Ray McGovern, co-founder of VIPS, joins Scott on the show to talk about his recent arrest for protesting Gina Haspel's CIA confirmation hearing. McGovern begins by sharing what he got up and said during his protest and what he saw and heard before being removed from Haspel's hearing. McGovern then discusses Haspel's record of torture and how she has escaped any accountability for her actions. McGovern's latest article is "Will A Torturer Become CIA Director?" You can read all of his work at...
11/6/17 Elijah Magnier on the mayhem in Lebanon and Saudi Arabia
Middle East correspondent Elijah Magnier returns to the show to discuss the latest turmoil in the Middle East and his recent article "ISIS into History’s rubbish bin and Iraq neither Iranian nor American." Magnier shares what he knows about the resignation of Saad Hariri in Lebanon, and Saudi Arabia's role in the latest Middle Eastern mess. Magnier then discusses the history of Hezbollah in Lebanon, the distinction between the terrorist group and the parliamentary party, which has considerable...
10/30/17 Trevor Thrall on ending the war on terror
Cato Institute senior fellow Trevor Thrall joins Scott to discuss his article for War On The Rocks, "Time to Step Back from the War on Terror." Thrall's piece details how the U.S. war on terror has been a failure and raises the question "what if we abolish the war on terror?" Thrall's solution begins by, in the first place, stopping the constant interventions in the first place. Thrall believes that, at the root of the problem, is the fact that America believes it needs to control everything,...
10/13/17 Jason Ditz Updates the Situation in Syria
Managing news editor of Antiwar.com Jason Ditz returns to the show to discuss the war in Syria where two separate wars are taking place—against ISIS in the East and al Qaeda in the east. Ditz details all of what we don't know thanks to increased secrecy from the Trump administration, explains what we do know about the continued fight against ISIS in Raqqa, where the U.S. air war has created lots of civilian casualties, and how the Kurds in Syria factor into the U.S. future plans. Scott and...
10/2/17 Airwars’ Chris Woods on the fight against ISIS in Iraq and Syria
Airwars investigative reporter Chris Woods returns to the show to discuss his work documenting aerial strikes and casualties in Iraq, Syria, and now Libya. Woods explains Airwars' method of documentation, discusses how Trump's strategy compares to Obama's, and breaks down the fight to free Mosul and Raqqa from ISIS and the overwhelming toll it has taken on the civilian populations. Woods is the author of Sudden Justice: America's Secret Drone Wars and the recipient of the Martha Gellhorn Prize...
9/8/17 Andrew Cockburn on Saudi Arabia’s role in 9/11
Washington editor of Harper's Magazine, Andrew Cockburn, returns to the show to discuss his latest article, "Crime and Punishment: Will the 9/11 Case Finally Go to Trial?" Cockburn explains how the 9/11 families overcame the legal impediments against suing the state of Saudi Arabia even in the face of rank opposition from the Obama administration, what he believed was revealed in the 28 pages, and how the Saudis helped fund the spread of Wahhabism and the rise of al-Qaeda. Cockburn believes...
9/6/17 Patrick Cockburn on al-Qaeda’s resurgence in Syria
Author and journalist Patrick Cockburn returns to the show to discuss his reporting on the heavy casualties in Mosul and why they've been underreported in the media. Cockburn explains how ISIS's guerrilla war tactics increase civilian casualties, why the Syrian Kurds fighting against ISIS in Raqqa have considerable incentive to extend the fight against ISIS, and discusses his latest article for the Independent on al Qaeda's power grab in Syria, "While defeat of Isis dominates global attention,...
The Antiwar Comic: Not That Kind of Three Way
This is one of my favorite images that Roberto drew for the comic. Barack Obama, NATO warrior! For more comics visit:
Special report: Is Al Qaeda in pieces?
Interesting read from The Independent. Just goes to show that "al Qeada" was on it's last legs before 9/11 and it's only the response from the Bush admin that has kept it alive, apparently 9/11 was to be Bin Ladens last throw of the dice. Benotman says that Bin Laden tried to placate him with a promise: "I have one more operation, and after that I will quit" — an apparent reference to 11 September. "I can't call this one back because that would demoralise the whole organisation," Benotman...
Al Qaeda Declares War on Hezbollah
So whose enemies are paramount in the minds of American policy makers, Israel's or America's? Must bin Laden and Zawahiri remain free forever while we ally with their friends and fight those they hate but do not threaten us?
Cheney Debunked
props to Anders for putting this video together. (xposted @ Random musings...)
Dick Cheney: They Hate Us for Our Foreign Policy
The first Meet the Press after 9/11: MR. RUSSERT: Why does he hate us so much? VICE PRES. CHENEY: It must have something to do with his background, his own upbringing. He's the son of a prominent Saudi family, successful business group with significant wealth. He went and served in Afghanistan with the mujahedeen during the war against the Russians, and he has, for whatever reason, developed this intense hatred of everything that relates to the United States. And his objective, obviously, is...