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Scott interviews former Green Beret Tony Aguilar about the scenes he witnessed while working as a GHF contractor in Gaza. First, Aguilar and Scott discuss his background and how he ended up in Gaza. They then dig into what he witnessed. 

Discussed on the show:

• Aguilar’s interview with Tucker Carlson
• “American Security Contractor Unloads On US-Israeli ‘Gaza Humanitarian Foundation’” (Zeteo)
• “Contractor linked to US-backed aid group details chaos in Gaza” (ITV News)

Tony Aguilar is a retired Army special forces soldier who recently worked as a contractor for the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation where he says he witnessed various war crimes committed by the IDF against the people of Gaza. 

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 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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Ben Freeman is back to talk about who’s really influencing United States foreign policy. Freeman recently wrote a paper about the Taiwan lobby. He talks to Scott about how this Taiwan lobby was involved in making the recent Pelosi trip happen. Scott and Freeman talk about how we find ourselves in a situation where foreign governments have more influence on America’s policies than the American people and American business too. 

Discussed on the show:

• “The Taiwan Lobby” (Center for International Policy)
• “How the Taiwan lobby helped pave the way for Pelosi’s trip” (Responsible Statecraft)
• “Bipartisan ‘Fighting Foreign Influence Act’ targets think tank funding” (Responsible Statecraft)
• “The well-traveled road from member of Congress to foreign agent” (Responsible Statecraft)
• “Feds accuse Brookings president Gen. Allen of illegally lobbying for Qatar” (Responsible Statecraft)

Ben Freeman is a Research Fellow at the Quincy Institute. He previously served as Director of the Foreign Influence Transparency Initiative with the Center for International Policy. Read his work at Antiwar.com and Responsible Statecraft. Follow him on Twitter @BenFreemanDC.

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.