

Scott Horton Show - Just the Interviews
Scott Horton
This podcast is for individual interviews on the Scott Horton Show. See the Q & A show feed to hear Scott answer listener questions and for the full show archives.Scott Horton is the author of Fool's Errand: Time to End the War in Afghanistan, and is the host of the Scott Horton Show podcast. He has conducted over 5,500 interviews with authors, journalists, activists, and whistleblowers on the most important foreign policy issues since 2003.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Sep 20, 2022 • 38min
9/19/22 Daniel Davis on Ukraine’s Twin Offensives
Scott talks with Daniel Davis about the situation on the ground in Ukraine. The news has been highlighting the recent Russian defeat in Northeastern Ukraine near Kharkiv. It has been less focused on the failed Ukrainian offensive in Southern Ukraine near Kherson. Davis has been working hard to sift through the media spin and state propaganda to determine what’s really happening on the front lines. In this interview, he shares some of what he’s found with Scott. Discussed on the show:
“Ukraine’s Twin Offensives Buy Ukraine Time, But May Not Be Enough To Beat Russia” (19fortyfive)
Moon of Alabama blog
Daniel Davis did multiple tours in Iraq and Afghanistan during his time in the army. He is a Senior Fellow at Defense Priorities and is the author of the reports “Dereliction of Duty II: Senior Military Leaders’ Loss of Integrity Wounds Afghan War Effort” and “Go Big or Go Deep: An Analysis of Strategy Options on Afghanistan.” Find him on Twitter @DanielLDavis1.This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: The War State and Why The Vietnam War?, by Mike Swanson; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; and Thc Hemp Spot.Shop Libertarian Institute merch or donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal or Bitcoin: 1DZBZNJrxUhQhEzgDh7k8JXHXRjYu5tZiG. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sep 18, 2022 • 1h 47min
9/16/22 Michael Tracey on America First, NATO Expansion and the Shortage of Dissent in American Foreign Policy
Scott talks with journalist Michael Tracey about the politics behind America’s foreign policy. Tracey recently attended a conference put on by the America First Policy Institute. Many Trump-friendly right-wing populists have defined their foreign policy philosophy as being “America First” with mixed understandings of the historical context behind that phrase. In many ways, this camp has represented a shift away from foreign interventionism within the American Right, at least concerning the Middle East and Europe. However, at the conference, Tracey found mostly establishment Republicans spewing hawkish nonsense. He talks with Scott about how, in many ways, the Trump Presidency brought about all the downsides of having a President willing to stand up to the war machine but with none of the upsides. Discussed on the show:
“America First Hawks Admit US Weapons in Ukraine are Plunging Down a Black Hole” (Substack)
“Transcript: Donald Trump Expounds on His Foreign Policy Views” (New York Times)
Reclaiming the American Right by Justin Raimondo
America First Policy Institute
“Guided by British special forces, Ukraine is escalating the 'deep battlespace' fight against Russia” (Washington Examiner)
“Newt Gingrich's "outsider" act” (Salon)
“Tea Party welcomes Newt to New York” (Salon)
“Democrats and Republicans Pretend They Have Massive, Unbridgeable Differences So They Can Unite Seamlessly on War” (Substack)
“A Review of NATO’s War over Kosovo” (Chomsky.info)
Michael Tracey is a New York-based journalist. You can find his writing on Substack and follow him on Twitter @mtraceyThis episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: The War State and Why The Vietnam War?, by Mike Swanson; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; and Thc Hemp Spot.Shop Libertarian Institute merch or donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal or Bitcoin: 1DZBZNJrxUhQhEzgDh7k8JXHXRjYu5tZiG. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sep 12, 2022 • 32min
9/11/22 Scott Explains the War in Yemen, and the Effort to End It
Yesterday, Scott did a solo show for Antiwar Radio in which he lays out the ongoing grassroots campaign to end U.S. support for Saudi Arabia’s brutal war on the people of Yemen. He gives a brief but thorough background on the war and then explains how you can help bring it to an end. Discussed on the show:
1833stopwar.com
every75seconds.org
Friend’s Committee on National Legislation
Just Foreign Policy
Demand Progress
Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft
Yemen Relief and Reconstruction Foundation
“In Strategic Shift, U.S. Draws Closer to Yemeni Rebels” (Wall Street Journal)
“US maintains intelligence relationship with Houthis” (Al-Monitor)
This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: The War State and Why The Vietnam War?, by Mike Swanson; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; and Thc Hemp Spot.Shop Libertarian Institute merch or donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal or Bitcoin: 1DZBZNJrxUhQhEzgDh7k8JXHXRjYu5tZiG. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sep 7, 2022 • 58min
9/6/22 Ramzy Baroud on the Deliberate Misrepresentation of Palestinians and the Siege of Gaza
