Mark Perry rejoins the show to talk about General Mattis’ position in the Trump administration, particularly in relation to Iran. Perry explains that although Mattis seems to have strong negative feelings toward Iran, he is unlikely to advocate military action there because he knows that it would be incredibly expensive in both lives and dollars, and probably still not have the desired effect of regime change. Trump has taken a more bellicose stance on Iran, but Mattis has shown that he’s willing to stand up to the president, on this and other issues.

Discussed on the show:

• • “Mattis’s Last Stand Is Iran” (Foreign Policy)
  • 1983 Beirut barracks bombings
  • “The Battle For Iran: Policy Or Regime Change?” (Lobe Log)
  • “Lost at Tora Bora” (New York Times)
  • Battle of Tora Bora
  • “Iran Dissent Cost Fallon His Job” (Time)

Mark Perry is the author of Talking to Terrorists: Why America Must Engage with its Enemies and The Most Dangerous Man in America: The Making of Douglas MacArthur. His most recent book, The Pentagon’s Wars was released in October. Read his work at The American Conservative Magazine and follow him on Twitter @MarkPerryDC.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: Zen Cash; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Roberts and Roberts Brokerage Inc.; NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; LibertyStickers.com; and ExpandDesigns.com/Scott.

Check out Scott’s Patreon page.

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