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Scott brings Jason Jones of the Vulnerable People Project on the show to discuss his organization’s effort to help the civilians bearing the brunt of the Israeli government’s violence in Gaza.

Discussed on the show:

• The Vulnerable People Project
• Killing Gaza| A documentary film about life under siege | Dan Cohen and Max Blumenthal

Jason Jones is a film producer, author, activist, popular podcast host, and dedicated human rights worker. And he is the founder and president of The Vulnerable People Project. Subscribe to his Substack.

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 

You can also support Scott’s work by making a one-time or recurring donation at https://scotthorton.org/donate/https://scotthortonshow.com or https://patreon.com/scotthortonshow

Eric Margolis talks with Scott about the situation in Afghanistan as American forces continue to withdraw. Of course, the last few days have seen nonstop headlines proclaiming an utter disaster in the country, many of them excoriating President Biden for having screwed things up so badly. But Scott and Margolis remind us just how much worse things could be. Margolis points out that for one thing, some Afghan government officials seem to have been quietly preparing for a transfer of power far in advance, such that when U.S. forces pulled out, they were prepared to more or less let the Taliban take over. You don’t have to be a fan of the Taliban to realize that this relatively peaceful transfer of power is far better than the alternative: months of bloody and destructive fighting followed by victory for the Taliban anyway. Even in areas like women’s rights, Margolis explains that the current generation of Taliban leadership isn’t as harsh as their fathers and grandfathers—Taliban spokesmen have been quick to reassure the West that they want women to play a bigger role in society. The last thing Americans should do is let war hawks use the chaos in Afghanistan as an excuse for us to go back into the country and stay forever.

Discussed on the show:

• David Patraeus’ Counterinsurgency Manual
• “Against All Enemies: US trained Uighur terrorists” (Eric Margolis)
• “The U.S. is secretly helping the Taliban fight ISIS in Afghanistan” (The Washington Post)

Eric Margolis is a foreign affairs correspondent and author of War at the Top of the World and American Raj. Follow him on Twitter @EricMargolis and visit his website, ericmargolis.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 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 Matthew Hoh, the Marine veteran who blew the whistle about the doomed Afghan Surge. Hoh lays out what led him to resign in protest and go to the press with the truth about how hopeless the military’s counterinsurgency mission really was. Hoh then explains that, while he is upset that few listened to him back then, he is more disappointed about how many of his colleagues agreed with him, but kept their agreement quiet. Scott and Hoh go through the history of the Obama surge and observe how the pundits and generals who were the most wrong tended to get rewarded with promotions and fame. Finally, Hoh talks about resources available to veterans who are struggling and opens up about how those resources have helped him. 

Discussed on the show:

• “US Official Resigns Over Afghan War” (Washington Post)
• About Face
• Obama’s Wars
• Carlotta Gall at the New York Times
• The Soldier’s Heart by Jacob George
• “What America Didn’t Understand About It’s Longest War” (Politico)
• “The Afghanistan Papers” (Washington Post)
• The Afghanistan Papers: A Secret History of the War
• Kelley Vlahos at Responsible Statecraft
• “Afghanistan Veterans Struggling with News of Taliban Takeover” (Defense One)
• VA.gov

Matthew Hoh is a senior fellow at the Center for International Policy and formerly worked for the U.S. State Department. Hoh received the Ridenhour Prize Recipient for Truth Telling in 2010. Hoh is a member of the Board of Directors for Council for a Livable World and is an Advisory Board Member for Expose Facts. He writes on issues of war, peace and post-traumatic stress disorder recovery at https://matthewhoh.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 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 Andrew Cockburn about his 2014 article on Afghan-born neoconservative Zalmay Khalilzad. Cockburn explains how it was Khalilzad who selected new leaders for Afghanistan and Iraq after the old regimes had fallen to U.S. forces. Scott and Cockburn also touch on Khalilzad’s role in “the Redirection” when the U.S. began backing bin Ladenite groups in an attempt to counter Iran. In the end, Scott and Cockburn think Khalilzad deserves a lot of blame for the current problems in the middle east. However, he also deserves credit for following Trump’s order and negotiating a deal with the Taliban.

Discussed on the show:

• “The Long Shadow of a Neocon” (Harper’s Magazine)
• “How the US military got rich from Afghanistan” (The Spectator World)
• “The Redirection” (The New Yorker)

Andrew Cockburn is the Washington editor of Harper’s Magazine and the author of Kill Chain: The Rise of the High-Tech Assassins. Follow him on Twitter @andrewmcockburn.

