Jason Ditz, managing news editor at Antiwar.com, discusses why Afghanistan continues to be a quagmire, despite claims of impending victory by NATO and the Taliban; failures in nation building and in staffing an Afghan Army – the two core justifications for staying on; killing suspected terrorists (or whomever) with drone missile strikes in Pakistan; inundating 9-1-1 operators with “if you see something, say something” false alarms; and the recent bombing in Quetta, Pakistan.
09/12/11 – Patrick Cockburn – The Scott Horton Show
Patrick Cockburn, Middle East correspondent for The Independent, discusses his article “Iraq cleric says his forces could attack US troops” on the dangers Muqtada al-Sadr poses for an extended US occupation; Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s ability to play all sides against each other while his grip on power tightens; how the abundant foreign influences in Iraq create divisions along religious and sectarian lines and make a political settlement impossible; and why we’ll have to wait and...
09/09/11 – Sheldon Richman – The Scott Horton Show
Sheldon Richman, senior fellow at The Future of Freedom Foundation, discusses his article “9/11 and the National Security Scam;” why top government officials must know their policies provoke more terrorist attacks, rather than prevent them; hearty cheers at the GOP debate for Rick Perry’s record-setting execution pace as Texas Governor; the cynical use of 9/11 casualties to justify an increasingly ruthless foreign policy; why “macro measures” like GNP and the unemployment rate are poor...
09/09/11 – Glenn Greenwald – The Scott Horton Show
Glenn Greenwald, Salon.com blogger and author of With Liberty and Justice for Some: How the Law Is Used to Destroy Equality and Protect the Powerful, discusses a 9/11 retrospective alternative to the mainstream media’s distorted coverage; how the national security state has eroded our freedoms and eliminated government accountability; the surprising near-majority of Americans who recognize the root cause of terrorism and don’t believe in trading freedom for security; why a “free press” doesn’t...
09/08/11 – Kelley B. Vlahos – The Scott Horton Show
Kelley B. Vlahos, featured Antiwar.com columnist and contributing editor for The American Conservative magazine, discusses her article “Post-9/11: All Eyes on You;” the International Spy Museum’s obnoxious advertising campaign that makes a joke out of all-too-real government intrusions into our privacy; how incremental increases of government power go largely unnoticed by the American “sheeple;” and the Washington Post’s noteworthy “Top Secret America” project on the national security state’s...
09/08/11 – John Glaser – The Scott Horton Show
John Glaser, Assistant Editor at Antiwar.com, discusses his discovery of a WikiLeaks State Department cable about US soldiers who ordered an airstrike to coverup their massacre of an Iraqi family in 2006; how this revelation may complicate a deal to extend US occupation beyond the 2011 SOFA deadline; the nearly 30,000 trainers, advisers and mercenaries slated to remain in Iraq – too small for fighting wars, but plenty big to administer yet another client state; the ongoing protests in Bahrain,...
09/08/11 – Michael Scheuer – The Scott Horton Show
Michael Scheuer, 22-year veteran of the CIA and former head analyst at the CIA’s bin Laden unit, discusses why terrorism is a predictable response to an interventionist US foreign policy; how Osama bin Laden lured the US into Afghanistan and radicalized a good portion of the Muslim world; how al-Qaeda’s influence has spread into Western countries through media-savvy English speaking Muslims; the more-or-less representative Islamic governments likely to sprout up after the Arab spring – if the...
09/07/11 – Scott Horton – The Scott Horton Show
The Other Scott Horton (no relation), international human rights lawyer, professor and contributing editor at Harper’s magazine, discusses how the “Cheney doctrine” continues to dominate US policy ten years after 9/11; Cheney’s aggressive pro-torture propaganda book tour, meant to be a preemptive strike against his possible prosecution; why many Americans trust the government to torture and kill wisely and judiciously; and the double standard of US torture prosecutions, whereby the son of...
09/07/11 – Gareth Porter – The Scott Horton Show
Gareth Porter, independent historian and journalist for IPS News, discusses the two recent Washington Post articles on the growth and evolution of CIA and JSOC; how the creation of “career track” government jobs gave new life to the unsuccessful drone war in Pakistan; CIA analysts who doubt the wisdom of policy decisions but lack the opportunity to officially object; the logic of the “permanent war state;” and why we can expect future blowback from US efforts to befriend Libya’s...
09/07/11 – Jason Ditz – The Scott Horton Show
Jason Ditz, managing news editor at Antiwar.com, discusses the evolving Libyan war; the mistreatment of black Africans by Libya’s rebels; NATO, US and UN plans for their newly conquered North African country; why Libya’s crippled oil infrastructure may create cash-flow problems for a few years; and the WikiLeaks cable on the 2006 massacre of an Iraqi family by US soldiers.
08/31/11 – Gareth Porter – The Scott Horton Show
Gareth Porter, independent historian and journalist for IPS News, discusses his trip to Pakistan, where his investigative efforts were stonewalled by the US military and the UN; upcoming articles on US drone strikes and excessive reliance on cell phone intercepts for drawing up the “hit” list; his article “Hariri Bombing Indictment Based on Flawed Premise” about how communications link analysis (or six degrees of Kevin Bacon) is used to prove preconceived ideas, not find the truth; and how the...
08/31/11 – Pat Buchanan – The Scott Horton Show
Pat Buchanan, conservative commentator and author of Suicide of a Superpower: Will America Survive to 2025? discusses his article “Why Are We Baiting the Bear?” about the Senate resolution declaring Abkhazia and South Ossetia the property of Georgia and demanding a Russian withdrawal; the region’s history since the Soviet breakup, including the 2008 war (in which Georgia was the aggressor, despite what John McCain adviser Randy Scheunemann said); looking for the Senate resolution’s true...
08/29/11 – Robin Koerner – The Scott Horton Show
Robin Koerner, founder of WatchingAmerica.com and contributor to the Huffington Post, discusses his article "If You Love Peace, Become a 'Blue Republican' (Just for a Year);" why Leftist Obama supporters should shake off their stupor and support Ron Paul for president in 2012; the Founding Fathers' conservative liberalism (and why it should cast doubt on the meaning of current political labels); the political "moderates" in favor of empire and central banking, and the "fringe" element in favor...
08/29/11 – John Glaser – The Scott Horton Show
John Glaser, Assistant Editor at Antiwar.com, discusses the NY Times article “U.S. Tactics in Libya May Be a Model for Other Efforts” about a supposed victory for the “Obama doctrine;” resurrecting the “America is a force for good” meme, where foreign policy exists solely to prevent humanitarian disasters and spread freedom and democracy; the Libyan rebels’ racist reprisals against black Africans, failing to differentiate between pro-Gadhafi mercenaries and migrant workers; and why the overt...
08/29/11 – Eli Clifton – The Scott Horton Show
Eli Clifton, National Security Reporter for ThinkProgress.org, discusses his co-authored report “Fear, Inc.: The Roots of the Islamophobia Network in America;” naming the names of the organizations, bankrollers and bloggers that drive the fear and loathing of Muslims; why frenzies of bigotry and intolerance tend to disappear almost overnight, once the spell wears off; and a few positive signs, like Herman Cain and Rick Perry eschewing anti-Islamic rhetoric in their presidential primary...
