Nasser Arrabyee returns to the show to discuss recent Saudi massacres in Sana’a, the worsening cholera epidemic, and how despite Saudi Arabia’s brutal tactics, they are no closer to achieving their goals. Arrabyee explains how the Saudis have tried to create a split between Yemeni president Saleh and his on-again, off-again Houthi allies. Arabyee details how Saudi Arabia has pressured the Yemeni people, many of whom have been denied their salaries for months on end, to stage a popular uprising. Arabyee explains why the “legitimate government” in Aden is a big lie, the role Iran is playing in the conflict and explains why it’s wrong to consider what’s happening a civil war.

Arrabyee is a Yemeni journalist based in Sana’a, Yemen. He is the owner and director of yemen-now.com. You can follow him on Twiiter @narrabyee.

Discussed on the show:

• Ali Abdullah Saleh
• Houthis
• Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi
• Sana’a
• “Saudi Coalition Airstrikes Near Yemen’s Capital Kill Civilians” (New York Times)
• “Young Yemeni Girl Is Sole Survivor After Airstrike Topples Her Home” (New York Times)
• “Saudi-led air strikes hit Yemen hotel killing 60 people including civilians and rebels” (The Independent)
• “8/28/17 MSF’s Clair Manera on the cholera epidemic in Yemen” (Scott Horton Show)
• “Suspected Cholera Cases Pass 300,000 In Yemen, Red Cross Says” (NPR)
• “Yemen sees growing divisions between allied rebel groups” (Al Jazeera)
• “Yemen war: Why Houthis and Saleh forces are trading insults and bullets” (Middle East Eye)
• “Yemen blames Iran for war, says it can’t be part of solution” (Washington Post)
• Al Hudaydah (port)
• “Gerald Feierstein, a Gulf-funded expert pushing catastrophic war on Yemen, appears to have lied to Congress,” by Ben Norton (Salon.com)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 42:01 — 38.5MB)

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Claire Manera from Médecins Sans Frontières returns to the show to discuss the cholera epidemic in Yemen, which has somehow gotten much worse. When Manera was on the show less than two months ago there were an estimated 30,000 cholera cases; today there are more than 300,000. So many people are sick that they aren’t able to get to the hospital and many are dying in their homes without the critical care they need. Manera explains how cholera spreads and why the Saudi-U.S. war in Yemen has exasperated the impoverished conditions. The epidemic has gotten so bad, particularly among children, that in some cases patients die within just a few hours of contracting the disease. The case fatality rate is growing as the disease spreads rapidly and many people can’t get transport to hospitals. Tragically Manera expects the upcoming rainy season to make the dire situation even worse. Finally, Manera explains how people can help Doctors Without Borders in Yemen, including by helping to provide chlorine and saline.

Claire Manera is the coordinator of Médecins Sans Frontières in Yemen.

Discussed on the show:

• “Suspected Cholera Cases Pass 300,000 In Yemen, Red Cross Says” (NPR)
• Doctors Without Borders (Yemen)
• Clair Manera on the Scott Horton Show

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Journalist and author Daniel Lazare returns to the show to discuss his latest article for Consortium News, “Israel’s Alarm over Syrian Debacle.” Lazare explains that while ISIS and al-Qaeda are on the verge of being defeated in Syria, there are new conflicts brewing over Israel’s concern about Hezbollah’s power on the Syrian border, which has led them to provide different aid for the anti-Assad Syrian rebels. Lazare believes that Israel has made a major miscalculation in Syria that has empowered its Muslim opponents. Lazare and Scott then detail how the U.S. has flirted with Islamic jihad as a tool against the greater enemy going all the way back to the Eisenhower presidency and the elephant in the room, which Lazare says has driven policy in Washington: oil. Lazare believes that the U.S. sees its imperial future tied directly to control over the Persian Gulf, which helps explain many of their awful alliances with brutal dictatorships such as Saudi Arabia—and that the great fear of the U.S. is that either Russia or China could someday control the Arabian peninsula and the oil flow. Lazare bangs the drum for War Machine, which he says everyone should watch. Finally, Lazare details what he would tell Donald Trump if he were the named the new National Security Advisor.

