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Journalist and author Kevin Gosztola was on Antiwar Radio to discuss the most recent development in the government’s war on Julian Assange — a potential plea deal. Gosztola reviews what we know about the possible deal and lays out why this should not be considered good news.

Discussed on the show:

• “Julian Assange, Justice Department Exploring Guilty Plea to End 14-Year Legal Drama” (Wall Street Journal)

Kevin Gosztola is the managing editor of Shadowproof. He also produces and co-hosts the weekly podcast, “Unauthorized Disclosure.” He is the author of Guilty of Journalism: The Political Case Against Julian Assange. Follow him on Twitter @kgosztola.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: Moon Does Artisan Coffee; Roberts and Robers Brokerage Incorporated; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; Libertas Bella; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott.

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Co-director of FPIF.org John Feffer returns to the show to discuss his latest article, “North Korea: The Costs of War, Calculated.” Feffer agrees that North Korea is not President Trump’s Iraq War and explains why the geography of the Korean Peninsula make it clear what the consequences of a war with North Korea would be. Feffer explains why North Korea has little reason to trust American diplomatic guarantees, where sensible common ground for negotiations between the two countries should be, and considers whether a conventional conflict would necessarily lead to a nuclear conflict. Feffer then turns to the threat of war with Iran and how the Trump administration is clearly pushing toward war. Lastly Scott asks Feffer about his article on the Koch Brothers: “What Happens When Bad Money Supports Good Foreign Policy?”

John Feffer is the co-director of Foreign Policy In Focus and author of the dystopian novel Splinterlands. Follow Feffer on Twitter @JohnFeffer.

Discussed on the show:

• “North Korea Says It Might Negotiate on Nuclear Weapons. But the Washington Post Isn’t Reporting That.” by John Schwartz (The Intercept)
• “US believed it would ‘undoubtedly win’ war with North Korea in 1994 – but with huge casualties” (The Guardian)
• “The secret backstory of how Obama let Hezbollah off the hook” (Politico)
• “Have Hawks Won a Round on Iraq Escalation?” by Gareth Porter (Anitwar.com)
• Charles Koch & David Koch
• “11/13/17 Stephen Walt on Charles Koch’s new institute for foreign policy research” (The Scott Horton Show)
• William Jennings Bryan

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.; LibertyStickers.com; TheBumperSticker.com; and ExpandDesigns.com/Scott.

Check out Scott’s Patreon page.

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Eric Margolis joins Scott to discuss his latest article, “Sorry, Chump, You Didn’t Have It In Writing” in which Margolis recalls the history of broken promises and lies made to Russia by NATO and the United States, and the subsequent increase in tension and near misses in Eastern Europe. Scott then asks Margolis: just how evil—and how ambitious—is Vladimir Putin? Margolis describes his visit in 1990 to the KGB headquarters and Putin-as-Russian-Pinochet, how U.S. corporate interests pillaged Russia after the fall of the wall, and how Vladimir Putin helped rebuild the country in the aftermath. Scott then transitions to Palestine and asks Margolis how he explains the Israel-Palestine conflict to people.

Eric Margolis is a foreign affairs correspondent and author of “War at the Top of the World” and “American Raj.” Follow him on Twitter @EricMargolis and visit his website, ericmargolis.com.

Discussed on the show:

• James Baker
• “Newly Declassified Documents: Gorbachev Told NATO Wouldn’t Move Past East German Border” (The National Interest)
• Singing Revolution
• “The Birth of the Global Nation,” by Strobe Talbott (Time)
• NATO-Russia relations
• Eduard Shevardnadze
• George Kennan
• “Foreign Affairs; Now a Word From X,” by Thomas Friedman (The New York Times)
• “U.S. and Russia Reach Deal to Destroy Syria’s Chemical Arms” (The New York Times)
• “Putin the Patriot,” by Justin Raimondo (Antiwar.com)
• “Palestinians, Get Out!” by Eric Margolis (EricMargolis.com)
• “685: The Great Scott Horton” (The Jason Stapleton Program)
• “12/18/17 Ramzy Baroud on the long-awaited death of the Two-State Solution” (The Scott Horton Show)

Today’s show is sponsored by: The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Roberts and Roberts Brokerage Inc.; LibertyStickers.com; TheBumperSticker.com; and ExpandDesigns.com/Scott.

Check out Scott’s Patreon page.

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Editor-in-chief of the Palestine Chronicle Ramzy Baroud returns to the show to discuss his latest articles, “Towards a New Palestinian Beginning” and “The ‘Last Martyr’: Who Killed Kamal Al-Assar?” Baroud shares his memories from the First Intifada 30 years ago, explains how socialism and not Radical Islam drove the Palestinian struggle at the outset, and provides nuance for Israel’s role in Hamas’ rise to power in Palestine. Baroud then details the length to which the Israeli state has gone to deny Palestine a political peace process and argues that the last time a genuine resolution attempt was made by the United States was during the 2000 Camp David Summit. Trump’s declaration of Jerusalem as the capitol of Israel perversely removes the circus of the two-state solution lie—which, according to Baroud, has never been a serious option. The new fight for the Palestinians, Baroud argues, is to fight for equal rights within a single state.

