Grant Smith, director of the Institute for Research Middle Eastern Policy returns to the show to discuss his latest article for Antiwar.com "Poll: Americans Would Cut Middle East War Spending." Smith promotes the IRMEP's upcoming 2018 conference and explains why he believes the organized Israel lobbying groups are, contrary to their claims, unrepresentative of American Jewish communities. Scott and Smith then discuss whether Israel needs the United States' continual aid and why...
10/27/17 Gareth Porter deconstructs Trump’s decision to decertify the Iran Deal
Gareth Porter returns to the show to discuss his latest article for The American Conservative "Trump Trashes Iran Deal to Satisfy Netanyahu." Porter discusses Trump's goal to convince Congress to pass new sanctions against Iran and explains why, even if the United States breaks the deal, Iran may have incentives to remain in the deal. Porter and Scott then take a trip back down memory road to the outset of the Iraq War and the role Iran played in helping push the U.S. gears into war. The two...
10/13/17 Reza Marashi on the likelihood of Trump decertifying the Iran Deal
Research director of the National Iranian American Council Reza Marashi returns to the show to discuss Donald Trump's likely decision to decertify the Iran Deal. Scott puts the question to Marashi: What's so good about the Iran Deal? Marashi says it ensures that Iran can't attempt to build a nuclear weapon without being caught, it helps avoid war between the United States and Iran by resolving one point of contention, and, at least until the Trump administration came to power, it created...
9/27/17 Muhammad Sahimi debunks neoconservative lies about Iran
USC professor Muhammad Sahimi returns to the show to discuss his latest article “Deconstructing Neoconservatives’ Manifesto for War With Iran.” Sahimi debunks the misinformation and lies being spread by John Bolton and other neoconservatives about the Iran Deal, explains in detail the steps Iran has taken to ease tensions with the United States, and lists the many hypocrisies of U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East. Sahimi hammers home the fact that, should the U.S. void the Iran Deal, no...
9/27/17 Julian Borger: White House Pressuring CIA to Find Iran in Noncompliance of Nuclear Deal
World affairs editor for the Guardian Julian Borger returns to the show to discuss his latest article “White House ‘pressuring’ intelligence officials to find Iran in violation of nuclear deal.” Borger details the pressure CIA officials are facing from the White House to find or procure evidence of Iran being in noncompliance with the nuclear deal. But while Borger believes there’s hope that the CIA isn’t willing to play ball, he details how the Trump administration is finding other creative...
9/21/17 Trita Parsi on the potential dangers of escalating tensions with Iran
President of the National Iranian American Council Trita Parsi returns to the show to discuss the Iran Nuclear Deal and what's at stake should the Trump administration attempt to nix the deal and why his bellicose approach to Iran could have significant consequences. Parsi explains Congress's role in the life of the deal, and why even a Republican-controlled Congress might be hesitant to kill the deal. Trita Parsi is the president of the National Iranian American Council and the author of...
9/8/17 Kelley B. Vlahos on the Trump strategy to end the Iran Deal
Kelley B. Vlahos, managing editor of the American Conservative, returns to the show to discuss her latest article "Haley Debuts Trump's Case for Ending Iran Nuclear Deal." Vlahos reviews the Iran Deal, explains how the neocons see Trump as an ally on Iran, and explains why Nikki Haley's speech to the American Enterprise Institute is a likely preview of Donald Trump's strategy to torpedo the Iran Deal. Scott and Vlahos then review the history of Iran-American tensions and speculate how the...
