Sheldon Richman shares his election day experience, one where he got to choose exactly the outcome he wanted and take home real products afterward—namely, he went to the grocery store. Richman contrasts the voting of the marketplace that we do every day with our dollars, with the political system that supposedly gives each citizen a vote but in reality provides only a pointless display of participation and consent without real effect. Richman’s latest article in the TGIF series explores real...
11/9/18 Grant Smith on U.S. and Israeli Intelligence
Grant Smith comes on the show to talk about his latest article on the close ties between the U.S. and Israeli military intelligence communities. He reveals that not only do American agencies share pretty much all their intel with their counterparts in Israel, but also how the U.S. agencies supplement their budgets with funding from the activities they’re supposedly helping to prevent, like drug and arms sales. Discussed on the show: “Israel and the Trillion-Dollar 2005-2018 US Intelligence...
11/9/18 Hassan El-Tayyab on Efforts to Stop the War in Yemen
Hassan El-Tayyab talks about various movements to stop the U.S.-backed war in Yemen, and what we can all do to help. Tayyab explains that millions of civilians there are on the brink of the worst famine in 100 years. So far political will has not really been behind ending the war, but following the murder of Jamal Khashoggi things may finally be changing. Tayyab’s organization is tracking the progress of two congressional resolutions that would invoke the War Powers Act to end American...
11/5/18 Danny Sjursen on a New Iraq War Report
Major Danny Sjursen comes back on the show to talk about the many errors of the various American wars in Iraq. Sjursen has written a new article discussing a recently leaked report that was commissioned during and about Iraq War 2, but was deliberately stymied and kept from the American people. Discussed on the show: “The Army Stymied Its Own Study of the Iraq War” (Wall Street Journal) “Will Iraq Become Another ‘Lesson Lost’ Like Vietnam?” (The American Conservative) Pentagon Papers Raymond...
11/5/18 Scott Paul on Yemen
Scott Paul joins the show to talk about recent developments in the war in Yemen, where new casualty estimates claim at least 50,000 deaths just from direct violence. Oxfam estimates that the there are over 100 additional deaths from cholera and deprivation per day, and that when all is said and done hundreds of thousands of civilians will have been found to have died because of the war. Paul reminds us that there is plenty of room to negotiate peace, since most Yemenis hardly care at all about...
11/5/18 Stephen Walt on a Realist Foreign Policy
Professor Stephen Walt comes on the show to talk about his new book on American foreign policy. He explains the doctrine of “foreign policy realism,” which tries to objectively evaluate the consequences of military endeavors, and not focus excessively on the morality of stopping bad people across the world. For example, if the United States keeps trying to remake the Middle East, the unintended victims tend to want retribution, no matter how noble the intentions of spreading liberalism were....
11/4/18 Nasser Arrabyee With an Update on the War in Yemen
Frequent Scott Horton Show guest Nasser Arrabyee comes back for an update on the current situation in Yemen. He explains that Coalition goals there simply can’t be realized, and that the U.S. should just end its support for the Saudis as soon as possible. If America withdraws, he believes Saudi Arabia will soon follow suit. Arrabyee also talks about how the casualty reports from the New York Times and other sources, namely 10,000 deaths, can’t possibly be right, given all the deliberate...
10/31/18 Conn Hallinan on the Syrian Chessboard
You are listening to the Scott Horton Show. 10/31/18 Conn Hallinan on the Syrian Chessboard
10/28/18 Gareth Porter on U.S. Relations with Saudi Arabia
Scott interviews Gareth Porter on his latest article for Middle East Eye, in which he explains that there’s enough pressure now, following the death of Jamal Khashoggi, for the United States to back down a little in our relationship with Saudi Arabia. Porter doesn’t imagine a drastic cutting of ties, but he is confident something will have to change. Unfortunately, too much of our foreign policy is controlled by interests in the arms industry, particularly drone bombers these days, for a...
10/28/18 Lecture for the Committee for Responsible Foreign Policy
Listen to Scott’s lecture at a recent Committee for Responsible Foreign Policy event, where he discusses his book and the background of the war on terror. This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: Kesslyn Runs, by Charles Featherstone; NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Roberts and Roberts Brokerage Inc.; Zen Cash; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; and LibertyStickers.com. Check out...
10/20/18 Danny Sjursen on the War in Afghanistan
Major Danny Sjursen comes back on the show to discuss the killing of General Raziq in a recent “green-on-blue” attack. Sjursen explains that these killings are not new—there have been dozens throughout the war in Afghanistan—but they should be a wake-up call. If American and allied troops aren’t even safe from each other, after all, how can the U.S. hope to win a war against its enemies? Sjursen is adamant that we’ve already lost the war and we should just pull out as soon as possible without...
10/20/18 Martha Mundy Gives an Update on Yemen
Martha Mundy talks about the ongoing war in Yemen, with a particular focus on some of the more barbaric Coalition tactics, including the deliberate bombing of humanitarian and agricultural targets. Scott explains some of the United States and IMF policies that led to Yemen replacing many food crops with cash crops, which they could sell to Saudi Arabia and the rest of the U.S., which of course is a sensible policy until those countries start deliberately blockading you. These and dozens of...
10/19/18 Sheldon Richman on Saudi Arabia and the Disappearance of Khashoggi
Sheldon Richman talks about his latest TGIF article, “The Insidious Wiles of Foreign Influence: Trump, Bin Salman, and Netanyahu”. Scott and Sheldon bemoan the fact that the killing of Khashoggi has received far more outrage from journalists, politicians, and the public than the outrageous war in Yemen has. Although not exactly surprising, it’s still disturbing. Sheldon maintains that Saudi Arabia is probably the worst possible regime for the United States to count among its allies. Discussed...
10/19/18 Justin Elliott on Sheldon Adelson
Journalist Justin Elliott comes on the show to talk about casino magnate Sheldon Adelson, who has become one of President Trump’s biggest donors. Although Trump derided him early in his campaign, the two have formed a close partnership with Adelson providing tens of millions in funding so long as Trump continues the correct policies with respect to Israel, Palestine, and Iran. Elliott and others have also speculated that Trump is trying to get Adelson approval to open a casino in Japan,...
10/17/18 Ben Freeman on the Saudi Lobby
Ben Freeman explains why and how Saudi Arabia has so much influence in U.S. politics. Even though it’s illegal for foreigners to donate to American political campaigns, he explains that it is perfectly legal for them to hire a lobbying firm in Washington, which can then turn around and immediately donate on their behalf. This type of payoff—which also extends to members of the press and even to some professors—puts Saudi influence on par with Israel’s. Freeman and Scott also discuss the...
