Gareth Porter joins Scott on Antiwar Radio to discuss his latest piece about the media’s reaction to Afghanistan. Porter lays out how virtually the entire media ecosystem is arguing the withdrawal was done prematurely from both a counterterrorism standpoint and in terms of the evacuation of American citizens and allies. However, the media is ignoring the root of the problem was the overconfidence the U.S. Military and Intelligence Community had in the Afghan National Army. Porter argues that that is where the blame ought to lie, rather than squarely on Biden. Now Porter thinks we’ve reached an inflection point, with historic calls for those responsible for these disastrous wars to be held accountable. 

Discussed on the show:

• Gareth Porter’s page at the Grayzone
• “Afghanistan collapse reveals Beltway media’s loyalty to permanent war state” (Grazone)
• news.antiwar.com — better than CIA briefings according to Chalmers Johnson
• “Surprise, panic and fateful choices: The day America lost its longest war” (Washington Post)
• “Top defense firms spend $1B on lobbying during Afghan war, see $2T return” (Responsible Statecraft)
• Joe Kent on Tucker

Gareth Porter is an investigative historian and journalist on the national security state. He is the author of Manufactured Crisis: The Untold Story of the Iran Nuclear Scare and, with John Kiriakou, The CIA Insider’s Guide to the Iran Crisis. Follow him on Twitter @GarethPorter and listen to Gareth’s previous appearances on the Scott Horton Show.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: The War State and Why The Vietnam War?, by Mike Swanson; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; EasyShip; Thc Hemp Spot; Green Mill Supercritical; Bug-A-Salt; Lorenzotti Coffee and Listen and Think Audio.

Shop Libertarian Institute merch or donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal or Bitcoin: 1DZBZNJrxUhQhEzgDh7k8JXHXRjYu5tZiG.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Scott talks with Dan McKnight about the effort to pass Defend the Guard legislation, which would block the use of National Guard troops in foreign combat operations without a declaration of war. McKnight gives background on what led him to become involved in political activism and how the absence of the Louisiana National Guard during Hurricane Ida is yet another reason for this legislation. Scott and McKnight also talk about the value veterans bring to the movement to end wars. Lastly, McKnight explains that despite being relieved the war is over, he believes the Afghanistan withdrawal was handled disgracefully. 

Discussed on the show:

• Bring Our Troops Home
• Defend the Guard

Dan McKnight is the founder and Chairman of Idahoans to Bring Our Troops Home. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves, three years active duty with the U.S. Army and ten years with the Idaho Army National Guard, including a one-year deployment to Afghanistan in 2006.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: The War State and Why The Vietnam War?, by Mike Swanson; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; EasyShip; Thc Hemp Spot; Green Mill Supercritical; Bug-A-Salt; Lorenzotti Coffee and Listen and Think Audio.

Shop Libertarian Institute merch or donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal or Bitcoin: 1DZBZNJrxUhQhEzgDh7k8JXHXRjYu5tZiG.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Scott talks with Jack Murphy about the piece he wrote detailing the surge in drone strikes that took place under President Trump.  Murphy explains how the whole project started when a distraught drone operator approached him. It quickly became clear that that drone operator was not alone. Murphy details how Rules of Engagement (ROE) are formulated and how they evolved during the Obama and Trump presidencies. This leads to a discussion of the ruthless drone campaign that the U.S. carried out against the Taliban during negotiations. A campaign that killed numerous Afghan men for the crime of simply using a radio. 

Discussed on the show:

• “Looser rules, more civilian deaths, a Taliban takeover: Inside America’s failed Afghan drone campaign” (Audacy)
• “The Uncounted” (New York Times)
• Rand Corporation Study on Limited Intervention 

Jack Murphy is an eight-year Army Special Operations veteran. After returning to civilian life in 2010, he graduated from Columbia University in 2014 with a bachelor’s degree in political science. Find his memoir here and follow him on Twitter @JackMurphyRGR

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: The War State and Why The Vietnam War?, by Mike Swanson; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; EasyShip; Thc Hemp Spot; Green Mill Supercritical; Bug-A-Salt; Lorenzotti Coffee and Listen and Think Audio.

