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Foreign Policy Focus

Foreign Policy Focus is a podcast hosted by me, Kyle! It covers current events overseas and how those events affect you at home. While US military operations in the Middle East seem like they are on the other side of the world, they have real impacts on the everyday lives of Americans. Wars are the most costly of all US government actions and politicians use them to strip away rights of Americans. Knowing what your government is doing around the globe will give you insight into what they are doing at home.
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Now displaying: 2018

Foreign Policy Focus is a podcast hosted by me, Kyle! It covers current events overseas and how those events affect you at home. While US military operations in the Middle East seem like they are on the other side of the world, they have real impacts on the everyday lives of Americans. Wars are the most costly of all US government actions and politicians use them to strip away rights of Americans. Knowing what your government is doing around the globe will give you insight into what they are doing at home.

Jul 6, 2018

On FPF #216, I update the Korean Peace Process. The Koreans are in talks to move North Korean artillery out of the range of Seoul and playing basketball games. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will be visiting North Korea on Friday to discuss denuclearization. Despite all the positive news, National Security Advisor John Bolton continues to try to introduce poison pills into the peace process by calling for rapid North Korean denuclearization. I also discuss the OPCW, Syrian Civil War, and Afghanistan. 

Links

SHS - Kathy Kelly on Afghanistan

Jul 4, 2018

On FPF #215, Will Porter returns to the show to cover the impacts of our foreign policy on veterans of the wars. Will give the numbers of vets committing suicide and some of the causes of those suicides. Will discusses Peter Van Buren's explanation for moral injury. Will and Kyle discuss the glorification of the US military and Independence Day.

Will Porter is a journalist who writes on US foreign policy and Mid East affairs. Will's work can be found at AntiWar.com, Consortium News, and The Libertarian institute. 

Links

At War With Ourselves - Will Porter 

Hooper's War - Peter Van Buren 

Dangerous History - BT

Jul 2, 2018

On FPF #214, I breakdown Saudi's misleading explanation for their bombing of a Doctors Without Borders cholera treatment facility in Yemen. Saudi Arabia attempted to use an email from a low-level DWB official to claim DWB was at fault for the bombing. However, the facility was marked, and DWB informed Saudi Arabia 12 times about the location of the facility. 

I also discuss John Bolton setting up a summit between Trump and Putin. I explain the status of the US/Russian relationship and what could come out of these talks. I also update North Korean denuclearization and Turkey. 

Links

FPF #177 - Will Porter discusses John Bolton

Jun 29, 2018

On FPF #213, Joanne Leon and Dan Wright join the show for the third in a three-part series covering the many claims that Russia colluded with the Trump campaign to win the 2016 election. In part three, Joanne and Dan break down the FBI IG report on the Hillary email investigation. They explain the biased activities of the FBI. We give our final thoughts on Russiagate and how all the current evidence fails to prove the claims of Russiagate. 

Joanne Leon and Dan Wright are the cohosts of the Around the Empire podcast. 

Links

AroundtheEmpire.com

Around the Empire #57 - Garland Nixon

Around the Empire #54 - Crossfire Hurrican 

Aaron Mate - No proof of collusion 

Jun 27, 2018

On FPF #212, Joanne Leon and Dan Wright join the show for the second in a three-part series covering the many claims that Russia colluded with the Trump campaign to win the 2016 election. In part two, Joanne and Dan break down the FBI Crossfire Hurricane investigation. They explain how the FBI spied on and attempted to put informants into the Trump campaign. We also discuss the role of Carter Page, Peter Strzok, and John Brennan. 

Joanne Leon and Dan Wright are the cohosts of the Around the Empire podcast. 

Links

AroundtheEmpire.com

Around the Empire #57 - Garland Nixon

Around the Empire #54 - Crossfire Hurrican 

Aaron Mate - No proof of collusion 

 

Jun 25, 2018

On FPF #211, Joanne Leon and Dan Wright join the show for the first in a three-part series covering the many claims that Russia colluded with the Trump campaign to win the 2016 election. In part one, Joanne and Dan break down the indictments of Flynn, Manafort/Gates, Papadopoulos, and Internet Research Agency. They explain how every indictment is unrelated to the 2016 claims of Russiagate and in some cases work to disprove the Russia collusion claims. We also discuss the Trump Tower meeting and the role of Fusion GPS's Steele dossier. 

Joanne Leon and Dan Wright are the cohosts of the Around the Empire podcast. 

Links

AroundtheEmpire.com

Around the Empire #57 - Garland Nixon

Around the Empire #54 - Crossfire Hurrican 

Aaron Mate - No proof of collusion 

Moon of Alabama - Internet Research Agency 

Jun 22, 2018

On FPF #210, I discuss a brief ceasefire in Afghanistan. The ceasefire held for three days at the end of the Islamic holy month. After the ceasefire expired, fighting resumed with the Taliban killing as many as 50 Afghan soldiers. 

