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Mike Benz joins the show to talk about how the various government, corporate, and NGO groups making up the censorship machine work together to control the information space and, therefore, how the public understands the world.

Discussed on the show:

• God Complex: The Rise Of America’s Censorship Machine
• “The Secret History of the Shadow Campaign That Saved the 2020 Election” (Time)
• “Trump Fired Them. Now They’re Plotting to Stop Him.” (NOTUS)

Mike Benz is the founder of the Foundation for Freedom Online. He formerly worked for the State Department. Follow him on Twitter @MikeBenzCyber

For more on Scott’s work:

Check out The Libertarian Institute:

https://www.libertarianinstitute.org

Check out Scott’s other show, Provoked, with Darryl Cooper https://youtube.com/@Provoked_Show

Read Scott’s books:

Provoked: How Washington Started the New Cold War with Russia and the Catastrophe in Ukraine https://amzn.to/47jMtg7 (The audiobook of Provoked is being published in sections at https://scotthortonshow.com)

Enough Already: Time to End the War on Terrorism: https://amzn.to/3tgMCdw

Fool’s Errand: Time to End the War in Afghanistan https://amzn.to/3HRufs0

Follow Scott on X @scotthortonshow

And check out Scott’s full interview archives: https://scotthorton.org/all-interviews

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: Roberts and Roberts Brokerage Incorporated https://rrbi.co Moon Does Artisan Coffee https://scotthorton.org/coffee; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom https://www.libertyclassroom.com/dap/a/?a=1616 and Dissident Media https://dissidentmedia.com

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Scott talks with Cato Senior Fellow Ted Galen Carpenter about American interventions in Ukraine and Syria. They dig into the likeliest escalation scenarios in Ukraine and imagine how both sides would react to defeat. That leads to a discussion about the social psychology behind Washington’s foreign policy decisions. They also look to the terror wars and tie their talk on American foreign policy psychology to the ongoing war in Syria. 

Discussed on the show:

• “How Will the Blob React if Ukraine Faces Defeat?” (Antiwar.com)
• “What Do Think Tanks Think? Proximity to Power and Foreign Policy Preferences” (Foreign Policy Analysis)
• “Washington’s Dubious Syria Intervention Continues” (Cato.org)

Ted Galen Carpenter is a senior fellow for defense and foreign policy studies at the Cato Institute. Carpenter has written 10 books including America’s Coming War with China: A Collision Course over Taiwan and most recently NATO: Dangerous Dinosaur. He is a contributing editor at The American Conservative Magazine and the National Interest.

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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Shop Libertarian Institute merch or donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal or Bitcoin: 1DZBZNJrxUhQhEzgDh7k8JXHXRjYu5tZiG.

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Scott brings Eli Clifton of Responsible Statecraft on to discuss the recent revelations about Twitter’s boosting of U.S. military information operations. They go over some of the details outlined in Lee Fang’s thread, which served as part 8 of the ongoing Twitter Files. Fang reveals Twitter’s hypocrisy as the firm publicly exposed and censored disinformation campaigns by foreign governments while it worked to amplify specific fake propaganda accounts at the request of the Pentagon. Scott and Clifton go through what we learned and then zoom out. Although they see a lot of value in these Twitter Files disclosures, the two also voice concern over the lack of action Musk appears to be taking beyond just exposing past behavior. They point out how financially dependent Musk is on the government which serves as a natural ceiling to how much he can expose and upset the military and intelligence agencies. They also talk about the enormous scale and efficacy of foreign lobbying on the government, DC think tanks and America’s largest companies. 

Discussed on the show:

• “How Twitter hid US-military info ops from the public” (Responsible Statecraft)
• “The Twitter Files Part 8: How Twitter Quietly Aided the Pentagon’s Covert Online PsyOp Campaign” (Twitter)
• “DC think tank puts hawkish former Aussie PM on China Center board” (Responsible Statecraft)

Eli Clifton is a senior advisor at the Quincy Institute and Investigative-Journalist-at-Large at Responsible Statecraft. Follow him on Twitter @EliClifton.

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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Shop Libertarian Institute merch or donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal or Bitcoin: 1DZBZNJrxUhQhEzgDh7k8JXHXRjYu5tZiG.

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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.

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: 1DZBZNJrxUhQhEzgDh7k8JXHXRjYu5tZiG.

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Next on Antiwar Radio this week was Kelley Beaucar Vlahos of Responsible Statecraft. Scott and Vlahos talk about Zelensky’s visit with Biden and address to Congress on Wednesday. The visit highlighted the evolving politics of aid to Ukraine and gave a window into the mainstream Washingtonian narrative of Ukraine’s current situation. Scott and Vlahos also examine the possibility of negotiations in the face of such high stakes. 

Discussed on the show:

• Rage Against the War Machine Protest

Kelley Beaucar Vlahos is Editorial Director of Responsible Statecraft and Senior Advisor at the Quincy Institute. Follow her on Twitter @KelleyBVlahos. 

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

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: 1DZBZNJrxUhQhEzgDh7k8JXHXRjYu5tZiG. 

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Scott’s first guest on Antiwar Radio this week was Connor Freeman, the Assistant Editor at the Libertarian Institute. They talk about the Ukrainian strikes deep in Russian territory, and the apparent green light Washington gave Kyiv to carry out more. Their reasoning? Putin hasn’t dropped a nuke yet, so there’s room to escalate. Scott and Freeman talk about the danger of this mindset and also touch on the recent Washington Post story about the lack of evidence that Russia attacked its own gas infrastructure back in September. 

Discussed on the show:

• Rage Against the War Machine Protest
• “Washington Erases Red Lines, Escalates Proxy War with Russia” (Libertarian Institute)
• Antiwar News with Dave DeCamp
• “Road to war: U.S. struggled to convince allies, and Zelensky, of risk of invasion” (Washington Post)
• “For Western Weapons, the Ukraine War Is a Beta Test” (New York Times)
• “No conclusive evidence Russia is behind Nord Stream attack” (Washington Post)

Connor Freeman is the Assistant Editor of the Libertarian Institute, primarily covering foreign policy. He is a co-host on Conflicts of Interest. His writing has been featured in media outlets such as Antiwar.com and Counterpunch, as well as the Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity. You can follow him on Twitter @FreemansMind96

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

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: 1DZBZNJrxUhQhEzgDh7k8JXHXRjYu5tZiG.

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Scott talks with Jeffrey Kaye about an article he recently published on the CIA’s effort to suppress reports about the use of bio-weapons by U.S. forces fighting in Korea. The agency went to great lengths to dismiss those rumors and claims as communist propaganda and the results of brainwashing. Then in 2010, the agency declassified documents that contained evidence of U.S. bio-weapons use in the Korean War. Kaye and Scott discuss the relevant history and why it’s important today. 

Discussed on the show:

• “Secret Plan Revealed: CIA Told to ‘Destroy’ Those Supporting Communist Germ Warfare ‘Myth’” (Medium)
• Human Smoke by Nicholson Baker
• “Who Really Started the Korean War?” (Antiwar.com)
• “False” Confessions Cover-up: U.S. Told Airmen Who Admitted Germ War in Korea They Could Reveal Information If Captured” (Medium)
• M*A*S*H

Jeffrey Kaye is the author of Cover-up at Guantanamo: The NCIS Investigation into the “Suicides” of Mohammed Al Hanashi and Abdul Rahman Al Amri. Kaye is a retired psychologist, blogger, and author. Read his blog and follow him on Twitter @jeff_kaye.

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

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: 1DZBZNJrxUhQhEzgDh7k8JXHXRjYu5tZiG.

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Kyle Anzalone joins Scott to run through all the biggest foreign policy news of the day. They discuss the $858 billion NDAA that just passed the Senate, the ridiculous claims that Biden is in China’s pocket, the Ukrainian clamp down on the Russian Orthodox Church, the latest weapons sent to Kyiv, the Ukrainian strikes deep in Russian territory, the state of the fertilizer trade and the possibility Biden warms up to Cuba. 

Discussed on the show:

• “Sen. Hawley Tells Blinken to Prioritize Arming Taiwan Over Ukraine” (Antiwar.com)
• Ray McGovern’s writing at Antiwar.com

Kyle Anzalone is news editor of the Libertarian Institute, opinion editor of Antiwar.com and co-host of Conflicts of Interest with Will Porter and Connor Freeman. Follow him on Twitter @KyleAnzalone_

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

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: 1DZBZNJrxUhQhEzgDh7k8JXHXRjYu5tZiG.

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Scott talks with Philip Weiss about the political implications of an Israeli government run by Ben-Gvir, a far-right extreme zionist. Weiss gives a quick background on the volatile last five years of Israeli politics before the two jump into who Ben-Gvir is and what he may do when in power. To both, Ben-Gvir represents the worst of modern Israeli politics. But there may be some upsides too. 

Discussed on the show:

• “Israel lobby’s realignment over Ben-Gvir is giving Biden room to criticize” (Mondoweiss)
• Jordan Peterson interviews Benjamin Netanyahu

Philip Weiss is the long-time editor of Mondoweiss.net. Follow him on Twitter @PhilWeiss.

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

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: 1DZBZNJrxUhQhEzgDh7k8JXHXRjYu5tZiG.