Former CIA officer Philip Giraldi discusses CIA contractor Raymond Davis’s release from Pakistani custody after his “blood money” check cleared; the cheap and easy restitution for US killing in third world countries (aka: “Sorry about that, kid. Here’s $1500); how Col. Gaddafi’s tenacious hold on power has surprised many of his critics; how Obama’s reluctance to be “The Decider” has decreased US leverage in foreign policy negotiations; and the National Endowment for Democracy’s watchful eye on...
03/17/11 – Rep. Walter Jones – The Scott Horton Show
Rep. Walter Jones, eight term Congressman from North Carolina, discusses the talk of a 2014, instead of 2011, Afghanistan withdrawal deadline; the Kucinich-Jones cosponsored bill requiring Obama to get the troops out by year’s end; the elusive definition of “winning” the war (possibly meaning building roads and schools in Afghanistan while US infrastructure crumbles); why the US can’t continue as the world’s policeman while borrowing the money to do so; using smarter tactics (more bombs, fewer...
03/17/11 – Robert Naiman – The Scott Horton Show
Robert Naiman, Policy Director at Just Foreign Policy, discusses Gen. David Petraeus’s “progress” report (contradicted by US intelligence analysts) to Congress for the Afghan War review; polls that show Americans are turning against the war as the Paul-Kucinich-Jones resolution gains support; rhetoric vs. reality on the July 2011 troop drawdown; and why measurements of “success” are only cynically manipulated statistics, as everyone – especially Petraeus – knows the war is a lost...
03/17/11 – Jack Hunter – The Scott Horton Show
Jack Hunter, talk radio host and Charleston newspaper columnist, discusses his co-authored book with Rand Paul, The Tea Party Goes to Washington; how the Tea Party movement is breaking free from the stranglehold of talk radio propaganda and is receptive to a non-interventionist foreign policy; getting serious about Constitutional government and budget deficits – and in the process butting heads with GOP operatives who use the same rhetoric but don’t mean what they say; why the neocons will...
03/15/11 – Scott McConnell – The Scott Horton Show
American Conservative magazine editor Scott McConnell discusses his revisiting of the Camp David Accords in light of Egypt’s new government that no longer guarantees friendly relations with Israel; how Carter and Brzezinski failed, despite a sincere effort, to achieve a comprehensive Mideast peace agreement and a Palestinian state; how the Israel lobby’s power waxes and wanes according to the election cycle; the US government’s chronic lack of resolve in risking a serious rift with Israel in...
03/15/11 – Eric Margolis – The Scott Horton Show
Eric Margolis, foreign correspondent and author of War at the Top of the World and American Raj, discusses the battle in Libya between the militarily inept pro-Gaddafi army and the even more incompetent rebel opposition; sending in Western special forces soldiers without any sort of end-game plan; the small US base in Djibouti, used for operations in West Africa; the arbitrary colonial borders that plague most Arab countries; and how Saudi Arabia’s provocative action in Bahrain may risk a...
03/14/11 – Charles Featherstone – The Scott Horton Show
Charles Featherstone, regular writer at LewRockwell.com, discusses a possible quid pro quo arrangement between the US and Saudi Arabia, where Saudi support for a Libya no-fly zone is exchanged for US permission to crush the Bahrain protests; why those concerned with the Libyan rebels’ safety should remember the often-disastrous consequences of US “humanitarian” missions; the unfortunate habit of classifying US foreign policy actions in terms of public relations outcomes; and why a bloody...
03/14/11 – Gareth Porter – The Scott Horton Show
Gareth Porter, independent historian and journalist for IPS News, discusses his recent visit to Lebanon; the hybrid UN-Lebanon tribunal on Rafiq Hariri’s assassination that is rumored to have indicted Hezbollah members; allegations that the special tribunal is a politically motivated tool of the US and Israel; how Israel has fabricated telephone records and used them as evidence against her enemies; and how US operations in Pakistan are destabilizing the country.
03/14/11 – Pepe Escobar – The Scott Horton Show
Asia Times columnist Pepe Escobar discusses the Mideast uprisings in terms of rebellion against neoliberal economic policy; Saudi Arabia’s crackdown on Bahrain protesters and steadfast support for the minority Sunni monarchy; why Turkey stands to win considerably more regional influence than does Iran, following successful revolutions; the hypocrisy of US foreign policy laid bare; why it’s time to end the empire and put the money to a more constructive use, as the US has lost the “beacon of...
03/11/11 – Rep. Dennis Kucinich – The Scott Horton Show
This recording is from the KPFK 90.7 FM Los Angeles broadcast of March 11th. The full archive is here. Rep. Dennis Kucinich discusses the runaround he’s been getting from the Department of Defense after requesting a visit with Bradley Manning; why Manning’s draconian pretrial treatment raises serious questions about the US criminal justice system and Secretary of Defense Robert Gates; and the Kucinich-Walter Jones co-sponsored resolution requiring the president to get the troops out of...
03/11/11 – Marcy Wheeler – The Scott Horton Show
Marcy Wheeler, blogging under the pseudonym “emptywheel” at firedoglake.com, discusses Obama’s weasel-worded disagreement with State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley’s (who has since resigned) candid assessment of Bradley Manning’s mistreatment in custody; why lax security in the Department of Defense – responsible for the leaked State Department cables – may have created a rift between the two agencies; Manning’s subjection to techniques designed to create “learned helplessness” and generate...
03/11/11 – Matthew Harwood – The Scott Horton Show
Washington DC-based writer Matthew Harwood discusses his truthout article “Peter King: Reactionary, Rash and Wrong,” on the greatly exaggerated threat of Muslim extremists in America; the “partners in counterterrorism” relationship between law enforcement and CAIR; the ridiculous conclusions drawn by terrorism analysts who ignore foreign policy implications; and why Rep. Peter King would gladly take your liberty in exchange for more false security.
03/11/11 – David Swanson – The Scott Horton Show
This recording is from the KPFK 90.7 FM Los Angeles broadcast of March 11th. The full archive is here. David Swanson, author of War is a Lie, discusses Bradley Manning’s mistreatment in military custody, including 23-hour a day solitary confinement and forced nudity; the upcoming pro-Manning rally and protest planned for March 18-20; the failure of veterans Sen. John Kerry and Sen. John McCain to stick up for Manning; and the depressing thought that a majority of Americans abhor WikiLeaks and...
03/10/11 – Robert A. Pape – The Scott Horton Show
Robert A. Pape, coauthor of Cutting the Fuse: The Explosion of Global Suicide Terrorism and How to Stop It, discusses the extremely high correlation of suicide terrorism with foreign military occupation; why it’s no coincidence that the surge in Afghanistan has increased violence while the drawdown in Iraq has lessened it; why those advocating no-fly zones in Libya should look at the terrible record in 1990s Iraq; the “asymmetrical” warfare, up to and including suicide attacks, that could be...
03/10/11 – Andy Worthington – The Scott Horton Show
Andy Worthington, author of The Guantanamo Files, discusses the quarterly fund drive that helps keep his website going; Obama’s decision to resume Military Commissions for Guantanamo prisoners; how plea bargains allow the government to avoid embarrassing issues of prisoner torture and bogus “war crimes” charges, yet may be the only way Guantanamo will ever be emptied; and Obama’s executive order that essentially recreates Bush’s Combatant Status Review Tribunals, which the Supreme Court found...
