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Scott interviews Auron MacIntyre about his book on the failures of liberal democracies. They cover MacIntyre’s intellectual journey, the cost of empire, mass migration, Zionism in American politics and more.

Discussed on the show:

• The Total State: How Liberal Democracies Become Tyrannies by Auron MacIntyre
• On Power by Bertrand de Jouvenel

Auron MacIntyre is a columnist, lecturer, and author focusing on the application of political theory. He is the host of The Auron MacIntyre Show podcast and author of The Total State: How Liberal Democracies Become Tyrannies. Follow him on Twitter @AuronMacintyre

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

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Scott speaks with Hunter DeRensis about the legacy of Liz Cheney. Although the Wyoming Congresswoman recently lost her primary, she seems determined to take a shot at national office. But even if we’re not done with her yet, it’s still worth taking a look back at how terrible she’s been throughout her career. Scott and DeRensis explore some of her worst episodes: things like throwing her sister under the bus on gay marriage, aggressively defending torture, telling McCain to shut up about torture, labeling Guantanamo detainee lawyers as members of Al Qaeda, trying to use a War Powers resolution to keep U.S. forces in Afghanistan last year and more. 

Discussed on the show:

• “Loser Liz Cheney: We knew ye, and that was the problem” (Responsible Statecraft)
• “The ‘explosive’ Russian bounty story is so far, a dud” (Responsible Statecraft)
• Willie Geist’s “I love Dick Cheney?” moment on MSNBC
• VP Cheney’s Speech at VFW 103rd National Convention

Hunter DeRensis is an editor at the Libertarian Institute, a former senior reporter at The National Interest, and a regular contributor to The American Conservative. His work has also appeared at the Ludwig von Mises Institute and Antiwar.com. He is a resident of St. Augustine, Florida, and a graduate of George Mason University. Find him on his website or on Twitter @HunterDeRensis.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: The War State and Why The Vietnam War?, by Mike Swanson; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; and Thc Hemp Spot.

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Scott interviews writer and State Department veteran Peter Van Buren about Taiwan. Van Buren is sticking with his assessment that a Chinese invasion of Taiwan will not happen because there’s too much money to be lost if trade between China, Taiwan and the U.S. takes a hit. However, he does fault the American government for doing its best to escalate the conflict. In this interview, he talks with Scott about Pelosi’s visit, the early history of the Taiwan conflict, China’s current navy, the narrative that China is already waging economic war on the U.S. and more. 

Discussed on the show:

• “How Does Asia Feel About Nancy Pelosi?” (The American Conservative)
• “Nancy’s Pointless Trip to Taiwan” (The American Conservative)
• “Strategic Ambiguity Works” (The American Conservative)
• China’s White Paper on Taiwan
• American Factory (IMDb)
• “Why Bombs Made in America Have Been Killing Civilians in Yemen” (New York Times)
• “China: From Death Camp to Civilization” (LewRockwell.com)

Peter Van Buren worked for 24 years at the Department of State including a year in Iraq. He is the author of We Meant Well: How I Helped Lose the Battle for the Hearts and Minds of the Iraqi People and the novel Hooper’s War. He is now a contributing editor at The American Conservative magazine.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: The War State and Why The Vietnam War?, by Mike Swanson; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; and Thc Hemp Spot.

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Scott talks with Shane McCarver about an article he published last week at Antiwar.com challenging the wild assertions David Petraeus made in his Atlantic article earlier this month. Despite its length, Petraeus makes almost no concrete claims in his piece. Instead, he spends 10,000 words to make vague notions about grit and commitment that conveniently protect him from blame. One of the few specific arguments he does make, however, is that the U.S. should have supplied the Afghan National Army with more Russian-made MI-17 helicopters. McCarver was a soldier in Afghanistan working on this exact task up until the collapse of the ANA last summer. He explains to Scott why Petraeus’s argument that more helicopters could have prevented the Taliban’s victory is absurd. 

Discussed on the show:

• “In Rebuke of the Dishonorable David Petraeus” (Antiwar.com)
• “Afghanistan Did Not Have To Turn Out This Way” (The Atlantic)

Shane McCarver was a soldier in the United States army from 2013-2017. He worked as a logistics analyst on the DOD contract maintaining the MI-17 helicopters and the PC-12 fixed wing aircraft of the Afghan Air Force and Afghan Army Special Mission Wing from November 2018 until July 2021. He has since found honest work as a shipping coordinator for a manufacturer in Newport, New Hampshire.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: The War State and Why The Vietnam War?, by Mike Swanson; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; and Thc Hemp Spot.

