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...
10/17/18 Joseph Margulies on the Innocence of Abu Zubaydah
Attorney Joseph Margulies comes on the show to discuss his recent article about his client, Abu Zubaydah, who is currently being held by the CIA without charges. Zubaydah was one of the first men caught up in the chaos after 9/11, in this case mistakenly identified as a high ranking member of Al-Qaeda. Zubaydah is a former Mujahideen fighter but has no affiliation to Al-Qaeda or 9/11, maintaining that they, along with ISIS, are violating the teachings of Islam. He has been tortured extensively...
10/17/18 Gareth Porter Debunks Russian Election Meddling
Gareth Porter’s latest article, The Shaky Case That Russia Manipulated Social Media to Tip the 2016 Election, takes on a recent New York Times piece claiming to outline how exactly Russian actors sought to undermine the 2016 presidential election. Porter explains that the Times implies a very misleading conclusion from the data, namely that the Russian government must have been involved just because Russian social media accounts were active during the election. In fact, since Russia is a...
10/17/18 Ted Snider on Israel’s New Foreign Policy
Ted Snider explains the “Periphery Doctrine”, a foreign policy strategy by which a nation, in this case Israel, can either ally itself with its immediate neighbors against its more distant ones, or “leapfrog” its neighbors to be friends with those on the periphery instead. The history of Israel’s foreign policy has been characterized by one of these two options, until now. Netanyahu, Snider explains, has created a new doctrine by which he tries to turn Palestinians and Arabs against each other...
10/12/18 Eric Eikenberry on Stopping the War In Yemen
Scott talks to Eric Eikenberry about the war in Yemen and the various efforts to stop it. A small cadre in the House of Representatives has been trying to introduce resolutions that would invoke the War Powers Act, but so far have met with little success. Eikenberry thinks that popular opinion is beginning to turn sharply against the war, thanks in part to the American media beginning to focus on it. If this shift continues, he thinks the resolutions have a chance at success. Discussed on the...
10/12/18 Sheldon Richman on Israel-Palestine Negotiations
Sheldon Richman returns to the show to talk about his latest TGIF article, “Trump’s Middle East Delusions Persist.” He and Scott discuss the state of negotiations between Israel and Palestine and what can be done to make Americans see the truth of Israel’s many abuses of the Palestinian people. Discussed on the show: “Trump’s Middle East Delusions Persist” (Libertarian Institute) Jason Greenblatt Mahmoud Abbas “It’s not a lie… if you believe it…” (YouTube) Palestine Liberation Organization...
