Ep. 5255 – Aaron Mehta on the Unresolved Problems with the F-35 – 5/8/2020
Aaron Mehta talks about all the issues with the F-35 fighter jet, a plane that has been in development for 20 years and still can’t do many of the things it was designed for. Mehta describes his long investigation into the F-35 project, which upon initial release had 13 “category 1” deficiencies, which are problems that could result in the death of the pilot or loss of the airplane. Some of these deficiencies have been fixed or “downgraded,” but serious questions remain about the F-35’s safety for its intended uses. Mehta also explains the ways the project was made politically untouchable from the very beginning by distributing the manufacture of its components among 48 states and many foreign countries. Now a project that produces planes that basically don’t work can never be dismantled.
Aaron Mehta is Deputy Editor and Senior Pentagon Correspondent at Defense News, covering policy, strategy and acquisition at the highest levels of the Department of Defense and its international partners. Follow him on Twitter @AaronMehta.
Eric Margolis, journalist and author of American Raj, discusses why the US and France are so interested in Mali, of all places; the North African al-Qaeda affiliate borne from the brutal Algerian war; how Africa’s vast size and numerous conflicts give the Pentagon an excuse to stay “globally engaged;” the questionable US alliances with shady militants in Libya and Syria; the CIA’s love-hate relationship with Muammar Gaddafi and Bashar al-Assad; and why puppet governments aren’t as easy to install as they used to be.
Check out the interview page here: https://scotthorton.org/110212-eric-margolis/
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Francis Nesbitt, associate professor of Africana Studies at San Diego State University, discusses his article “Al-Shabaab’s Savage Coming of Age (and How to Respond);” the historical context of the Nairobi mall massacre; conflicts and proxy-wars in eastern Africa; and how Al-Shabaab – essentially defeated in Somalia – is going international to survive and attract funding.
Check out the interview page here: https://scotthorton.org/103013-francis-nesbitt/
For more on Scott's work:
Check out The Libertarian Institute: https://www.libertarianinstitute.org
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Peter Van Buren returns to the show to discuss the mistaken perception of Trump as a so-called "mad man." Van Buren argues that the Trump presidency has so far reflected the status quo—and not some radical break that people have feared and dramatically declared. Van Buren then turns to the Korean diplomatic steps that Donald Trump and the South Koreans have taken towards engaging North Korea in peace talks. Van Buren compares Trump's diplomacy with North Korea to Nixon's approach to China and explains why he's "frighteningly optimistic" about the developments in Korea. Van Buren explains why he thinks de-nuclearization is a straw man, but that the diplomatic openings between North and South Korea and the United States are historic. Buren then explains why Kim Jung-Un's western education should give us considerable hope for diplomacy. Finally, Scott and Van Buren turn their attention to Syria and how it fits into the larger geopolitical picture.
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Dahr Jamail, author of The Mass Destruction of Iraq, discusses the Obama administration’s so-called strategy in Iraq and Syria.
Check out the interview page here: https://scotthorton.org/091914-dahr-jamail/
For more on Scott's work:
Check out The Libertarian Institute: https://www.libertarianinstitute.org
Read Scott's book, Fool's Errand: Time to End the War in Afghanistan: https://foolserrand.us
Follow Scott on Twitter using the handle @scotthortonshow: https://twitter.com/scotthortonshow
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Paul Armentano discusses why American popular opinion on medical marijuana isn’t reflected in Washington DC; the DOJ’s crackdown on California’s largest dispensary; how civil asset forfeiture amounts to legalized government theft; the lame excuses of Democratic loyalists who refuse to hold Obama and Eric Holder accountable for their actions; and the states that are fighting back against the feds on medical marijuana laws.
Check out the interview page here: https://scotthorton.org/paul-armentano/
For more on Scott's work:
Check out The Libertarian Institute: https://www.libertarianinstitute.org
Read Scott's book, Fool's Errand: Time to End the War in Afghanistan: https://foolserrand.us
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Eric Schuler, author of The Daily Face Palm, discusses whether Hillary Clinton’s Syria policy is due to stupidity or “something worse;” and how the terrible presidential debates have made libertarian ideas on immigration and foreign policy an appealing alternative to the status quo.
Check out the interview page here: https://scotthorton.org/102116-eric-schuler/
For more on Scott's work:
Check out The Libertarian Institute: https://www.libertarianinstitute.org
Read Scott's book, Fool's Errand: Time to End the War in Afghanistan: https://foolserrand.us
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Reza Marashi, Research Director for the National Iranian American Council, discusses the failed P5+1 Iran talks in Moscow; why there was a diplomatic breakdown and unwillingness to compromise, even though Obama seems eager to avoid war; how the default US position – that Iran is building a nuclear weapons program – dooms negotiations to failure; and the root cause of conflict (the US wants Middle East client states, while Iran removed the imperial yoke in 1979 and isn’t going back to it).
Check out the interview page here: https://scotthorton.org/antiwar-radio-reza-marashi-4/
For more on Scott's work:
Check out The Libertarian Institute: https://www.libertarianinstitute.org
Read Scott's book, Fool's Errand: Time to End the War in Afghanistan: https://foolserrand.us
Follow Scott on Twitter using the handle @scotthortonshow: https://twitter.com/scotthortonshow
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M.J. Rosenberg, Special Correspondent for The Washington Spectator, discusses the glorious defeat of neoconservative/AIPAC plans for war in Syria; Israel’s continuing rightward drift; and why the Republican party rift between hawks and neo-isolationists is overblown.
Check out the interview page here: https://scotthorton.org/91713-m-j-rosenberg/
For more on Scott's work:
Check out The Libertarian Institute: https://www.libertarianinstitute.org
Read Scott's book, Fool's Errand: Time to End the War in Afghanistan: https://foolserrand.us
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