On the first-ever Conflicts of Interest bonus episode, Kyle Anzalone and Will Porter sit down with Magnus Panvidya to discuss the ‘End The Damn Wars’ project, an effort to unite anti-war voices across the political spectrum and organize street actions opposing US militarism.
Magnus explains the origins and aims of the new initiative, and argues that internet activism alone is not enough to stand in the way of Empire. Calling for cooperation between all dissident movements – left, right and libertarian – Magnus makes the case that ‘bottom unity’ is the best hope for reining in the war state.
On COI #151, Kyle Anzalone explains how Biden’s China policy is being formed by officials who boast about being Sino-paranoid. Biden’s new Air Force Secretary said he was “obsessed” with China and was hoping to “scare” the CCP. The delusions of key Biden officials is creating an increasingly anti-American bond between Russia and China. The two nuclear superpowers recently demonstrated their growing ties with a round of joint war games.
Kyle breaks down the ongoing disorder at the Kabul Airport. US officials have suggested the Taliban is complying with the US effort to evacuate Americans. However, Western media has reported Taliban actions are making it impossible for Americans to reach the airport. The US has signaled ambitious goals to evacuate tens of thousands in the coming days, but have only evacuated a few thousand successfully to date.
Kyle updates Israel’s occupation of Palestine. Tel Aviv recently seized 23 tonnes of chocolate en route to Gaza, depriving the people of an unusual luxury. Israel is planning to construct over 2,000 new settler homes in the West Bank. In a surprise move, the State Department condemned the announcement.
Kyle discusses Iran’s civilian nuclear energy program. The US recently warned Iran against advancing its program after designing an uranium metal plate. The plate is for the Tehran Research Reactor, built for Iran by the US in the 1960s. Washington – which has a massive nuclear arsenal – continues to point the finger at Iran for producing energy and medicine with its nuclear program.
On COI #150 the great Scott Horton returns to the show to discuss the collapse of America’s sockpuppet government in Kabul. Scott explains how he seemed to be one of the only Afghan War analysts to correctly predict how quickly – and mostly bloodlessly – the Afghan government would collapse. He talks about the Taliban’s gains in recent years and how they were primed to consolidate their power.
With the Taliban now in control of almost all of Afghanistan, some Afghans – and nearly all of the corporate media – believe the Taliban will return to their same harsh style of rule from the pre-9/11 era. However, Scott explains there are some reasons to be hopeful that the Taliban’s rule may be less brutal – although still horrible. Since taking power the Taliban has made an effort to create the appearance that women will be accepted into society and the government. The group has said they are not seeking reprisals and Kabul, at the moment, remains calm under their rule.
In response to the withdrawal, the hawks’ favorite trope has been to claim the Taliban takeover makes the world more dangerous for Americans. Scott debunks the myth that the Taliban offers ‘safe haven’ to groups that want to murder Americans. However, less than a year ago, the US was backing the Taliban with drone strikes against ISIS-K, with soldiers even dubbing themselves the “Taliban’s air force.” Reports claiming an al-Qaeda presence in Afghanistan are nothing more than hearsay.
A second tactic being used by the corporate press is to spin the rise of the Taliban into a threat to American hegemony over Russia and China. Scott dismantles the argument that Chinese influence in Afghanistan is a concern for Americans. Scott also discussed the issue of Uyghur jihadists who take refuge in Afghanistan.
Kyle rounds out the show by asking Scott if he thinks America’s war in Afghanistan is over. Scott explains that the US does not have the ability to redeploy occupation forces to the country. The US would also struggle to carry out special forces missions because of Afghanistan’s isolated location, though Scott says the US may try to continue CIA operations to undermine the Taliban.
On COI COI #149, Kyle Anzalone and Will Porter break down the fall of Kabul and the complete collapse of the Afghan government under a Taliban offensive.
Major territorial gains that began in provincial centers earlier this month came to a head on August 15, with the militant group waltzing into the national capital and seizing the city, encountering virtually no resistance from government forces in the process. With Afghan President Ashraf Ghani fleeing the country, the Taliban has installed a new president from its own ranks, insisting there would be no transitional state as it declared the “Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan” as the new government.
