Monthly Archives: July 2011

Antiwar Radio: John Glaser

This interview is excerpted from the KPFK 90.7 FM Los Angeles broadcast of July 29th, available here.

John Glaser, Assistant Editor at Antiwar.com, discusses the mind-boggling number of ongoing US wars (6, 7, maybe 8?); how US aid to Colombia, supposedly intended to fight the war on drugs and leftist guerrillas like FARC, ends up going to government-connected right wing paramilitary death squads; Plan Colombia‘s gift to the military-industrial complex; the State Department’s heavyhanded, imperialist meddling in Haitian affairs as revealed by the WikiLeaks cables; and how the Arab spring has unmasked the real purpose of US foreign policy -  supporting cooperative dictators and crushing democratic reform.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 28:22 — 6.5MB)

Antiwar Radio: Jeremy Sapienza

Jeremy Sapienza, Senior Editor at Antiwar.com, discusses the twisted MSM reporting on Somalia, such that most Americans have no idea the US is at war over there; how al-Shabaab grew out of the Islamic Courts Union’s youth movement to control most of the country; why Somalia’s famine is so severe (not from heat and drought) and who’s to blame; and the inevitability that someone in the “history began yesterday” media will advocate US intervention in Somalia to save the children from starvation.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 19:10 — 4.4MB)

Antiwar Radio: Matt Barganier

Antiwar.com editor Matt Barganier discusses this week’s Viewpoints section and his criteria for selecting opinion pieces; Jeff Huber’s humorous take on the “blame Iran for everything” game; David Theroux’s article on prioritizing which government abuses to tackle first; how the editors of Antiwar.com’s main page make Antiwar Radio’s topic and guest selection process much easier; and Come Home America‘s left-right coalition to end the wars and restore our civil liberties.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 19:24 — 4.4MB)

Antiwar Radio: Rami Khouri

Rami Khouri, internationally syndicated political columnist and author, discusses his article “It Sure Looks and Smells Like Apartheid” in Lebanon’s Daily Star; the starkly different competing narratives on Israel’s origin; making protest boycotts illegal within Israel; the Arab world’s broad acceptance of a two-state plan based on 1967 borders – despite rhetoric that they want to “push Israel into the sea;” and how the Israeli state’s version of Judaism has abandoned social justice in favor of Zionist racism.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 19:44 — 4.5MB)

Antiwar Radio: Philip Giraldi

This interview is from the KPFK 90.7 FM Los Angeles broadcast of July 22nd.

Former CIA officer Philip Giraldi discusses the early (incorrect) rumors that an Islamic group was responsible for the Oslo shooting/bombing; Giraldi’s insightful guess that the attack could very well be the work of a domestic terrorist with a personal agenda; the threat posed by al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula; the CIA stirring up trouble in Mogadishu; the patently ridiculous “official” reasons for US interventions; and how the US settles refugees from countries currently at war with America – and then is surprised by retaliatory domestic terrorist attacks.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 27:34 — 6.3MB)

Antiwar Radio: John Tirman

John Tirman, Executive Director and a Principal Research Scientist at MIT’s Center for International Studies, discusses his article “1 Million Dead in Iraq? 6 Reasons the Media Hide the True Human Toll of War — And Why We Let Them” at AlterNet; the reputable studies done in Iraq to arrive at the approximately 1 million “excess death” toll; why the media consistently low-balls with a “tens of thousands” figure; and the powerful argument (to some) at stake: that at least Iraq is “better off now than under Saddam.”

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 24:25 — 5.6MB)

Antiwar Radio: Nima Shirazi

Nima Shirazi, creator of WideAsleepinAmerica.com, discusses the summer surge of “blame Iran” talking points – the marketing strategy to sell Obama’s seventh war to Americans; how Iran’s nonchalant response to threats of an Israeli solo attack ruffles feathers in Washington and Tel Aviv; and how the US justifies an extended Iraq stay by pointing to increased Iranian influence (without acknowledging that the US destroyed Saddam’s Sunni government and helped install the current pro-Iran Shia regime).

