Robert Freeman joins Scott to discuss his article "Why the US Lost the Vietnam War." Freeman outlines the history of U.S. intervention in Vietnam dating back to the end of World War 2, details the political context in the United States immediately preceding and during the Vietnam War, and explains why Ken Burns's Vietnam War is historical fiction. Robert Freeman writes about economics and education. He is the author of The Best One-Hour History series which includes World War I, The Vietnam...
10/13/17 Reza Marashi on the likelihood of Trump decertifying the Iran Deal
Research director of the National Iranian American Council Reza Marashi returns to the show to discuss Donald Trump's likely decision to decertify the Iran Deal. Scott puts the question to Marashi: What's so good about the Iran Deal? Marashi says it ensures that Iran can't attempt to build a nuclear weapon without being caught, it helps avoid war between the United States and Iran by resolving one point of contention, and, at least until the Trump administration came to power, it created...
10/13/17 Andy Worthington on the latest hunger strikes at Guantanamo
Author and director Andy Worthington returns to the show to discuss his latest article, "New York Times Finally Reports on Trump's Policy of Letting Guantanamo Hunger Strikers Die; Rest of Media Still Silent." Worthington details the legacy of hunger strikes at Guantanamo Bay and explains that the U.S. is facing the awful decision whether they should they let prisoners starve themselves to death or use grotesque measures to force feed them to keep them alive. According to Worthington the...
10/13/17 Jason Ditz Updates the Situation in Syria
Managing news editor of Antiwar.com Jason Ditz returns to the show to discuss the war in Syria where two separate wars are taking place—against ISIS in the East and al Qaeda in the east. Ditz details all of what we don't know thanks to increased secrecy from the Trump administration, explains what we do know about the continued fight against ISIS in Raqqa, where the U.S. air war has created lots of civilian casualties, and how the Kurds in Syria factor into the U.S. future plans. Scott and...
10/13/17 Marjorie Cohn on the whitewashing of Agent Orange in Ken Burns’s “Vietnam War”
Marjorie Cohn joins the show to discuss her recent article, "The Vietnam War is Not History for Victims of Agent Orange." Cohn elaborates on her major criticism of the Ken Burns Vietnam War documentary—his lack of coverage of agent orange. Cohn describes many of the awful results of agent orange exposure, how the United States has denied opportunities for victims to seek justice, and above all, why it remains a pressing issue to this day. Marjorie Cohn is a professor emerita at Thomas...
10/6/17 Greg Lovett on his documentary “Delay, Deny, Hope You Die: How America Poisoned Its Soldiers”
Gregory Lovett joins Scott to discuss his new documentary, "Delay, Deny, Hope You Die: How America Poisoned Its Soldiers" which opens Monday in Los Angeles and across the country over the next month. Buy tickets for an upcoming screening in your area here and watch the extended trailer. Lovett shares the backstory of the documentary, which he was inspired to make after reading Joseph Hickman's book "The Burn Pits." He explains why the United States military decided to burn the massive amounts...
10/6/17 Gareth Porter on Congress’s potential role in ending the war in Yemen
Gareth Porter returns to the show to discuss his article for The American Conservative Magazine, "When Did Congress Vote to Aid the Saudi’s Yemen War?" Porter explains why, despite there being zero national security interest at stake, the U.S. is involved in the aerial war in Yemen. He and Scott then discuss the clearly misleading fatality figures which they suspect are being vastly underreported by the U.N. Porter then gets to the crux of his article: how members of Congress are attempting to...
10/6/17 Thomas Harrington on Catalonia’s push for independence
Thomas Harrington joins Scott to discuss his latest article on Catalonia for Antiwar.com "Last Sunday In Catalonia: Pirates 1, The Invincible Armada 0." Harrington breaks down the history of Catalonia, how we've gotten to where we are today, and what the vote means for Catalonia and Spain. Harrington also explains who stands to gain from Catalonian independence and who doesn't. Ultimately, despite the brewing conflict, Harrington has some optimism that negotiation and a peaceful settlement...
10/3/17 Anne Jones on Trump taking his turn to fail in Afghanistan
Ann Jones, author of "Kabul in Winter: Life Without Peace in Afghanistan," returns to the show to discuss her latest article at TomDispatch.com "Afghanistan, Again?" Jones explains how every president repeats the actions of his predecessor in an attempt to "break the stalemate," why trying to train the Afghan army has been an utter disaster, and how the Afghan people, despite considerable infighting, have made it clear over and over again that they will not give in to foreign invaders. Jones...
10/2/17 Joe Lauria on the consequences of the Kurdish Referendum
Joe Lauria returns to update the situation in Iraqi Kurdistan after the referendum for an independent Kurdish state passed. Lauria describes the escalating tensions, explains why believes the referendum was a mistake, and how despite the vote, the Kurds are no closer to independence than they were before. Lauria details the history of Kurdish suffering throughout the decades and suggests that this referendum could lead to another precarious situation for the Kurds. Then Lauria touches on how...
10/2/17 Airwars’ Chris Woods on the fight against ISIS in Iraq and Syria
Airwars investigative reporter Chris Woods returns to the show to discuss his work documenting aerial strikes and casualties in Iraq, Syria, and now Libya. Woods explains Airwars' method of documentation, discusses how Trump's strategy compares to Obama's, and breaks down the fight to free Mosul and Raqqa from ISIS and the overwhelming toll it has taken on the civilian populations. Woods is the author of Sudden Justice: America's Secret Drone Wars and the recipient of the Martha Gellhorn Prize...
10/2/17 Dr. Ron Paul on Trump’s verbal threats toward North Korea
In his return to the Scott Horton Show, Ron Paul reflects on his "Yes" vote on the Authorized Use of Military Force following 9/11, how it continues to be used and abused today, and the history of how the United States has perverted its legal authority in foreign policy. Then Dr. Paul turns to the escalating situation in North Korea. Paul shares why he has some optimism about the situation in North Korea, his worries about Trump's volatility, and what he would have done about North Korea as...
9/27/17 Muhammad Sahimi debunks neoconservative lies about Iran
USC professor Muhammad Sahimi returns to the show to discuss his latest article “Deconstructing Neoconservatives’ Manifesto for War With Iran.” Sahimi debunks the misinformation and lies being spread by John Bolton and other neoconservatives about the Iran Deal, explains in detail the steps Iran has taken to ease tensions with the United States, and lists the many hypocrisies of U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East. Sahimi hammers home the fact that, should the U.S. void the Iran Deal, no...
9/27/17 Julian Borger: White House Pressuring CIA to Find Iran in Noncompliance of Nuclear Deal
World affairs editor for the Guardian Julian Borger returns to the show to discuss his latest article “White House ‘pressuring’ intelligence officials to find Iran in violation of nuclear deal.” Borger details the pressure CIA officials are facing from the White House to find or procure evidence of Iran being in noncompliance with the nuclear deal. But while Borger believes there’s hope that the CIA isn’t willing to play ball, he details how the Trump administration is finding other creative...
9/21/17 Joe Lauria on the 2016 U.S. election and the upcoming Iraqi Kurdish referendum
Joe Lauria returns to the show to discuss his book on Hillary Clinton, “How I Lost By Hillary Clinton,” Trump’s America, and the hysteria over Russia’s supposed actions in the 2016 elections. Then Lauria pivots to the Kurdish referendum in Iraq and gives an overview of the history of the Kurshish movement for independence and details the Kurdish allies and the longer list of opposition. Lastly Lauria reviews the state of ISIS in Iraq and gives an update on Mosul. Joe Lauria is a contributing...