Scott interviews Ramzy Baroud about two articles he wrote recently for Antiwar.com. The first examines the media’s role in distorting the truth about Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory. Scott and Baroud get specific, looking at how the subjugation is often falsely framed as a conflict where both sides are on equal footing. Next, they look at how the current situation in Gaza came about, which Baroud describes as a literal siege right out of the middle ages. Discussed on the show:
“Deliberate Misrepresentation: Western Media Bias Makes Israeli War on Palestinians Possible” (Antiwar.com)
Our Vision For Liberation by Ramzy Baroud
“15 Years of Failed Experiments: Myths and Facts About the Israeli Siege on Gaza” (Antiwar.com)
“The Gaza Bombshell” (Vanity Fair)
Ramzy Baroud is a US-Arab journalist and is the editor-in-chief of the Palestine Chronicle. He is the author of My Father Was A Freedom Fighter: The Untold Story of Gaza and The Last Earth: A Palestinian Story, These Chains Will Be Broken: Palestinian Stories of Struggle and Defiance in Israeli Prisons, and more. His new book is Our Vision For Liberation. Follow Ramzy on Twitter @RamzyBaroud and read his work at RamzyBaroud.net.This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: The War State and Why The Vietnam War?, by Mike Swanson; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; and Thc Hemp Spot.Shop Libertarian Institute merch or donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal or Bitcoin: 1DZBZNJrxUhQhEzgDh7k8JXHXRjYu5tZiG. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sep 4, 2022 • 32min
9/2/22 Hassan El-Tayyab Explains the War in Yemen and How We Can End It
Hassan El-Tayyab of the Friend's Committee on National Legislation joined Scott for this Sunday's Antiwar Radio show. El-Tayyab runs through the history of how the Saudi war on Yemen began. He and Scott then stress some of the most important things everybody should understand about the war. As Congress returns from recess, El-Tayyab explains where the War Powers Resolutions to withdraw U.S. support stand and how you can help get them over the finish line. Discussed on the show:
“In Strategic Shift, U.S. Draws Closer to Yemeni Rebels” (Wall Street Journal)
“US maintains intelligence relationship with Houthis” (Al-Monitor)
1833stopwar.com
Friend’s Committee on National Legislation
Just Foreign Policy
Demand Progress
Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft
Yemen Relief and Reconstruction Foundation
Hassan El-Tayyab is a musician and peace activist, who works as the lead lobbyist on Middle East policy for the Friends Committee on National Legislation.This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: The War State and Why The Vietnam War?, by Mike Swanson; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; and Thc Hemp Spot.Shop Libertarian Institute merch or donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal or Bitcoin: 1DZBZNJrxUhQhEzgDh7k8JXHXRjYu5tZiG. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aug 29, 2022 • 33min
8/27/22 Trita Parsi on Biden’s Last Chance to Save the JCPOA
Scott was joined by Trita Parsi to discuss JCPOA negotiations on yesterday’s Antiwar Radio show. Parsi recently published a piece in Foreign Affairs arguing that the U.S. should return to the deal and that the current negotiations are the final chance to reach an agreement. He observes that even if we don’t care at all about the well-being of the Iranian people, staying out of the deal is costing American taxpayers and businesses. Scott and Parsi examine the common arguments against the deal and show how they all fall apart upon closer examination. They conclude that the real reason hawks oppose the JCPOA is that it takes away their favorite excuse for war in the middle east. Parsi argues that everyone who actually wants peace should support reentrance into the deal and institutionalized communication between Washington and Tehran.Discussed on the show:
“Last Chance For America and Iran” (Foreign Affairs)
Treacherous Alliance by Trita Parsi
Trita Parsi is the Executive Vice President of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft and the author of Losing an Enemy: Obama, Iran and the Triumph of Diplomacy. Parsi is the recipient of the 2010 Grawemeyer Award for Ideas Improving World Order. Follow him on Twitter @tparsi.This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: The War State and Why The Vietnam War?, by Mike Swanson; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; and Thc Hemp Spot.Shop Libertarian Institute merch or donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal or Bitcoin: 1DZBZNJrxUhQhEzgDh7k8JXHXRjYu5tZiG. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aug 25, 2022 • 40min
8/22/22 Hunter DeRensis on Loser Liz Cheney’s Awful Legacy
Scott speaks with Hunter DeRensis about the legacy of Liz Cheney. Although the Wyoming Congresswoman recently lost her primary, she seems determined to take a shot at national office. But even if we’re not done with her yet, it’s still worth taking a look back at how terrible she’s been throughout her career. Scott and DeRensis explore some of her worst episodes: things like throwing her sister under the bus on gay marriage, aggressively defending torture, telling McCain to shut up about torture, labeling Guantanamo detainee lawyers as members of Al Qaeda, trying to use a War Powers resolution to keep U.S. forces in Afghanistan last year and more. Discussed on the show:
“Loser Liz Cheney: We knew ye, and that was the problem” (Responsible Statecraft)
“The ‘explosive’ Russian bounty story is so far, a dud” (Responsible Statecraft)
Willie Geist’s “I love Dick Cheney?” moment on MSNBC
VP Cheney’s Speech at VFW 103rd National Convention