I address the massive Department of Defense. The DoD will grow as Trump announced the creation of the Space Force. Amazon is a front-runner for getting a $10 billion contract to provide cloud services to the Pentagon. The Pentagon has expanded and is carrying out more offensives in cyber warfare. 

Links

FPF #209 - Killing Yemen

FPF #207 - Understanding Colombia with Brian Saady

Vets for Peace - Palestine 

Jun 20, 2018

On FPF#209, I recap the Yemeni Civil War. The war has raged since the Saudi-led coalition began its bombing campaign in 2015. The war has devastated the people of Yemen and sparked the worst humanitarian crisis on the planet. The people of Yemen are subject to a blockade that prevents food, fuel, medicine, and even journalists from entering the country. The blockade is supplemented by an indiscriminate air war on Yemen’s civilian infrastructure. I break down the humanitarian crisis, the critical US role in the war, and the ongoing catastrophic attack on Hodeida.

Links

Scott Horton Show - Eric Eikenberry 

FPF - Will Porter on the humanitarian crisis in Yemen

Jun 18, 2018

On FPF #208, Marko Marjanovic joins the show to discuss the failures of Stalin's centrally planned military leading up to WWII. The failures amount to the USSR having the most losses on one side of a war. While the Red Army had the equipment and technology to defend against the German invasion, poor strategic decision making allowed the Germans to have early success on the battlefield. Marko and Kyle discuss how the centrally planned military created the environment where the USSR took devastating losses during 1941. 

In the show, we discuss Marko's article Stalin Gifted Hitler Victory in 1941 and it Cost Millions of Russian Lives. Marko is the deputy editor at Russia-Insider.com. His website is CheckPointAsia.Net.

Jun 15, 2018

On FPF #207, Brian Saady returns to the show to help us understand Colombia. The Colombian government is in the process a peace process to end a decades-long war with the FARC and is in the middle of a presidential election. The first round of voting has narrowed the field, and a new president will be elected Sunday. Brian explains the history of the conflict with the FARC, the role of the US in the civil war, and the current peace agreement. Brian gives his analysis of what the outcome of the election will have on peace in Colombia. 

Brian Saady is the author of Rackets and the host of Rackets Podcast. Brian's books and podcast can be found at his website BrianSaady.com. His articles have been published at AntiWar.com and The American Conservative. 

Links

Jun 12, 2018

On FPF #206, Will Porter returns to the show to discuss Yemen and North Korea. Will recaps the humanitarian crisis in Yemen. He explains the importance of the Port of Hodeida and how an attack on the port will have catastrophic consequences for Yemen. Kyle and Will argue the term genocide accurately describes the plight of the people of Yemen.

Will and Kyle break down the Trump/Kim summit and explain the media's bias and pessimism in its coverage of the talks. Will reviews the results of the summit, including Trump's pledge to end war games and commitment to a denuclearized North Korea.

Will Porter is a journalist who specializes in US foreign policy and Mid East Affairs. His work can be found at AntiWar.com, The Libertarian Institute, and Consortium News. 

Links

FPF #159 - Yemen Cheat Sheet 

FPF #179 - Will John Bolton Scuttle Potential Peace guest Will Porter 

Will Porter on Yemen's humanitarian crisis

FPF #130 - Israel and Yemen guest Will Porter  

Jun 11, 2018

On FPF #205, I breakdown Trump's press conference after the G7. Trump said that Russia should rejoin the G7 without giving Crimea back to Ukraine. Trump stated that a successful summit with Kim Jong Un would be a minimum of establishing a dialog. He also said he expects the diplomatic process with North Korea to be slow. I explain how these statements show Trump bucking the establishment policy North Korean and Russian diplomacy. 

Links

FPF #189 - Russian Aggression & Other Lies 

Jun 8, 2018

On FPF #204, Patrick MacFarlane joins the show to discuss entrapment. The FBI has a history of using sting operations to generate terrorism charges against young Muslim men. Patrick breaks down the history and principles with entrapments. We then discuss how the entrapments drive the war state. 

Patrick MacFarlane is a law school graduate. He is the host of Liberty Weekly

Links

Intercept database of terrorism charges 

Immersion News  - FBI entrapment

Northwest Law Review Article 1 Article 2

Free Man Beyond the Wall - Scott Horton OKC

 

Jun 6, 2018

On FPF #203, I discuss recent news showing the Afghanistan War is lost. The Trump policy has been in place since August, but the militant groups continue to control a significant portion of the country. After 17 years of US intervention, only 44% of Afghani children go to school, and militant groups continue to carry out high profile attacks. Casualties from the war were up 42% in May

I also update the Isreali occupation of Palestine and the Syrian Civil War

Links

Around the Empire - Elijah Magnier

 

Jun 4, 2018

On FPF #202, I discuss Trump decision to recommit to the Summit with Kim Jong Un in Singapore on June 12th. A North Korean official, Kim Yong Chol, traveled to the US to meet with Mike Pompeo, then met with President Trump. After the meeting, Trump said he planned to attend the Summit, and North Korea can have fast or slow denuclearization.