Having failed to prepare for the fall of the capital, Washington is now overseeing a hasty, chaotic evacuation of diplomatic staff and other American civilians, with some 6,000 US soldiers deployed to secure the operation. Thousands of Afghans are also looking to flee the country, including those who worked alongside US diplomats, but with no clear contingency plans in place, their fate remains in limbo.
Will and Kyle break down the Biden administration’s response to the news, the overall status of the American withdrawal, as well as the reactions from hawks who insist the occupation should never end.
On COI #148, Kyle breaks down some of the latest developments in Afghanistan. The Taliban continue their offensive, seizing major Afghan cities like Kandahar, Ghazni, and Harat. In response, the US is planning to reduce the staff at its embassy and possibly abandon it entirely. The State Department is calling on all Americans to leave the country and increasing the number of flights for Afghans seeking to flee. NOTE: After recording, the US announced it was deploying 3,000 troops to Afghanistan to aid the evacuation and the Taliban-seized Kandahar.
Kyle discusses a new secretive NSA program code-named ‘WildandStormy.’ Little is known about the project other than that it is a new cloud program for the agency. Amazon Web Services is reported to have won a $10 billion contract to produce the system. Microsoft quickly sued, claiming the bidding process was unfair.
Julian Assange had an important hearing as Washington continues to push for his extradition. The US had already won a limited appeal of the judge’s ruling that Assange could not be extradited to the US because mental distress and the cruel US prison system would cause him to commmit suicide. However, the US was able to score a larger victory, allowing a wider scope for their challenge to the judge’s decision.
Kyle updates some of the latest US preparations for war with China. The Pentagon concluded a stress test on the USS Ford by detonating a 40,000-lb bomb in the ocean near the ship. The explosion caused some damage, but the US says it proves the ship could withstand an attack from Russia and China. The US is also conducting the SEACAT war games with 20 other nations in Singapore and planning naval war games in the Pacific next month.
Signs of potential for diplomatic progress on the Korean Peninsula quickly came to a halt when South Korea announced the start of annual war games with the US. A few weeks ago, North and South Korea reestablished hotlines that had been dormant for over a year. After the war games kicked off, North Korea stopped answering the calls.
Kyle talks about Israeli aggression in the Middle East. After bombing northern Lebanon a few weeks ago, Israel carried out heavy bombing in the country’s south, also recently striking Gaza. In all cases Tel Aviv claimed it was responding to attacks, however the rockets and incendiary balloons targeting Israel are themselves a response to its cruelty towards the Palestinians.
On COI #147, Dave DeCamp – News Editor at Antiwar.com – returns to the show to discuss how American pols increasingly use China as a political weapon. Secretary of State Antony Blinken recently warned that the US must pass a massive infrastructure spending bill or risk ‘losing’ to China. He also warned that Beijing is in the midst of a nuclear buildup. However, the Chinese nuclear arsenal is many times smaller than the American arsenal, and the US is planning to spend trillions updating its own nuclear weapons stockpile.
The US is working to influence the geopolitics of Southeast Asia against China, forming stronger ties with many of the country’s neighbors and endorsing territorial claims that rival Beijing’s. The last several US administrations have also sought to form stronger ties with Taiwan, including through arms sales, while an American commander recently stated the US is ready and able to defend the island.
Dave and Kyle update the Taliban offensive in Afghanistan. Provincial capitals are falling at a rapid pace as the Biden administration continues to say it is holding firm on the August 31st withdrawal date. The US still has 650 troops deployed to the Kabul embassy and is bombing Taliban targets at an increasing rate. However, the US airstrikes are not enough to turn back Taliban advances. Dave and Kyle discuss what Biden will do as the crumbling Afghan state faces tough decisions.
The Mercer Street was the first of two cargo ships attacked off the coast of Oman in recent weeks. The attack was blamed on Iran by the US, Israel and many Western allies. Israel is demanding action against Iran – which has denied involvement – and even suggested it would carry out a unilateral response. New reports from the UK press say British special forces are working with their American counterparts on the ground in eastern Yemen to bring the culprits to justice. Dave and Kyle examine the possible actors behind the attacks.
Dave updates the US mission in Iraq. A recent agreement between Washington and Baghdad said the American mission would shift to training only. However, that agreement appears to be a PR stunt attempting to appease the American and Iraqi people’s desire for the occupation to finally end.
