Author: Conflicts of Interest

On COI #122, Kyle and Will break down a controversy centered on Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar, who landed in hot water after suggesting that the United States, Israel, Hamas and the Taliban all commit atrocities alike. While she was accused of equating “democratic countries” with “terrorists,” Will and Kyle explain that the backlash was overwrought, and that Washington and Tel Aviv are, in fact, responsible for war crimes.

The Pentagon is sounding alarms over two Iranian military vessels transiting the Atlantic Ocean, a first for Tehran’s navy. Nobody knows for sure what the ships intend to do or where they’re headed, and the US military appears to not believe its own hype, having no plans to intercept the vessels or even monitor them more closely. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the two ships pose a serious threat to the entire Western Hemisphere, though declined to explain how, saying nothing about the massive arsenal of US naval power stationed in Iran’s backyard.

The White House has released its war powers report to Congress, outlining the status of US forces around the world and the legal justification for their deployment. The report comes as several bills introduced in the House and Senate aim to claw back war-making authorities from the executive branch. Will and Kyle explain that many deployments are based on outdated authorizations that have nothing to do with the current realities.

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On COI #121 Patrick MacFarlane – host of Liberty Weekly – returns to the show to talk China, Iran and the American police state. Pat and Kyle break down a recent viral video of a police officer causing a pregnant woman’s car to roll over. Pat explains that the woman acted appropriately, however, the officer is unlikely to be held accountable. Pat breaks down the legal formalities the police state uses to allow its lawmen to remain lawless.

While the US government is incapable – or unwilling – to protect American citizens from its own police force, it is planning to spend hundreds of billions in tax dollars to confront China. The Innovation and Competition Act 2021 will spend $250 billion on the rivalry with China. The Pentagon announced that the problem with its China policy is it’s all talk. A report from a committee led by hawk Ely Ratner concluded the Pentagon had a ‘say-do-gap.’ Secretary of Defense Austin is saying the military should stop talking about the Chinese threat and act against it.

The Biden administration seems primarily concerned with confronting Russia and China. However, it is still unwilling to lose Iran as an enemy. Recent statements from Secretary of State Blinken suggest the US is unwilling to save the Iran nuclear deal. The opportunities to save the agreement are shrinking as Iran moves closer to electing a new leader.

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On COI #120, Kyle Anzalone discusses the use of JROTC instructors to teach courses at Chicago’s public schools. Hundreds of students – primarily from lower-income black or Hispanic communities – are being funneled into the classes without the consent of parents. Schools argue the Pentagon-funded program helps to cover budget shortfalls. Black and Hispanic students are overrepresented in the CPS JROTC program, and those who go through it are more likely to enlist.

Kyle breaks down the evolution of the war in Afghanistan. CENTCOM reports that the withdrawal is 50% complete. However, the Pentagon still refuses to report the number of troops remaining there. The CIA is seeking a new base to operate from and the Afghan military is scrambling to find a way to maintain its air force. Kyle explains that the US plans to spend billions waging war in Afghanistan in 2022.

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On COI #117, Kyle Anzalone breaks down Biden’s Pentagon budget proposal for FY 2022. The president is asking Congress to give $715 billion in tax dollars to the military-industrial complex. The proposal calls for tens of billions to be spent on weapons systems with legacies of failure, like the F-35 and Ford-class aircraft carrier. Most of the money will be used to maintain the American Empire, not defend the homeland. While Congress has the power to alter the Pentagon budget, Kyle argues we should expect they will only increase spending.

The budget also further highlights the foreign policy establishment’s growing fixation on China. Biden wants to spend $5 billion on the Pacific Deterrence Initiative and billions more on weapons systems that will be deployed to waters off China’s coast. Kyle explains the danger of shifting so much military spending towards confronting Beijing.

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On COI #116, Kyle Anzalone and Will Porter cover a new round of US sanctions imposed on officials in Ethiopia, where fighting with rebels has killed thousands and displaced millions more in the country’s Tigray region. Cutting off foreign aid and slapping visa restrictions on officials, Washington is pressuring the central government to make efforts to end the fighting.

Legendary whistleblower and Pentagon Papers leaker Daniel Ellsberg has disclosed yet another series of classified documents from a 1966 Rand Corporation study. The files reveal that, during a round of fighting between China and Taiwan in 1958, the United States came much closer to dropping nuclear weapons on China than was previously known, with American military leaders pushing aggressively for the authority to do so.

After updating the progress of talks to revive the Iran nuclear deal, Will and Kyle also mark Memorial Day, discussing the ways our soldiers are used up and discarded by the very leaders who claim to champion them most.

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Patrick MacFarlane, host of Liberty Weekly and a featured writer at the Libertarian Institute, joins Kyle Anzalone to discuss the new cold war with Russia and China. Pat describes the role of foreign policy thinkers in pushing for a return to ‘great power competition.’ While the central planners believe they are developing strategies to protect America, more often they push fabricated ‘adversaries’ into closer cooperation. Pat and Kyle discuss the repeated failures of hawks who think they can manage the affairs of the entire planet from Washington, DC.

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