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Ken Klippenstein joins Scott to discuss some articles he recently wrote about the plan the American government has for fighting a war with Iran. They start with a discussion of Trump’s strikes on the Houthis of Yemen and then get into all Klippenstein’s learned about how Washington would go about fighting a hot war against the Iranian regime. 

Discussed on the show:

• “Trump Is Now at War With Iran” (Substack)
• “The Iran War Plan” (Substack)
• “The Nuclear War Plan for Iran” (Substack)

Kenneth Klippenstein is an American journalist who worked at The Intercept. Prior to joining The Intercept, Klippenstein was the D.C. Correspondent at The Nation, and previously was a senior investigative reporter for the online news program The Young Turks. Follow his work on Substack

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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Scott interviews Justin Cornett and Josh Eakle about their organization, For All Tennessee, which they describe as a lobbying group for the people. Cornett and Eakle target specific reforms that just about everyone in their state can agree on, bringing together moderate liberals, Trump supporters and democratic socialists on issues like ballot access, civil asset forfeiture, police chokeholds, no-knock SWAT raids and excessive emergency gubernatorial powers. For All Tennessee met with great success this year, and they hope to do even better going forward.

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.

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

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Scott talks to Kevin Gosztola and John Kiriakou about the trial of drone whistleblower Daniel Hale, who was just sentenced to 45 months in prison for crimes under the espionage act. Hale’s case is unlike some other recent whistleblowers, in that he freely pled guilty to an espionage charge but maintained that his actions were morally justified. Kiriakou stresses that with good behavior, time served and substance abuse recovery programs, 45 months really means more like a year and a half. And while that’s a long time to sit in prison, he says this is a big victory for Hale, considering what could have happened. In fact, the judge in his case seemed not to buy the prosecution’s bogus case at all, namely that Hale was a petty self-aggrandizer, who leaked these documents for reasons of personal ambition. The judge dismissed four other charges that the prosecution might have tried to bring against Hale, securing a relative victory compared to what could have been.

Discussed on the show:

• The Assassination Complex: Inside the Government’s Secret Drone Warfare Program
• “The Drone Papers: Secret documents detail the U.S. assassination program.” (The Intercept)
• “National Bird (2016)” (IMDb)

Kevin Gosztola is managing editor of Shadowproof. He also produces and co-hosts the weekly podcast, “Unauthorized Disclosure.” Follow him on Twitter @kgosztola.

John Kiriakou is a former CIA officer and author of The Convenient Terrorist: Two Whistleblowers’ Stories of Torture, Terror, Secret Wars, and CIA Lies and Doing Time Like A Spy. He is the host of Loud and Clear on Sputnik Radio. Follow him on Twitter @JohnKiriakou.

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.

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

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Scott interviews Gareth Porter about the tenuous and secretive relationship between the U.S., China and Taiwan. Since the Nixon administration, Porter explains, America has had an official, but mostly tacit, policy of supporting the “one China” principle—but U.S. officials rarely say so publicly. This has left an ambiguity surrounding Taiwan’s status, and during the Obama administration one top Taiwan official in particular suddenly broke with America’s longstanding policy of urging the Taiwanese not to push too hard against the mainland Chinese government. This encouragement has helped erode cross-Strait relations in recent years and has made Taiwan a potential hotspot for U.S. involvement in an open conflict with China. Such a conflict between nuclear superpowers, of course, would be utterly disastrous for all mankind.

Discussed on the show:

• “How Washington’s top Taiwan specialist embraced separatist party leader and opened new cross-Strait crisis” (The Grayzone)
• “How a key Pentagon official turned China policy over to arms industry and Taiwan supporters” (The Grayzone)

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.

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.

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

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David Swanson discusses the new congressional and presidential war powers legislation that’s been proposed by Senators Murphy, Lee and Sanders. Swanson describes his initial fears about the bill, given how bad previous attempts to modify congressional war powers and AUMFs have been in recent years. And yet this bill is surprisingly good: it addresses issues like cutting off funding for unauthorized wars, shortening the time that a president can wage such a war before seeking congressional approval and ensuring that the U.S. has a specific enemy any time it wants to start some new conflict. The legislation still leaves room for some of the loopholes and ambiguities we’ve come to expect, but in general, Swanson is pleased with the effort and optimistic about its future.

Discussed on the show:

• “War Powers Reform Bill Far Better Than Feared” (Scoop News)
• Civil Resistance: What Everyone Needs to Know
  
• “The Singing Revolution (2006)” (IMDb)

David Swanson is an author, activist, journalist, radio host, and Nobel Peace Prize Nominee. He is the author of War is a Lie, When the World Outlawed War and Leaving World War II Behind. Find him on Twitter @davidcnswanson.

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.

