Author: Conflicts of Interest

On COI #166, Scott Spaulding – host of Why I’m Antiwar – returns to the show for the third installment of the ‘Villains of the Afghan War’ series. Scott breaks down the role of David Kilcullen, the godfather of counterinsurgency under the Bush administration. Kilcullen found himself in a high-ranking position that he exploited to push his own COIN policy. While his approach failed and the Afghan War ended in disaster, Kilcullen is still named as an expert and continues to profit off the military-industrial complex. 

Scott discusses USAID official James Derleth’s part in the Afghan nation-building effort. Derleth forced American soldiers to ask Afghan citizens questions and fill out forms. The information was useless – but worse, it put US soldiers in danger. He is now a professor who recently spoke at the prestigious West Point military academy. 

Scott also takes aim at Paul Sommers and Ryan Brewster. While working for the USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service, the two headed a project that sought to use American soldiers to teach Afghans new farming techniques. However, the Afghans already knew how to farm and the US war had simply made it impossible to grow the fruit trees Sommers planned. In the end, Sommers and Brewster netted no improvement for average Afghans and racked up an expensive tab for American taxpayers in the process.

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On COI #165, Connor Freeman – writer at the Libertarian Institute – returns to the show to discuss a newly formed anti-China alliance dubbed AUKUS (Australia, the UK, and the US). The pact will provide Australia with nuclear-powered submarines and allows the US to deploy more military assets in Australian territory. The agreement struck a nerve with Paris, as it effectively killed a $66 billion shipbuilding deal for French diesel subs. Even more outraged was China, as the new alliance further polarizes the world between the US and the Asian superpower.

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On this COI, Matteo Marchionni – host of the Neutral Partisan Report – returns to the show to review the new Netflix documentary Turning Point: 9/11 and the War on Terror. Matteo and host Kyle Anzalone break down highlights from each episode. The documentary reveals a shocking number of crimes committed by the US post-9/11. However, the show constantly spins the stories for the war state and lets absurd lies by swamp creatures go unchecked.

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On COI #163, Matthew Hoh joins Kyle Anzalone to discuss the villains of the Afghan War. Hundreds of members of Congress helped to keep the conflict going, but Matt names some of the worst offenders. He shares personal stories about reps who used their support for the war to build political capital needed to pass Obamacare. Several representatives agreed in private that the war was a lost cause that wasted hundreds of thousands of lives, Matt said, but for political reasons continued to support it publicly.   

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On COI #162, Scott Spaulding – an Iraq and Afghan combat vet who hosts the ‘Why I’m Antiwar’ podcast – returns to the show to discuss the villains of the Afghan War. Scott explains how American culture was infected with bloodlust by the Pentagon’s post-9/11 PR campaign, while the State Department partnered with Hollywood, the NFL and marketing firms to ensure uncritical support for the War on Terror. The propaganda continues to be very successful in enriching the elites while shielding them from all accountability.

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On COI #160, Kyle Anzalone discusses deteriorating US ties with Iran. Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned the window for negotiations with Tehran would soon close, not long after the US announced a new round of sanctions. Israeli officials, meanwhile, have vowed to step up efforts to confront the Islamic Republic. Together, the aggressive US and Israeli policies are likely to kill talks to revive the Iran nuclear deal. 

Kyle updates the August 29th US drone strike that killed seven children in Kabul. The Pentagon released details of the strike, revealing the military was unsure of who was driving the car hit in the strike, as well as what home it was bombing. The corporate press, however, has already lost interest in the story, all but ensuring families of the slaughtered Afghan children will never see justice. 

Kyle breaks down recent news from Ethiopia. Several massacres have been reported by various local groups as fighting rages on between the government and rebel forces in Tigray. The US has sanctioned an Eritrean official for alleged war crimes in Tigray, and there are reports out of neighboring Sudan that dead bodies are washing up on its shores – casualties of the Tigray war. Tensions between Ethiopia and Sudan are also on the rise after the Sudanese government reported a shipment of guns that arrived from Ethiopia.

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