Cato Institute senior fellow Trevor Thrall joins Scott to discuss his article for War On The Rocks, “Time to Step Back from the War on Terror.” Thrall’s piece details how the U.S. war on terror has been a failure and raises the question “what if we abolish the war on terror?” Thrall’s solution begins by, in the first place, stopping the constant interventions in the first place. Thrall believes that, at the root of the problem, is the fact that America believes it needs to control everything, everywhere, spurred on by the false belief that it is “providing regional stability and improving the global economy.” Then the interview pivots to the war in Afghanistan. Thrall discusses Trump’s about-face on foreign policy, which has alienated him from his Steve Bannon-directed base. As a result, Thrall has little hope that the Afghan War will play out any differently than it did during the Bush and Obama presidencies.
Trevor Thrall is a senior fellow for the Cato Institute’s Defense and Foreign Policy Department and an associate professor at George Mason University’s Schar School of Policy and Government. Follow him on Twitter @trevor_thrall.
Discussed on the show:
- Libyan Islamic Fighting Group
- Ansar al-Sharia
- Ayman al-Zawahiri
- “The Moderate Face of Al Qaeda” (Foreign Affairs)
- “America’s Forgotten Wars” (Foreign Affairs”)
- “Hudson Institute Violent Extremism Conference, Steve Bannon Remarks” (C-SPAN)
- Daniel Davis
- “Step Back: Lessons for U.S. Foreign Policy from the Failed War on Terror” (Cato)
Today’s show is sponsored by: NoDev, NoOps, NotIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Roberts and Roberts Brokerage Inc.; LibertyStickers.com; TheBumperSticker.com; 3tediting.com; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott
Check out Scott’s Patreon page.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
