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Scott interviews Daniel Davis about the state of the war in Ukraine. Davis has been watching the war closely and works hard to correct for the biases of both sides. He gives Scott a rundown of where he thinks things stand and what developments are likely in the near future. They also talk about the political situation between Washington and Moscow and highlight some of the flaws at the heart of the establishment narrative of this war. 

Discussed on the show:

• “The Russia-Ukraine War Of 2022: What We Learned — Part I” (19FortyFive)
• “The War In Ukraine Is A Bloodbath. Could It End In 2023? — Part II” (19FortyFive)
• “The CIA Is Using A European NATO Ally’s Spy Service To Conduct A Covert Sabotage Campaign Inside Russia Under The Agency’s Direction” (JackMurphy)
• “How Will the Blob React if Ukraine Faces Defeat?” (Antiwar.com)

Daniel Davis did multiple tours in Iraq and Afghanistan during his time in the army. He is a Senior Fellow at Defense Priorities and is the author of the reports “Dereliction of Duty II: Senior Military Leaders’ Loss of Integrity Wounds Afghan War Effort” and “Go Big or Go Deep: An Analysis of Strategy Options on Afghanistan.” Find him on Twitter @DanielLDavis1.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; and Thc Hemp Spot.

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Independent historian and journalist Gareth Porter discusses the limits of America’s awesome military might when it comes to fighting insurgencies in Iraq and Afghanistan; Iraq’s brutal sectarian civil war in 2006-2007; how the US helped increase Iranian influence in Iraq; and Gen. Petraeus’s influence on COIN doctrine and the “victory in defeat” PR campaign.

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Dahr Jamail, author of Beyond the Green Zone, discusses life in Iraq today – 10 years after the US invasion in 2003; the 1 million displaced Iraqis and the greatly increased cancer and birth defect rates; Prime Minister al-Maliki’s adoption of US counterinsurgency tactics, including rape, execution and torture; al-Malilki’s fears that Syrian rebels will target Iraq next and revitalize the Sunni resistance; and the problems with an independent Kurdistan.

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Jamal Abdi, Policy Director at the National Iranian American Council (NIAC), discusses how Senate Resolution 65 is a backdoor to war with Iran; Congress’s attempts at limiting Obama’s diplomatic options; and the possibility of a compromise on Iran’s nuclear program – lifting some sanctions in exchange for Iran suspending 20% uranium enrichment.

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Eric Margolis, journalist and author of American Raj, discusses the Showtime documentary on Dick Cheney, who casually dismisses his responsibility for starting the disastrous war in Iraq; the African dictators who go to war crimes tribunals while Cheney goes fishing; the confusing US policy of simultaneously attacking and supporting “terrorists” in Iraq, Libya and Syria; and the French intervention in western Africa.

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Sheldon Richman, vice president of The Future of Freedom Foundation, discusses why the record-high DOW index does not indicate a recovering economy; how the Fed’s low-interest-rate policy forces savers into risky investments (like stocks); the fudge-factor in economic measurements like CPI and the unemployment rate; and the nonsensical things Paul Krugman says.

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Retired USAF Lieutenant Colonel Karen Kwiatkowski discusses her firsthand account of the Bush administration’s backroom machinations to lie us into the Iraq War; the draft invasion plans that long preceded the push to war in 2003; the Bush officials who have never been held accountable for leaking classified information and outright lies to a compliant media; and the permanent global war philosophy of neoconservatives.

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Stephen Zunes, Professor of Politics and International Studies at the University of San Francisco, discusses his article “Remembering Those Responsible on the 10th Anniversary of the Iraq War;” the know-nothing US occupation staffers brought in to remake Iraqi society; how US foreign policy has radicalized a generation of Muslims and greatly increased the chance of another major terrorist attack; and the many Democrats who supported the Bush administration’s war effort.

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Gary Gambill, Associate Fellow at Middle East Forum, discusses why “Bush Was Right” on ending US support for Middle East dictatorships (even the compliant ones); how pro-American autocracies breed Islamic extremism by closing all other avenues of political expression; restricting World Bank and IMF loans to democratic governments; what constitutes an Islamic moderate; and why the US should not get involved in Syria’s ongoing “Lebanonization.”

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