Episode 15: Taking on the Mythologies of the Permanent War State with Gareth Porter

Jon and Matt were honored to be joined by Dr. Gareth Porter, historian and investigative journalist, to debunk some of the prevailing myths that serve to perpetuate the permanent war state. Specifically discussed: - Gareth's background: How he become so adept at debunking the myths propagated by the national security state - The truth about the "moderate rebels" that the Us armed and funded in Syria- The truth about the constantly repeated allegation of  Russian bounties on American soldiers in Afghanistan, and the journalistic malpractice that was displayed by mainstream outlets in reporting this story.  - Gareth 's hypothesis as to why good national security journalism is rare Gareth Porter's Work: Please Support Him! Some of his early work dispelling the Nixon admin's lie about the alleged bloodbath if the North Vietnamese took Saigon Articles in the Nation and Harpers dispelling the myth regarding Iran's nuclear weapons ambitions Interview with Al Jazeera dispelling nuclear weapons allegations Dispelling the myth about Iran having killed 600 US soldiers in Iraq (not mentioned in episode but relevant to the conversation) How America Armed Terrorists in Syria - NIE report 2007 on Iran WMD- NYT A breakdown of the journalistic malpractice in the mainstream reporting about the alleged "Russian bounties" Read his books, Perils of Dominance: Imbalance of Power and the Road to War in Vietnam and Manufactured Crisis All of Gareth Porter's current work can be found at the Grayzone. Other Content Mentioned in this Episode: Iran has NEVER had a nuclear weapons program  DIA reported connections likely Salafi influence in opposition in 2012 - Rat Line from Libya to Syria - Hilary Clinton “AQ is on our side” - John Kerry acknowledged they knew about rise of ISIS - Joe Biden acknowledged problem of allies arming extremists, BBC affirms Our Work: Read our "In the Context of Empire" blog with corresponding and expanded posts to this content! Social Media: Twitter- @Mattylongruns.