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Mike Swanson returns to the show to talk about the state of the economy. He fills Scott in on some of the work he’s done analyzing how economies fare once the national debt-to-GDP ratio reaches a certain height. What he’s found is that serious issues tend to kick in right at the level the US is projected to hit in 2026. He and Scott discuss this and other topics related to the American economy.

Discussed on the show:

• This Time Is Different: Eight Centuries of Financial Folly by Carmen M. Reinhart and Kenneth S. Rogoff
• Principles for Navigating Big Debt Crises by Ray Dalio
• Soylent Green (IMDb)

Mike Swanson provides investment advice at wallstreetwindow.com and is the author of The War State: The Cold War Origins Of The Military-Industrial Complex And The Power Elite. He also works with the Neopolis Media Group, a group of historians, educators, authors, researchers, and free speech advocates who endeavor to provide original and engaging content, including The Ochelli Effect, and The Lone Gunman Podcast. 

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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Stu Smallwood discusses the latest meeting between President Trump and Kim Jong-un, which has resulted in the possibility that the United States may offer to temporarily reduce economic sanctions in exchange for the start of the denuclearization process on the part of North Korea. This is essentially the opposite of what John Bolton has called “the Libya model”, i.e. complete denuclearization before any concessions are made. The problem, of course, is that everyone—including Kim—knows that after Gaddafi agreed to give up his country’s nuclear program, he was overthrown, tortured, and killed in the streets in an American-backed coup. Democrats, meanwhile, are claiming that Trump is a puppet and a dupe, which makes it almost impossible for him to negotiate with Kim while saving face at home.

Discussed on the show:

• “Trump-Kim DMZ Meeting a Victory for Peace, Though Pompeo-Bolton Sabotage Looms Large” (Antiwar.com Original)
• “US mulls suspending sanctions if North Korea agrees to denuclearisation, Yonhap reports” (South China Morning Post)
• “A Majority of Military Veterans Think the Wars in Afghanistan and Iraq Were a Mistake – Mother Jones” (Mother Jones)
• “It’s time we saw economic sanctions for what they really are – war crimes” (Independent)
• “Trump tells confidants he’s eager to remove Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats” (Axios)

Stu Smallwood lived in Korea for eight years and now writes about the US empire in Korea for Antiwar.com and Global Research. Follow him on Twitter @stu_smallwood.

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

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

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Nasser Arrabyee discusses the news that UAE troops will soon be pulling out of Yemen. Arrabyee speculates that the Emirati government might realize the international stance on the war is finally turning against the Saudi coalition, and they want to get out in time to save some face. He also believes that Saudi Arabia won’t be able to prosecute the war without the UAE, even with American support. Part of the shifting tide may have to do with the fact that the United Nations finally released an estimate of over 200,000 civilian deaths there, after years of claiming that only around 10,000 had died.

Discussed on the show:

• “U.A.E. Moves to Extricate Itself From Saudi-Led War in Yemen” (Wall Street Journal)
• “US arms sold to Saudi Arabia and UAE end up in wrong hands” (CNN)

Nasser Arrabyee is a Yemeni journalist based in Sana’a, Yemen. He is the owner and director of yemen-now.com. You can follow him on Twitter @narrabyee.

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

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

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Scott interviews Arthur Holland Michel about his new book on the emerging drone surveillance technology capable of watching entire cities at once. The technology was first developed to help prevent IED attacks on American soldiers in Iraq, but researchers and intelligence officers soon realized they could apply the same technology to domestic surveillance. Today several American cities already deploy this terrifyingly powerful system against their own citizens.

Discussed on the show:

• Eyes in the Sky: The Secret Rise of Gorgon Stare and How It Will Watch Us All
• Kill Chain: The Rise of the High-Tech Assassins
• “Enemy of the State (1998)” (IMDb)
• “The Assassination Complex” (The Intercept)
• Hunter Killer: The True Story of the Drone Mission That Killed Anwar al-Awlaki

Arthur Holland Michel is a journalist, research, and the co-director of the Center for the Study of Drones at Bard College. He is the author of Eyes in the Sky: The Secret Rise of Gorgon Stare and How It Will Watch Us All. Follow him on Twitter @WriteArthur.