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 25:05 — 5.7MB)

Antiwar Radio: Jacob Hornberger

Jacob Hornberger, founder and president of the Future of Freedom Foundation, discusses America’s decline from shining beacon of freedom to torture-loving police state; how libertarianism helps people break through nationalist propaganda and public school indoctrination; why Americans should make haste toward limited government before another terrorist attack marks the end of the republic; and the many non-Muslim groups around the world with serious grievances against the US.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 19:54 — 4.6MB)

Antiwar Radio: Philip Giraldi

Former CIA officer Philip Giraldi discusses the Iranian government’s claim of shooting down a US drone near a nuclear enrichment facility; former CIA officer Robert Baer’s warning about an Israeli-instigated war with Iran, designed to disrupt the September UN vote on a Palestinian state; the Congress’s unconditional support for Benjamin Netanyahu’s every move, no matter how crazy or belligerent; and why Obama doesn’t have the guts to defy Congress and AIPAC by making Israel fight its own battles.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 20:09 — 4.6MB)

Antiwar Radio: Roy Guthman

Roy Gutman, Baghdad Bureau Chief for McClatchy Newspapers, discusses his article “Kirkuk is a ‘land mine’ where all sides want U.S. to stay;” why the majority of Iraq’s elite in government and the military want the US to remain as a stabilizing force; striking a balance on training Iraqi troops, so they are competent enough to repel foreign attacks (nevermind that their country is currently occupied by a foreign army) but not too strong to threaten regional powers; and why Moqtada al-Sadr’s Mahdi Army, though it has disbanded, appears ready to reform at a moment’s notice.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 33:21 — 7.6MB)

Antiwar Radio: Kelley B. Vlahos

Kelley B. Vlahos, featured Antiwar.com columnist and contributing editor for The American Conservative magazine, discusses her article “What Really Goes on in Afghanistan?” at Antiwar.com; how the US military plays down the severity and effectiveness of Taliban attacks; the great uncertainty of events in Afghanistan, owing to the minimal media presence; and why it’s pretty obvious there will be no Karzai government “stepping up” if/when US forces step down.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 20:13 — 4.6MB)

Antiwar Radio: Will Grigg

Will Grigg, blogger and author of Liberty in Eclipse, discusses the “Character First” program spun off from Bill Gothard’s increasingly popular Christian ministry (or authoritarian cult) that advocates abject deference to a military-style hierarchy in all human interactions; parallels with prewar Germany’s rising authoritarianism; and why true character (like Bradley Manning’s) is revealed through bravely opposing unjust authority, not blindly following orders.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 20:01 — 4.6MB)

Antiwar Radio: John Glaser

John Glaser, Assistant Editor at Antiwar.com, discusses his revitalization of Antiwar.com’s long-neglected blog; the many obstacles “on the ground” obstructing a complete US withdrawal from Iraq; how Obama has managed to get the US involved in six simultaneous wars; and why public apathy, though understandable from the deluge of bad news, means the government has us exactly where they want us.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 19:50 — 4.5MB)

Antiwar Radio: Stephan Salisbury

Stephan Salisbury, author of Mohamed’s Ghosts: An American Story of Love and Fear in the Homeland, discusses his article “Islam-Baiting Doesn’t Work” at tomdispatch.com; the increased popularity of Islam-bashing in political campaigns – despite the fact most practitioners in 2010 lost their elections; the real facts on Sharia law “taking over” the US justice system (and if you’re still scared, get out of the bunker, take a look outside and be comforted by the lack of marauding religious police); and the political – not religious -motivations of those arrested in FBI terrorism stings.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 19:40 — 4.5MB)

Antiwar Radio: Jeremy Scahill

Jeremy Scahill, author of Blackwater: The Rise of the World’s Most Powerful Mercenary Army, discusses his article “The CIA’s Secret Sites in Somalia” at The Nation; why Somalia’s very weak central government would quickly fall to Al Shabab without support from the US and African Union; the latest discovered secret CIA prison/training facility “black site” in Mogadishu; a reminder that US intervention didn’t start yesterday, and that previous efforts have led to the disaster unfolding today; why drone strikes should be considered “terrorist attacks” just like suicide bombs are; and the fickle nature of supposedly pro-government Somali forces (who could well be enemies of the US at a later time).

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 21:59 — 5.0MB)