Jeremy Scahill, leading journalist on the Pentagon’s military contracting, discussed the “incredibly disappointing” Washington Post series on giant system of ‘top secret’ operations of the U.S. government with AntiWar Radio host Scott Horton at Pacifica. He discussed “preparing the battlefield” operations, the WaPo as a “dumping ground” for the C.I.A. and the ‘system intended to give cover to clandestine operators in the private sector acting on behalf of the government’.
Later, Mr. Horton discussed blowback in Somalia against foreign intervention in Somali society perpetuating the horror in the Horn of Africa, giving a great summary of the recent history that led to the current state of affairs in the territory from the Bush Administration’s invasion to the Obama Administration shipping in arms, but blocking food entry. He also discussed 9/11 as blowback for Washington’s enabling of Israel’s ‘war crimes’ (25:50):
26 July 2010 | AntiWar Radio
This recording is excerpted from the KPFK “Beneath the Surface” program of July 23rd. Scott Horton interviews Jeremy Scahill and is himself interviewed by KPFK producer Alan Minsky. The complete recording can be heard here.
Independent journalist Jeremy Scahill, author of Blackwater: The Rise of the World’s Most Powerful Mercenary Army, discusses the too little too late Washington Post exposé on “Top Secret America,” how private contractors do the dirty (and illegal) work of state terrorism while providing the U.S. government plausible deniability, the “preparing the battlefield” exception to Congressional oversight and how the U.S. has created a big brother surveillance state in the British model.
(Scott Horton discusses the forthcoming U.S. military presence in Costa Rica, the political motivations behind “Islamic terrorism” and how U.S. intervention in Somalia created Al Shabaab.)
Scott Horton is the host of AntiWar Radio at the Liberty Radio Network, 95.9 FM in Austin, Texas and 88,3 FM in Riverside, Calif. As an associate editor at AntiWar.com, he also blogs there and at his site, The Stress Blog. Listen to his full interview achive, follow him on Twitter and Facebook, and donate to AntiWar.com here.
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