Scott Horton

Topic: Scott’s take on the Russia/Ukraine War

Scott Horton is director of the Libertarian Institute, editorial director of Antiwar.com, host of Antiwar Radio on Pacifica, 90.7 FM KPFK in Los Angeles, California and podcasts the Scott Horton Show from ScottHorton.org. He’s the author of the 2021 book Enough Already: Time to End the War on Terrorism, the 2017 book, Fool’s Errand:Time to End the War in Afghanistan and editor of the 2019 book The Great Ron Paul: The Scott Horton Show Interviews 2004–2019. He’s conducted more than 5,500 interviews since 2003.

All American foreign policy conflicts turn into ridiculous morality plays.

US government turned Waco religious compound into a foreign country and slaughtered them.

After WWII, America became an iron-fisted empire.  Over last 20 years 2 million deaths from the war on terrorism.

Are we risking nuclear war by trying to overthrow Putin?  Who comes after him?

Aftermath of how Allies poorly treated Germany at the end of WWI lead to Commies, Nazis, and Hitler.

After we won the cold war, we expanded NATO, waged 2 brutal wars against Serbia, and sent the Harvard boys to impose shock treatment to remake Russia’s economy.

They had a plan to privatize the Russian economy, but instead in 1992-93, they kicked them while they were down.  Hyperinflated and destroyed the ruble.  Any Russian with capital lost everything.  installed 7 oligarchs.  Clinton sent billions to bankroll Yeltsin and meddled in the election to reelect Yeltsin.  Putin was his underling.

Neocons have a cult of power, love war, and hate black people.  Are a cross between American Israel lobby and military-industrial complex.  Kept Catholic and Jewish intellectuals out.  Became Reaganites.  Arms manufacturers hired the Israel lobby to write studies to justify buying their products.

In 1990s, CFR said not to expand NATO.  Brent Scowcroft and other poohbahs said it was an unnecessary provocation against the Russians.  They lost and the New World Order died.

How does Klaus Schwab play into the Russia thing?  Unofficial meetings, building consensus among the superrich, and letting it trickle down into legislation.  A class war on the global level.

Jefferson said the masses are surely the more ignorant yet still the best respository of power and better than a small elite.

Russian demands are rational, but their actions in invading Ukraine are not justified or reasonable.

Biden and Zelensky indicating they may have to recognize Russian sovereignty over the Crimea and recognize Donbass independence under Russian peacekeepers.  Should have done that weeks ago.

In December 2021 Putin proposed that and no NATO or missiles in Ukraine.  Why didn’t Biden accept it then or even negotiate?

CIA Chief William Burns used to be a diplomat and is not a life-long spy.  He knows better.

How is Ukraine like the plot of Rambo 3?

US scandalous treasonous war in Syria led to rise of Islamic caliphate.  And they want to replicate the dirty wars against Afghanistan and Syria in Ukraine.

Do they just hate Putin?  Nobody ever talked about Russian leaders so negatively and called them murderers during the cold war.

Neocons are arrogant and taking risks they shouldn’t be taking.  Are they just waiting to see what will happen and how close they can get to nuclear war? 

Biden was in on the 2014 coup against Ukraine.  Why can’t they acknowledge doing bad things then?

Putin is no more evil than he’s ever been, nor is the American empire ever less evil than it’s ever been.

The neocons want to prolong the Ukrainian war to weaken Russia and Putin so that his regime collapses.

How can the US be so reckless when the Russians have H-bombs?

Why won’t NATO bring Russia in?  They need an enemy and Americans won’t share the power.

After Ukrainian coup in 2014, Putin seized Crimea and conflict ensued in eastern Ukraine.  Instead of admitting we did bad then, the US blames the outcome on Russia.

Nordstream 2 pipeline is a years-long joint effort between Germany and Russia.  It will be cancelled by war in Ukraine, to the delight of mercantile interests and Ted Cruz in Texas who want to sell liquified natural gas.

We should want economic interdependence between Germany and Russia so they don’t fight.  Enmity led to 30 million killed on the eastern front in WWI and 40-50 million in WWII.

Where goods do not cross borders, soldiers will.

Putin is a corrupt gangster that has demanded loyalty from the oligarchs, telling them they can do what they want but can’t be involved in politics.  He declared independence from the US, Brits, and Israel.

7 years of blundering US idiocy in Yemen.

Iraq was the hoped for but unexpected gift for Bin Laden.

The high-water mark of US diplomacy was in spring of 2003.  Botched everything since then.

When the American people turned Ron Paul down in 2008 and 2012, it was the last chance we had to chose republic over empire.

If we don’t have a dog in the fight, we can help countries negotiate and seek peace.

Donald Trump was a game changer.  The only man rich, tall, brass, ruthless and famous enough to do what he wants.  But he is corrupt.  His Cheney was Jared Kushner who had no loyalty except to Israel.  Didn’t tell General Mattis to end wars.  Hired John Bolton, the saboteur.  Was no Ron Paul.  Trump never really knew what was going on.  But could Trump win in 2024? 

How about Tulsa Gabbard?  Gabbard vs. DeSantis – best candidates for the country in 2024..  But it would take a miracle for the Democrats to nominate Gabbard.

Read Scott Horton’s work at Antiwar.com/Scott