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Scott interviews the Libertarian Institute executive editor Sheldon Richman about a column he put out last Friday. In it, he discusses the massive boost Biden’s spending bill gives the IRS. Richman explains why strengthening tax enforcement will disproportionally hurt non-wealthy Americans. That leads to a broader discussion of how totalitarian the tax system in the United States has become and how much worse it’s slated to get thanks to this expansion. 

Discussed on the show:

• “TGIF: The Coming New and Improved IRS” (The Libertarian Institute)
• “Lottery!” (IMDb)
• Your Money or Your Life: Why We Must Abolish the Income Tax by Sheldon Richman

Sheldon Richman is the executive editor of the Libertarian Institute and the author of Coming to Palestine and America’s Counter-Revolution: The Constitution Revisited. Follow him on Twitter @SheldonRichman.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: The War State and Why The Vietnam War?, by Mike Swanson; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; and Thc Hemp Spot.

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

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Scott was joined by Shireen Al-Adeimi on Antiwar Radio this week to discuss the fragile truce in Yemen. In this interview, she updates us on the state of the ceasefire and the issues facing its continuation. She also explains the historical context behind Saudi Arabia’s intervention in Yemen. Lastly, Scott and Al-Adeimi puncture the myths of Iranian involvement in the current war. 

Discussed on the show:

• “How long will the fragile truce in Yemen last?” (Responsible Statecraft)
• “Yemeni Civil War Unleashes a Plague of Locusts” (Antiwar.com)
• “The Houthis Are Not Hezbollah” (Foreign Policy)

Shireen Al-Adeimi is a non-resident fellow at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft and an assistant professor of Education at Michigan State. She conducts research on language and literacy and writes frequently about Yemen. Follow her on Twitter @shireen818.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: The War State and Why The Vietnam War?, by Mike Swanson; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; and Thc Hemp Spot.

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

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Kyle Anzalone of the Libertarian Institute and Antiwar.com was back on Antiwar Radio on Sunday to run through all the biggest news stories taking place this week. He and Scott talk about Kosovo, Crimea, NATO expansion, Kaliningrad, Ukrainian grain, New START and Pelosi’s trip to Taiwan. 

Discussed on the show:

• Antiwar.com News
• Libertarian Institute News 

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

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: The War State and Why The Vietnam War?, by Mike Swanson; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; and Thc Hemp Spot.

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Scott talks with Daniel Davis about David Petraeus’s latest attempt to rewrite the history of the war in Afghanistan. Davis knows firsthand how the war actually played out back when Petraeus was in charge because his job required him to travel all over the country. The mismatch between what he witnessed and how it was all being presented to the American people convinced him to break rank and go public. In this interview, he debunks the claim that the war in Afghanistan could have been won, and he rips the media for continuing to listen to men like Petraeus, whose history of lying about the war is not even controversial.

Discussed on the show:

• “David Petraeus Is Wrong” (19fortyfive)
• “Go Big or Go Deep” — Davis’s 2009 Report
• Blunt Vietnam Vet Marine Tells You Exactly What Happened To Him
• “The Afghanistan Papers” (Washington Post)
• “Afghanistan Did Not Have to Turn Out This Way” (The Atlantic)

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: The War State and Why The Vietnam War?, by Mike Swanson; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; and Thc Hemp Spot.

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

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Scott interviews journalist and author Matthieu Aikins about life in Afghanistan one year after the withdrawal of U.S. troops. Having spent a lot of time in the country, Aikins is able to give a nuanced and detailed account of the problems facing Afghans and how they’re addressing them. He speaks with Scott about the country’s economic problems, rifts within the Taliban and the apparent killing of Al Qaeda leader Ayman Al-Zawahiri in Kabul at the end of July. 

Discussed on the show:

• “The Taliban’s Dangerous Collision Course With the West” (NYT Magazine)
• “11 Years After Trying to Kill Each Other, a Marine and a Talib Meet Again” (New York Times)

Mathieu Aikins is an international freelance journalist and author of the book The Naked Don’t Fear the Water: A Journey Through the Refugee Underground. Follow him on Twitter @mattaikins.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: The War State and Why The Vietnam War?, by Mike Swanson; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; and Thc Hemp Spot.

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