Afghan war whistleblower Matthew Hoh returns to discuss the latest developments in Afghanistan, recalls his thought process when he blew the whistle in the lead up to Obama’s surge, and describes the perverse incentives created by the military for advancement. Hoh then discusses the brand new Trump security strategy and how it relates to the Untied States’ nuclear rivals, China and Russia. Hoh concludes by pointing out that, as delusional and malleable as Trump appears, his outlook on the...

Co-director of FPIF.org John Feffer returns to the show to discuss his latest article, “North Korea: The Costs of War, Calculated.” Feffer agrees that North Korea is not President Trump’s Iraq War and explains why the geography of the Korean Peninsula make it clear what the consequences of a war with North Korea would be. Feffer explains why North Korea has little reason to trust American diplomatic guarantees, where sensible common ground for negotiations between the two countries should be,...

Eric Margolis joins Scott to discuss his latest article, “Sorry, Chump, You Didn’t Have It In Writing” in which Margolis recalls the history of broken promises and lies made to Russia by NATO and the United States, and the subsequent increase in tension and near misses in Eastern Europe. Scott then asks Margolis: just how evil—and how ambitious—is Vladimir Putin? Margolis describes his visit in 1990 to the KGB headquarters and Putin-as-Russian-Pinochet, how U.S. corporate interests pillaged...

Editor-in-chief of the Palestine Chronicle Ramzy Baroud returns to the show to discuss his latest articles, “Towards a New Palestinian Beginning” and “The ‘Last Martyr’: Who Killed Kamal Al-Assar?” Baroud shares his memories from the First Intifada 30 years ago, explains how socialism and not Radical Islam drove the Palestinian struggle at the outset, and provides nuance for Israel’s role in Hamas’ rise to power in Palestine. Baroud then details the length to which the Israeli state has gone...

National Interest’s executive editor Harry Kazianis joins Scott to discuss his article for The American Conservative, “A War of Choice With North Korea is an Immensely Dumb Idea.” Kazianis discusses the horrors that would follow from a war with North Korea, the difficulty of educating the broader public on the possible consequences, and why, even if Donald Trump is bluffing, pushing Kim Jung-Il into a corner is a terrible idea. Kazianis then discusses his previous work projecting what war with...

Conn Hallinan returns to the show to discuss his latest article for FPIF.org “Asia’s Other Nuclear Standoff,” which details the United States’ role in escalating the India-Pakistan nuclear face off. Hallinan describes the race for resource control in Asia, particularly over the oil supply, and the Chinese expansion throughout southeast Asia and parts of Africa. Hallinan believes the possibility of escalation to nuclear weapons is very real in India and Pakistan. Hallinan then explains the...

Will Porter makes his debut on the Scott Horton Show to discuss his article for the Libertarian Institute, “Yemen’s Silent Numbers: Official Death Count Masks War’s Toll on Civilians.” Porter explains the numerous problems with the OHCHR’s civilian death count and why the estimates likely don’t reflect near the total number of civilians whose lives have been lost as a result of the war. Will Porter writes for The Market Radical and NotBeingGoverned. Follow him on Twitter @WKPAnCap. Discussed...

Cato’s Doug Bandow joins Scott again to discuss the situation in North Korea. According to Bandow the red line Trump has created for North Korea is worrisome, but he doesn’t believe it’s a repeat of the lead-up to the Iraq War—Bandow’s greater concern is that the Trump administration will make a major blunder. Bandow believes that Donald Trump’s approach to foreign policy is based on his feelings—which vary—rather than any coherent strategy. Bandow then explains why he thinks claims that North...

Former police officer Raeford Davis returns to the show to discuss the latest spree of police shootings. According to Davis while there are plenty of bad apples who join police forces across the country, the real problem is the training cops receive and the willingness of courts to acquit unjustifiable shootings. Davis breaks down the details of the video of Daniel Shaver’s murder from the perspective of a former cop. Davis then explains how police officers are masters at escalating...

Philip Weiss, editor of Mondoweiss.net, returns to the show to discuss Donald Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as the capitol of Israel and his future plans to move the U.S. embassy there in the future. According to Weiss Trump’s decision extinguishes the peace process and is a moment of great despair for those who believed the Oslo Accord would lead to the creation of a Palestinian state. Weiss then details the history of Israeli land annexation from Palestinians in Jerusalem dating back to...

Mark Perry returns to the show to discuss his latest article for the American Conservative, “Tillerson, Mattis Warned Trump Against Embassy Move.” Perry doubts that Trump understands the true effect of his decision and explains why Jerusalem is integral to the Arab world and to Palestine in particular. Scott asks if, now that the two-state solution is clearly over, peace can be found in a single state—assuming apartheid conditions are lifted. Perry believes that the silver lining is that the...

The ACLU’s Jonathan Hafetz joins Scott to shed light on the situation in Iraq where an American citizen has been held by the United States military for nearly three months. According to Hafetz the military has not released the man’s name, and hasn’t given him access to a lawyer despite his requests for one. The ACLU is now fighting in court in order to speak with him and and advise him on his rights. According to Hafetz there are three options the state is considering: 1) Hold the man in...

Robert Alvarez joins Scott to discuss his latest article for CommonDreams.org “Korea: End the 67-Year War.” According to Alvarez there’s no political will on either side to end the war—instead, the United States believes tensions between the two countries further U.S. national interests. Alvarez explains why he doesn’t believe that the North Korean nuclear threat is as significant as it’s been portrayed. He then takes on the argument that North Korea serves as a convenient excuse for the U.S....

Nasser Arrabyee returns to the show to discuss the latest developments in Sana’a where ex-Houthi leader Ali Abdullah Saleh was assassinated by his former Houthi allies. Arrabyee explains that the Saleh-Houthi alliance was always one of convenience and was bound to end—but that no one was expecting it to happen during the war. Arrabyee believes that the beginning of the conflict goes back to August when Houthis clashed with Saleh supporters. Arrabyee now sees two possible options in the wake of...

Author and whistleblower Peter van Buren returns to the show to discuss Rex Tillerson’s apparent impending firing/resignation, how Americans have been fooled into thinking they have a Donald Trump problem and not an empire problem, and what the role of the State Department is supposed to be vs. the reality of what it is. Van Buren details the core problems facing the state department, including why its power and influence abroad are severely curtailed by the Pentagon, CIA, and American...