John Glaser, Assistant Editor at Antiwar.com, discusses the going-nowhere P5+1 Iran talks; the domestic political considerations that influence Obama’s foreign policy decisions; how US Iran Policy is Intended to Leave Open ‘Avenues for Regime Change;’” why the US and Israel won’t tolerate Iran’s nuclear breakout capability (even though nearly all nations with civilian nuclear programs have one); and the contradictory media reports on Syria’s Houla massacre.
05/30/12 – Marcy Wheeler – The Scott Horton Show
Blogger Marcy Wheeler discusses the NY Times puff piece article on President Obama’s secret kill list; the government’s fuzzy math in calculating civilian casualties from drone strikes; assassinating the bakers who may or may not sell bread to the Taliban; journalists (a.k.a. “terrorist sympathizers”) who dare gather information on drone strike casualties; more evidence that counterterrorism advisor John Brennan is a liar; how the US helped create the AQAP threat in Yemen; why the...
05/30/12 – Jason Leopold – The Scott Horton Show
Jason Leopold, lead investigative reporter of Truthout and author of News Junkie, discusses his exclusive article on Hesham Abu Zubaidah, brother of the infamous “high-value detainee” al-Qaeda member; the two years Hesham spent in jail for an immigration violation after 9/11 – during which he was constantly questioned about his long-estranged brother; our total reliance on government-sourced information on (terrorism suspect) Abu Zubaidah; the indispensable Andy Worthington; and how the FBI...
05/29/12 – Adam Morrow – The Scott Horton Show
IPS News journalist Adam Morrow discusses his article “From Mubarak to Worse;” the final two candidates - a Muslim Brother and a former Mubarak official – in Egypt’s presidential run-off election; why Egyptians are more concerned with Islamic dress codes than Gaza policy or foreign meddling; the Muslim Brotherhood’s history of cooperation with the West; Egypt’s unfinished constitution; and why Egypt’s socialist/leftist groups haven’t had any electoral success.
05/25/12 – Gareth Porter – The Scott Horton Show
Gareth Porter, investigative historian and journalist specializing in U.S. national security policy, discusses his article “US Hard Line in Failed Iran Talks Driven by Israel;” the deal-breaking US positions on sanctions relief and Iran’s Fordow enrichment facility; the US’s tried-and-true model for justifying military action, from Kosovo to Iraq, that works by sabotaging any diplomatic alternatives; the Obama administration’s seeming opposition to war with Iran; and how the neoconservatives...
05/24/12 – Flynt Leverett – The Scott Horton Show
Flynt Leverett, former Senior Director for Middle East Affairs at the National Security Council, discusses the latest negotiations on Iran’s nuclear enrichment program at the just-concluded P5+1 Baghdad summit; why the US will never agree to lift sanctions on Iran, no matter the concessions; how the US negotiating position makes Obama look like an idiot; Richard Nixon’s observation that the same political price is paid for going half way as all the way – so you might as well go to China; why...
05/24/12 – Gareth Porter – The Scott Horton Show
Gareth Porter, investigative historian and journalist specializing in U.S. national security policy, discusses his article “Was Afghan Massacre Linked to IED Attack;” the confusing events and timeline during Sgt. Robert Bales’s alleged massacre; the Special Forces assassination raid that took place in the same village, on the same night, as the massacre; and how the US military uses collective punishment (a war crime) on civilians suspected of aiding the insurgency.
05/23/12 – Grant F. Smith – The Scott Horton Show
Grant F. Smith, director of the Institute for Research: Middle Eastern Policy, discusses his article “US Charity Secretly Funds Israeli Nukes;” how the Weizmann Institute, posing as a non-profit charity, conducts espionage and fundraising for Israel’s nuclear weapons program; why the US government continues pretending that Israel’s nukes don’t exist; the IRS’s tentative ruling on tax-deductible donations to the Weizmann Institute; how the Justice Department’s secretive “shutdown” orders on...
05/23/12 – Sheldon Richman – The Scott Horton Show
Sheldon Richman, senior fellow at The Future of Freedom Foundation, discusses his article “On Israel’s ‘Right to Exist;’” the libertarian perspective on the rights of individuals and states; how Israel’s “right” is used as rhetorical misdirection, changing the subject away from the plight of Palestinians; defining Israel as “the state of the Jewish people” irrespective of location (since all Jews have the right of return); why the “end of Israel,” as defined, does not mean Jews will be pushed...
05/23/12 – Carl Finamore – The Scott Horton Show
Carl Finamore, Machinist Local Lodge 1781 delegate to the San Francisco Labor Council, AFL-CIO, discusses his article “Military Orchestrates Egypt’s Presidential Elections;” how Tahrir Square protesters won free speech and labor reforms, but failed to change the military-dominated political system; how the West uses Islamic groups to counter secular nationalism in the Arab world; the US’s strategic interests in Egypt; and why Egyptians, fatigued from lengthy protests, are increasingly more...
05/22/12 – Chris Hellman – The Scott Horton Show
Chris Hellman, Senior Research Analyst for the National Priorities Project, discusses his article “How Much Does Washington Spend on ‘Defense;’” the GOP’s plan to cut the “meals on wheels” program instead of the Pentagon’s budget; how constant threat-hyping makes Americans believe Iran is more threatening than the Soviet Union in its heyday; how outsourcing failed to reduce the size and cost of government; and why a few budget items should be higher, like nuclear waste storage.
05/22/12 – Ray McGovern – The Scott Horton Show
Former CIA senior analyst Ray McGovern discusses his article “Applying the Six-Day War to Iran;” neoconservative Charles Krauthammer’s revisionist history on the war – recounting it as a pre-emptive strike against imminent Arab attack instead of a long-planned land grab; former Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin’s candid honesty about Israel’s “war of choice” in 1967; disagreement among Israeli government officials on whether or not Iran poses an existential threat; and how President...
05/22/12 – Robert P. Murphy – The Scott Horton Show
Robert P. Murphy, author of The Politically Incorrect Guide to Capitalism, discusses his article “Who Needs War for Oil;” why the US military doesn’t need to intervene in the Middle East to “secure” supplies of oil; how embargoes hurt oil exporting countries more than their customers (shown by the US-supported embargo on Iran); and the contrarian theory that oil scarcity and higher prices are the true US policy goals.
05/21/12 – Steve Horn – The Scott Horton Show
Steve Horn, researcher and writer at DeSmogBlog, discusses the Chicago NATO Summit activists arrested and charged with conspiracy to commit terrorism and providing material support for terrorism; the two informants who infiltrated the group and possibly planted or invented evidence; the home-brew kit Chicago police apparently “mistook” for a Molotov cocktail-maker; the activists held in solitary confinement and held without charge for days; why the cops and feds are so afraid of the Occupy...
05/21/12 – Dina Rasor – The Scott Horton Show
Dina Rasor, founder of the Project on Military Procurement (now called the Project on Government Oversight, or POGO), discusses her article “Pilots as Lab Rats: The Reprehensible Risk-Taking on the F-22 Raptor;” the pilots who refused to fly anymore and went to 60 Minutes about the Raptor’s unexplained toxicity; how so-called stealth aircraft can be detected with outdated radar technology; the nearly half billion-dollar Raptor’s onerous maintenance requirements whenever it’s flown in the rain;...
