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Scott had journalist Lindsey Snell on Antiwar Radio this week to talk about the fall of Assad, the ongoing land dispute between Armenia and Azerbaijan and the group that now runs Syria.

Discussed on the show:

• Things Aren’t Great on YouTube

Lindsey Snell is a journalist covering conflict and crises in the Middle East and North Africa, especially Syria, Iraq, Turkey, and Tunisia. She currently lives in Germany. Follow her on X @LindseySnell

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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Kelley B. Vlahos tells Scott about two of her recent American Conservative articles, one about the FBI’s investigation of antiwar.com on spurious grounds following the 9/11 attacks, and the other a review of the new book, Poisoner in Chief by Stephen Kinzer. The book tells stories about the American government’s experimental mind-control programs, secret programs to test drugs and other chemical and biological weapons on civilians, and general abuses of human rights in the name of “science”.

Discussed on the show:

• “Court: FBI Must Destroy Memos Calling Antiwar.com a Threat” (The American Conservative)
• “Meet American Empire’s ‘Doctor Death’” (The American Conservative)
• Poisoner in Chief: Sidney Gottlieb and the CIA Search for Mind Control
• Operation Paperclip
• Church Committee
• “Why is the 9/11 Mastermind Still Awaiting Trial?” (The American Conservative)

Kelley B. Vlahos is the executive editor of The American Conservative. Follow her on Twitter @KelleyBVlahos.

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 Ryan McMaken about the true costs of America’s “national security” state, both in dollars and in secondary effects on the daily lives of Americans. Even though the official number is quite a bit lower, McMaken has estimated the true cost of the U.S. military and intelligence apparatus at close to a trillion dollars per year, since we should be factoring in things like Department of Energy funding that goes to nuclear weapons, medical costs for the VA, and the budgets of Homeland Security organizations. This whole system has other, even more insidious effects, that most people don’t notice, including a general slowing of the economy due to inflation and artificial interest rates, a more dangerous world where America makes enemies by picking fights where it doesn’t have to, and the slow militarization of our entire society.

Discussed on the show:

• “The Trillion-Dollar Military Still Isn’t Enough for the War Party” (Mises Wire)
• “Historic Asset Boom Passes by Half of Families” (WSJ)

Ryan McMaken is a senior editor at the Mises Institute. He has degrees in economics and political science from the University of Colorado, and was the economist for the Colorado Division of Housing from 2009 to 2014. He is the author of Commie Cowboys: The Bourgeoisie and the Nation-State in the Western Genre.

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 and Dan McAdams rehash some of the heroic legacy of Ron Paul in light of Scott’s new book of his interview transcripts with Dr. Paul. As congressman, Paul had both an authentic charisma with his constituents, and a real passion for what he felt was his calling in Washington D.C. Both are rare in politics today. McAdams reminds us how much of Paul’s job in congress could be loathsome to him, and yet he persisted out of a drive to do what he felt was right. Without more figures like him in Washington, it’s difficult to find people who can be a voice of reason on foreign policy, particularly where it matters most, like in President Trump’s National Security Council.

Discussed on the show:

• “The Great Ron Paul: The Scott Horton Show Interviews 2004–2019” (The Libertarian Institute)
• “We Lost the War in Afghanistan. Get Over It.” (Foreign Policy)
• “Trump Administration Reinstates Military Aid for Ukraine” (News From Antiwar.com)
• “Bananas (1971)” (IMDb)

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; 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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Daniel Davis is back, this time discussing his recent USA Today op-ed on John Bolton’s ouster as President Trump’s National Security Advisor. Bolton was a fierce war hawk who pushed Trump toward war on almost every front, explains Davis, often apparently contravening Trump’s own good instincts. Davis is hopeful that Bolton’s replacement will help get negotiations in Afghanistan back on track, but fears that Trump could appoint someone who’s almost as bad.

Discussed on the show:

• “Bolton pushed Trump into more risk, war and casualties, good riddance” (USA Today)
• Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty
• Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty

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.

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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Nasser Arrabyee is back with an update from Yemen, where civilian casualties resulting from the Saudi-led war there have climbed past 100,000, by even conservative estimates. This number doesn’t include any of the people who have died from malnutrition and easily preventable diseases, which surely includes tens if not hundreds of thousands more.

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: 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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Dan Cohen comes on the show for an update on the protests in Hong Kong. Though positioned as a popular pro-democracy movement, some of the protest leaders have alarming ties to American think tanks like the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, which may be trying to influence the movement in a direction that will benefit U.S. interests in the end. Cohen says the protesters certainly have good grounds for their outrage, but that we should be careful fully supporting a cause whose motives and aims aren’t exactly clear.

Discussed on the show:

• “Behind a made-for-TV Hong Kong protest narrative, Washington is backing nativism and mob violence” (The Grayzone)
• “Joshua: Teenager vs. Superpower (2017)” (IMDb)
• Colour revolution
• “Watch the film the Israel lobby didn’t want you to see” (Electronic Intifada)

Dan Cohen is a journalist and co-producer of the award-winning documentary, Killing Gaza. His website is dancohenmedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @dancohen3000.

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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Giorgio Cafiero comes back on the show to talk about how the utter disaster of America and its allies’ policies in the Middle East for the last 20 years. It seems like at every turn America’s wars—ostensibly undertaken to make the region free of terrorism and safe for democracy—have done nothing but strengthen our “enemies” and make the position of our allies more precarious. Unless U.S. war planners start to learn the lesson of blowback, says Cafiero, they are doomed to keep making the mistakes of the past.

Discussed on the show:

• “Behind Israel’s Bombing in Iraq’s Heartland” (Consortium News)
• A Clean Break: A New Strategy for Securing the Realm
• Coping with Crumbling States
• “Bibi vs. Sharon on Bush’s Iraq Debacle” (The Forward)

Giorgio Cafiero is the CEO and founder of Gulf State Analytics, a geopolitical risk consultancy based in Washington, DC. He writes regularly for the Middle East Institute, The National Interest, and LobeLog. Find him on Twitter @GiorgioCafiero.

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 Melissa Etehad about the effects of U.S. sanctions on ordinary Iranians. The “maximum pressure” campaign against Iran is meant to inflict suffering on the whole country in order to pressure its government into meeting America’s demands. Unfortunately, it is poor civilians who bear most of the brunt of these policies, and it’s not at all clear whether the pressure on the government actually works. At the moment, both the Trump administration and the government of Iran seem equally obstinate.

Discussed on the show:

• “Middle-class Iranians resort to buying rotting produce as U.S. sanctions take toll” (LA Times)
• “The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)” (Arms Control Association)
• “The Secret History of the Push to Strike Iran” (The New York Times)
• Iranian Green Movement

Melissa Etehad received her master’s in journalism from Columbia University and a bachelor’s in international affairs from UC San Diego. She writes for the LA Times and previously worked at Al Jazeera English and the Washington Post. Follow her on Twitter @melissaetehad.

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.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download