Ramzy Baroud is a US-Arab journalist and is the editor-in-chief of the Palestine Chronicle. He is the author of“My Father Was A Freedom Fighter: The Untold Story of Gaza.” His latest digital project is “Palestine in Motion,” intended to give a holistic understanding of the lives of Palestinians as told in their own words. Follow Ramzy on Twitter @RamzyBaroud and read his work at RamzBaroud.net.

Discussed on the show:

• First Intifada (1987)
• “Analysis: Hamas history tied to Israel,” by Richard Sale (United Press International)
• “How Israel Helped to Spawn Hamas,” by Andrew Higgins (The Wall Street Journal)
• “The Gaza Bombshell” (Vanity Fair)
• “2,279 Calories per Person: How Israel Made Sure Gaza Didn’t Starve” (Haaretz)
• “Top PM Aide: Gaza Plan Aims to Freeze the Peace Process” (Haaretz)
• Dov Weisglass (WikiLeaks)
• 2000 Camp David Summit
• Ehud Barak
• Uri Avnery
• “1/18/17 Stanley L Cohen on Israel’s unpunished crimes – up to and including genocide – against the Palestinian people” (The Scott Horton Show)
• Nakba

Today’s show is sponsored by: The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Roberts and Roberts Brokerage Inc.; LibertyStickers.com; TheBumperSticker.com; and ExpandDesigns.com/Scott.

Check out Scott’s Patreon page.

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National Interest’s executive editor Harry Kazianis joins Scott to discuss his article for The American Conservative, “A War of Choice With North Korea is an Immensely Dumb Idea.” Kazianis discusses the horrors that would follow from a war with North Korea, the difficulty of educating the broader public on the possible consequences, and why, even if Donald Trump is bluffing, pushing Kim Jung-Il into a corner is a terrible idea. Kazianis then discusses his previous work projecting what war with North Korea could look like and what he believes to be the status of North Korean chemical and biological weapons. Finally, he explains what he thinks the key is to diplomacy with North Korea and why he holds out some hope that Trump has some realist foreign policy views.

Harry Kazianis is director of defense studies at the Center for the National Interest and executive editor The National Interest. He previously served as editor of The Diplomat, a fellow at CSIS, and on the 2016 Ted Cruz foreign policy team. Follow him on Twitter @GrecianFormula.

Discussed on the show:

• Mattis: This would be the most bitter fighting of our lifetimes
• “North Korea: The Costs of War, Calculated,” by John Feffer (Antiwar.com)
  
• “North Korea proved allowing the Iran deal to collapse could lead to proliferation” (The Hill)
• “12/13/17 Doug Bandow on North Korea’s nuclear development” (Scott Horton Show)
• “Tillerson’s offer of talks with North Korea left hanging” (Washington Post)
• “US ready for talks with North Korea ‘without preconditions’, Tillerson says” (The Guardian)
• “8 million dead – what nuclear war with North Korea could look like,” by Harry Kazianis (Fox News)
• “12/6/17 Robert Alvarez on the catastrophe of the Korean War (Scott Horton Show)
• “Kim Jong-nam killed by VX nerve agent, say Malaysian police” (The Guardian)
• In Retrospect: The Tragedy and Lessons of Vietnam, by Robert McNamara

Today’s show is sponsored by: The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Roberts and Roberts Brokerage Inc.; LibertyStickers.com; TheBumperSticker.com; and ExpandDesigns.com/Scott.

Check out Scott’s Patreon page.

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Conn Hallinan returns to the show to discuss his latest article for FPIF.org “Asia’s Other Nuclear Standoff,” which details the United States’ role in escalating the India-Pakistan nuclear face off. Hallinan describes the race for resource control in Asia, particularly over the oil supply, and the Chinese expansion throughout southeast Asia and parts of Africa. Hallinan believes the possibility of escalation to nuclear weapons is very real in India and Pakistan. Hallinan then explains the background of the conflict in southeast Asia and addresses Rex Tillerson’s latest comments on North Korea.

Conn Hallinan is a columnist for Foreign Policy in Focus. Hallinan is a recipient of a Project Censored “Real News Award” and formerly headed the University of Santa Cruz’s journalism program.

Discussed on the show:

• Strait of Malacca
• One Belt One Road Initiative
• “U.S. urges allies to think twice before joining China-led bank” (Reuters)
• Opium Wars
• Kashmir conflict
• Kargil War
• “Local Nuclear War, Global Suffering” (Scientific American)
• “Text of 1949 UN Resolution Calling for Referendum on Kashmir” (ThoughtCo)
• “China says it hasn’t dropped its plan for Korean de-escalation, despite Trump” (Washington Post)
• “Tillerson says US won’t set preconditions for North Korea talks” (CNN)
• 123 Agreement
• Narendra Modi
• “Narendra Modi, a man with a massacre on his hands, is not the reasonable choice for India” (The Guardian)
• Gujarat Pogrom
• Cold Start
• “A New U.S. Approach to Pakistan: Enforcing Aid Conditions without Cutting Ties,” by Lisa Curtis (Hudson Institute)
• Durand Line

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Will Porter makes his debut on the Scott Horton Show to discuss his article for the Libertarian Institute, “Yemen’s Silent Numbers: Official Death Count Masks War’s Toll on Civilians.” Porter explains the numerous problems with the OHCHR’s civilian death count and why the estimates likely don’t reflect near the total number of civilians whose lives have been lost as a result of the war.