Daniel Lazare is the author of The Frozen Republic: How the constitution is Paralyzing Democracy and a regular contributor at Consortium News. Follow him on Twitter @dhlazare.

Discussed on the show:

• “Trump Ends Covert Aid to Syrian Rebels Trying to Topple Assad,” (New York Times)
• Likud 
• Hezbollah
• “How Hezbollah Defeated Israel,” by Alastair Crooke and Mark Perry (CounterPunch)
• “Israel Struck Hezbollah Targets in Syria Dozens of Times, Netanyahu Reveals in Hot-mic Remarks” (Haaretz)
• “Obama to Iran and Israel: ‘As President of the United States, I Don’t Bluff’,” by Jeffrey Goldberg (The Atlantic)
• “How CIA and Allies Trapped Obama in the Syrian Arms Debacle,” by Gareth Porter (The American Conservative)
• Michael Oren & Jeffrey Goldberg: “Sunnis vs. Shiites and the Lesser of Two Evils” (YouTube)
• “The Burden of Fighting in Afghanistan Will Fall on Trump’s Supporters” (Breitbart)
• Robert Gates
• David Petraeus
• Daniel Drezner: “I’ll believe that Trump is growing into the presidency when his staff stops talking about him like a toddler.” (Twitter)
• “At CIA, a watchful eye on Mike Pompeo, the president’s ardent ally” (Washington Post)
• “Saudi Arabia facts and figures” (OPEC)
• “A Question For the Obama Administration” (Time)
• “Do We Need to Go to War For Oil?” by David Henderson (CATO Institute)
• Rex Tillerson
• War Machine
• The Operators: The Wild and Terrifying Inside Story of America’s War in Afghanistan, by Michael Hastings
• Resource Curse
• “The Secret Saudi Ties to Terrorism,” by Daniel Lazare (Consortium News)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 40:22 — 37.0MB)

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Eric Margolis returns to the show to discuss his recent heroic trip to the Middle East where he helped save starving zoo animals from Aleppo with Four Paws International. Margolis recounted his trip and the incredible rescue he helped bring about in his latest article “Escape from the Aleppo Zoo.” After filling Scott in on his role in the rescue, Margolis discusses the current situation in Syria, Israel’s role in the Syrian war, and whether there’s any merit to the rumor that the Russians are funding the Taliban against the United States in Afghanistan. Finally Margolis explains what the U.S. is really trying to accomplish in Afghanistan by training the Afghan army and why India makes Pakistan is an unreliable ally in Afghanistan.

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.

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Whistleblower Daniel Davis returns to the show to discuss his latest article, “Trump Wants You To Write Him A Blank Check For War in Afghanistan. Don’t.” Davis explains why military victory in Afghanistan is impossible, and how current U.S. presence in Afghanistan appears to be indefinite. Danny discusses the differences during his two tours of duty in Afghanistan 2005 and 2010-11 and how much worse the situation is today than it was a decade ago. Davis goes back down memory lane and explains the process of his decision to blow the whistle on David Petraeus’s lies. Scott and Danny slam Donald Trump’s rhetoric about why the U.S. is remaining in Afghanistan and how candidate Trump has been betrayed by president Trump. Davis makes it clear that no matter when the U.S. finally pulls out of Afghanistan the work being done there will be nullified. Scott and Danny discuss why there hasn’t been more blowback from the Afghan war; Davis warns that there’s an incubation period and that we’ll still be suffering from the consequences for the next decade-plus.

Retired lieutenant colonel 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.” Follow Davis on Twitter @DanielLDavis1. His website is www.daniel-l-davis.com.