Hunter DeRensis is an editor at the Libertarian Institute, a former senior reporter at The National Interest, and a regular contributor to The American Conservative. His work has also appeared at the Ludwig von Mises Institute and Antiwar.com. He is a resident of St. Augustine, Florida, and a graduate of George Mason University. Find him on his website or on Twitter @HunterDeRensis.This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: The War State and Why The Vietnam War?, by Mike Swanson; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; and Thc Hemp Spot.Shop Libertarian Institute merch or donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal or Bitcoin: 1DZBZNJrxUhQhEzgDh7k8JXHXRjYu5tZiG. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aug 25, 2022 • 1h 18min
8/19/22 Peter Van Buren’s “Neopracticalist” Take on Taiwan
Scott interviews writer and State Department veteran Peter Van Buren about Taiwan. Van Buren is sticking with his assessment that a Chinese invasion of Taiwan will not happen because there’s too much money to be lost if trade between China, Taiwan and the U.S. takes a hit. However, he does fault the American government for doing its best to escalate the conflict. In this interview, he talks with Scott about Pelosi’s visit, the early history of the Taiwan conflict, China’s current navy, the narrative that China is already waging economic war on the U.S. and more. Discussed on the show:
“How Does Asia Feel About Nancy Pelosi?” (The American Conservative)
“Nancy's Pointless Trip to Taiwan” (The American Conservative)
“Strategic Ambiguity Works” (The American Conservative)
China’s White Paper on Taiwan
American Factory (IMDb)
“Why Bombs Made in America Have Been Killing Civilians in Yemen” (New York Times)
“China: From Death Camp to Civilization” (LewRockwell.com)
Peter Van Buren worked for 24 years at the Department of State including a year in Iraq. He is the author of We Meant Well: How I Helped Lose the Battle for the Hearts and Minds of the Iraqi People and the novel Hooper’s War. He is now a contributing editor at The American Conservative magazine.This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: The War State and Why The Vietnam War?, by Mike Swanson; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; and Thc Hemp Spot.Shop Libertarian Institute merch or donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal or Bitcoin: 1DZBZNJrxUhQhEzgDh7k8JXHXRjYu5tZiG. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aug 23, 2022 • 34min
8/19/22 Shane McCarver Debunks Petraeus’s Lies in the Atlantic
Scott talks with Shane McCarver about an article he published last week at Antiwar.com challenging the wild assertions David Petraeus made in his Atlantic article earlier this month. Despite its length, Petraeus makes almost no concrete claims in his piece. Instead, he spends 10,000 words to make vague notions about grit and commitment that conveniently protect him from blame. One of the few specific arguments he does make, however, is that the U.S. should have supplied the Afghan National Army with more Russian-made MI-17 helicopters. McCarver was a soldier in Afghanistan working on this exact task up until the collapse of the ANA last summer. He explains to Scott why Petraeus’s argument that more helicopters could have prevented the Taliban’s victory is absurd. Discussed on the show:
“In Rebuke of the Dishonorable David Petraeus” (Antiwar.com)
“Afghanistan Did Not Have To Turn Out This Way” (The Atlantic)
Shane McCarver was a soldier in the United States army from 2013-2017. He worked as a logistics analyst on the DOD contract maintaining the MI-17 helicopters and the PC-12 fixed wing aircraft of the Afghan Air Force and Afghan Army Special Mission Wing from November 2018 until July 2021. He has since found honest work as a shipping coordinator for a manufacturer in Newport, New Hampshire.This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: The War State and Why The Vietnam War?, by Mike Swanson; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; and Thc Hemp Spot.Shop Libertarian Institute merch or donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal or Bitcoin: 1DZBZNJrxUhQhEzgDh7k8JXHXRjYu5tZiG. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aug 22, 2022 • 30min
8/19/22 Sheldon Richman on America’s Totalitarian Tax System
Scott interviews the Libertarian Institute executive editor Sheldon Richman about a column he put out last Friday. In it, he discusses the massive boost Biden’s spending bill gives the IRS. Richman explains why strengthening tax enforcement will disproportionally hurt non-wealthy Americans. That leads to a broader discussion of how totalitarian the tax system in the United States has become and how much worse it’s slated to get thanks to this expansion. Discussed on the show:
“TGIF: The Coming New and Improved IRS” (The Libertarian Institute)
“Lottery!” (IMDb)
Your Money or Your Life: Why We Must Abolish the Income Tax by Sheldon Richman
Sheldon Richman is the executive editor of the Libertarian Institute and the author of Coming to Palestine and America’s Counter-Revolution: The Constitution Revisited. Follow him on Twitter @SheldonRichman.This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: The War State and Why The Vietnam War?, by Mike Swanson; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; and Thc Hemp Spot.Shop Libertarian Institute merch or donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal or Bitcoin: 1DZBZNJrxUhQhEzgDh7k8JXHXRjYu5tZiG. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices