Author: Conflicts of Interest

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.

On COI #146, Kyle and Will break down Twitter’s latest attempt to root out what it calls ‘misinformation,’ with the platform announcing a new partnership with Reuters and the Associated Press to ‘fact check’ information on the site. The two newswires are among the most respectable in western media, but have poor track records reporting on certain issues and a tendency to uncritically repeat the empire’s narratives and framing.

On COI #145 Connor Freeman, writer at The Libertarian Institute, returns to the show to discuss recent attacks on ships near the Persian Gulf. The first attack saw two drones hit a cargo ship, killing two. The US, UK, and Israel have pointed the finger at Iran, claiming to have evidence. However, the governments have yet to present any, and Iran is denying the charges. 

The second attack was alleged to be an attempted hijacking. Again, Iran was blamed with no evidence yet presented. The attack was thwarted after the crew disabled the ship. The timing of the incident raises suspicions of a possible false flag to fuel tensions between Washington and Tehran. Kyle and Connor break down the motives of the possible actors, including Israel and Iran. 

Connor explains how the slow American policy shift in favor of Taiwanese independence has put the US on a collision course with China. Along with increased diplomatic ties with the island, the US has ramped up military support. This week, Biden announced his first weapons sale to Taiwan – $750 million in Howitzers and guided-munitions kits. Under Biden, the US has sailed a warship through the Taiwan Strait seven times, moves repeatedly condemned by Beijing. 

As the US steps up support for Taiwan in the East China Sea, the Pentagon is carrying out massive war games with several allied countries in the region, including its largest amphibious military drills in 40 years. US allies India, Germany, the UK, France and Japan have also deployed military ships to the South China Sea. 

Connor breaks down how the US continues to destroy its relationship with Russia. War games in the Black Sea paired with this week’s removal of 24 Russian diplomats surely undermines any good will produced from recent arms control talks. Some American hawks are noticing that Russia and China have adopted closer ties in recent years. Connor argues this is unlikely to change without a less aggressive American foreign policy. 

On Conflicts of Interest #144, retired Army Major and Afghan War vet Danny Sjursen returns to the show to discuss Biden’s declared end to the Afghan War. Danny explains how the war has changed under the current administration. He attempts to tackle the tough question: “Is the war actually ending?”

Danny and Kyle break down the factions in the Biden administration resisting the president’s push to end the war. Danny compares Biden’s struggle to that of Obama and Trump, who both attempted to limit or end the war but were unable to do so – at least in part – because their employees undermined their efforts. 

Danny discusses how the Afghan War is evolving. He breaks down the country’s ethnic groups and explains why there is no way to partition the country. Danny tells some stories from his experience in Afghanistan and why our nation-building effort has failed. 

Danny debunks key points being made by the hawks to justify the continued occupation and bombing of Afghanistan. Danny looks at the human rights abuses and war crimes of the US and Afghan militaries. Using his own experiences in Afghanistan, Danny explains why the US cannot improve the lives of Afghans with troops or bombs. 

Danny concludes the show by discussing how his fellow veterans have reacted to the end of the war. While there is a wide range of opinion, Danny argues the vet community is actually MORE against the war than American civilians. 

Danny Sjursen is a retired U.S. Army officer, the director of the Eisenhower Media Network (EMN), a senior fellow at the Center for International Policy (CIP), contributing editor at Antiwar.com, and co-hosts the podcast “Fortress on a Hill.” His work has appeared in the NY Times, LA Times, The Nation, The Hill, Salon, The American Conservative, and Mother Jones, among other publications. He served combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan and taught history at West Point. He is the author of three books, Ghostriders of Baghdad: Soldiers, Civilians, and the Myth of the Surge, Patriotic Dissent: America in the Age of Endless War, and most recently A True History of the United States. Follow him on Twitter @SkepticalVet.

On COI #143, Kyle and Will break down the latest quarterly report from the Special Inspector General for Afghan Reconstruction (SIGAR), which paints a bleak picture for the country as the US’ 20-year war and occupation finally appear to be winding down. A major Taliban offensive over the spring and summer has put around half of Afghanistan’s districts under the militant group’s control, sending civilian casualties to record levels for the period between May and June. Despite being propped up by American largesse for nearly two decades straight, the Afghan military has been woefully unprepared to meet the ongoing assault.

On COI #142, Kyle Anzalone breaks down Biden’s Iran policy. Trump took a stark turn from Obama when it came to Tehran. Rather than looking to build on the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), Trump tore the deal to shreds and embarked on a “maximum pressure” sanctions campaign. With the destruction of the deal, US-Iran hostilities nearly erupted into a shooting war.

Biden entered office on vows to “restore normalcy” with Iran and significantly reduce tensions. Iran simply wanted to return to 2016, when Biden was Obama’s vice president. However, rather than agreeing to revive a deal he previously endorsed, Biden demanded additional concessions, though Iran predictably held firm in response.

Months passed by as the US took other aggressive actions, with Biden holding provocative war games and sending ships and planes to Iran’s doorstep. Biden only increased the sanctions and sold pirated Iranian oil, while the US sat idly by as its Middle East accomplice, Tel Aviv, sabotaged Iranian tanker ships and nuclear facilities. 

Now, a hardliner has been elected as Iran’s president and the US is indicating it will not budge further, retaining most Trump-era sanctions. The nuclear deal appears to be dead, and even if it is saved, Iran’s hardliners will have struck a victory regardless.

Kyle discusses the US war in Afghanistan as CENTCOM ramps up airstrikes on the Taliban. Gen. McKenize refused to tell the American people if the bombs would stop falling after Biden’s declared withdrawal deadline at the end of August. Even as the US continues to strike Taliban targets, Secretary of State Antony Blinken lectured the militant group that there is “no military solution” to the conflict. 

Biden and the Iraqi prime minister announced a change to the mission of US troops in Iraq. According to the agreement, American troops will remain in Iraq, but shift to a training only role by the end of the year. Some Shia figures in Iraq welcomed the agreement, however, rockets landed in Iraq’s Green Zone in the days after it was signed. 

While Biden has brought some troops home from Afghanistan, and promised a mission change in Iraq, he plans to keep all 900 troops deployed to the occupation of northeastern Syria. The Biden administration also announces new sanctions against and an opposition rebel group.

Kyle also updates Israel’s war against Ben and Jerry’s. Tel Aviv has now launched its own “maximum pressure” campaign on the ice cream giant after it said it would halt sales in the occupied West Bank after 2022. The company’s decision was backed by its founders and namesakes.