Discussed on the show:

• “Trump’s challenge: A wall of public skepticism on Afghanistan War” (Politico)
• Helmand Province
• Nangahar Province
• Green Berets
• Afghan National Army (ANA)
• Camp Leatherneck
• Abdullah Abdullah
• Jalaluddin Haqqani
• Abdul Rashid Dotsum
• Mazar-i-Sharif
• Tajiks
• Uzbeks
• Hazaras
• “Truth, lies and Afghanistan,” by Daniel Davis (Armed Forces Journal)
• H.R. McMaster
• Karl Eikenberry
• “Trump’s National Security Advisor Challenged Over Human Rights Record” (Libertarian Institute)
• “The U.S. Army/Marine Corps Counterinsurgency Field Manual” (University of Chicago)
• Joseph Dunford
• Erik Prince: “The Taliban are operating inside our decision loop” (YouTube)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 44:41 — 40.9MB)

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Gareth Porter returns to KPFK radio to discuss Trump’s recent announcement that the United States will extend and escalate the war in Afghanistan. Porter explains that the permanent war state in the United States grinds on and claims another victory with Trump’s decision, which overturns his strong rhetoric in opposition to the Afghan war in the past.

Gareth Porter is an investigative historian and journalist on the national security state and author of Manufactured Crisis: The Untold Story of the Iran Nuclear Scare. Follow him on Twitter @GarethPorter.

Find all of Gareth Porter’s previous appearances on the Scott Horton Show and buy Scott’s new book “Fool’s Errand: Time To End the War in Afghanistan.”

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Sheldon Richman, the executive editor of the Libertarian Institute, joins Scott to discuss his article, “TGIF: Trump’s ‘Fire and Fury’ Wouldn’t Be the First for North Korea.” Richman details how Americans’ understanding of the Korean War has been utterly distorted and the atrocities the United States carried out upon the North Koreans have been whitewashed. Scott and Sheldon discuss how the United States pushed the North Korean regime into aggressive posturing through continued intervention and simulated aggression and wonder how the U.S. can now come up with a realistic solution to the problem. Richman explains that history shows that you need nuclear weapons to deter the United States from seeking regime change and why it’s ultimately a good thing that no one (outside of Lindsey Graham and John McCain) believe there’s a legitimate military option. Finally Richman details why there’s good reason to doubt that the missiles North Korea has could successfully deliver the nuclear bombs.

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

Discussed on the show:

• M*A*S*H
• Napalm
• “Americans once carpet-bombed North Korea. It’s time to remember that past,” by Bruce Cumings (The Guardian)
• “Truman refuses to rule out atomic weapons” (History.com)
• Battle of Inchon
• 38th Parallel (Korea)
• “Why Did Truman Really Fire MacArthur? … The Obscure History of Nuclear Weapons and the Korean War Provides the Answer,” by Bruce Cumings (History News Network)
• Korean Armistice Agreement
• “The Korean War, A History. With Bruce Cumings – Part 1” (YouTube)
• Mao Zedong
• Kim Il-sung
• Syngman Rhee
• “This Is What’s Really Behind North Korea’s Nuclear Provocations,” by Bruce Cumings (The Nation)
• Shinzō Abe
• Kim Jong-un
• Anthony Gregory
• Nobusuke Kishi
• “U.S., South Korea start annual war games that infuriate North Korea” (CBS News)
• Doug Bandow
• “North Korea: US not seeking regime change, says Rex Tillerson” (BBC)
• “How the miserable death of Moammar Gadhafi factors into Kim Jong Un’s nuclear ambitions” (CNBC)
• “Chronology of U.S.-North Korean Nuclear and Missile Diplomacy” (Arms Control Association)
• Axis of Evil (David Frum)
• Non-Proliferation Treaty
• Peter Lee (@ChinaHand)
• “Trump: ‘China is stealing from us’” (Forbes)
• “North Korea now making missile-ready nuclear weapons, U.S. analysts say” (Washington Post)
• “Will Ripley: ‘[Nuclear weapons] are an insurance policy to keep the current government in power [in Pyongyang] and to prevent outside attack’” (CNN Transcript)
• “Krauthammer: Public missing point of Trump threats” (YouTube)
• RayMcGovern.com
• Leonid Breshnev
• Seoul
• Dennis Rodman
• United States Forces Korea
• Theodore Postol

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 46:09 — 42.3MB)