I update the war in Yemen. Saudi backed forces continue to advance towards the critical port in Hodeida as the humanitarian crisis in Yemen continues to worsen. 

Links

Justin Raimondo on the Trump/Kim Summit

FPF #197 - Libyan Style 

SHS: Peter van Buren 3/8/18

Lt Col Daniel Davis on reviving the Yemen War Powers Act

Jun 1, 2018

On FPF #201, Mance Rayder joins the show to discuss Pulse, Palestine, and memes. Mance updates the story of the Pulse Nightclub Shooting. The shooter's wife was found innocent at trial a trial that included shocking admissions from the prosecution. Mance explains his position on the Israeli occupation of Palestine and who the clear aggressor is.

On Twitter, Mance is the king of antiwar memes and we discuss some of our favorite antiwar memes. 

Mance is the host of The Freeman Beyond the Wall Podcast. Mance is the author of The Kids Are Not Alright and Freedom Through Memedom

Links

May 30, 2018

Scott Horton returns to Foreign Policy Focus to discuss the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Scott breaks down Iraqi Shia politics and how the recent Iraqi election played out. Scott explains the connections between the Shia leaders, Iran, and the US. 

Scott also updates the status of the war in Afghanistan. Scott demonstrates the futility of the war and why the US policy continues to fail. 

Scott Horton is the Managing Director of The Libertarian Institute, View Points Editor at AntiWar.com, and host of the Scott Horton Show. Scott is the author of Fools Errand: Time to End the War in Afghanistan

Links

May 28, 2018

On FPF #199, joins the show Antony Sammeroff discusses the nature of war. Antony presents his views through the libertarian philosophy. During the show, Antony explains the morality of war and the impacts of the war at home. 

Antony Sammeroff is the host of the Scottish Liberty Podcast and the Be Yourself and Love It Podcast. Antony is the author of Procrastination Annihilation

Links

Scottish Liberty Podcast - War on Syria is a War on Freedom, Not Terror

May 25, 2018

On FPF #198, I discuss the 12 demands the US gave Iran in a speech by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Many of the demands are based on false information or where agreed to in the JCPOA. Other demands require Iran to completely dissolve Iranian sovereignty. I show how Iran is not the enemy that Mike Pompeo claims them to be. 

May 23, 2018

On FPF #197, I discuss John Bolton's plan for North Korea to undergo Libyan style denuclearization. In December 2003 Libya quickly gave up a nuclear weapons program. In 2011, NATO, led by the US, went to war with Libya. The war was based on myths pushed by Hillary Clinton. The war ended in the brutal killing of Libyan Leader Gadaffi forces that included al-Qaeda. 

The Trump Administration has announced it will place strict sanctions on Venezuela and Iran. I explain the dangers of Trump believing his maximum pressure campaign led to North Korea's offer to denuclearize. 

May 21, 2018

On FPF #196, I discuss a young Palestinian in Gaza setting himself on fire and the confirmation of Gina Haspel as CIA Director. The Israeli government, with the help of the US government, has created one of the worst situations in the world for the people who live in Gaza. The Senate confirmed Gina Haspel, who has an extensive involvement with the torture program. I also update Syria, Afghanistan, and Saudi Arabia. 

Link

May 18, 2018

On FPF #195, I discuss new offensives in Afghanistan and Yemen. In Afghanistan, the Taliban have begun their Spring Offensive. The Taliban killed over 100 Afghan soldiers in a week and seized two district headquarters. In Yemen, Saudi backed forces started an offensive towards the Port of Hodeida. Humanitarian organizations have repeatedly warned that a battle for the port will lead to famine in Yemen. I also update Iran, North Korea, and Iraq. 

Links

May 16, 2018

Will Porter returns to Foreign Policy Focus to discuss the Nakba and the protests in Gaza. Will gives the historical background for the Great Return March Protests. We discuss the Israeli reaction to the protest and review the morality of using lethal force against the protesters. 

Links

Ramsey Baroud on the Right of Return

DWB report on the Great Return March 

Ilan Pappe

Arab League 

May 11, 2018

On FPF #192, I discuss Gina Haspel's nomination to become CIA Director and the new AUMF bill. Ray McGovern heroically stood up at a hearing with Gina Haspel to recount her history of torture. I look at the proposed AUMF and Senator Rand Paul's warning it gives the president ultimate war powers. I also discuss North Korea, Iran, Syria, Lebanon, and Afghanistan. 

Links

Liberty Weekly #73

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