Scott interviews Darren J. Beattie of Revolver News about the in-depth articles he’s written about the riot at the Capitol last January. Beattie’s reporting uses video and photo evidence to highlight a number of individuals who were instrumental in breaching the Capitol grounds and in directing rally-goers towards the building. But while hundreds of attendees have been charged for their actions that day, this group of instigators has remained virtually untouched by federal investigators. Scott...
12/30/21 Basir Bita on the Economic Crisis in Afghanistan
Scott interviews activist Basir Bita about the economic calamity that’s hit Afghanistan since the U.S. withdrawal this past summer. With the U.S. and IMF freezing Afghan government funds as well as widespread market corrections after the fall of the previous regime, Afghanistan has been thrown into turmoil. Food prices have tripled since the summer and many Afghans face issues with food security. Bita argues that the Biden Administration and others should get over their hesitation to work with...
12/30/21 Daniel Larison: US Militarism Should Have Died With the Soviet Union
Scott is joined by Antiwar.com contributing editor Daniel Larison to discuss his most recent piece. Larison argues that the period following the peaceful breakup of the USSR was the best moment for the U.S. to shed the militaristic blob it had built up in the name of fighting communism. Instead, the military-industrial-congressional complex scrambled to find a new enemy. And the next thirty years of meddling in the Middle East and Eastern Europe have resulted in today’s messy geopolitical...
12/22/21 Gareth Porter on Iran and Afghanistan
Scott celebrates eleven years on the radio by interviewing Gareth Porter about Biden’s first year in office. They discuss the negotiations between the Administration and Iran over a return to the JCPOA. Despite many crossovers with the team that reached an agreement with Iran back in the Obama years, Biden’s people appear set on squeezing more concessions out of the Iranians. But Porter points out that, as he had predicted, the U.S. reluctance to return to the deal led to hardliner victories...
12/10/21 Dave DeCamp on Iran, Russia, China and Yemen
Dave DeCamp is back on the show for another rapid-fire episode of some of the biggest foreign policy news. He starts out with an update on the recently resumed indirect negotiations between the U.S. and Iran. Next, he discusses the developments between Russia and Ukraine where it appears the Biden Administration is backing down from early statements that hinted at a willingness to defend Ukraine against a Russian invasion. Next DeCamp and Scott talk about China and the prospects for tension...
12/10/21 Kevin Gosztola on Assange’s Future After the High Court Ruling
Scott is joined by journalist Kevin Gosztola to discuss the evolving situation Julian Assange finds himself in. The UK’s High Court recently overturned a decision blocking Assange from extradition to the United States. This plunges the case into further rounds of litigation. Gosztola explains these next steps and discusses what is needed for Assange to walk free. Discussed on the show: “Assange Plans to Appeal High Court Decision Backing Extradition to the United States” (Shadowproof) “Inside...
12/3/21 Giorgio Cafiero on the Rumors of Russian Mercenaries Fighting in Mali
Scott interviews Giorgio Cafiero about an article he wrote last month on France’s war in Mali. Cafiero gives a concise, but thorough, background on the war, how it started and where it stands today. He then explains how anti-French sentiment in the country has been on the rise. In that context, rumors have been making the rounds about a deal between the Mali government and a top Russian mercenary group. Scott and Cafiero discuss what this could mean for the region, and the world, if these...
12/3/21 Bob Murphy and Jon Schwarz on Whether Current Inflation Is a Good Thing
Jon Schwarz wrote an article for the Intercept last month that stirred up quite a buzz. In the piece, Schwarz makes the argument that, because it’s hurting creditors and shrinking the real value of debt, inflation should be viewed as good news for most people. Scott brought Schwarz on together with Austrian economist Bob Murphey to have a discussion about Schwarz’s argument and monetary policy more broadly. Discussed on the show: “Inflation Is Good for You” (The Intercept) Understanding...
12/2/21 Gilbert Doctorow on the Growing Tension at the Russia-Ukrainian Border
Scott was joined by Gilbert Doctorow on Antiwar Radio Sunday to talk about Russia and Ukraine. The recent Russian build-up of forces on its border with Ukraine’s Donbas Region has been highly publicized in American media, but the greater context has been all but eliminated from the public discourse. Doctorow provides that context in this interview. He explains how Russian actions are better understood as reactions to American weapons flowing into Ukraine, something the Kremlin considers to be...
12/2/21 Ford Fischer on the New Details Surrounding Johnny Hurley’s Tragic Death
Scott is joined by journalist and primary source documentarian Ford Fischer to discuss the recently released footage of Johnny Hurley’s death at the hands of an Arvada police officer. Fischer made a short documentary about the tragedy shortly after it occurred this past summer. Hurley heroically gunned down a man who had just begun what was clearly an attempted killing spree. By doing so, Hurley likely saved numerous lives, but he was tragically killed moments later when police arrived on the...
12/2/21 Patricia Hynes Explains How the US Military Poisoned Its Own Soldiers
Scott interviews Patricia Hynes about a piece she wrote back in 2017 highlighting the devastation caused by burn pits on American military bases over the last thirty years. Scott wanted to discuss this now because the Federal Government has finally started looking for ways to help the veterans exposed to these toxic fumes. They also lay out why Biden likely feels he has a personal stake in this effort. Discussed on the show: “The Burn Pits” (Truthdig) “Burn Pits: Federal Government Finally...
12/2/21 John Dolan (The War Nerd) on the Tigray-Ethiopia War
Scott is joined by John Dolan who used to write under the names Gary Brecher and The War Nerd. The two discuss a recent article Dolan wrote that lays out the big picture causes and developments in the Tigray-Ethiopia war. Dolan explains the necessary Ethiopian history to set the stage for the war and does his best to piece together what’s happened since it began a year ago. Scott and Dolan also discuss the end of the war in Afghanistan and what a modern American civil war would look like. ...
11/30/21 Hassan El-Tayyab on This Weeks Senate Vote to Block the Saudi Arms Sale
Hassan El-Tayyab is back with an update on a Senate vote taking place later this week that aims to block the Biden Administrations' $600 million arms sale to Saudi Arabia. The resolution is the result of Senators Rand Paul and Mike Lee teaming up with Bernie Sanders. And so, with both parties already being represented, it’s the perfect time to attack the Left from the left and the Right from the right. El-Tayyab has already seen members of Congress react positively to pressure from their...
11/24/21 Aaron Maté on the Award-Winning Lies Still Propping up Russiagate
On Antiwar Radio this Sunday, Scott was joined by Aaron Maté to discuss an article he wrote for Real Clear Investigations. Amidst the collapse of the Steele dossier, Maté wrote about five articles that either won the Pulitzer prize or were written by journalists who had won a Pulitzer, all of which were about disproven aspects of Russiagate unrelated to Christopher Steele. They discuss the framing of Michael Flynn, the fictional calls between Trump officials and Russian intelligence, the...
11/19/21 Peter Van Buren on Why China’s Not Invading Taiwan and How Absurd the Russiagate Story Was From the Beginning
On Antiwar Radio this past Sunday, Scott interviewed Peter Van Buren about two articles he wrote on Taiwan. Van Buren laid out the reasons he believes a Chinese invasion of Taiwan is unlikely. Scott’s slot of airtime only runs 30 minutes. But they ended up talking for an additional hour about the absurdity of Russiagate. The entire interview is presented here in full. Discussed on the show: “Taiwan Is Not About China” (The American Conservative) “Taiwan Means War Only If We Want It To” (The...