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Andrew Bacevich, author of “America’s War for the Greater Middle East: A Military History” joins Scott to discuss his article for The American Conservative “Yes Congress, Afghanistan is Your Vietnam.” Bacevich explains that the division between Trump’s advisors on how to proceed in Afghanistan has created a stalemate in the Oval Office. It’s noteworthy, Bacevich says, that there hasn’t been a comprehensive report from the Trump administration outlining the United States’s foreign policy mission. On the one hand it seems like Trump has handed the reigns over to the military in certain conflicts and has been controlling in others, which has created disarray Bacevich says. Bacevich contrasts Donald Trump with his predecessors George W. Bush and Barack Obama who, by comparison, are intellectual stalwarts. Bacevich says the one possible benefit of Trump’s erraticism is that he has, so far, rejected U.S. foreign policy of the past 25 years. But while Trump may have noninterventionist tendencies, his lack of a coherent, principled plan means that he often veers off course into violent conflicts all the same.

Andrew Bacevich is a Professor Emeritus of International Relations and History at Boston University. He is the author of a number of books including “America’s War for the Greater Middle East: A Military History” and is a regular contributor at The American Conservative and TomDispatch.com.

Don’t forget to check out Scott’s new book Fool’s Errand: Time to End the War in Afghanistan.

Discussed on the show:

• “Thousands More Troops Needed To Break Afghanistan ‘Stalemate,’ General Warns” (NPR)
• Erik Prince
• “Bannon & Kushner Want to Outsource Afghanistan to Mercenaries,” by Mark Perry (The American Conservative)
• James Mattis
• H.R. McMaster
• “The Knives Are Out for Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster” (Foreign Policy)
• “I agree with Pres. Obama on Afghanistan. We should have a speedy withdrawal. Why should we keep wasting our money — rebuild the U.S.!” (Donald Trump, via Twitter)
• John Bolton

Quote of the show: “In comparison to Trump, George W. Bush looks like Bismark.” —Andrew Bacevich

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Executive director of the Council for the National Interest and former CIA officer Phil Giraldi returns to the show to discuss his latest article for The American Conservative, “Hack or Leak: Who Really Stole the DNC Files?” While there isn’t conclusive evidence for any of the potential explanations for how the information got from the DNC computer to WikiLeaks, Giraldi explains that no one seems to be particularly interested in investigating who was responsible. Did the Russians hack the DNC? Giraldi believes that the U.S. has no chain of evidence leading them to the conclusion that Russia is responsible. However, Giraldi cautions that, even if the information was leaked rather than hacked, it wouldn’t remove Russia as a suspect. What about the Seth Rich theory? Giraldi believes Rich is at the top of a short list of potential leakers, but that there’s still plenty of unscrutinized evidence. Giraldi then discusses the upcoming Ron Paul Institute’s Peace and Prosperity Conference where he will be speaking on September 9th. Finally, Giraldi touches on his article for The Unz Review, “Israel’s Chorus Sings Again” about U.S.-Israeli relations and the outrage against Rex Tillerson and H.R. McMaster’s relatively cool approach to Israel.

Phil Giraldi is the executive director of the Council for the National Interest a former CIA case officer and Army intelligence officer. He has been a contributing editor at The American Conservative for nine years and writes regularly for Antiwar.com.

Oh, and buy Scott’s new book, Fool’s Errand: Time to End the War in Afghanistan!

Discussed on the show:

• “The FBI Never Asked For Access To Hacked Computer Servers” (BuzzFeed News)
• “Assessing Russian Activities and Intentions in Recent US Elections” (Office of the Director of National Intelligence)
• “U.S. Spy Report Blames Putin for Hacks, But Doesn’t Back It Up” (The Daily Beast)
• “WikiLeaks: CIA hacking group ‘UMBRAGE’ stockpiled techniques from other hackers” (USA Today)
• Iron Felix
• “12/13/16 Craig Murray: DNC, Podesta emails leaked by Americans, not hacked by Russia” (The Scott Horton Show)
• Mossad
• Stuxnet
• “Leaked Seymour Hersh Audio: FBI File Proves Seth Rich Was Wikileaks Source” (YouTube)
• “‘Lack of hope’ drives Palestinians to carry out terrorist attacks, State Department says” (Mondweiss.com)