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

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

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Scott talks to Ali Abunimah of the Electronic Intifada about Jared Kushners “Deal of the Century” and the history of negotiations between Israel and Palestine. Some supporters of Israel have claimed that Kushner’s deal is just giving away free money to the Palestinians, but Abunimah points out that all the hardships addressed in the proposed deal are caused by the United States and Israel in the first place. If Israel simply ended its occupation, the Palestinians would be far better off than even this deal would make them.

Discussed on the show:

• Treacherous Alliance: The Secret Dealings of Israel, Iran, and the United States
• Alliance of the periphery
• Obstacle to Peace: The US Role in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
• Oslo Accords

Ali Abunimah is co-founder of The Electronic Intifada and author of The Battle for Justice in Palestine. Follow him on Twitter @AliAbunimah.

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

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

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Andrew Bacevich talks about the Quincy Institute, a new think tank trying to bring support from the left and right together in opposition to foreign intervention. Funded by both George Soros and Charles Koch, the institute will seek to supplant the current bipartisan consensus that America must be the world’s police force with a more reasonable one that will not lead to the deaths of millions and the squandering of trillions of dollars from the productive economy.

Discussed on the show:

• The Age of Illusions: How America Squandered Its Cold War Victory
• Quincy Institute
• Color revolution

Andrew Bacevich is a Professor Emeritus of International Relations and History at Boston University. He is the author of a number of books including America’s War for the Greater Middle East: A Military History and is a regular contributor at The American Conservative and TomDispatch.com.

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

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

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Scott interviews Elijah Magnier about the growing tensions with Iran. He likens the U.S. to the lion from a Persian proverb, who “roars” (making threats of war) while really wagging its tail (working toward mediation and negotiation). Magnier believes Iran probably was responsible for the recent tanker attacks, not as a provocation of war, but as a demonstration of Iranian ability to asymmetrically affect the U.S. and its allies with little cost to themselves. He also thinks that enough people realize how catastrophic this war would be, that despite the hawks in the Trump administration, war won’t actually happen.

Discussed on the show:

• “Iran has warned to target Arab countries in case of war: The US “like a Lion in a Persian story”” (Elijah J. Magnier)
• “Iran and Trump on the edge of the abyss” (Elijah J. Magnier)
• 1953 Iranian coup d’état
• Target Iran: The Truth About the White House’s Plans for Regime Change

Elijah Magnier is a Senior Political Risk Analyst with over 32 years’ experience covering Europe & the Middle East. Find him at his website, ejmagnier.com or on Twitter @ejmalrai.

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

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

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Benjamin Ladraa tells his story of walking from Sweden to Palestine, a journey of over 3,000 miles, to raise awareness for the conditions of the Palestinian living under Israeli occupation in Gaza and the West Bank. He describes children as young as 12 being arrested and interrogated, as well as families who are afraid to leave their homes all at once, knowing that they could be occupied by Israeli settlers when they get home. As always, Scott reminds us that the Israeli government couldn’t get away with this if it weren’t for American support, which has transcended party lines and remained more or less unchanged throughout each presidential administration.

Discussed on the show:

• “Walk to Palestine: Activist walking 5,000km” (Al Jazeera)
• USS Liberty incident
• “Watch the film the Israel lobby didn’t want you to see” (The Electronic Intifada)
• Our Harsh Logic: Israeli Soldiers’ Testimonies from the Occupied Territories, 2000-2010

Benjamin Ladraa is a Swedish human rights activist. Follow his project on Facebook.

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

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

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Scott breaks the bad news about Antiwar.com co-founder Justin Raimondo‘s death from lung cancer, his legendary career in the libertarian movement, the importance of his 3,000 articles he wrote for Antiwar.com and the future of the site.

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