Daniel Davis returns to the show to give an update on the war in Ukraine. He and Scott discuss the ongoing talks, the consequences of Ukraine’s incursion into the Kursk region of Russia, the presence of North Korean troops, the actual Russian objectives on the battlefield and more.

Discussed on the show:

Watch Daniel Davis’ Show on YouTube

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 @DanielLDavis1and subscribe to his YouTube Channel.

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

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9/6/21 Magnus Panvidya on the Upcoming Day of Antiwar Protests

Scott sits down with Magnus Panvidya to discuss the upcoming antiwar protests that will take place all over the country on September 11th. All indications point to a sizable turnout that is, importantly, not monopolized by any one party or idealogy. Just as the antiwar movement ought to be. Further information can be found in the link below.

Discussed on the show:

https://www.endthedamnwars.org/

Magnus Panvidya is an activist based out of Michigan. Follow him on Twitter @PanvidyaMagnus

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; EasyShip; Thc Hemp Spot; Green Mill Supercritical; Bug-A-Salt; Lorenzotti Coffee and Listen and Think Audio.

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9/3/21 Coleen Rowley on the Many Ways 9/11 Could Have Been Prevented

Scott speaks with FBI whistleblower Coleen Rowley about the institutional failures that occurred before and after the 9/11 attacks. Rowley believes that there are many ways the attacks could have been prevented ranging from better information sharing between agencies to the locking of cockpit doors. After the attacks, Rowley says bureaucratic changes alone would have been enough to prevent similar attacks from occurring again and been a lot less costly than launching wars and spying on the world’s population. But both Scott and Rowley observe that instead the tragedy was seized upon by people with predefined agendas, something they both find just as morally reprehensible as prior knowledge of the attacks.

Discussed on the show:

Coleen Rowley is a retired FBI agent and lawyer who helped expose the FBI’s pre-9/11 failures. She was honored with TIME magazine’s “Person of the Year” in 2002. Find her on Twitter @ColeenRowley.

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9/3/21 Danny Sjursen on Afghanistan, Veterans and Counterinsurgency

Scott interviews Danny Sjursen and gets his reaction to the Taliban victory in Afghanistan. Sjursen thinks the Taliban’s campaign to take control of the country may soon be studied in war colleges. He also thinks that Scott’s book Fool’s Errand should be studied at war colleges, or at least books just as critical of the wars. Sjursen then talks about how this is a tough time for veterans, but that that isn’t a reason to hold back criticism of the war. That the idea that being antiwar implies a hatred of the troops is ridiculous and convenient for those in power. Lastly, Sjursen reflects on the counterinsurgency mission he took part in Afghanistan.

Discussed on the show:

The Hunt for Red October
Redeployment by Phil Klay
“American Purpose After the Fall of Kabul” (New Yorker)
Curb Your Enthusiasm clip
The Operators by Michael Hastings
War Machine
Reign of Terror by Spencer Ackerman

Danny Sjursen is a retired U.S. army major and former history instructor at West Point. He is the author of Ghost Riders of Baghdad: Soldiers, Civilians, and the Myth of the Surge, Patriotic Dissent: America in the Age of Endless War and A True History of the United States: Indigenous Genocide, Racialized Slavery, Hyper-Capitalism, Militarist Imperialism and Other Overlooked Aspects of American Exceptionalism. Follow him on Twitter @SkepticalVet.

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9/3/21 Gareth Porter on the Media’s Reaction to the Withdrawal From Afghanistan

Gareth Porter joins Scott on Antiwar Radio to discuss his latest piece about the media’s reaction to Afghanistan. Porter lays out how virtually the entire media ecosystem is arguing the withdrawal was done prematurely from both a counterterrorism standpoint and in terms of the evacuation of American citizens and allies. However, the media is ignoring the root of the problem was the overconfidence the U.S. Military and Intelligence Community had in the Afghan National Army. Porter argues that that is where the blame ought to lie, rather than squarely on Biden. Now Porter thinks we’ve reached an inflection point, with historic calls for those responsible for these disastrous wars to be held accountable.

Discussed on the show:

Gareth Porter’s page at the Grayzone
“Afghanistan collapse reveals Beltway media’s loyalty to permanent war state” (Grazone)
news.antiwar.com — better than CIA briefings according to Chalmers Johnson
“Surprise, panic and fateful choices: The day America lost its longest war” (Washington Post)
“Top defense firms spend $1B on lobbying during Afghan war, see $2T return” (Responsible Statecraft)
Joe Kent on Tucker

Gareth Porter is an investigative historian and journalist on the national security state. He is the author of Manufactured Crisis: The Untold Story of the Iran Nuclear Scare and, with John Kiriakou, The CIA Insider’s Guide to the Iran Crisis. Follow him on Twitter @GarethPorter and listen to Gareth’s previous appearances on the Scott Horton Show.

