Scott Horton, director of the Libertarian Institute and author known for his antiwar stance, dives into the fraught history of U.S.-Iran relations. He discusses the pivotal 1953 coup that set the stage for current tensions and critiques the motivations behind various U.S. interventions in the Middle East. Horton also highlights the brutality of the Iran-Iraq War, the consequences of the Jimmy Carter Doctrine, and the rise of neoconservatism in shaping misguided foreign policies. His insights challenge common perceptions of American military involvement and explore the historical roots of today’s conflicts.
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insights INSIGHT
1953 CIA Coup's Lasting Impact
The 1953 CIA coup against Mosaddegh set the stage for decades of blowback in Iran-U.S. relations.
Secret foreign policies often cause long-term consequences unknown to the public.
insights INSIGHT
U.S. Miscalculated the Revolution
The Iranian Revolution in 1979 was a popular uprising weakened by America’s earlier support for the Shah.
U.S. misjudged Khomeini as a moderate ally prior to the embassy hostage crisis.
insights INSIGHT
Carter Doctrine and Soviet Baiting
The Carter Doctrine declared the Persian Gulf an American lake to deter Soviet invasion but was partly strategic posturing.
America’s covert intervention in Afghanistan in 1979 sought to bait the Soviets into a costly war.
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How did we wind up at war with Iran? Scott Horton explains.
(00:00) The History of Why Iran Is Such a Global Focal Point
(11:16) The Jimmy Carter Doctrine
(22:29) The Brutality of the Iraq/Iran War
(45:32) Bill Clinton’s Fatal Mistake That Drove America Into the Middle East
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(1:37:02) The Real Meaning of the Word “Neocon”
Scott Horton is director of the Libertarian Institute, editorial director of Antiwar.com and author of Enough Already: Time to End the War on Terrorism and Provoked: How Washington Started the New Cold War with Russia and the Catastrophe in Ukraine.
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