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Editor-in-chief of the Palestine Chronicle Ramzy Baroud returns to the show to discuss his latest articles, “The Story Behind the Jerusalem Attack: How Trump and Netanyahu Pushed Palestinians into a Corner” and “Power to the People: Why Palestinian Victory in Jerusalem is a Pivotal Moment.” Scott and Baroud begin by discussing the history of the ’67 War, its basis in false propaganda, and how the deliberate plan put in place 50 year ago remains today. Baroud then explains the context of the clash in east Jerusalem, where Israel has used the al-Aqsa clash with Palestinians as an opportunity to permanently control Haram Sharif. According to Baroud if Israel fully controls Haram Sharif then there’s nothing left to fight for in Jerusalem for the Palestinians. Baroud details how this is just the latest act of aggression in Israel’s steady creep into east Jerusalem and how, through continual pressure and coercion, Arabs have now become a minority in east Jerusalem. Finally, Baroud explains why a two-state solution would be an impossible endeavor and how effectively the Israelis have manipulated the language of the occupation to flip the victim narrative on its head.

Ramzy Baroud is a US-Arab journalist and is the editor-in-chief of the Palestine Chronicle. He is the author of“My Father Was A Freedom Fighter: The Untold Story of Gaza.” His latest digital project is “Palestine in Motion,” intended to give a holistic understanding of the lives of Palestinians as told in their own words. Follow Ramzy on Twitter @RamzyBaroud and read his work at RamzBaroud.net.

Discussed on the show:

• “Israel provoked the Six-Day War in 1967, and it was not fighting for survival” (Mondoweiss.com)
• Al-Aqsa Mosque
• Dome on the Rock
• The Accidental Empire: Israel and the Birth of the Settlements, 1967-1977, by Gershom Gorenberg 
• The Allon Plan
• “Netanyahu says Jerusalem ‘always Israel’s capital'” (Al Monitor)
• Haram Sharif (Temple Mount)
• Jerusalem Islamic Waqf
• “No Israeli damage to al-Aqsa manuscripts following unrest, says Jerusalem Islamic Endowment” (Al Aaraby)
• Israel Defense Forces (IDF)
• “Death Toll in Gaza Climbs, Israel Calls up More Troops” (The Atlantic)
• Murabitin (Those who are steadfast)
• “The Golan Heights Annexed by Israel in an Abrupt Move” (New York Times)
• “Why Jerusalem Isn’t Recognized as Israel’s Capital” (Time)
• Beitar Illit
• Qalandiya Checkpoint
• “Netanyahu Unaware of the Camera ‘America can easily be moved'” (YouTube)
• “American and Israeli Jews: Twin Portraits From Pew Research Center Surveys” (Pew Research)
• “The Israel Project’s 2009 Global Language Dictionary,” by Frank Luntz (The Israel Project)
• Edward Bernays
• “U.S. Lawmakers Seek to Criminally Outlaw Support for Boycott Campaign Against Israel,” by Glenn Greenwald and Ryan Grim (The Intercept)
• “Fight the Boycott of Israel” (AIPAC.org)
• “Israeli minister says Palestinians are bringing a ‘third Nakba’ upon themselves” (Mondoweiss.com)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 51:32 — 47.2MB)

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William J. Astore returns to the show to discuss his latest article for Antiwar.com “On Afghanistan, Trump Is Right To Be Skeptical.” Astore discusses Trump’s apparent cognitive dissonance: he’s happy to bomb the Middle East indiscriminately, but is skeptical of escalating troops in Afghanistan and speculates that it’s Trump’s impatience, which is frequently a danger, which may be a saving grace in Afghanistan. Astore thinks Trump might have a nose for a losing approach, and that the last thing Trump wants is to be associated with what he believes is a losing effort in Afghanistan. But Trump, like Obama, faces increasing pressure from his generals. Scott and Astore discuss how the lack of an anti-war movement both in politics and in society generally have incentivized Barack Obama and Donald Trump to fold to the national security state and prolong the wars. Finally, Astore is particulary worried that the latest propaganda that Russia and Iran are backing the Taliban could lead to something far more serious.

