Q & A Shows
08/06/14 Full Show
You are listening to the Scott Horton Show. 08/06/14 Full Show
08/05/14 Full Show
You are listening to the Scott Horton Show. 08/05/14 Full Show
The Stress Blog
Today’s Show: Raeford Davis, Ray McGovern 12-3 eastern
Today's Show: Raeford Davis, Ray McGovern 12-3 eastern time http://lrn.fm http://scotthorton.org/chat
Today’s show: Stephen Zunes 12-3 eastern
Today's show: Stephen Zunes 12-3 eastern time http://lrn.fm http://scotthorton.org/chat
Recent Episodes of the Scott Horton Show
3/18/24 Michael Tracey on Why the Latest Attempt to Ban TikTok is a Scam
Michael Tracey returned to the show to discuss the bill Congress is trying to pass to ban the social video-sharing app TikTok. Tracey explains what the bill actually says and the two talk about what the government could do going forward if it passes. They then discuss the real reason Washington wants TikTok gone — it’s threatening Israel’s ability to control the narrative as it slaughters the people of Gaza.
Discussed on the show:
- “The frenzy to ban TikTok is another National Security State scam” (Substack)
Michael Tracey is a New York-based journalist. You can find his writing on Substack and follow him on Twitter @mtracey
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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Recommended reading
10/6/17 Alex Kane on the rise of American police training in Israel
Journalist Alex Kane joins the show to talk about his latest article “Ending Deadly Collusion between U.S. and Israeli Police.” Kane describes how American police regularly travel to Israel to train, and how the Jewish Voice for Peace Chapter decided to bring light to the issue through their new “Deadly Exchange.” According to Kane, hundreds of American police officers have travelled to Israel and trained with Israeli commanders. Kane then details the multifaceted cooperation between Israeli and U.S. security forces, both domestically and in foreign policy. Finally, Kane addresses the integral differences between Judaism and Israel and why they are so frequently conflated.
Alex Kane is a freelance journalist who’s writing appears in Ha’aretz, the Intercept and elsewhere. He’s formerly an editor at Mondoweiss and Alternet. Read more of his work at his website and follow him on Twitter.
Discussed on the show:
- “Ending Deadly Collusion between U.S. and Israeli Police,” by Alex Kane (InTheseTimes)
- Jewish Voice for Peace
- Deadly Exchange
- Anti-Defamation League
- “Israel Security Forces are Training American Cops Despite History of Rights Abuses” (The Intercept)
- “Israel’s top cop: My guys can learn manners from the NYPD” (New York Daily News)
- Broken Windows Theory
- Jewish Institute for National Security of America (JINSA)
- LEEP USA
- “The Men from JINSA and VSP,” by Jason Vest (The Nation)
- “Orlando police chief Mina attends anti-terrorism conference in Israel” (Orlando Sentinel)
- Shin Bet
- Skunk (weapon)
- “US abstention allows UN to demand end to Israeli settlements” (The Guardian)
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11/6/17 Reese Erlich on the political turmoil in Iraqi-Kurdistan and Saudi Arabia
Reese Erlich returns to the show to discuss his latest article for Antiwar.com, “US Sells Out the Kurds—Again” Erlich discusses the history of the Kurds in Iraq, America’s yo-yoing approach to first supporting then betraying the Kurds, and how it all relates back to today. Scott then brings the discussion to the political turmoil in Saudi Arabia, and what the apparent coup means for the U.S.-Saudi relations and the Middle East generally.
Reese Erlich is a nationally syndicated columnist and the author of Inside Syria: The Backstory of Their Civil War and What the World Can Expect. Erlich’s next book” The Iran Agenda” will be published in 2018. In the meantime read his work at his website and follow him on Twitter.
Discussed on the show:
- “Kurds rescue Yazidis from Iraqi mountain” (Al Jazeera)
- “Of Kurds and Kissinger, Carter and Conscience” (The New York Times)
- “Kurdish leader Barzani resigns after independence vote backfires” (Reuters)
- “Musings on Iraq” (Joel Wing – @JoelWing2)
- Badr Brigade
- Iran-Iraq War
- Anfal Genocide
- Masoud Barzani
- “Iraqi Forces Sweep Into Kirkuk, Checking Kurdish Independence Drive” (New York Times)
- Moon of Alabama
- Mohammad bin al-Salman
- “Would very much appreciate Saudi Arabia doing their IPO of Aramco with the New York Stock Exchange. Important to the United States!” (@realDonaldTrump)
- “THE STRUGGLE FOR IRAQ: DIPLOMACY; Iraq Said to Have Tried to Reach Last-Minute Deal to Avert War,” by James Risen (The New York Times)
- “Saddam’s desperate offers to stave off war,” by Julian Borger (The Guardian)
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11/6/17 Elijah Magnier on the mayhem in Lebanon and Saudi Arabia
Middle East correspondent Elijah Magnier returns to the show to discuss the latest turmoil in the Middle East and his recent article “ISIS into History’s rubbish bin and Iraq neither Iranian nor American.” Magnier shares what he knows about the resignation of Saad Hariri in Lebanon, and Saudi Arabia’s role in the latest Middle Eastern mess. Magnier then discusses the history of Hezbollah in Lebanon, the distinction between the terrorist group and the parliamentary party, which has considerable political power and popularity. Magnier then slams the U.S. media for turning al Qaeda into a moderate rebel group and the fall out from the war in Syria.
Elijah Magnier is the chief international correspondent at Al Rai and a political and terrorism/counterterrorism analyst. Find all his work at elijahjm.wordpress.com and follow him on Twitter @ejmalrai.
Discussed on the show:
- Saad Hariri
- Hezbollah
- “Lebanon PM Hariri resigns, assails Iran and Hezbollah” (Reuters)
- “Lebanon – Hariri’s Resignation – The Opening Shot Of The Saudi War On Hizbullah” (Moon of Alabama)
- Michel Aoun
- “Trump erroneously says Lebanon is ‘on the front lines’ fighting Hezbollah, a partner in the Lebanese government” (Chicago Tribune)
- “Second Saudi prince dead in 24 hours?” (India Today)
- Mohammad bin al-Salman
- Al-Nusra Front
- Idlib
- “The Moderate Face of Al Qaeda” (Rand Corporation)
- Oliver North
- “In Shocking, Viral Interview, Qatar Confesses Secrets Behind Syrian War” (Zero Hedge)
- “Iran Extends Its Reach In Syria” (The New Yorker)
- “ISIS into History’s rubbish bin and Iraq neither Iranian nor American” (Elijah Magnier)
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11/6/17 John Feffer on Donald Trump’s escalation of North Korea
John Feffer returns to the show following his trip to South Korea and Japan where Donald Trump is visiting to continue his escalation against North Korea. Feffer details China’s role in curtailing North Korea, why the effort has fallen short, and how the Trump administration continues to pressure countries in the region. Scott wonders whether Donald Trump is really as dangerous on North Korea as everyone portrays him—and why neither the United States or North Korea has motivation to start a war. Feffer believes that the United States ultimately uses the North Korea threat to increase our leverage and influence in Asia, particularly over China. Feffer then travels down memory lane and explains how the Iraq War somehow dovetailed into escalation with North Korea. Feffer then shares his guess for the future: strategic patience—even from Donald Trump.
John Feffer is the co-director of Foreign Policy In Focus and author of the dystopian novel Splinterlands. His latest article for FPIF.org is “Honoring Otto Warmbier.” Follow Feffer on Twitter @JohnFeffer.
Discussed on the show:
- Moon Jae-in
- Shinzo Abe
- United States-South Korea Free Trade Agreement
- Trans-Pacific Partnership
- Xi Jinping
- Terminal High Altitude Area Defense
- “Japan: The World’s Next Big Arms Dealer?” (The National Interest)
- “Trump said ‘samurai’ Japan should have shot down overflying North Korean missiles” (Japan Times)
- “Ground Invasion Only Way to Destroy North Korea’s Nuclear Arsenal, Pentagon Says” (NBC News)
- “A grand bargain with China could remove North Korea’s nuclear threat — but it would destroy America’s global influence” (LA Times)
- Agreed Framework
- Korean Peninsula Energy Development Organization
- War Made Easy: How Presidents and Pundits Keep Spinning Us to Death, by Norman Solomon
- Highly enriched uranium
- Gordon Prather
- “Text of President Bush’s 2002 State of the Union Address” (Washington Post)
- Proliferation Security Initiative
- “Rumsfeld calls for regime change in North Korea” (The Telegraph)
- Christopher Hill
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10/31/17 Mark Thornton explains why ending heroin prohibition will solve America’s opiate crisis
Mark Thornton returns to the show to discuss his latest articles for the Mises Institute “The Real Cause of America’s Opioid Epidemic” and “Big Pharma Makes Drugs that Please Regulators, Not Customers.” Thornton makes the case for why legalizing heroin—and all drugs—would be a major step towards solving the opioid crisis. Instead, because of FDA regulations, doctors and pharmaceutical companies are not held liable for the awful consequences of their use. According to Thornton, and counter to popular opinion, lack of government regulations is what will actually regulate the quality of the product on the market.
Mark Thornton is a senior fellow at the Mises Institute. He serves as the Book Review Editor of the Quarterly Journal of Austrian Economics. His publications include The Economics of Prohibition (1991), Tariffs, Blockades, and Inflation: The Economics of the Civil War (2004), The Quotable Mises (2005), The Bastiat Collection (2007), An Essay on Economic Theory (2010), and The Bastiat Reader (2014).
Discussed on the show:
- Ludwig Von Mises Institute
- Chicago School
- “In one year, drug overdoses killed more Americans than the entire Vietnam War did” (Vox)
- Fentanyl
- “Authorities seize enough fentanyl for ‘1 million overdoses'” (CBS News)
- “Trump to declare national emergency on opioids months after initial promise” (CNN)
- “Tylenol made a hero of Johnson & Johnson : The recall that started them all” (New York Times)
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10/30/17 Trevor Thrall on ending the war on terror
Cato Institute senior fellow Trevor Thrall joins Scott to discuss his article for War On The Rocks, “Time to Step Back from the War on Terror.” Thrall’s piece details how the U.S. war on terror has been a failure and raises the question “what if we abolish the war on terror?” Thrall’s solution begins by, in the first place, stopping the constant interventions in the first place. Thrall believes that, at the root of the problem, is the fact that America believes it needs to control everything, everywhere, spurred on by the false belief that it is “providing regional stability and improving the global economy.” Then the interview pivots to the war in Afghanistan. Thrall discusses Trump’s about-face on foreign policy, which has alienated him from his Steve Bannon-directed base. As a result, Thrall has little hope that the Afghan War will play out any differently than it did during the Bush and Obama presidencies.
Trevor Thrall is a senior fellow for the Cato Institute’s Defense and Foreign Policy Department and an associate professor at George Mason University’s Schar School of Policy and Government. Follow him on Twitter @trevor_thrall.
Discussed on the show:
- Libyan Islamic Fighting Group
- Ansar al-Sharia
- Ayman al-Zawahiri
- “The Moderate Face of Al Qaeda” (Foreign Affairs)
- “America’s Forgotten Wars” (Foreign Affairs”)
- “Hudson Institute Violent Extremism Conference, Steve Bannon Remarks” (C-SPAN)
- Daniel Davis
- “Step Back: Lessons for U.S. Foreign Policy from the Failed War on Terror” (Cato)
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
Check out Scott’s Patreon page.
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10/27/17 Gareth Porter deconstructs Trump’s decision to decertify the Iran Deal
Gareth Porter returns to the show to discuss his latest article for The American Conservative “Trump Trashes Iran Deal to Satisfy Netanyahu.” Porter discusses Trump’s goal to convince Congress to pass new sanctions against Iran and explains why, even if the United States breaks the deal, Iran may have incentives to remain in the deal. Porter and Scott then take a trip back down memory road to the outset of the Iraq War and the role Iran played in helping push the U.S. gears into war. The two then consider the likelihood that Trump could push the U.S. into war with Iran and why, thankfully, it appears unlikely.
Gareth Porter is an investigative historian and journalist on the national security state and author of Manufactured Crisis: The Untold Story of the Iran Nuclear Scare. Follow him on Twitter @GarethPorter and listen to Gareth’s previous appearances on the Scott Horton Show.
Discussed on the show:
- Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)
- “When the Ayatollah Said No to Nukes,” by Gareth Porter (ForeignPolicy.com)
- “10/26/17 Trita Parsi on the recently decertified Iran Deal” (The Scott Horton Show)
- David Stockman
- Sheldon Adelson
- Benjamin Netanyahu
- “How Ahmed Chalabi conned the neocons,” by John Dizard (Salon.com)
- “A Clean Break: A New Strategy for Securing the Realm“
- “Coping with Crumbling States: A Western and Israeli Balance of Power Strategy for the Levant by David Wurmser 1996” (The Scott Horton Show)
- “US intelligence fears Iran duped hawks into Iraq war” (The Guardian)
- Likud
- “Israel’s Former Ambassador: Militant Shias Are More Dangerous Than Sunnis” (The Atlantic)
- People’s Mujahedin of Iran (MEK)
- Ehud Olmert
- “Episode 27: Scott Horton” (The Unregistered Podcast)
- William Fallon
- “Preparing the Battle Field,” by Seymour Hersh (The New Yorker)
- “John Kelly and the Language of the Military Coup,” by Masha Gessen (The New Yorker)
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
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10/27/17 Patrick Cockburn on Iraqi Kurdistan and the liberation of Raqqa
Patrick Cockburn joins Scott from Baghdad to discuss the liberation of Raqqa from ISIS and the battle in Kirkurk between the Iraqi army and Peshmerga. Cockburn describes how ISIS is still in business as a guerrilla force, but the caliphate has been destroyed. Cockburn further details which powers in the region have gained in influence and power and who faces even more pressure—in particular the Kurds, who have seen major losses since the referendum for independence, which Cockburn believes was a major mistake. Cockburn then discusses the always fragile relation between Sunnis and Shias and the bizarre role the United States plays in the middle and on both sides.
Patrick Cockburn is the Middle East correspondent for The Independent and the author of “The Age of Jihad” and “Chaos & Caliphate.”
Discussed on the show:
- Battle of Raqqa (2017)
- Iraqi army
- Peshmerga
- Kirkuk
- “10/2/17 Joe Lauria on the consequences of the Kurdish Referendum” (Scott Horton Show)
- Haider al-Abadi
- Badr Brigade
- Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF)
- Hezbollah
- Yom Kippur War (1973 War)
Quote of the show: “On the other hand people are fairly cock-a-hoop in Baghdad—they feel we’ve been pushed around by these Kurds long enough, let’s really make sure we’re in control in future.” —Patrick Cockburn
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
Check out Scott’s Patreon page.
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