Ara Sanjian, Associate Professor in Armenian and Middle Eastern History, discusses the Armenian demonstrations that are somewhat inspired by Egypt et al, but are of a different character; discontent about lack of political reform and economic opportunity; conflicts arising from border disputes with Azerbaijan; how the Soviet dissolution left the Armenian economy in the hands of oligarchs; and the few bright spots: an educated populace and affordable internet access and mobile phones.
03/01/11 – Chris Hellman – The Scott Horton Show
Chris Hellman, Communications and Budget Analyst for the National Priorities Project, discusses the $1.2 trillion national security budget; how government secrecy and over-classification of documents hides wasteful programs and prevents Congressional oversight; huge projected increases in health care and pensions for veterans and retired military; and the bloated Homeland Security, intelligence and State Department budgets.
03/01/11 – Eric Margolis – The Scott Horton Show
Eric Margolis, foreign correspondent and author of War at the Top of the World and American Raj, discusses his interview with the “eccentric” Col. Gaddafi during the Reagan administration; the Western media’s exaggeration of Libyan violence, which provides a pretext for US military intervention; how the neocons got their Middle East democratic revolution, but not in the countries they intended; the colonial history of Morocco and Algeria, and their current repressive police states; how Arab...
03/01/11 – Eric Garris – The Scott Horton Show
Eric Garris, founder and director of Antiwar.com, discusses why the Libyans had better hurry up with deposing Col. Gaddafi, before they get unsolicited “help” from the US or NATO; Ron Paul’s prescient warnings about the inevitable bankruptcy of empire; how popular protests in Iraq put the US in an impossible bind over which side to choose; and the dozen or so hard working people that keep Antiwar.com going, courtesy your donations.
02/28/11 – L. Pierre de Rochemont and Morgana Gallaway – The Scott Horton Show
L. Pierre de Rochemont and Morgana Gallaway, members of the Stop Austin Scanners! campaign to get TSA naked body scanners out of Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, discuss the questionable effectiveness and serious health concerns of TSA scans; invasive searches conducted by TSA agents who are not even sworn law enforcement officers; possible Texas legislation banning scanners from the state; and the broad coalition of opponents to TSA methods and behavior.
02/28/11 – Philip Giraldi – The Scott Horton Show
Former CIA officer Philip Giraldi discusses the threat of US military intervention in Libya, and why it shouldn’t happen; how the overweening National Endowment for Democracy screws up political revolutions all over the world; how successful and (relatively) peaceful Mideast uprisings against tyrants undermine the violent fundamentalism promoted by al Qaeda; the US sweating bullets about CIA employee Raymond Davis spilling the beans to his Pakistani captors; the weak case for Davis’s...
02/28/11 – Gareth Porter – The Scott Horton Show
Gareth Porter, independent historian and journalist for IPS News, discusses the eight indicators of fraud in the Iran nuclear “alleged studies” documents; the smear campaign against IAEA Director General Mohamed ElBaradei for daring to question their authenticity; how the (probably Mossad created) documents form the foundation of US allegations that Iran has, or had, a nuclear weapons program; Iran’s objection to IAEA demands for secret military information; and the unexpected developments in...
02/25/11 – Grant F. Smith – The Scott Horton Show
Grant F. Smith, director of the Institute for Research: Middle Eastern Policy in Washington, D.C., discusses Jane Harman’s resignation from Congress, amid speculation that more information on her AIPAC dealings will soon emerge; how Harman and Alberto Gonzalez avoided legal and professional sanction but suffered damaged reputations nonetheless; the down-the-memory-hole scandals of Niger uranium forgeries and the Office of Special Plans; why the juicy tidbits revealed in Steve Rosen’s dismissed...
02/25/11 – Charles Goyette – The Scott Horton Show
Charles Goyette, former Antiwar Radio co-contributor and author of The Dollar Meltdown : Surviving the Impending Currency Crisis with Gold, Oil, and Other Unconventional Investments, discusses his article, “Too Late! The Government Already Did Do Something” at lewrockwell.com; how government-imposed wage and price controls lead to shortages and eventually black markets; the producer pricing pressures that are overlooked when limits are set on the price of finished consumer goods; and Ludwig...
02/25/11 – Ahmed al-Assy – The Scott Horton Show
Ahmed al-Assy, an Egyptian-American living in Egypt and a participant in the Tahrir Square protests, discusses how exiled president Hosni Mubarak may still be calling the shots in Egypt; the oligarchy-friendly Egyptian constitution that hinders democratic reforms; the difference between the regular army and the security forces within the Ministry of Interior; protesters in Tahrir Square and other areas, staying for the duration; and the Egyptian activists trying to keep the Gaza border...
02/25/11 – Maya Berry – The Scott Horton Show
This interview is excerpted from the KPFK 90.7 FM Los Angeles broadcast of February 25th. The original is available here. Maya Berry of the Arab American Institute discusses the March 2nd briefing for congressional staffers, “Islamophobia: A Challenge to American Pluralism,” designed as a counterpoint to Rep. Peter King’s hearings on Muslim “radicalization;” the very lucrative business – the new “Red Scare” – of whipping up fear of Muslims; and the knee-jerk response of many Americans to scary...
02/25/11 – Cole Miller – The Scott Horton Show
This interview is excerpted from the KPFK 90.7 FM Los Angeles broadcast of February 25th. The original is available here. Cole Miller, Founding Director of No More Victims, discusses his organization’s work, facilitating specialized medical care for child victims of the US war in Iraq; building profiles of the children, complete with back-stories and videos, to show Americans the real people behind impersonal casualty numbers; and the work-in-progress documentary about Iraqi casualties in...
02/24/11 – Rep. Ron Paul – The Scott Horton Show
Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX) discusses why Congress and the White House won’t be able to resist the temptation of military intervention in Libya and Saudi Arabia (should the uprisings spread there); how the US exports inflation, since commodities are priced in dollars; Ben Bernanke’s opinion that central banks are always the solution to, not the cause of, the world’s economic problems; the dollar’s devaluation reflected in the price of gold; and why, legalized or not, competing currencies will be used...
02/24/11 – Jeremy Sapienza – The Scott Horton Show
Jeremy Sapienza, Senior Editor at Antiwar.com, discusses his nine year tenure at Antiwar.com; his shared responsibility for choosing the pieces that get published in the viewpoints section; and the fallacies and stylistic shortcomings that get unsolicited submissions thrown in the junk pile.
02/24/11 – Marcy Wheeler – The Scott Horton Show
Marcy Wheeler, blogging under the pseudonym “emptywheel” at firedoglake.com, discusses the mysterious case of CIA officer Raymond Davis and the shootings in Pakistan, doubts about his robbery story, the Obama administration’s clumsy response and their legal gymnastics in trying to arrange for diplomatic immunity to be applied and the agent released, the Pakistani public’s outrage over the incident and the large-scale covert war being waged there.
