Chas Freeman talks about America’s relationship with Taiwan, which the U.S. has long considered an official part of China. Since 2018, however, our stance has begun to change in what Freeman considers a dangerous way. Because American policy prevents direct arms sales to China, it’s in the interest of the military-industrial complex to promote Taiwan as a sovereign entity. This might be fine if all one cares about is democracy and self-governance, but it could be extremely hazardous in the...

Daniel Davis discusses President Trump’s recent announcement that he wants to withdraw American troops from Syria. He made a similar announcement a year ago, and just like back then, he’s now being met with fierce opposition, along with claims that to leave now would mean abandoning our allies in the region. What Trump’s critics really mean, say Davis and Scott, is that this move could strengthen Iran’s power in the Middle East, which is the worst nightmare of all neocons. Davis says that...

Dan McKnight joins Scott to discuss his very important organization, Bring Our Troops Home, which argues against America’s endless wars in the Middle East from a constitutional conservative position. Scott explains how the left has always been pretty good on the war issue, as is the older generation of Vietnam-era veterans who have turned anti-war. What we really need in order to change U.S. foreign policy is for the large base of younger republicans, including veterans of the current wars, to...

Scott interviews Reese Erlich about the situation in Turkey, where the government is beginning to carry out a plan to get rid of the country’s Kurdish population in a kind of soft genocide that consists mostly in displacing native Kurds with Syrian refugees. Scott and Erlich also discuss the current protests against Egyptian president Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. Discussed on the show: “Foreign Correspondent: Turkey Plans an Attack on Syrian Kurds” (Progressive.org)Coping with Crumbling StatesWarren...

Andrew Cockburn talks about what he calls the legal corruption of the U.S. government and various lobbying industries. Whether it’s arms manufacturers, steel, farmers, or health insurance, practically every major industry in the U.S.—and some industries abroad—works with politicians to get favors and special treatment. Joe and Hunter Biden’s scandal with Ukrainian energy companies is just the most recent example, but is certainly not unique. Unfortunately partisan loyalty clouds people’s...

Adam Wunische joins the show to discuss his work in assessing the true costs of the war in Afghanistan and the future of the American military there. He and Scott remind us that most metrics used to describe the costs of war assume that you can put a value on the loss of human lives, the physical and mental suffering of soldiers who do come home, and all the other subtle effects felt at home by the citizens of a nation at war. Clearly that’s not true, and it probably explains why the country...

Scott interviews Sheldon Richman about his new book, Coming to Palestine, a collection of Richman’s essays on the founding of Israel. Richman was raised in a Jewish household to believe that Israel’s cause was just and worthy of support. He now believes that the narrative he got as a child—the one that most people get—is practically the exact opposite of how things really stand in almost every regard. His new book tells the real story. Discussed on the show: Coming to Palestine Sheldon...

Nasser Arrabyee is back with an important update from Yemen, where Houthi forces are now claiming to have captured thousands of Saudi soldiers in a battle in August. They likely view this as leverage in a possible peace negotiation, but Scott fears that it could also provoke President Trump into supporting America’s allies, the Saudis, in an even more violent retribution than what is already being carried out. Discussed on the show:- Advertisement - “Yemen’s Houthi rebels release Saudi attack...

Mark Perry discusses some of the disasters of America’s foreign policy for the last 20 years, particularly U.S. support for Saudi Arabia in their war in Yemen and repeated cases of empowering Iran by starting or supporting ill-advised conflicts that end up making Iran look strong. Perry says there’s no way to wrap up our involvement in the region; America simply needs to get out now and stop perpetrating this injustice altogether. Discussed on the show: “The Military Officials Who Knew Saudi...

Daniel Lazare rehashes some of the details of “Russiagate”, focusing on the obvious media malfeasance and bias against President Trump, and the theory that the so-called “intelligence community” was doing everything they could to sabotage him. The latest episode in this conspiracy is the Ukraine impeachment inquiry, which democrats seem to have taken up full bore, while acting as if the Russia collusion issue never happened at all. Discussed on the show: “Another Day, Another Scandal. What the...

Jonathan Fenton-Harvey talks about President Trump’s close relationship with Saudi Arabia and his corresponding push against Iran. Trump seems uniquely willing to come out and say his real reasons for this closeness—that it’s all about money. Trump likes that Saudi Arabia buys billions of dollars worth of weapons from America, which he claims is good for the U.S. job market. He is willing to sacrifice civilian lives in Yemen for the sake of the domestic economy. Ironically, Trump’s isolation...

Ali Demirdas talks about the Syrian YPG, a Kurdish organization associated with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, which America has supported against Assad in Syria. Demirdas thinks this partnership is ill-advised, and that the YPG’s chances of ruling significant parts of the country without U.S. support are low. He also outlines some of the ways America has strengthened Iran’s influence in the Middle East again and again, even though they are supposedly our biggest enemy in the region. Discussed...

Patrick Cockburn discusses the recent attacks on a Saudi oil facility, an American drone, and two Japanese tankers, all of which have been pinned to various degrees on Iran. It’s unclear to what extent Iran actually was involved—it’s always possible that this is a false narrative being used to gin up tensions and cause a war—but no matter who was responsible, these attacks demonstrate the extent to which countries like Iran and Yemen could wage asymmetrical war on more powerful countries like...

Scott interviews Sheldon Richman about his new book, a collection of essays on the history of Israel and Palestine. He explains that almost everything we’ve heard about the official narrative of the founding of Israel is wrong—far from a country of peaceful Jews constantly under threat of being pushed into the sea by a bunch of hateful Arabs, Richman says the Israelis continues to exist only by occupation, colonization, and removal of Palestinians from land that their families have occupied...

Nasser Arrabyee comes back for an update on the war in Yemen. Saudi forces continue to bomb Yemeni cities, and American neocons continue to insist that the war is being justly prosecuted against the Iran-backed Houthis. Arrabyee says these claims of Iranian support are overblown. As usual, the American media ignores most of the history and nuances of the war altogether. Discussed on the show:- Advertisement - “Saudis Pound Yemen After Houthis’ Truce Offer” (News From Antiwar.com)“Saudi-led...