William J. Astore is a retired lieutenant colonel (USAF). He is a contributing writer at Antiwar.com and TomDispatch.com. Read all of his work at his website BracingViews.com.

Discussed on the show:

• “Petraeus: Afghan war a ‘generational struggle’ that will not end soon” (PBS)
• Pashtuns
• “Afghanistan: Operation Enduring Musery,” by Eric Margolis (Huffington Post)
• “Trump Says U.S. ‘Losing’ Afghan War in Tense Meeting With Generals” (NBC News)
• Helmand Province
• “Petraeus backs July 2011 Afghan withdrawal date” (CNN)
• Erik Prince
• “Bannon & Kushner Want to Outsource Afghanistan to Mercenaries,” by Mark Perry (The American Conservative)
• “How Obama Abandoned Democracy in Iraq” (Politico)
• “How America Armed Terrorists in Syria,” by Gareth Porter (The American Conservative)
• “CNN Poll: Afghanistan war arguably most unpopular in U.S. history” (CNN)
• “John McCain and Lindsey Graham: Why we need more forces to end the stalemate in Afghanistan” (Washington Post)
• Our Latest, Longest War: Losing Hearts and Minds in Afghanistan, edited by Aaron B. O’Connell
• “Empire of Bases,” by Chalmers Johnson (New York Times)
• Bagram Air Base
• “Douglas Macgregor Full interview with Tucker Carlson (8/1/2017)” (YouTube)
• “Toward an ‘America First’ Foreign Policy,” by Douglas Macgregor (Washington Times)
• “Inside the Pentagon’s Fight Over Russia,” by Mark Perry (Politico)
• Ayman al-Zawahiri
• “Battlefield Casualties and Ballot Box Defeat: Did the Bush-Obama Wars Cost Clinton the White House?” (SSRN)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 32:24 — 29.7MB)

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Trita Parsi, the president of the National Iranian American Council, returns to the show to discuss Donald Trump’s motivation to spurn the Iran deal. Parsi explains that the Iran Deal is in danger because of an inexplicable desire on Donald Trump’s part to destroy the deal, dating back to his campaign. Parsi speculates that, in addition to Trump’s opposition to Barack Obama, his hatred of the Iran Deal is the result of his seemingly new infatuation with the Saudi Arabians who have been vehemently opposed to the Iran Deal from its inception. Trump’s plan appears to be to make Iran’s life as difficult as possible such that Iran will ultimately break the deal. Making things worse, even some of the so-called adults in Trump’s administration believe that a limited conflict against Iran in Syria and elsewhere would convince Iran to back down. Parsi explains why history shows that a U.S. conflict with Iran is highly unlikely to achieve its goals. Finally, while Iran and the United States appear to have common cause in the Middle East, the ultimate question and tension between the two is who will be the dominant power in the Middle East? Parsi explains that the desire to be hegemon will ultimately prove to be the stumbling block.

Trita Parsi is the president of the National Iranian American Council and the author of “Losing an Enemy: Obama, Iran and the Triumph of Diplomacy.” Parsi is the recipient of the 2010 Grawemeyer Award for Ideas Improving World Order. Follow him on Twitter @tparsi.

Discussed on the show:

• “Gates: Saudis want to fight Iran to the last American” (ForeignPolicy.com)
• Rex Tillerson
• James Mattis
• H.R. McMaster
• Joseph Dunford
• Sebastian Gorka
• International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
• Olli Heinonen
• Non-Proliferation Treaty
• “Monitoring and Verification in Iran” (IAEA.org)
• Gordon Prather (Antiwar.com)
• “How Bush Pushed North Korea to Nukes,” by Gordon Prather (Antiwar.com)
• “When the Ayatollah Said No to Nukes” (ForeignPolicy.com)
• George W. Bush Axis of Evil Speech (YouTube)
• “Trump lets Iran deal live, but signals he may not for long” (Seattle Times)
• Islamic Dawa Party

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Professor of chemical engineering at USC Muhammad Sahimi returns to the show to discuss the latest Saudi crackdown on the local Shia population. Sahimi explains how Wahhabi clerics have ratcheted up tensions and violence against Saudi Shiites who face continual oppression from the Saudi government. Saudi hostility toward Shia in the region often receives attention, but now it’s time to pay more attention to how they treat their own people, Sahimi says, which includes mass torture and execution of dissidents. Sahimi explains that the reason we don’t hear about Saudi atrocities in the United States is because the Saudis are protected by the establishment in the United States and believes that the Saudis are exploiting its alliance with the U.S. and its fear of Iran to lobby the U.S. to fight Shias in the Middle East.

