Heroic whistleblower Peter Van Buren returns to the Scott Horton Show to discuss his latest piece for the American Conservative, “2017: The Year the Iraq War Truly Ended.” Van Buren explains what he means by “the war is over” and why it doesn’t mean there won’t be continued conflict for locals in Iraq. Van Buren then discusses how he categorizes each of the different phases of the Iraq War, which has been going on for three decades. So what happens in Phase Four, once the shooting stops? Van Buren gives his best estimate of what’s next and how and why American attention in the Middle East is shifting away from control of oil. Van Buren then explains that, while the war may be over, it certainly doesn’t mean the troops are coming home. Scott then turns to Iran, and what their goals going forward with regard to Iraq. According to Van Buren they may be more modest than people think.

Discussed on the show:

• “Iraq War 3.0, the War to End All Wars, is Over,” by Peter Van Buren (WeMeantWell.com)
• We Meant Well: How I Helped Lose the Battle for the Hearts and Minds of the Iraqi People, by Peter Van Buren
• Supreme Islamic Council of Iraq
• Islamic Dawa Party
• Haider al-Abadi
• Abdul Aziz al-Hakim
• “Who won the war in Iraq? (Here’s a big hint: It wasn’t the United States),” by Peter Van Buren (Foreign Policy)
• Patrick Cockburn
• “Bush’s Meeting With A Murderer,” by Robert Dreyfuss (ScottHorton.org)
• “Clean Break II: Iran Hawks Decide To Burn It All Down,” by Derek Davison (LobeLog)
• “One way to counter Iran’s aggression? Change the map of the Middle East,” by Michael Makovsky (Fox News)
• Office of Special Plans
• Jewish Institute for National Security of America (JINSA)

Today’s show is sponsored by: NoDev, NoOps, NotIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Roberts and Roberts Brokerage Inc.; LibertyStickers.com; TheBumperSticker.com; 3tediting.com; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; and Darrin’s Coffee.

Check out Scott’s Patreon page.

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