Shop Libertarian Institute merch or donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal or Bitcoin: 1DZBZNJrxUhQhEzgDh7k8JXHXRjYu5tZiG.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Scott interviews attorney and writer Ashraf Nubani about his recent piece making a case for releasing Robert Kennedy’s convicted assassin Sirhan Sirhan. Nubani explains that Sirhan meets all the stated requirements of the parole board and that the pressure to keep him in prison is mainly political. 

Note: This interview was recorded hours before the news broke that the California Parole Board recommended Sirhan’s release. Governor Newsom’s office will now review the case and can still block parole. 

Discussed on the show:

• “It’s time for Sirhan Sirhan to go free” (The Electronic Intifada)
• “Sirhan Sirhan, convicted of Robert F. Kennedy assassination, seeks parole with no opposition from prosecutors” (Washington Post)

Ashraf W. Nubani is an attorney and a Palestinian American and Muslim community leader in the Washington, DC, metro area.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: The War State and Why The Vietnam War?, by Mike Swanson; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; EasyShip; Thc Hemp Spot; Green Mill Supercritical; Bug-A-Salt; Lorenzotti Coffee and Listen and Think Audio.

Shop Libertarian Institute merch or donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal or Bitcoin: 1DZBZNJrxUhQhEzgDh7k8JXHXRjYu5tZiG.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Scott speaks with Daniel Davis about the suicide bombing at the entrance to the Kabul Airport. Davis considers this an especially devastating attack because the soldiers killed were only days away from being withdrawn from the country. He also believes that these withdrawal issues could have been prevented if U.S. troops had left a decade ago instead of flooding the country as they did under Obama’s surge. Davis goes on to explain why he has no respect for those who lie to the families of dead soldiers about what they died fighting for, all while sending new soldiers off to the same pointless mission. Finally, Davis takes on the argument that we should never have given up Bagram Air Base, and he explains why taking it back now would be disastrous. 

Discussed on the show:

• “Looser rules, more civilian deaths, a Taliban takeover: Inside America’s failed Afghan drone campaign” (Audacy)

Daniel Davis did multiple tours in Iraq and Afghanistan during his time in the army. He writes a weekly column for National Interest and is the author of the reports “Dereliction of Duty II: Senior Military Leaders’ Loss of Integrity Wounds Afghan War Effort” and “Go Big or Go Deep: An Analysis of Strategy Options on Afghanistan.” Find him on Twitter @DanielLDavis1.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: The War State and Why The Vietnam War?, by Mike Swanson; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; EasyShip; Thc Hemp Spot; Green Mill Supercritical; Bug-A-Salt; Lorenzotti Coffee and Listen and Think Audio.

Shop Libertarian Institute merch or donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal or Bitcoin: 1DZBZNJrxUhQhEzgDh7k8JXHXRjYu5tZiG.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Scott talks with Peter Van Buren about the situation in Afghanistan.  Van Buren explains that many of the people tasked with working on the Afghanistan War were, in fact, working to cover up their own role in the war. And that these individual failures played off each other to create one massive failure. On top of that, Van Buren argues that policymakers were entirely removed from the costs of the war. And because of that, Van Buren predicts we will soon find ourselves in a similar conflict.

Discussed on the show:

• We Meant Well by Peter Van Buren
• The Ghost of Tom Joad by Peter Van Buren
• Hooper’s War by Peter Van Buren
• Van Buren’s blog 
• “Nation-Building, the Washington Generals of Warfare Strangely Preferred by Washington Generals” (American Spectator)
• NPR interview Van Buren about his book We Meant Well
• Terry Gross’ interview with CNN’s Clarissa Ward
• The Best and the Brightest by David Halberstam
• Obama’s Wars by Bob Woodward

Peter Van Buren worked for 24 years at the Department of State including a year in Iraq. He is the author of We Meant Well: How I Helped Lose the Battle for the Hearts and Minds of the Iraqi People and the novel Hooper’s War. He is now a contributing editor at The American Conservative magazine.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: The War State and Why The Vietnam War?, by Mike Swanson; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; EasyShip; Thc Hemp Spot; Green Mill Supercritical; Bug-A-Salt; Lorenzotti Coffee and Listen and Think Audio.