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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Joseph Solis-Mullen discusses the claim that America must now turn its attention toward China as the new threat of global hegemony. War hawks will cite China’s growing economic supremacy, many alleged human rights abuses and supposed imperialistic designs on its neighbors. To some extent, this characterization is true: Solis-Mullen grants that China’s government can be extraordinarily abusive to its people, and says that he wouldn’t be surprised if it tried to take over Taiwan. But in general, there are simply way too many problems with the narrative that China is an imperialistic threat to the West. Most importantly, he explains, China’s economy is teetering on a knife’s edge—years of bad debt, bad monetary policy and misallocation of centrally-planned resources, combined with a catastrophically unbalanced population pyramid, make China’s future as an economic superpower anything but certain. Most of this fear mongering, Solis-Mullen concludes, is simply propaganda designed to give the American people another bogeyman to fear, and to help line the pockets of the arms manufacturers.

Discussed on the show:

• “China Won’t Be Taking Over the World” (Mises Institute)

Joseph Solis-Mullen is a political scientist and author. Follow all his work at his website.

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 Ken Bensinger of Buzzfeed News about the role of FBI informants in the plot to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer. Bensinger explains that informants played a heavy role in the militia group involved and helped motivate members to take violent action. Although none of the fifteen arrested was assisting the government, informants helped provide the group with training, were present for surveillance of Whitmer’s property and were present during the storming of the Michigan Capitol on April 30th. Overall, Bensinger has trouble seeing how these events would have happened without the presence of government informants. 

Discussed on the show:

• “Watching The Watchmen” (Buzzfeed News)
• “The Day Shall Come” (IMDb)

Ken Bensinger is an investigative reporter for BuzzFeed News and the author of Red Card: How the U.S. Blew the Whistle on the World’s Biggest Sports Scandal. Follow him on Twitter @kenbensinger.

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 is joined by Adam Kokesh, who gives his perspective on how much blame cops and soldiers bear for the immorality of their actions. Scott describes the way we seem to cut soldiers some slack, largely because they tend to be younger when they join up, the propaganda is so much fiercer and it can be difficult to quit the military. But Kokesh, a combat veteran himself, is adamant that people can absolutely leave the military once they realize they no longer believe in what’s being done. He describes this process and provides resources that can help soldiers start to do the right thing.

Discussed on the show:

• Adam vs. The Man
• GI Rights Hotline
• Homefront Battle Buddies

Adam Kokesh is a libertarian political activist, radio host, and author. Follow him on Twitter @adamkokesh.

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 Daniel Davis about his recent Fox News article praising President Biden for standing firm (so far) in his intent to end the war in Afghanistan. Davis explains that although the Taliban takeover and the increase in violence in the wake of the American military’s withdrawal is regrettable, it was also predictable. And no matter whether we left ten years ago or if we were to leave in another 20 years, a stable peace in Afghanistan is simply not going to be achieved in the foreseeable future. It’s better to leave as soon as possible, cut our losses and stop inflicting harm on the Afghan people who don’t want America in their country in the first place.

Discussed on the show:

• “20 years is enough, Biden right to plan firm end to war” (Fox News)
• “In Afghan War, Officer Becomes a Whistle-Blower” (The New York Times)
• “Rambo III (1988)” (IMDb)

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.

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 Ray McGovern about his decades as a CIA analyst, with a particular focus on U.S.–Russia policy from Kennedy to George H. W. Bush. They also discuss America’s growing antagonism toward Russia and China in recent years, and the attempt to expand NATO eastward. McGovern describes not only the many follies of incompetent and hubristic government officials, but also the ways that special interests—like those of the military-industrial complex—are often deliberately advanced at the expense of the well-being of American citizens.

Discussed on the show:

• Mary’s Mosaic: The CIA Conspiracy to Murder John F. Kennedy, Mary Pinchot Meyer, and Their Vision for World Peace: Third Edition
  
• The Doomsday Machine: Confessions of a Nuclear War Planner
  
• JFK and the Unspeakable: Why He Died and Why It Matters
  
• JFK: The Smoking Gun
• “JFK (1991)” (IMDb)
• The Yankee and Cowboy War
  
• “Opinion | Chicken Kiev, the Sequel” (The New York Times)
• “The Putin Interviews” (SHOWTIME)
• “The Rape of Russia, Testimony of Anne Williamson Before the House Banking Committee” (Softpanorama)
• “TIME Magazine Cover: Boris Yeltsin – July 15, 1996 – Boris Yeltsin” (TIME)
• “Ideologies behind the Soviet Power” (Foreign Affairs)
• “Opinion | Foreign Affairs; Now a Word From X” (The New York Times)
• Duty: Memoirs of a Secretary at War
  
• “The Real Reason to Intervene in Syria” (Foreign Policy)
• “NYET means NYET” (WikiLeaks)
• “Opinion | What Putin Has to Say to Americans About Syria” (The New York Times)
• “Ukraine crisis: Transcript of leaked Nuland-Pyatt call” (BBC News)
• “The Afghanistan Papers” (Washington Post)

Ray McGovern is the co-creator of Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity and the former chief of the CIA’s Soviet analysts division. Read all of his work at his website: raymcgovern.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 and Listen and Think Audio.

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

https://youtu.be/tzNN37qmozA

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