Scott interviews Daniel Davis about his new book, Eleventh Hour in 2020 America, which explores the unhealthy expansion of the U.S. military over the last few decades, to the point that America’s very future as a democratic republic is at risk. Davis begins the interview by detailing how America built up its military into the world’s most efficient and advanced fighting force, epitomized by his experiences in the first Iraq War—a war that Davis calls a “success” by the military’s standards. But the cost of an easy, quick and overwhelming victory, he says, was that America became imprudent, believing that it could act as the world’s police without any repercussion. The wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya and Syria, of course, have proven that that was untrue. Not to mention, adds Davis, that the constitution gives the government no right to engage in this kind of foreign adventurism. Davis also reminds us that the world doesn’t really need a police force: for the most part, every country only wants to ensure that its own borders are secure from external threats, and is otherwise happy to get along peacefully with everyone else. A true defense force and a passive nuclear deterrent, he says, would be more than enough to ensure this.
Discussed on the show:
Eleventh Hour in 2020 America: How America’s foreign policy got jacked up – and how the next Administration can fix it
Matthew Hoh’s Resignation Letter
“Truth, lies and Afghanistan” (Armed Forces Journal)
A Foreign Policy Of Freedom: Peace, Commerce, And Honest Friendship
The Putin Interviews
“10/9/20 William Smith: How Empire is Destroying the American Republic” (The Libertarian Institute)
“Debunking the safe haven myth” (Defense Priorities)
“Iraqi Pandora, by Justin Raimondo” (Antiwar.com)
“Army Colonel Challenges Pentagon’s Afghanistan Reports” (The New York Times)
Perils of Dominance: Imbalance of Power and the Road to War in Vietnam
Daniel Davis did multiple tours in Iraq and Afghanistan during his time in the army. He writes a weekly column for National Interest 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: NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com.
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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 this website. He’s the author of the 2017 book, Fool’s Errand: Time to End the War in Afghanistan. Visit https://scotthorton.org