Pepe Escobar, journalist and author of Obama Does Globalistan, discusses his article “What’s really at stake in Libya” at the Asia Times; the underlying “war of acronyms” in Libya (NATO and AFRICOM vs BRIC and EU); the Taliban’s resurgent strength and ability to strike at will; al-Qaeda’s strategy to shift the Afghan war to Pakistan’s tribal areas, as revealed in Syed Saleem Shahzad’s book; the slim chance regional powers (China, India, Russia, Iran, Pakistan) can work a deal to bring peace...
07/11/11 – Muhammad Sahimi – The Scott Horton Show
Muhammad Sahimi, Professor of Chemical Engineering and political columnist on Iran issues, discusses his article “Don’t Remove the MEK From the Terrorist List;” at antiwar.com; why the US chose to keep MEK leaders safe in Iraq after the 2003 invasion, rather than exchange them for al-Qaeda members held in Iran; the groundswell of support in the US (thanks to a suspiciously large budget, neoconservative allies and successful lobbying) for removing the MEK from the State Department’s list of...
07/11/11 – Ray McGovern – The Scott Horton Show
Ray McGovern, member of Veterans For Peace and former senior analyst at the CIA, discusses his part in the latest (unsuccessful) Gaza Aid flotilla on “The Audacity of Hope;” how Hillary Clinton essentially gave a green light for an Israeli attack against unarmed American activists; why Greek cooperation with Israel and the US in halting the flotilla may be the price paid for an economic bailout; George Washington’s wisdom on the dangers of entangling foreign alliances; a White House official...
07/11/11 – Michael Hastings – The Scott Horton Show
Journalist Michael Hastings, winner of the George Polk Award for his article “The Runaway General” in Rolling Stone magazine, discusses how the Afghan War is killing US soldiers’ morale, since they believe (rightly) that it’s a useless effort; the “surge” that failed to produce any measurable progress, politically or militarily; Defense Secretary Leon Panetta’s “gaffe” on leaving 70 thousand troops in Afghanistan through 2014; why official announcements on troop numbers are less important than...
07/08/11 – Marcy Wheeler – The Scott Horton Show
Marcy Wheeler, blogging as “emptywheel” at firedoglake.com, discusses the trial of former CIA officer Jeffrey Sterling for allegedly spilling the beans on Operation “Merlin,” a foolhardy attempt to pass bogus nuclear weapons plans to Iran; the return of federal prosecutor William Welch, who managed to botch both the Ted Stevens and Thomas Drake trials; and the government’s pursuit of NY Times journalist James Risen for his investigative work on warrantless wiretapping and the Bush...
07/08/11 – Gareth Porter – The Scott Horton Show
Gareth Porter, independent historian and journalist for IPS News, discusses the Obama administration officials who lied us into an Afghan surge (even though reporters are supposed to use more diplomatic language); how Mullah Omar’s Taliban avoided trouble with the US and tried to keep bin Laden in check; how Bill Clinton’s “Monica Missiles” destroyed a chance to get bin Laden, as well as a few training camps; how the Pakistani Taliban’s formation shows the ideological split between al-Qaeda...
07/08/11 – Ramzy Baroud – The Scott Horton Show
Ramzy Baroud, author of My Father Was a Freedom Fighter: Gaza’s Untold Story, discusses his article “Yemen Continues to Inspire Amid Great Odds” at CommonDreams.org; the Saleh family mafia controlling the country, supported by the US and Saudi Arabia; the entirely reasonable demands of Yemeni protesters, amounting to no more than the basics of a civil society; hopes for an inclusive political settlement that produces some democracy and keeps Yemen intact; and how the Saleh government and the...
07/08/11 – Jason Ditz – The Scott Horton Show
This interview is from the KPFK 90.7 FM Los Angeles broadcast of July 8th. Jason Ditz, managing news editor at Antiwar.com, discusses developments in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Somalia and Libya; the latest attempt to pin US problems in occupied Iraq on the importation of Iranian weapons; and drone strikes in Somalia and the semi-secret war against al-Shabaab.
07/07/11 – Chase Madar – The Scott Horton Show
Chase Madar, member of the National Lawyers Guild, discusses his article “Bradley Manning, American Hero” on tomdispatch.com; why the US government is in dire need of direct supervision/occasional outing by insiders; media campaigns designed to make dissidents and whistleblowers appear crazy (evidenced by Manning hit pieces); and what happened to our free market of ideas – a cornerstone of America’s founding philosophy.
07/07/11 – Lew Rockwell – The Scott Horton Show
Lew Rockwell, founder and Chairman of the Ludwig von Mises Institute, discusses the consistently excellent moral and political record of Ron Paul throughout the years; why a foreign policy “Golden Rule” works best; the wisdom of cutting war spending before domestic entitlements during an economic crisis; the essentially (soft) fascistic US economic system of today; and whether or not public office can be the mechanism to reign in government excesses (in case of a successful 2012 Ron Paul...
07/07/11 – Bruce Fein – The Scott Horton Show
Bruce Fein, author of American Empire: Before the Fall, discusses his article “President Obama’s Political Sepulcher” on HuffingtonPost; why Libya may be a step too far for Obama’s “unconstitutional unilateral presidential war making;” taking State Department legal adviser Harold Koh‘s definition of “hostilities” to its absurd logical conclusion; Congress’s eagerness to forfeit its obligation and responsibility to check the power of the Executive branch; and why a sustainable democratic...
07/06/11 – 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 his confidence in his Guantanamo “Suicides” expose in Harpers magazine despite a barrage of criticism; the Department of Justice giving a wink and a nod at the Bush torture program; how John Durham’s investigation of CIA torture was hamstrung by limitations imposed by the Obama administration; the CIA’s heavy redaction (to save face, not protect national...
07/06/11 – Kevin Zeese – The Scott Horton Show
Kevin Zeese, Executive Director and co-founder of VotersForPeace, discusses his article “Is a Broader Peace Movement Finally Here?” on Antiwar.com; the Come Home America letter signed by luminaries from the Left, Right and libertarian crowd; bringing together the most politically diverse and potentially most effective antiwar movement since before WWII; why military spending cuts are off the table for Congress, despite the ailing economy; the mirage of US democracy; and why Congress’s refusal...
06/28/11 – Philip Weiss – The Scott Horton Show
Philip Weiss, investigative journalist and author of the blog MondoWeiss, discusses surviving as an alternative media outlet since the internet revolutionized the form and revenue streams became scarce; the US State Department’s long history of supporting Israel’s right to “defend herself” against unarmed American peace activists, from Rachel Corrie to Furkan Dogan; the hypothetical tipping point where American Jews will no longer support Israel; and the outdated and racist (in practice)...
06/28/11 – Andrew Bacevich – The Scott Horton Show
Andrew Bacevich, Professor of International Relations at Boston University and author of Washington Rules: America’s Path to Permanent War, discusses his article “War Fever Subsides in Washington” at tomdispatch.com; Robert Gates on excessive war costs and the end of “wars of choice;” why the US should eliminate the unnecessary and counterproductive military bases in Europe and the Middle East, respectively, while maintaining those in Japan and South Korea; the failure of militaristic “hard...