Will Porter writes for The Market Radical and NotBeingGoverned. Follow him on Twitter @WKPAnCap.

Discussed on the show:

• Nasser Arrabyee
• “The situation of human rights in Yemen including violations and abuses since September 2014 (OHCHR)
• “Cholera Spreads as War and Poverty Batter Yemen” (The New York Times)
• Clair Manera
• “Yemen’s Hidden War,” by Matthieu Aikins (Rolling Stone)

Today’s show is sponsored by: The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Roberts and Roberts Brokerage Inc.; LibertyStickers.com; TheBumperSticker.com; and ExpandDesigns.com/Scott.

Check out Scott’s Patreon page.

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Cato’s Doug Bandow joins Scott again to discuss the situation in North Korea. According to Bandow the red line Trump has created for North Korea is worrisome, but he doesn’t believe it’s a repeat of the lead-up to the Iraq War—Bandow’s greater concern is that the Trump administration will make a major blunder. Bandow believes that Donald Trump’s approach to foreign policy is based on his feelings—which vary—rather than any coherent strategy. Bandow then explains why he thinks claims that North Korea can hit the east coast of the United States with a nuclear weapon may be premature, but that is certainly where things are headed. Lastly Bandow details what he would do to achieve peace with North Korea.

Doug Bandow is a senior fellow at the Cato Institute and a regular contributor at Forbes Magazine, the National Interest, and elsewhere. He’s on Twitter @Doug_Bandow.

Discussed on the show:

• “12/4/17 Eric Margolis on how to resolve tensions with North Korea” (Scott Horton Show)
• “Trump says Tillerson ‘is wasting his time trying to negotiate with Little Rocket Man’” (CBS News)
• “North Korea Says It Might Negotiate on Nuclear Weapons. But the Washington Post Isn’t Reporting That.” by John Schwartz (The Intercept)
• “China renews call for North Korea, US ‘freeze-for-freeze’” (Fox News)

“There’s no evidence that he or anybody else there [in North Korea] is suicidal. I tell everybody: you look at the behavior of him, his father, and his grandfather—they all wanted their virgins in this world…There’s no evidence they want to go out on a funeral pyre lit by American nuclear weapons.” —Doug Bandow

Today’s show is sponsored by: The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Roberts and Roberts Brokerage Inc.; LibertyStickers.com; TheBumperSticker.com; and ExpandDesigns.com/Scott.

Check out Scott’s Patreon page.

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Former police officer Raeford Davis returns to the show to discuss the latest spree of police shootings. According to Davis while there are plenty of bad apples who join police forces across the country, the real problem is the training cops receive and the willingness of courts to acquit unjustifiable shootings. Davis breaks down the details of the video of Daniel Shaver’s murder from the perspective of a former cop. Davis then explains how police officers are masters at escalating potentially violent situations with the goal of creating arrests. Scott and Davis then discuss the way cops are portrayed in mainstream culture and the stark differences from reality. Finally Davis gives his advice on what can be done going forward to reduce violent deaths at the hands of the cops.

Raeford Davis, a speaker for Law Enforcement Action Partnership (LEAP), is a former North Charleston police officer turned voluntaryist libertarian. He now works with cops to reduce violent conflict with citizens. Follow Davis on Twitter @RaefordD.

Discussed on the show:

• Death of Daniel Shaver
• “‘You’re Fucked’: The Acquittal of Officer Brailsford and the Crisis of Police Impunity” (ACLU)
• “How Police Training Contributes to Avoidable Deaths” (The Atlantic)
• “A Police Killing Without a Hint of Racism,” by Connor Friedersdorf (The Atlantic)
• “A day with ‘killology’ police trainer Dave Grossman” (Washington Post)
• “Being a cop showed me just how racist and violent the police are. There’s only one fix.” (Washington Post)
• Shooting of Philando Castile
• “Use-of-force expert: Cop who fatally shot Philando Castile justified in shooting” (Police One)
• “Tamir Rice’s Basically Reasonable Murder,” by Scott Greenfield (Simple Justice)
• Graham vs. Connor (1989)
• “U.S. prison population dwarfs that of other nations” (The New York Times)
• Shooting of John Crawford III
• “Dash cam video from Walter Scott shooting released” (CNN)

Today’s show is sponsored by: The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Roberts and Roberts Brokerage Inc.; LibertyStickers.com; TheBumperSticker.com; and ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; 

Check out Scott’s Patreon page.

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