John Feffer, co-director of Foreign Policy In Focus at the Institute for Policy Studies, discusses his article “North Korea’s Failed Fireworks;” the UN Security Council’s condemnation of their dual-use missiles (even Iran is able to launch satellites without comment); North Korea’s commitment to spending a big chunk of their meager GDP on a single failed satellite launch; the known unknowns about Kim Jong Un (except he likes basketball); how an increasingly worldly and foreign-educated North...
04/17/12 – Eric Margolis – The Scott Horton Show
Eric Margolis, internationally syndicated columnist and author of War at the Top of the World and American Raj, discusses his article “Cuba Starts to Come Alive;” hanging out with Ernest Hemingway in pre-revolutionary Cuba; why meaningful reform will be delayed until the “old fossil” hardliners die off; how to liberalize the Cuban economy and property rights while preventing US domination; Midwest agricultural exports not subject to the embargo; how Venezuela filled the Soviet void and saved...
04/17/12 – Arash Norouzi – The Scott Horton Show
Arash Norouzi, artist and co-founder of The Mossadegh Project, discusses the Washington Post’s much-delayed admission that Iranian President Ahmadinejad didn’t say Israel should be “wiped off the map;” the context of Ahmadinejad’s speech and the origin of the quote – which compared Israel’s potential collapse to the fall of the USSR, the Shah’s regime and Saddam Hussein; putting an end to the seven year old anti-Iran talking point; and why we shouldn’t hold our breath waiting for other media...
04/16/12 – Chase Madar – The Scott Horton Show
Chase Madar, author of The Passion of Bradley Manning, discusses his article “Do the WikiLeaks War Logs Reveal War Crimes — Or the Poverty of International Law;” doubts about whether the “Collateral Murder” video shows war crimes in a legal sense; why the laws of war aren’t easily applied to the asymmetrical, occupation-type conflicts since WWII; how the UN provides “window dressing on great-power politics;” and the selective enforcement of military law (see Lt. Col. Ralph Kauzlarich v....
04/16/12 – Robert Parry – The Scott Horton Show
Robert Parry, founder and editor of ConsortiumNews.com, discusses his article “How Neocons Sank Iran Nuke Deal;” Obama’s conflict-averse, consensus building style of presidency; how Iran’s uranium swap deal with Brazil and Turkey was undermined by the US media, hardliners in government (but not Obama himself), and Israel; why Iran’s Green Movement is not a viable conduit for pro-US regime change, despite the fevered dreams of neoconservatives; and Benjamin Netanyahu’s complaint that the latest...
04/16/12 – Roy Guthman – The Scott Horton Show
Roy Gutman, Europe Bureau Chief for McClatchy Newspapers, discusses the latest developments in P5+1 talks on Iran’s nuclear program; the US government’s gradual acknowledgement of Ayatollah Khamenei’s seven-year-old fatwa against nuclear weapons; finding encouragement in the lack of deal-breaking preconditions, e.g., that Iran stop all nuclear enrichment before talks can begin; the domestic political calculations motivating Benjamin Netanyahu’s seemingly-crazy belligerence; and why the US...
04/13/12 – Jean MacKenzie – The Scott Horton Show
Jean MacKenzie, senior correspondent for GlobalPost, discusses her article on why the March 11 Kandahar massacre is much more surprising to Americans than Afghans; the success of US night raids in killing mid-level Taliban commanders – who are quickly replaced by younger, more hardcore fighters; the lack of a US endgame strategy, other than spinning withdrawal as a “victory;” and Afghan President Hamid Karzai’s odds of survival without US backing.
04/13/12 – Oleg Novinkov – The Scott Horton Show
Oleg Novinkov, former Soviet officer and author of Afghan Boomerang, discusses the propaganda-filled book Charlie Wilson’s War about the CIA operation to arm mujaheddin in their fight against the Soviet army in Afghanistan; the Western media’s re-labeling of Afghan “freedom fighters” as “terrorists” once the US invaded; why Afghans would rather be occupied by the Soviets than the US/NATO; how a new Cold War with China will eventually displace the War on Terror as the top US priority; and why...
04/12/12 – Peter Jenkins – The Scott Horton Show
Peter Jenkins, the UK’s Permanent Representative to the IAEA from 2001-06, discusses his article “Iran Nuclear Talks Offer Opportunity If The US Wants It;” the mainstream media’s sudden truth-telling on Iran’s nuclear program; Obama’s apparent interest in good-faith negotiations that recognize Iran’s NPT rights; why excessive US demands (close Fordow facility, give up 20% uranium) don’t necessarily preclude reasonable compromises later on; Ray McGovern’s theory that a Jundullah terrorist...
04/11/12 – Gareth Porter – The Scott Horton Show
Gareth Porter, investigative historian and journalist specializing in U.S. national security policy, discusses his article “Israeli Experts Mum on Iran Attack to Support Bibi’s Bluff;” Obama’s dangerous game, talking tough on Iran to appease Israel and Republican critics while trying to avoid war; how outrageous US demands on Iran’s nuclear program risk scuttling negotiations before they even begin; and how Israel-sponsored terrorism in Iran (using Jundullah or MEK as a proxy) could start a...
04/10/12 – Sheldon Richman – The Scott Horton Show
Sheldon Richman, senior fellow at The Future of Freedom Foundation, discusses his article “Is Serfdom an Executive Order Away?” at Reason.com; Obama’s National Defense Resources Preparedness plan that authorizes a government takeover of the economy during a national emergency (whatever that means); the tendency of all presidents to draft Executive Orders that grant themselves dictatorial powers; why limits on government power are now guided by political, not legal, concerns; and why we should...
04/10/12 – Pepe Escobar – The Scott Horton Show
Globetrotting journalist Pepe Escobar discusses his recent articles at the Asia Times; why the whole world is a mess except for South America; the Iran to Pakistan (and possibly China) pipeline, abhorred by the US, that could be operational in 2014; how Iran sanctions allow Russia’s Gazprom to continue dominating the European energy market; US strategists coming up short in the global “great game;” Syria’s strategic importance to Russia’s navy and NATO’s plans for Mediterranean supremacy;...
04/10/12 – M.J. Rosenberg – The Scott Horton Show
M.J. Rosenberg, journalist and former Senior Foreign Policy Fellow at Media Matters Action Network, discusses how his criticism of Israel made him a liability for his former employer; why members of Congress won’t take a risk on controversial issues, even when they have “safe seats;” why the Palestinian Authority risks losing US aid for giving an award to journalist Helen Thomas; billionaire Sheldon Adelson’s circulation-leading, money-losing, right-wing Israeli newspaper; the longtime...
04/10/12 – Adam Morrow – The Scott Horton Show
IPS News journalist Adam Morrow discusses the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood’s surprise presidential candidate; why former Egyptian spy chief Omar Suleiman, the “CIA’s man in Cairo,” has a chance of winning the presidency; the Egyptian military’s continued dominance of civilian government, pending a revised constitution; and why the Egypt/Gaza border crossing at Rafah still hasn’t opened to regular trade and commerce.
04/09/12 – John Glaser – The Scott Horton Show
John Glaser, Assistant Editor at Antiwar.com, discusses UN Special Envoy to Syria Kofi Annan’s proposed ceasefire deal; the difficulty of negotiating with Syria’s decentralized and leaderless opposition; a Cold War-type proxy battle, with Russian and Iran supporting the Assad regime and the US aiding the rebellion; forcing Iran into an impossible-to-accept “Rambouillet” ultimatum – purposefully designed to start a war; and why the Obama administration’s Iran agenda still can’t be...