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

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Scott talks to Dave DeCamp about what’s going on in the various corners of America’s would-be empire. In Afghanistan, as predicted, the Taliban have been making gains against the Afghan government as the U.S. military withdraws—but the Biden administration’s withdrawal is still tepid, as they plan to keep a small number of troops to protect the embassy and to keep funding the Afghan military until at least 2022. In Iraq, things might be even worse, since DeCamp thinks the recent announcement that the U.S. is ending its “combat mission” is nothing more than a PR move that redefines the mission without actually changing it. Scott and DeCamp also touch on Yemen, Russia, China and Israel.

Discussed on the show:

• “U.S. Troops to Withdraw From Iraq—on Paper at Least” (Foreign Policy)
• “British Warships Enter South China Sea” (Antiwar.com)
• “US Air Force to send dozens of F-22 fighter jets to the Pacific amid tensions with China” (CNN)
• “Opinion | What Ben & Jerry’s Has to Do With Israel and Cybersecurity” (The New York Times)
• “‘It shows that BDS works’: Wafic Faour on how a group of Vermont activists got Ben & Jerry’s to move” (Mondoweiss)
• “Poll finds a quarter of US Jews think Israel is ‘apartheid state’” (The Times of Israel)

Dave DeCamp is the assistant news editor of Antiwar.com. Follow him on Twitter @decampdave.

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.

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

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Scott interviews journalist Mark Curtis about his investigations into the UK role in the wars in Syria and Yemen. Regarding Yemen, Britain has long denied any involvement in that war, says Curtis, but it’s now been revealed that they, like the U.S., have been helping the Saudi coalition for years. The precise nature of the help the British government is giving isn’t exactly clear, but it likely involves the same things the Americans have been doing all along: training Saudi troops, assisting them with bomb targeting and providing weapons and spare parts, without which they could never wage this war. Curtis also reiterates just how desperate the situation is for the civilian population of Yemen, who have been facing what the UN calls the worst humanitarian crisis in the world. Curtis and Scott also discuss the British government’s efforts to promote regime change in Syria.

Discussed on the show:

• “Revealed: The UK has spent £350-million promoting regime change in Syria” (Declassified UK)

Mark Curtis is a British journalist and foreign policy analyst. He is the author of The Great Deception, Web of Deceit and, most recently, Secret Affairs: Britain’s Collusion with Radical Islam. Follow him on Twitter @markcurtis30.

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.

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

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Peter McCormack discusses the latest developments in the world of Bitcoin. The most important news is that El Salvador moved to make Bitcoin legal tender, alongside the U.S. dollar, which McCormack says is huge for its viability as a mainstream currency. Bitcoin should help to solve several problems that have long plagued El Salvador’s economy, and other Latin American countries may well follow suit. More and more people are also spending and accepting Bitcoin around the world, rather than just using it as an investment, especially as payment networks get better. Of course, the U.S. government isn’t terribly happy about any of this, since it threatens the position of the dollar as the world’s reserve currency. The beautiful thing about Bitcoin, McCormack says, is that there’s nothing they can do to stop it.

Discussed on the show:

• “How Bitcoiners Are Working With El Salvador’s Leaders” (Decrypt)
• “Contra Corner Monetary Arsonists At Work” (David Stockman’s Contra Corner)

Peter McCormack is the host of the What Bitcoin Did podcast. Follow him on Twitter @PeterMcCormack.

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; Zippix Toothpicks and Listen and Think Audio.

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

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Ron Enzweiler discusses the unlearned lessons of America’s wasteful and doomed wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. First of all, he says, we should have known that the only thing keeping Iraq together was Saddam Hussein’s stranglehold on power, which prevented a civil war from breaking out. After the United States deposed him, explains Enzweiler, those tensions were going to bubble over no matter what. The best thing to do now would be to leave Iraq as soon as possible, but stubborn superstitions like the “safe haven” myth and the idea that President Obama pulled troops out too quickly make it hard for anyone to push withdrawal even today. In the case of Afghanistan, Enzweiler says that some fear the Taliban will not only take over that country, but will also try to export their vision of Islam to other nations. But this is a fundamental misunderstanding of who the Taliban are and what they want. They aren’t jihadists, says Enzweiler—they just want to spread their way of life within their own country and keep out foreign occupiers who try to change that. Social progress and cosmopolitanism may come to Afghanistan eventually, but we cannot force those things at the point of a gun.

Discussed on the show:

• “Iraq and Afghan Wars: Requiem for America’s Ineffectual War State” (Antiwar.com)

Ron Enzweiler is an air force veteran and worked for USAID in Iraq for seven years. He is the author of When Will We Ever Learn. You can follow his writing at Antiwar.com.

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; Zippix Toothpicks and Listen and Think Audio.

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

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