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9/3/21 Dan McKnight on Defend the Guard and the Withdrawal From Afghanistan

Scott talks with Dan McKnight about the effort to pass Defend the Guard legislation, which would block the use of National Guard troops in foreign combat operations without a declaration of war. McKnight gives background on what led him to become involved in political activism and how the absence of the Louisiana National Guard during Hurricane Ida is yet another reason for this legislation. Scott and McKnight also talk about the value veterans bring to the movement to end wars. Lastly, McKnight explains that despite being relieved the war is over, he believes the Afghanistan withdrawal was handled disgracefully.

Discussed on the show:

Dan McKnight is the founder and Chairman of Idahoans to Bring Our Troops Home. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves, three years active duty with the U.S. Army and ten years with the Idaho Army National Guard, including a one-year deployment to Afghanistan in 2006.

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8/30/21 Jack Murphy on America’s Failed Drone Campaign in Afghanistan

Scott talks with Jack Murphy about the piece he wrote detailing the surge in drone strikes that took place under President Trump. Murphy explains how the whole project started when a distraught drone operator approached him. It quickly became clear that that drone operator was not alone. Murphy details how Rules of Engagement (ROE) are formulated and how they evolved during the Obama and Trump presidencies. This leads to a discussion of the ruthless drone campaign that the U.S. carried out against the Taliban during negotiations. A campaign that killed numerous Afghan men for the crime of simply using a radio.

Discussed on the show:

“Looser rules, more civilian deaths, a Taliban takeover: Inside America’s failed Afghan drone campaign” (Audacy)
“The Uncounted” (New York Times)
Rand Corporation Study on Limited Intervention

Jack Murphy is an eight-year Army Special Operations veteran. After returning to civilian life in 2010, he graduated from Columbia University in 2014 with a bachelor’s degree in political science. Find his memoir here and follow him on Twitter @JackMurphyRGR

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8/27/21 Ashraf Nubani on Why Sirhan Sirhan, the Man Convicted for Killing Robert Kennedy, Ought to Be Released

Scott interviews attorney and writer Ashraf Nubani about his recent piece making a case for releasing Robert Kennedy’s convicted assassin Sirhan Sirhan. Nubani explains that Sirhan meets all the stated requirements of the parole board and that the pressure to keep him in prison is mainly political.

Note: This interview was recorded hours before the news broke that the California Parole Board recommended Sirhan’s release. Governor Newsom’s office will now review the case and can still block parole.

Discussed on the show:

“It’s time for Sirhan Sirhan to go free” (The Electronic Intifada)
“Sirhan Sirhan, convicted of Robert F. Kennedy assassination, seeks parole with no opposition from prosecutors” (Washington Post)

Ashraf W. Nubani is an attorney and a Palestinian American and Muslim community leader in the Washington, DC, metro area.

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8/27/21 Daniel Davis on the Kabul Airport Bombing

Scott speaks with Daniel Davis about the suicide bombing at the entrance to the Kabul Airport. Davis considers this an especially devastating attack because the soldiers killed were only days away from being withdrawn from the country. He also believes that these withdrawal issues could have been prevented if U.S. troops had left a decade ago instead of flooding the country as they did under Obama’s surge. Davis goes on to explain why he has no respect for those who lie to the families of dead soldiers about what they died fighting for, all while sending new soldiers off to the same pointless mission. Finally, Davis takes on the argument that we should never have given up Bagram Air Base, and he explains why taking it back now would be disastrous.

Discussed on the show:

“Looser rules, more civilian deaths, a Taliban takeover: Inside America’s failed Afghan drone campaign” (Audacy)

Daniel Davis did multiple tours in Iraq and Afghanistan during his time in the army. He writes a weekly column for National Interest 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.

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Recent Episodes of the Scott Horton Show

3/14/25 Daniel Davis on the Ukraine War Talks

Recommended reading

9/6/21 Magnus Panvidya on the Upcoming Day of Antiwar Protests

9/3/21 Coleen Rowley on the Many Ways 9/11 Could Have Been Prevented

9/3/21 Danny Sjursen on Afghanistan, Veterans and Counterinsurgency

9/3/21 Gareth Porter on the Media’s Reaction to the Withdrawal From Afghanistan

9/3/21 Dan McKnight on Defend the Guard and the Withdrawal From Afghanistan

8/30/21 Jack Murphy on America’s Failed Drone Campaign in Afghanistan

8/27/21 Ashraf Nubani on Why Sirhan Sirhan, the Man Convicted for Killing Robert Kennedy, Ought to Be Released

8/27/21 Daniel Davis on the Kabul Airport Bombing

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