Muhammad Sahimi is the NIOC Chair in petroleum engineering at the University of Southern California and a contributor at Antiwar.com and the Huffington Post.

Discussed on the show:

• Shia Islam in Saudi Arabia
• Wahhabism
• Nimr Baqir al-Nimr
• “Saudi Arabia executes 47 people in one day including Shia cleric” (The Guardian)
• “Saudi Arabia: Death penalty used as political weapon against Shi’a as executions spike across country” (Amnesty International)
• “Saudi Arabia: Treat Shia Equally” (Human Rights Watch)
• “When Beheading Won’t Do the Job, the Saudis Resort to Crucifixion” (The Atlantic)
• Sophie Scholl
• Mohammad bin Salman
• “Saudi Arabia’s mounting security challenges” (Al Monitor)
• “Saudi Arabia: 14 Protesters Facing Execution After Unfair Trials” (Human Rights Watch)
• “After Decisive Reelection, Rouhani Pushes More Diplomacy With the West” (Antiwar.com)
• “The Proxy Battle for Bahrain” (New York Times)
• Al-Awamiyah
• Rafah Border Crossing (Egypt)
• “The Shia are in power in Iraq – but not in control,” by Patrick Cockburn (The Independent)
• Saudi King: “U.S. policy had now given Iraq to Iran as a ‘gift on a golden platter.'” (WikiLeaks)
• Prince Saud al-Faisal
• “The toxic rivalry of Saudi Arabia and Isis” (Financial Times)
• “Iran Warned Houthis Against Yemen Takeover” (Huffington Post)
• “Iran outflanking Saudi Arabia in Yemen” (Al Monitor)
• “Saudi Arabia urges US attack on Iran to stop nuclear programme” (The Guardian)
• “Sharon Says U.S. Should Also Disarm Iran, Libya and Syria” (Haaretz)
• “David Ignatius’ 15 Years of Running Spin for Saudi Regime,” by Adam Johnson (FAIR.org)”
• Emails Expose How Saudi Arabia and UAE Work the U.S. Media to Push for War,” by Ben Norton (Alternet)
• “Germany Rebukes Its Own Intelligence Agency for Criticizing Saudi Policy” (New York Times)
• “Prince Mohammed bin Salman: Naive, arrogant Saudi prince is playing with fire,” by Patrick Cockburn (The Independent)
• Operation Decisive Storm

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 40:21 — 36.9MB)

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Director of the Ron Paul Institute Daniel McAdams returns to the show to discuss his latest article, “Russia Sanctions and the Coming Crackdown on Americans“. McAdams details the phony justification for the sanctions, how hardcore neocons are leading the Russia hysteria, and why it poses a serious threat to our first amendment rights. Scott and McAdams discuss whether Trump is totally and completely lost or whether he has one or two good instincts and if they will be revealed when he finally makes a decision on Afghanistan. McAdams explains why the neocons are flourishing under Trump and how both sides of the Trump administration divide (the nationalists and the neocons) are both pro-war in different ways. Finally, Scott asks about Venezuela and wonders which is to blame: the inherent problems of socialism or American intervention.

Daniel McAdams is the executive director of the Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity and the cohost of the Ron Paul Liberty Report. Follow him on Twitter @DanielLMcAdams and read all of his work over at Antiwar.com.

