Download Episode.

Lyle Goldstein returns to the show to talk about some concerning developments in the Pacific. Goldstein explains why he thinks violence breaking out over the island of Taiwan is a very real possibility in the next couple of years. He and Scott discuss the recent deployment of U.S. special forces to Taiwanese-controlled Islands right on China’s coast, the growing willingness among American foreign policy intellectuals to consider the deliberate use of nuclear weapons if it appears a Chinese invasion is underway and much more.

Discussed on the show:

• “Taiwan’s defense boost: US advisers stationed for training” (TVBS)
• “US Military Advisors Deployed to Taiwan-Controlled Islands on China’s Coast” (Antiwar.com)
• “Deliberate nuclear use in a war over Taiwan: Scenarios and considerations for the United States” (Atlantic Council)

Lyle J. Goldstein is the Director of Asia Engagement at Defense Priorities. He is the author of Meeting China Halfway: How to Defuse the Emerging US-China Rivalry. Follow his work at The National Interest and on Twitter @lylegoldstein

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.

Get Scott’s interviews before anyone else! Subscribe to the Substack.

Shop Libertarian Institute merch or donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal or Bitcoin: 1DZBZNJrxUhQhEzgDh7k8JXHXRjY

Brad Hoff, Managing Editor of Levant Report, discusses the “Jihadi Wal-mart” in Syria, where the distinctions between so-called FSA moderate groups and radical Islamists like ISIS are increasingly blurred.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Jeffrey Kaye, a psychologist and writer on torture, discusses his FOIA request that led to declassified “talking points” documents related to torture techniques authorized in the Army Field Manual.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Daniel McAdams, Executive Director of The Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity, discusses US Ambassador to Hungary Coleen Bell’s threatening speech to her host country’s government, in which she laid down the Obama administration’s demands on Syria policy, acceptance of refugees, and relations with Russia.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Phyllis Bennis, author of Understanding ISIS and the New Global War on Terror: A Primer, discusses why the Pentagon shouldn’t be allowed to investigate (and absolve) itself for the October 2015 airstrikes that destroyed a Doctors Without Borders hospital in Kunduz, Afghanistan that killed  42 people.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Eric Margolis, a journalist and author of American Raj, discusses Israel’s preparation to use nuclear weapons during the 1973 Arab-Israeli War as Syrian forces were poised to retake the Golan Heights; and why Israel isn’t any more willing to return Golan to Syria now than it was 43 years ago.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Steven Watt, a senior staff attorney with the ACLU Human Rights Program, discusses the progress of a lawsuit by torture victims against the two psychologist CIA contractors, James Mitchell and John Jessen, who designed and profited handsomely from the agency’s brutal interrogation program implemented after 9/11.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Kelley Vlahos, a contributing editor for The American Conservative, discusses how the US’s permanent war footing has greatly enriched a new class of wealthy government employees, contractors, lawyers and political consultants living in luxury in the Washington DC metro area.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Robert A. Pape, founder of The Chicago Project on Security and Terrorism (CPOST), discusses the strategic logic of suicide terrorism and why it remains an effective political tool – at least in the short term.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download