the details of a similar incident in Oregon, which led to Finicum’s death. Jacobs explains some of the nuances of the case, concluding that even though Finicum’s innocence is not as clear as some make it out to be, there was obvious malfeasance on the part of law enforcement, as well as an attempt to supplant the truth with a false narrative afterward.

Discussed on the show:

• “The Oregon Standoff: Understanding Lavoy Finicum’s Death and Washington’s Management of BLM Land” (Ammo.com)
• “Midnight Express (1978)” (IMDb)

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: 1KGye7S3pk7XXJT6TzrbFephGDbdhYznTa.

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Joe Lauria discusses the allegations that his website, Consortium News, is a puppet of the Russian government, recently leveled against them by both Canadian television network Global News, and Canada’s Communications Security Establishment. It seems that this is the now just the smear used by mainstream media and intelligence agencies against anyone who is willing to consider alternatives to their narrative. Lauria reiterates the need for a true nonpartisan consensus of libertarians, leftists, and paleoconservatives, all of whom should be able to see through the government’s worst foreign policy lies.

Discussed on the show:

• “Consortium News Sends Libel Notices to Canadian Signals Intelligence Agency and Major Television Network” (Consortium News)
• “Nuland-Pyatt leaked phone conversation” (YouTube)
• “Trump Gives Away the Store and Israel Will Now Officially Become an Apartheid State” (Consortium News)

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: 1KGye7S3pk7XXJT6TzrbFephGDbdhYznTa.

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Scott discusses the impeachment proceedings against President Trump with journalist Michael Tracey, who says that there are some alarming allegations underneath the democrats’ blanket accusation of “abuse of power.” What they are really alleging, says Tracey, is that Trump is guilty of treason, a crime that carries the death penalty. Most alarming of all, though, is how pervasive the cold war rhetoric has become even among average democratic voters. People don’t seem to realize that this political soap opera they tune into for entertainment is moving the world steadily toward the brink of nuclear war. Tracey and Scott both think Trump could be impeached for actual crimes—but this is not a standard any reasonable person should support.

Discussed on the show:

• “Democrats’ Dubious Impeachment Subtext of Treason” (Real Clear Politics)
• Colour revolution

Michael Tracey is a New York based journalist. You can find a collection of his writing at his website or follow him on Twitter @mtracey.

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: 1KGye7S3pk7XXJT6TzrbFephGDbdhYznTa.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download