Discussed on the show

• “It’s not Russia that’s pushed Ukraine to the brink of war” (The Guardian)
• Sergey Lavrov
• “Fire McMaster,” by Justin Raimondo (Antiwar.com)
• Hamilton 68 Dashboard (German Marshall Fund)
• PropOrNot
• Lew Rockwell (LRC.com)
• “Alliance for Securing Democracy” (German Marshall Fund)
• Mike Chertoff
• David Kramer
• Michael Morell
• Bill Kristol
• Michael McFaul
• Mike Rogers
• Project for the New American Century (PNAC)
• Eric Margolis
• “McMaster ousts second official on National Security Council” (Washington Post)
• Hersha Ali (woman who says all Muslims are awful)
• Robert Parry (AlterNet)
• “Exclusive: Google, CIA Invest in ‘Future’ of Web Monitoring” (Wired.com)
• Venezuela has lower corporate tax rate than the United States (TaxFoundation.org)
• “Senate, Obama extend sanctions on Venezuela after prodding by Rubio” (The Hill)
• “Collateral Damage: U.S. Sanctions Aimed at Russia Strike Western European Allies,” by Diana Johnstone (Counterpunch)
• “This OPEC Country Has the Largest Proven Oil Reserves (and It’s Not Saudi Arabia)” (Fox Business)
• “The Koch Brothers, Hugo Chavez and the XL Pipeline,” by Greg Palast (GregPalast.com)
• Peace and Prosperity 2017 (Ron Paul conference in September in D.C.)

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Josh Ruebner, director of the U.S. campaign for Palestinian Rights, and author of “Shattered Hopes: Obama’s Failure to Broker Israeli-Palestinian Peace” joins the show to discuss his latest article “New U.S. bill would punish settlement boycotters.” Ruebner explains how the act would criminalize U.S. corporations and individuals for supporting or furthering the impact of a boycott against Israel. Despite obvious major free speech restrictions the bill has support from both Democrats and Republicans, many of whom are already backing off their commitment to the bill. What’s really disturbing about the bill according to Ruebner is that companies could be criminalized even if their business decisions had the effect, but not intent, of furthering a boycott on Israel. Beyond that, if the bill became law, Attorney General Jeff Sessions would have the power to throw someone in jail ostensibly for their political beliefs. Ruebner explains how the bill has already created blowback against AIPAC and Israel: Constituents are pressing members of Congress on this issue for the first time and the progressive wing of the Democratic party is feeling more emboldened to speak out in support of the Palestinians, making it clear that the base of democratic voters no longer on board with Israeli policy of the past. Finally, Ruebner discusses the necessary conditions for a political solution between Israel and Palestine and how the BDS movement has successfully convinced companies to divest from Israel.

Josh Ruebner is the director of the U.S. campaign for Palestinian Rights. He is the author of “Shattered Hopes: Obama’s Failure to Broker Israeli-Palestinian Peace” and the upcoming book “Israel: Democracy or Apartheid State?“. Follow Josh on Twitter @joshruebner.

Discussed on the show:

• American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC)
• Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS)
• “ACLU Letter to the Senate Opposing Israel Anti-Boycott Act” (ACLU)
• “‘Netanyahu doesn’t have a vision for peace,’ Gillibrand says at town hall aroused by boycott bill” (Mondoweiss.net)
• Bill of attainder
• Export-Import Bank of the United States
• “34 House Dems condemn Israeli charges against Issa Amro — follower of civil rights movement and Gandhi” (Mondoweiss)
• “American attitudes on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict” (Brookings Institutem)
• “State Dept: Israeli Settlements, Lack of Hope Drive Palestinian Violence” (Antiwar.com)
• “ZOA calls on Rex Tillerson to quit over State Department saying Palestinian terrorism stems from ‘lack of hope’” (Jewish Telegraphic Agency)
• “Obama hands Israel the largest military aid deal in history,” by Rania Khalek (Electronic Intifada)
• Lockheed Martin
• Leahy Law
• “Explained: Palestinian citizens of Israelis” (Middle East Monitor)
• Palestinian Right of Return
• “BDS Victory: Veolia sells Israel businesses targeted by Palestinian-led boycott campaign” (Mondoweiss.net)
• BDSMovement.net

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 29:59 — 27.5MB)

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