Shop Libertarian Institute merch or donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal or Bitcoin: 1DZBZNJrxUhQhEzgDh7k8JXHXRjYu5tZiG.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Scott interviews Grant Smith about his recent article, which makes the case that the $3.8 billion in foreign aid given to Israel is on questionable legal grounds. It all comes back to Israel’s nuclear weapons, which the U.S. government has not officially acknowledged even exist. Because Israel is not a part of the Non-Proliferation Treaty, it is illegal for the U.S. to give them aid without making a specific case for why it’s necessary. Smith explains that to avoid this, Israel puts a lot of pressure on incoming Presidents to stay silent and not acknowledge the program. Smith also gives some background on how Israel acquired nuclear technology in the first place and how a tiny country in the middle-east has so effectively controlled American lawmakers. 

Discussed on the show:

•  “Israel’s Nukes Make US Aid Illegal” (Antiwar.com)
• “America Needs to Start Telling the Truth About Israel’s Nukes” (New York Times)
• “Joe Biden should end the US pretense over Israel’s ‘secret’ nuclear weapons” (The Guardian)
• Chuck Schumer acknowledging Israel’s Nuclear Weapons
• Documents obtained about the Israeli agent who infiltrated the NUMEC facility
• Grant Smith’s book about NUMEC
• Roger Mattson’s book about NUMEC
• Roger Mattson on CSPAN with Grant Smith
• Grant Smith’s book Big Israel
• “How Trump and Three Other U.S. Presidents Protected Israel’s Worst-Kept Secret: Its Nuclear Arsenal” (New Yorker)
• Grant Smith’s book about the fight to register the Israel Lobby as foreign agents

Grant F. Smith is the author of a number of books including Big Israel: How Israel’s Lobby Moves America, Divert!, and most recently The Israel Lobby Enters State Government: Rise of the Virginia Israel Advisory Board. He is director of the Institute for Research: Middle Eastern Policy in Washington, D.C.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: The War State and Why The Vietnam War?, by Mike Swanson; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; EasyShip; Thc Hemp Spot; Green Mill Supercritical; Bug-A-Salt; Lorenzotti Coffee and Listen and Think Audio.

Shop Libertarian Institute merch or donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal or Bitcoin: 1DZBZNJrxUhQhEzgDh7k8JXHXRjYu5tZiG.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Scott interviews Trita Parsi about his paper concerning the intervention of Middle East powers over the last decade. Parsi and his coauthor Matthew Petti found that, contrary to the picture often painted of one malign actor driving all the instability, there are really six Middle Eastern countries engaging in a lot of foreign intervention. Iran, which is currently the U.S. foreign policy establishment’s favorite villain, is no more interventionist than the other five. And that most instability in the modern Middle East can be traced back to the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003. Finally, Parsi talks about the Iran Nuclear Deal, which he says was gravely threatened when Biden dragged his feet at the beginning of his presidency. 

Discussed on the show:

• “No Clean Hands: The Interventions of Middle Eastern Powers, 2010-2020” (Quincy Institute)
• “How to Make Iran Trust a New Nuclear Deal” (Foreign Policy)

Trita Parsi is the president of the National Iranian American Council and the author of Losing an Enemy: Obama, Iran and the Triumph of Diplomacy. Parsi is the recipient of the 2010 Grawemeyer Award for Ideas Improving World Order. Follow him on Twitter @tparsi.

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: The War State and Why The Vietnam War?, by Mike Swanson; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; EasyShip; Green Mill Supercritical; Bug-A-Salt; Lorenzotti Coffee and Listen and Think Audio.

Shop Libertarian Institute merch or donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal or Bitcoin: 1DZBZNJrxUhQhEzgDh7k8JXHXRjYu5tZiG.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download